~*50lbs by October 2006 ~ My 8 Month WW Challenge!*~

[raina*faith]

I thought I would start a fresh thread for anyone who might want to lose up to 50 lbs by October. I am joing weight watchers and will be using the points system.

I officially start next Sunday, February 26th, but Im drinking my water and keeping track of what I eat now in my journal. (I'm getting my mind ready.)

Here are some stats:

Ship Cruising On: Explorer of the Seas

Date: October 29, 2006

Wanting to lose: 50 lbs.

Weigh In Day: Sundays

Goal: To wear a swimsuit and one of those cute "wraps" all the ladies wore on the boat ;)

Motivational Saying: A year from now, you'll wish you had started today

 

Eveyone is welcome to join in if they like.

[raina*faith]

I've been told that we are to drink 1/2 your weight in water, which means I'll be swimming by the end of the day! :rolleyes:

I'm trying to drink at least 64oz. I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how it went! ;)

[Debordo]

Good for you, a goal! We too are dieting as we leave on a Mediterranean cruise September 20th. My goal is also to eliminate 50 lbs. I'm down about 5 pounds after our return from our Caribbean cruise Jan 27th. I've done Weight Watchers before and it is an excellent program. I'm a lifetime member. Keep up the good work and let us know how you are doing.

 

Deb;)

[raina*faith]

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I'll need it. Good luck in your goal too. Keep coming back. As a lifetime member, I'm sure you have a lot of good tips to pass along.

My biggest goal this week is to make sure I drink my water. :rolleyes: I bought Aquafina in the grape flavor.

[Debordo]

I too have a problem drinking that much water. I lost 70 pounds several years ago and did it drinking about 1/2 that much water. Keep in mind what activity level you have during the day. If you sit all day long like I do at a desk you may cut that back just a bit no matter what Weight Watchers says. The water though is a good filler so you are not hungry all the time. Me, I drink a bunch of water if I start to feel hungry. It helps.

[raina*faith]

I just thought of this quick tip that I remember.

*Brush your teeth when you think you are hungry or think you're having a craving moment.*

I'm buying a toothbrush and small paste to keep at my job.

[raina*faith]

Well, I've started off good with drinking my water so far. I feel good and got plenty of rest last night.

Looking forward to reaching my goal today:

~ 64 oz of water by 3:00pm ~

I can do it!! :D

[raina*faith]

I'm down to my last 2 bottles of water. I can do it. It's 1:00 now and I have a meeting. Hopefully this will keep me awake.

So far, on the eating end I'm not doing too well, because I forgot my lunch and didn't have breakfast. (I usually don't eat until I leave work because I'm always so busy - but all that is going to change now. I just forgot to do it today) :rolleyes:

Tuesday February 21, 2006

Breakfast: 1/2 snack sized bag Ritz Crisps = 1pt. (too salty)

Snack: 0 points

Lunch: 0 points

Snack:

Dinner:

Water Points: ;) ;) ;) ;)

[gerif]

OK - too much water, not enough food! What's that, you say? Not enough food? Yes - if you eat too little, your body goes immediately into starvation mode, meaning that it automatically slows your metabolism down so you won't lose weight. Yes, of course, you will eventually, but it will go much faster if you do eat more of the RIGHT things.

 

A banana would have been a way better choice for breakfast. If you really can't squeeze in any sort of lunch (a hard cooked egg, a pouch of water-packed tuna, a handful of little carrots), grab a Slimfast bar - DON'T SKIP MEALS - you'll only end up compensating later by saying "ok - didn't have breakfast or lunch, now I can splurge" - you really need to reeducate yourself about eating.

 

I've been following WW since just after New Years - currently down 16 lbs. (I'm nearing 60 and pretty inactive, so that's not bad). Right now, I'm telling myself not to eat anything that doesn't do something positive for my body - been working so far, but I do have the occasional WW dessert:-)

[raina*faith]

Thanks Geri, I know I shouldn't have skipped the meals and tomorrow I'll do much better. I have to get rid of my bad habbits and that's for sure!

Thanks for the kick in the butt!! :rolleyes:

[Debordo]

Try instant oatmeal for breakfast. It's a good way to start the day and very filling. I too skip breakfast most of the time so I can save calories/points for dinner. I know it's not what WW recommends but it worked for me last time and I'm sure it will work for me again this time. I usually don't eat breakfast until 10 AM anyway so waiting for lunch is not really a big deal. When I'm hungry, I will eat oatmeal though some days. Good luck and hang in there.

[raina*faith]

Well today should be a better day then yesterday. I brought my lunch and breakfast.

I'm figuring since I had so much water yesterday, it's cleaning out my system! :eek:

So here goes the menu for today so far

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

 

Breakfast: 1 cup applesauce

1/2 slim fast

Snack: ?

Lunch: 1/2 slim fast

Lean Cuisine pizza

Snack:

Dinner:

 

Water Points:

I also found this site that is great for counting points. www.dwlz.com and www.3fatchicks.com

I got on the scale this moring and was wondering if its better to weigh with clothes on or off? I weigh myself every few days just to make sure I'm on track, I know some say don't but I don't trust my weight like that.

 

Debordo: thanks for the suggestion: I'll try the oatmeal, I've done that in the past and it does fill you up.

[gerif]

Much better today, motherhen!

 

I usually eat breakfast late also, Debordo, but I don't eat lunch until about 1:30 - love the new Quaker Weight Control oatmeal in cinnamon (banana is good also). It has lots of fiber and protein and really keeps me full.

 

Since I usually eat lunch at my desk, instead of ordering out I've been relying pretty heavily on Lean Cuisine and maybe a small side salad. Lazy, but . . . .

 

As far as when to weigh yourself, I think first thing in the morning in your birthday suit is most recommended. When I first attended WW meetings some 30 years ago, I would wear the same outfit to every weigh-in (even though it was falling off of me by the end).

 

Alas, successful dieting requires a whole lot more time and planning than just eating whatever/whenever, but it does pay off in the end. I find making lists and keeping a diet diary of everything that goes into my mouth helps a lot.

[raina*faith]

Thanks gerif! I didn't really feel hungry today, which I thought was a good thing.

Tomorrow, I'll aim higher. I've packed my breakfast and lunch for I too eat at my desk. Shame...... :rolleyes:

Today, I didn't get all my water in. My stomach was kinda upset for the morning and I didn't really even want to drink, so tomorrow I'll make up for it.

First thing, I'm going to weigh myself and see if there is any change. I would love to see something, but if I don't I'll keep on plugging away! I'm so looking forward to having my bathing suit to wear on the cruise. ;)

[Debordo]

I weighted in a WW all the time in the same outfit also. After I lost about 40 pounds though I had to change outfits because the original outfit was falling off me. A Good sign. This time I'm weighing in at home, Once a week, first thing in the AM. Don't let the scales rule you. You just keep plugging away and the weight will gradually fall off. Keep up the good work!

Deb

[raina*faith]

Don't let the scales rule you. You just keep plugging away and the weight will gradually fall off. Keep up the good work!

Deb

Good tip Deb~ I'm not going to let that happen. But by Sunday, you should see some movement in my scale down there. :D

50lbs is the goal!!

I'll post my menu later on tonight, if I get time. My daughter has a concert tonight and I'm in the middle of dinner. :rolleyes:

Raina!

[raina*faith]

Last night wasn't a good night for me... here's what happened. I'm writing it down so that I don't forget for the next time this comes up.

 

My daughter had a concert last night. I made a great dinner, LF (low fat) and everything. I even had enough time to feed everyone else. But I didn't eat myself. BAD IDEA!!!! :eek: But typical. :rolleyes:

 

By the time we got home from the concert I was starving!!!

 

1. it was entirely too late to eat.

 

2. i felt stuffed by the time I went to bed. If I had eaten earlier, I would have at least let the food digest.

 

Lessoned Learned! ;)

[dolfinmusic]

Hi! I am way overweight and if I keep gaining weight then I am going to have to resort to wearing tents!!! So - I joined the gym a month ago yesterday and have been trying to really cut back on what I eat! It is very hard and I am an emotional eater!!!! Just remember that everyday is a new day! I have fallen off the wagon so many times but this time I have to lose some weight! I love pizza and chocolate and everything that is bad for me! I hate veggies and fruit. I am currently reading a book by Bob Greene - the guy who helped Oprah lose weight. I hope it will help. There is a lot of good tips and advice. Here is one - do not eat anything 3 hrs before bedtime! I think we all know this but it is good to say it and read it! And yes - we must eat breakfast and I am not a big fan of breakfast either. I have found that the scale can be my best friend and my enemy. It is great to lose a pound but when the scale has stayed the same for a while - it is an awful feeling! Don't let that get you down but let it motivate you!!!! Good luck to both of us! :)

[raina*faith]

I found these on the web.....:) means I use and like them!

 

Don’t eat anything until you find out the point count :) :) (like alot)

That "fat free muffin" that you see at the bakery probably has twice the points that you think it does. Do your research before eating it.

Stick to your recommended points limit. Under-eating can be as bad as overeating, and can slow down your metabolism making effective weight loss difficult.

 

Do use your points on filling items

Rice cakes are a good example of this. They are pretty filling and are only 1 point each.

 

Keep a food diary

Writing down what you eat and how many points you’ve had with each meal helps you to monitor your eating habits and keep track of how many points you’ve consumed. This gives you more control and shows where you might be going wrong if you begin to gain weight again.

 

Rethink what you like

Many people say "I don’t like salad" or "I can’t eat vegetables." You are trying to improve you health and fitness, now is the time to re-access your likes and dislikes. I don’t like vegetables very much, but I try and have them with every lunch and dinner, because I know they will fill me up without points.

 

Do some exercise

This will not only keep you toned whilst you lose weight, but can help to increase your metabolism and speed up weight loss. You can also earn bonus points through exercise.

 

Know your yogurt

Yogurt comes in a mind-numbing number of varieties. Ranging from full-fat, fully sweetened to non-fat, non-sugared and everything in between. The point counts can vary tremendously, so read the labels carefully. I’ve seen two different brands of plain, non-fat yogurt have 100 and 130 calories (both for a 1 cup serving). Save the gimmick yogurts with the sprinkles or crunchy add-ins for your kids.

 

Drink plenty of water :)

Water contains no points and will promote a feeling of fullness, keeping hunger pangs at bay. It is also necessary to keep you hydrated whilst dieting and exercising.

 

Beware the fruit

Fruit is healthy and you should be eating some every day, but they have points and some of them (bananas, pineapple) have quite a few points. You cannot eat an infinite amount of fruit and lose weight. The same goes for carrots, if you are going to be munching handfuls of carrot sticks, make sure you count the points.

 

Eat a variety of food

Since no foods are banned on this diet, you should make the most of it and plan interesting and well-balanced meals. Many diets can get tiresome and boring because of the lack of variety, but this will help to keep you interested and motivated.

 

Just Do It

Diet alone will only get you limited results. If you are overweight, chances are you are not getting much exercise. Do it. Do it every day. Joining a gym is fine, but are you really going to get there every day? Try and find something that you can do at home, whenever your schedule permits.

 

Review your cooking methods

Try and avoid frying and stick with steaming, grilling, stir-frying, microwaving and boiling. These are lower fat methods of cooking and will help to cut fat intake.

 

Proud to be Hungry :)

This tip is kind of philosophical. There will be times (perhaps many times) that you will be hungry. Instead of exceeding your points and eating something, wear your hunger as a badge of honor. The hunger you feel lets you know that the program is working. I’d be surprised if you can go around feeling full all the time and still lose weight. However, this should be the exception rather than the rule. If you find you are hungry all or most of the time, speak with your Weight Watchers leader.

[raina*faith]

Hi dolfinmusic~ Thanks for being honest. I too have to loose weight. I know I'm saying this is for the cruise, but I hope it's also for life. I want to learn to live a healthly lifestyle.

Please keep coming back and sharing. I'll be spilling my guts all the time in here so if you need encouragement come on back. Gerif & Debordo help keep me on track too!

I'm trying to beef up my water intake again today.

Water: ;) ;)

[dolfinmusic]

Oh - I will be back! lol!!! I don't know if anyone is interested but Redbook is going to follow I think it is 3 woman who are trying to lose weight over the year. They will be in every issue - pretty interesting and helpful! Oh - by the way - I am not doing WW - I am just trying to do my own thing. I do have the book with the points so maybe I will try and follow it but for now I am trying to eat healthier period which is a BIG step! I should start writing down what I eat too. It took me 33 yrs to get where I am now so it is going to take some time for me to change! Plus going to gym is a big change. I hate to exercise and I have walked 1 1/2 miles twice this week on the threadmill. To some it may not sound like much but for me it is!!! I have lost about 5 lbs in a month. Would love for it to have been more but it is not going to happen overnight!! But it will! :)

 

Oh - one other thing that I read in the book is that you do have to put yourself first when it comes to your diet! I know it is hard to do but you have to try!!!

[raina*faith]

:eek: I saw in your siggy that you are doing 2 cruises in one year? Please tell me the secret! Ever since our honeymoon, we love to cruise!!

I'm doing the "not so official" ww too. I've been a member so many times I could run my own meeting. But www.dwlz.com has the meeting topics posted so I don't feel like I've lost out. I subscribed to the magazine last year and had a coupon to go to a free meeting. And I also had ww at work, so next week, I'll be on my own.

I want to start posing some recipies soon. I'm always looking for something other than what I regularly eat. I don't want to get bored.

As for a Gym, Curves was really good, but I can't afford that right now, I want to excercise at home for now. My husband is also trying to knock off a few pounds with me before the cruise.

We didn't get this way overnight, so it won't come off over night!! (Great Quote!)

[dolfinmusic]

Raina - my name is Terri by the way! Are you asking me about the 2 cruises??? The one is May is only a 1 night cruise!!!!!! I wish I could cruise more too! :)

[raina*faith]

:p I would love to do a cruise every year until forever!!

[dolfinmusic]

So what was for lunch today? I had a bowl of Special K and going to eat a 100 cal bag of Nabisco Peanut Butter Crisps.