November/December weight management challenge

[indysteel]

At my doctor's visit last week, they weighed me while I was wearing knee high leather boots. Argh!!!! Even though I try to account for stuff like that when I see the number on the scale, it still freaks me out.

[Aggie_Ama]

Late reporting, I didn't weigh until yesterday at 142.

[Veronica]

I hate charts! They never make me look good. My last weigh in and measuring with my trainer has me at 144 pounds, and 15.9% body fat. I'm only 5'5" and if I only thought about the charts or BMI, I'd be seriously depressed at this weight.

Veronica

[VeganBikeChick]

I don't want to set off any triggers, but has anyone ever successfully lost 15 lbs in one month?

I ask because I am exercising, losing weight (albeit very slowly), and eating well, but I found this fantastic sexy dress for a post-holidays party (next month) that I think will look stunning if I can just lose 15 lbs.

So far I'm running about 3 miles 4x/week, drinking lots of water, no sweets, lite carbs, and heavy on vegs/fruits. Anyone have any insight to share?

[indysteel]

I don't want to set off any triggers, but has anyone ever successfully lost 15 lbs in one month?

I ask because I am exercising, losing weight (albeit very slowly), and eating well, but I found this fantastic sexy dress for a post-holidays party (next month) that I think will look stunning if I can just lose 15 lbs.

So far I'm running about 3 miles 4x/week, drinking lots of water, no sweets, lite carbs, and heavy on vegs/fruits. Anyone have any insight to share?

If you are morbidly obese, then you could conceivably lose 15 pounds in a month. But last I knew, you are not morbidly obese. I can't say, then, that losing 15 pounds in a month is all that likely or healthy. You are talking about serious calorie deprivation--which sounds like a recipe to put that weight (and more) on again pretty quickly. Of course, YMMV.

That, and I don't recommend dieting simply to fit into some dress. That just doesn't sound like the path to sustainable change.

[emily_in_nc]

If you are morbidly obese, then you could conceivably lose 15 pounds in a month. But last I knew, you are not morbidly obese. I can't say, then, that losing 15 pounds in a month is all that likely or healthy. You are talking about serious calorie deprivation--which sounds like a recipe to put that weight (and more) on again pretty quickly. Of course, YMMV.

That, and I don't recommend dieting simply to fit into some dress. That just doesn't sound like the path to sustainable change.

+ 1

How would it look if you lost 8 lbs? A two-lb. per week weight loss is as much as is recommended as "healthy" and possibly sustainable. Otherwise, I think you're just setting yourself up for failure -- either to meet the 15-lb. goal or to keep it off. Slow weight loss is much more sustainable.

Crash dieting is not healthy at all because when you lower your caloric intake enough, your body slows its metabolism to preserve your weight. Then when you start eating a bit more, you gain faster than you would have. This yo-yo effect can really wreak havoc on your body long-term, and you can end up heavier than you started and unable to lose weight despite doing everything "right".

[jobob]

So, DH and I were on a 10-day road trip up to the Pacific Northwest, with stops in Bend, Port Townsend, Victoria BC, Seattle, and Ashland. We visited with SadieKate, Salsabike, and Biciclista (and their lovely DHs). We would have also visited with GLC1968 but time caught up with us (some other time I hope, Catherine!).

I figured I was on vacation and I wasn't going to deprive myself, and if I gained a few pounds so be it, I'd just get right back on track when we got home.

Well, I had my first post-trip WW weigh-in this morning.

153.8

That's the exact same weight I was two weeks ago. Woo-hoo, I didn't gain a bit!!!

While I most certainly did not deprive myself (SK, Salsa and Mimi can attest to that ), I didn't snack a lot, and when I did it was most often on fruit. We had bananas & grapes in the car and in our hotel rooms.

Also, if something wasn't fabulous, I didn't eat it. One morning when we were having breakfast and the hash browns (yeah yeah, I could have ordered fruit instead, but I was on vacation dammit) were not all that great; I had a bite or two and just left them alone.

Even if something was really good, I didn't feel the need to finish it. We had fish & chips at a nifty little place in Sidney BC, and my meal came with a BIG pile of fries. I made a dent in them, but left a lot on the plate. That's so unlike me, I'm a charter member of the clean plate club ("I paid for this and I shouldn't let it go to waste!" and "children are starving!!" being my mottos).

And if something was fabulous (and much of what I ate was!) I savored every little bit. I'm a fairly slow eater to begin with but I broke slow-eating records. Lee didn't mind because more often than not I'd put some of my food on his plate.

I'm really happy with how this worked out.

[yellow]

Yay, JoBob!

I'm holding steady, which is good. My primary goal is to not gain over the winter. Secondary is losing a few of the pounds I've put on since about June of 2011. I think during the next phase of this thread I will actually state a goal. Hopefully that will force me to take some responsibility!

I'm heavier than I have been in a while (I'm in the upper end of the weight range on the met tables) and I am sure my BF is up since I have lost quite a bit of muscle the last couple of years AND my weight has increased lately. I get most concerned with carrying around any extra weight, no matter what it is, because it affects my running. Too in tune to my body, I guess. 5 lbs makes a huge difference for me. That said, I need to lose about...5 lbs to get back into a more comfortable running weight. A few more than that by event time in the summer would be nice.

I've done pretty well avoiding most of the treats at work. Not 100% angel but not bad. The big victory was avoiding the homemade carmel corn. That was a tough one.

[ny biker]

I weighed 142.8 this morning. I was 140.8 two days ago, so I know there's water weight involved. But I won't be near a scale again until 2012 -- my vacation started today.

The weather forecast for the next week or so looks good for getting outside for exercise, and so hopefully I will be able to counteract some of the desserts that are coming my way...

[Catrin]

136.0 this morning. Considering my succumbing to treats this last week, I am quite happy that my weight hasn't increased.

[Giulianna23]

198.2 today...not too happy .Not sure if I am going to meet my goal. I just have 8 days to lose 3.2#s. But on the other hand I have notice a huge difference in size. I am losing inches Way more quickly than #s.

[Dannielle]

135.0

Things seems to have stabilized, which is good. Went to the Dr yesterday and my thyroid levels are fine, meds don't need adjusting. He wasn't at all concerned with the bit of sudden weight loss. He said that it's not unheard of when people remove animal products from their diet and that it's only a problem if a new normal doesn't establish itself. He pretty much told me to relax and stop worrying...he reminded me where I started and how dangerously unhealthy I was and pointed out that worrying about where exactly my weight stabilized is just silly since I'm not restricting calories or eating nutrient-poor foods.

[goldfinch]

Good news, Dannielle!

Today I had trouble getting the scale to work right and find a flat spot on the motorhome floor in my early morning daze. So, I had three readings and I am not sure that I am going to believe the lowest. I'll take the middle at 110.4.

[tprevost]

Great job Jobob! Whoop Hoo!

I was 155.4 today... Kinda stuck but there have been a lot of treats in the office so at least I'm somewhat steady!

Cheers everyone! Have a fabulous holiday!!

[jobob]

I was 155.4 today... Kinda stuck but there have been a lot of treats in the office so at least I'm somewhat steady!

Kinda stuck?!? You're past your goal and you've lost almost 10 lbs this challenge, quite a feat during the holidays. Good job!