January/February weight management challenge

[ny biker]

I could never weigh and measure. I guess if I had to lose 50 lbs., I'd do it, but I'd be stressed. Portion size is an issue for me, so I just have made them a bit smaller. But, since I've already lost 3.5 lbs. in 5 days, I'd have to say it's portion size and too much bread, and maybe the fruit I eat. I've restricted myself to blueberries and I've had one apple.
It's really hard to satisfy myself with a teeny piece of whole wheat bread or none a day. I am hungry ALL DAY long, despite giving myself snacks of nuts, cheese, and occasional dried fruit, if I'm exercising. I am craving Luna Bars .

3.5 lbs in 5 days is a lot, especially considering your starting point.

I measure pasta, because otherwise I'd have no idea how much I'm putting in the boiling water. I count easily-countable things, like crackers and cookies. I do rough estimates when the label says the package contains two or three servings and I only want one. Other than that, I just try to be mindful of how much I'm eating. I read years ago that a serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. If a serving is 1/4 cup or a tablespoon, I stop and think about what a 1/4 measuring cup or a tablespoon really looks like.

But mostly, I make an effort to stop eating when I start to feel full, even if the plate still has food on it. And I try to learn from that, and make the portion smaller the next time I prepare that meal, or plan in advance to only eat half of it the next time I order it from a restaurant.

[Susan Otcenas]

But mostly, I make an effort to stop eating when I start to feel full, even if the plate still has food on it.

I read an article that says that in cultures where people generally are NOT fat despite rich foods (like in France) is because they are taught to stop in a different manner than we are.

In the US and many other cultures, we stop eating when we are full.
In France, they are taught to stop eating when they are no longer hungry.

It's a subtle difference, yet intriguing. I've tried to retrain my thinking in this manner. I don't want to feel full. I just want to be "no longer hungry".

[Crankin]

I do measure the countable things, too. I don't make pasta at home anymore; it's a treat for a good Italian restaurant.
Yes, given the fact I've lost 3.5 lbs in this amount of time, it's told me that I really just need to tweak what I eat to maintain a slightly lower weight and that if I didn't exercise I would be fat. That's what keeps me from going too far into the danger zone But, the thing is, I already felt that my eating was somewhat restrictive before this challenge. I had quinoa with my dinner tonight, which, because it's protein and not technically a grain, I allowed myself. Now I feel very full. Just 7.5 more days of very low carb. Then I will start to add in some brown rice and occasional whole wheat bread. But, I still need to up the protein and watch the portion sizes.

[ny biker]

I read an article that says that in cultures where people generally are NOT fat despite rich foods (like in France) is because they are taught to stop in a different manner than we are.

In the US and many other cultures, we stop eating when we are full.
In France, they are taught to stop eating when they are no longer hungry.

It's a subtle difference, yet intriguing. I've tried to retrain my thinking in this manner. I don't want to feel full. I just want to be "no longer hungry".

I was taught to stop eating when the plate was empty, which worked well enough when I was growing up. But once I was out on my own, it was a long process to learn the right amount to put on the plate. And in restaurants I would keep eating even if I felt sick from too much food, until finally one day I realized I needed to stop doing that, even if it meant that some of the food got thrown away.

[azfiddle]

I'm in still/again for this challenge.

Frustrated because even though I'm staying active, I've gotten a too complacent, and am at least 6 pounds above my goal weight. I've forgotten my exact weight from Friday of last week (118 or 119?) so I'll start with this Friday. It jumped up to 120 after the 200k ride, but that is to be expected.

Thanks Posse Gal for continuing to do this.

[emily_in_nc]

I was taught to stop eating when the plate was empty, which worked well enough when I was growing up. But once I was out on my own, it was a long process to learn the right amount to put on the plate. And in restaurants I would keep eating even if I felt sick from too much food, until finally one day I realized I needed to stop doing that, even if it meant that some of the food got thrown away.

Doggie box! I try to take home half of my entree if I'm at a restaurant that gives large portions, as so many of them do. I am not one who minds leftovers at all; in fact, sometimes the food tastes even better the next day.

[Catrin]

I read an article that says that in cultures where people generally are NOT fat despite rich foods (like in France) is because they are taught to stop in a different manner than we are.

In the US and many other cultures, we stop eating when we are full.
In France, they are taught to stop eating when they are no longer hungry.

It's a subtle difference, yet intriguing. I've tried to retrain my thinking in this manner. I don't want to feel full. I just want to be "no longer hungry".

Interesting difference, and it makes sense. I do not eat large portions - though I do fall into that trap when I go out to eat. I know I need to eat more vegetables and have started to incorporate more nutrient rich dark colored veggies into my usual dishes. I've pretty much ruled everything else out so there has to be something going on with my portions.

I am just frustrated with myself, in August 2010 I was 2 pounds below my target weight of 130, and now I am almost 7 pounds higher than my target weight. That might not sound like much, but with my propensity for diabetes 2, my age, and my athletic goals those 7 pounds just aren't good for me. Nor can I delude myself into thinking that I've gained 7 pounds of muscle. My body would look quite different if that were the case

I don't measure when I cook - I am one of those "bit of this and a dab of that" cooks, but I start with healthy ingredients and limit my use of oil as much as I can. I am actively drawing back from bread, though I do need whole grains so am staying with my steel-cut oats with breakfast and brown rice a couple of times a week. I think the rest of my carbs should come from veggies/fruit. It isn't like I am going out on long endurance rides this time of the year!

[yellow]

I will be out of town for a long weekend with some girlfriends (read: much red wine consumption), so I weighed this morning. 128. I tried to go low-er carb this week and ended up totally bonking during running by Wednesday (and just going up the stairs!). I need a few more calories and a few more carbs if I am going to continue to train at 30-40 mpw, I think.

[Veronica]

Finding that right balance of carbs and keeping your weight where you want it, is hard!

A few weeks ago I started making Friday nights a carb fest. At first it was an accidental thing, we were both off and bought a bunch of evil stuff at Trader Joes. But I noticed that I wasn't completely exhausted by my long Saturday run, the way I ALWAYS had been. So, the next week I carb loaded on purpose on Friday night and again I had a great long run and felt great after.

I'm not losing the pounds I'd like to get to 12% body fat, but I'm not gaining either and the extra energy on Saturday afternoon is nice!

I'm sure you'll find what works for you.

Veronica

[channlluv]

V, how long is your long run? Just curious.

I was talking about carb loading for what I thought was a long ride and DH poo-pooed it, saying, "You don't need to carb load for 20 miles."

I'm kicking myself here because I'm falling back into old eating habits - no self control. I even recognize it while I'm doing it and I can't stop myself, or I've been unable to stop myself or unwilling or whatever. Damn Trader Joe's and their "healthy" snacks. Baked cheese puffs, my big Aunty Fanny.

I know I'm the only one who can control this. I don't know why I can't.

Roxy

[Blueberry]

(((((Roxy))))) It's hard. I still struggle with it. The exercise piece is, I think, coming together for me. Now to work on my eating habits (while potentially changing careers, selling a house, moving stuff into storage and an apartment, and....that's just the next few months).

For 20 miles on the bike, I wouldn't carb load. But I would require a small snack on the bike (a fig newton pack - 200 calories - or something of that size). I'm slow, so 20 miles (with stoplights) can be 2 hours.

[ny biker]

V, how long is your long run? Just curious.

I was talking about carb loading for what I thought was a long ride and DH poo-pooed it, saying, "You don't need to carb load for 20 miles."

I'm kicking myself here because I'm falling back into old eating habits - no self control. I even recognize it while I'm doing it and I can't stop myself, or I've been unable to stop myself or unwilling or whatever. Damn Trader Joe's and their "healthy" snacks. Baked cheese puffs, my big Aunty Fanny.

I know I'm the only one who can control this. I don't know why I can't.

Roxy

Just don't buy the stuff. Keep it out of he house. Don't even walk down the aisle in the grocery store if you can avoid it. If you have to walk down that aisle to buy something in a different category, avert your eyes from the bad stuff.

Sometimes when I'm shopping I'll see the Ruffles potato chips and think they would be really good right now so maybe I should treat myself. Then I close my eyes and picture my a$$ in swim suit. And I keep walking.

[Veronica]

V, how long is your long run? Just curious.

Right now I'm running for about 90 minutes.

I eat no carbs most nights. Dinner is generally a plate of protein in the form of fish, chicken or filet mignon. So adding any carbs at night is "carb loading" for me and a normal dinner probably for most people.

Veronica

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm kicking myself here because I'm falling back into old eating habits - no self control. I even recognize it while I'm doing it and I can't stop myself, or I've been unable to stop myself or unwilling or whatever. Damn Trader Joe's and their "healthy" snacks. Baked cheese puffs, my big Aunty Fanny.

I know I'm the only one who can control this. I don't know why I can't.

Roxy

Oh, Roxy, I wish I could give you a great big hug. You aren't alone. Really. I could have written these exact same words (except that nuts are my Kryptonite, not Trader Joes ) any time over the past year. I knew what I should and should not be eating. No one was holding a gun to my head when I walked down the bulk foods aisle and bought a nice big bag of roasted salty nutty goodness. (and then repeated the pattern every other day for months... ) Sometimes it was like I was having an out of body experience. I'd watch myself walk down that aisle, fill the bag, all the time wondering what invisible hand was pushing me along, all the while knowing I shouldn't be buying the *as I was buying them*. Then I would eat them. And because I knew I *shouldn't* be eating them, I didn't get nearly enough pleasure out of them. Then they'd be gone and I'd be miserable, wondering what was wrong with me.

The trick is, how to break out of that cycle? Good question. The million dollar question, in fact. If there were one nice pat answer to this, we'd all be thin and happy, wouldn't we.

I wish I had an answer for you, Roxy. I truly do. I've finally managed to break back out of that cycle (Ironman Canada being the trigger that has finally snapped me out of it, or more accurately, scared the crap out of me enough to force me to get serious...) But I believe that you WILL find that place of strength deep inside you, the one that knows that those baked cheese puffs are not what truly makes you happy. Keep the faith, girl. I believe in you.

I was talking about carb loading for what I thought was a long ride and DH poo-pooed it, saying, "You don't need to carb load for 20 miles."

Honestly, he's probably right. It would be good for you to eat a normal-sized meal a few hours before a ride (say, a bowl of oatmeal, a banana and a glass of milk). Give yourself time to digest. I can often ride two hours with nothing but water, but usually around an hour I want 100-250 calories to help me ride better during that second hour. But that really is all most people will need. Our stomachs are not physically capable of digesting much more that 200-300 calories per hour when we are being aerobically active. Anything more than that will cause digestive distress.

[yellow]

I'm sure you'll find what works for you.

I know what works for me and just thought I'd try something a little different (hubby is trying to lose about 10 so we are trying to do this together). When the bonks happen on short runs, that's a problem. I haven't even gotten to my long run for the week (which, thankfully, is pretty short by my long run standards)! At this point I'm concerned with getting my weight down because I don't need to carry an extra 5 lbs up the mountain when I am running. I have no idea what my BF is, and for the purposes for moving mass through space (at the moment), I'm not too focused on it. I seem to be able to lose weight if I count calories. I don't really eat a lot of crap, anyway, so I think that helps. My problem is portion control. If I measure out my food, regardless of what it is, then I can usually lose what I need to lose.

Friggin' almonds. I can eat them by the handful.

Roxy, I eat regularly while I run long distances, but in very small amounts. For anything longer than about an hour or an hour and a half, I need some calories. If it's close to an hour and a half, I drink my calories (I prefer HEED). If it's 2+ hours, then I always have some food. What I eat depends on how long I plan to be out.

Edit: the low carb is definitely working for hubby. So we'll keep that focus but I will need to add in some!