January/February weight management challenge

[goldfinch]

I don't count calories. If I ate 1200 calories a day, I am not sure if I'd survive. I've seen formulas that say I should eat something like 1100 calories a day to maintain my weight . Realistically, I think I eat about 2,000- 2500, with exercise, of course, and now I might be eating 16- 1800.

My resting metabolic rate, the calories needed just to run my body at rest, is roughly 975 to 1000 calories. I currently eat between 1450 and 1500 with exercise, on a weekly average. I will have higher days when I have significant exercise or I just blow it. Last week when I rode 57 miles I had about 1900 calories that day. But my weekly average still stayed close to 1500. Last week it averaged 1534.

When I was heavy my resting metabolic rate was roughly 225 calories more than it is now. That is because I had more body to support. I think that I always want that additional 225.

As far as variability, the "hacker's diet" has a good discussion of the fluctuations people have that basically are meaningless: http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/signalnoise.html

[goldfinch]

Hey, this is the thread where we post our weights!

Friday January 13: 108.4

[SAMbike]

Morning everyone!

1/13: 115.0

but I'm wondering when those cookies and other junk food that I scarfed down earlier this week at a 2-day conference will kick-in... it's certainly not an immediate thing, the weight gain that is, so if I go overboard it might not actually show up in a consistent weight gain for a few days

[goldfinch]

In my case, nuts are a trigger food. I don't know what it is about nuts, but I am incapable of eating just a few. You know those big jars of mixed nuts they sell at Costco? Well, I can motor through one of those in a couple of days. So, FOR ME, nuts are some I simply SHOULD NOT have in my house when I am actively trying to lose weight.

I agree with both of you.

In some ways the behaviorists were right. Certain things get associated with eating behavior. Have the stimulus and get the response. Appetite is not rational. But our rational selves can identify and address the triggers like you did with nuts.

When I was actively losing weight I did the same with chocolate, bread, sugar and most other carbs. I had no chocolate or bread around at all because I would eat it and I was low carbing. Shaking myself out of the foods I used to overeat worked out good for me. And the only sugar I ate was fake. I still mostly use fake sugar as I have developed a taste for stevia based sugars but now I can manage chocolate and bread products in moderation.

I also never ate in front of the tv, to break the tv stimulus. I never had dessert because eating a meal would make me want to have something sweet at the end. I left the sweet things, which were primarily fruit, for other times of the day and not associated with meals.

[azfiddle]

For me, it's not so much particular trigger foods or binges, but more mindless eating, portion sizes and sweets. My successes in weight loss are always associated with an internal shift in attitude that allowed me to commit to the idea firmly that I was focused on losing weight. My most recent journey from 150 in the "110's" was that way. And struggling to keep it off lately, my motivation wandered away for a bit and I'm trying to reorient myself.

Although I never read the whole book, I heard a couple of interviews with the author of a booked called The End of Over-eating. It talks about some research on how your brain responds to the combination of sweets, salt and fat, the role of self-control and how hard it is to wean yourself from the highly processed foods formulated with those 3 factors. I was thinking about it as I found myself dipping in to a box of wheat thins earlier this week- that combination of flavors kept calling me back to the box- even though I wasn't hungry. I think I should read the whole book sometime though.

[azfiddle]

Oh, forgot: I was 117.2 this morning, and my goal is 114

[tprevost]

153 even this morning... Last year I attempted to get down to a healthy weight and then my dad passed away and with all of the stress I gained it all back... I'm almost to my low point of last year and feeling very positive that I will get it done this year!

[GLC1968]

What made me nervous (for myself based on past history) was the idea in general of "I can't eat such and such, I'm not like other people." Not what you meant, but dieting is not always rational for me.

I don't believe in the "I can't eat such and such" mentality either. I know that probably surprises people considering the way I choose to eat.

There are lots of things I don't eat. I can if I want to, I just don't want to. Some because I've lost all desire, others because I keep trying to eat them and each time, decide that it's not worth it to me. If that makes my diet unrealistic or unimaginable to some people, that's fine with me. I'm not expecting anyone else to eat the way I do any more that I would expect every person in the world to be vegan or to do weight watchers just because that was one person's choice. Personally, I love my way of eating. It's a piece of cake (no pun intended!) for me.

Although I never read the whole book, I heard a couple of interviews with the author of a booked called The End of Over-eating. It talks about some research on how your brain responds to the combination of sweets, salt and fat, the role of self-control and how hard it is to wean yourself from the highly processed foods formulated with those 3 factors. I was thinking about it as I found myself dipping in to a box of wheat thins earlier this week- that combination of flavors kept calling me back to the box- even though I wasn't hungry. I think I should read the whole book sometime though.

I also haven't read the book, but have read reviews and summaries of it and I think they are very much onto something there. I've read similar arguments in many other places and based on how my body reacts to those things (and how it's been reacting since I gave them all up), I think it's a very sound point of view.

(and wheat thins - particularly the basil and sun-dried tomato ones - were a nemesis for me. Wow, those thing were hard to put down!!)

I forgot to weigh myself this morning until after I'd had a big glass of water and two cups of coffee...so I'll weigh tomorrow and post then.

[Susan Otcenas]

I guess I ought to officially join the thread this month.

Starting weight on 1/1/2012: 145.5
Today's weight: 141.5
Goal weight for 2/28/2012: 136

[Susan Otcenas]

What made me nervous (for myself based on past history) was the idea in general of "I can't eat such and such, I'm not like other people." Not what you meant, but dieting is not always rational for me.

Agreed!

I've tried that type of restrictiveness, and while it often works over a 3-4 week period, it usually just ends up making me feel resentful of everything I *do* put in my mouth. Then I rebound way off in the opposite direction. Bad news.

So, now, nothing is entirely off-limits. But there are, like nuts, definitely things that I am better served by eating only under particular circumstances (like nuts on a salad at a restaurant) or as special occasion "treats". Alcohol is a good example of that. I haven't had any since New Year's Eve and don't plan to have any until I reach my goal weight, except during just a few very specific upcoming special events and even then in moderation. Jeff and I used to toss back a few bottles of good wine a week. I like good wine (especially a nice bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir...MMmmm) but during this time period, I'm choosing to partake just a little and to savor every drop!

[Crankin]

OK, interesting discussion. It shows we all are different. I basically don't keep any sweets or junk food in my house, so it's been ages since I regularly craved that stuff. I've never "binged" on anything. But, I do crave weird things like whole wheat bagels and Luna Bars. I just love to eat and go out a lot, so it all has to be tempered with moderation. And, yes, nothing is prohibited except for right now, to jump start myself. The one time I had to lose 25+ lbs. I did it just by eating healthy, no junk, little meat, etc., but it took me almost a year. Of course, i hardly exercised then.

todays weight: 106.6
Mr. Crankin 151.8

[ny biker]

142.0 this morning.

The Christmas cookies that my mother sent back with me are all gone, in the sense that there are no more in the kitchen because I finished the last one a couple of days ago.

However they are still here, in the sense that I can see them on the scale.

They are the best cookies ever in the history of all Christmas cookies that any mother ever baked, so I have no regrets.

[DonnaS]

135.4 this am with a goal of 129.

[emily_in_nc]

107.5 today. Wrong direction! Strange too, because the previous two days I weighed 105.5 and didn't eat an extreme amount yesterday, plus was pretty active. Hopefully it's just salt/water weight as I did eat lunch out yesterday and chili (low fat, high veg) for dinner last night.

I will have a better number next week. <--- power of positive thinking!

[five one]

137 this morning.

Too soon to tell if this is real weight loss or water weight fluctuation, but I'll take it. If I can lose one lb. per week during this challenge, I'll be happy. Once I can tell the difference in the fit of my clothing, I'll be even happier.

I suppose I can call the way I eat modified Paleo. No wheat, pasta, white rice, etc., but I am eating steel cut oats, quinoa, and some dairy. Lots of veggies, some fruit. I'm back to measuring and weighing the foods I bring to work for breakfast and lunch. I track those calories, so at the end of the day, I know what's left for dinner. Then I kind of wing it. Portion control is what will be key for me as far as diet goes.

This has been a very interesting discussion.