Mamapedians...tell me about your weight loss success please (or how you maintain a healthy weight even if you’ve never been overweight)! If you were able to kick a few pounds (or a lot of pounds) and keep it off, how did you do it? What motivated you to keep going, week after week after week? How did you ignore things like the blueberry muffins you bought for your kids and have a breakfast smoothie instead?
I have A LOT of weight to lose...I was looking at my weight loss logs/journals from 5 years ago when I wanted to lose 35 lbs (realistic weight) to 50 lbs (fantasy weight). Since then I've managed to become more active AND gain 30 lbs (to be fair, I did a surrogacy and gave birth to twins during that time, which threw me off my mission for a while). So I'm looking at 65 lbs to get to a healthy weight and 80 to be thin. That's A LOT to lose!!
I've been training for a 2-day, 150 mile bike ride in June for the past month, so I bike indoors for 45 - 75 minutes 3-4 times a week at 15 mph, logging 50+ miles a week (this will increase each week). Then two days a week I walk/jog 2 miles because I also have a couple of 5K races in April and May to prep for, so those distances will increase too. I log everything I eat, keeping to 1200-1400 calories a day. Since adding in the food tracking I am down 3 lbs, which is great. But then I think...I need to do this for 20+ weeks (because 3 lbs a week isn't a realistic expectation week after week)? And then what…do this forever? It just seems like so much freaking work LOL! Do people who are at a healthy weight just adjust and learn to restrict calories and be active every day and have that be their new normal? Or is it hard forever?
Because of the races and bike event I’m pretty much locked in to lots of cardio until June but after that can mix things up a bit – has anyone done other workouts that were really effective that I can look forward to adding in over the summer?
Please share your stories…thanks!
Exercise is great but to lose weight you have to diet. I did a "nutritional boot camp" last fall for six weeks, lost a few inches and 10 lbs and....have kept the weight off! The boot camp was great because there was accountability and each week we added or eliminated something from the diet. (Drinking lots of water, eliminating sugar, etc) but it wasn't all at once so it was safe and manageable.
I'm using the Digest Diet (through Reader's Digest) and I've lost 17 lbs since January 13!!!
I have no real idea why, but this one made sense.... lots of healthy recipe ideas in the books... lean meats and veggies, limiting the simple carbs... (some complex carbs are ok...)
The best thing is that I can start the day with a really yummy smoothie... yogurt, frozen strawberries, peanut butter, coconut milk, flaxseed meal, dry milk powder, 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, honey, vanilla, and a few ice cubes..... it tastes so good that I feel that I am cheating on the diet!
I'm lucky, though... for the most part, it is just hubby and I... so I can decide what is bought and brought into the house for the family. My daughter and her family are living with us for a few weeks, so that has made it a bit harder... but for the most part, I'm still maintaining the weight and still losing a bit here and there.
One important part... no artificial sweeteners, no diet drinks... that really doesn't help any.
You are getting a LOT of exercise...just walking a mile a day was enough for me to lose 30 pounds in one summer. My suggestion for you would be to find a good calorie and exercise calculator online, and figure out how many calories you are actually burning...and also keep track of how many you are consuming per day. You need to eat enough to supply your body with the energy to do what you're doing!
If you're looking for that great body again, add some toning to your cardio...things like stretching, yoga, dance, etc. You can get some free movies from the library and try them, or get a book and make up your own routine.
And no, to maintain weight you don't have to exercise like that...you just need to make smart choices, live a bit healthier, etc. I still have a bit of weight to lose because I have been awful all winter (lots of peanut butter, virtually NO exercise), but when I am maintaining my ideal weight, I try to walk a mile or two a few times a week, I dance around the house at home while I'm cleaning or doing dishes, and I eat fairly healthy and indulge when I want to!
Congratulations, and good luck!
Both my moms have lost a good amount of weight over the course of a year (40 lb and 60 lb, respectively). I don't know the details but I do know they watch their portion sizes vigilantly. Also they give themselves permission to indulge once a week. They eat right all week and then one night they let go just a bit. Nothing crazy but enough to motivate themselves all week. Neither is able to exercise so it has all been done by their diet. Good luck and focus on your goals. Of course, make sure you set reasonable goals and give yourself permission to stumble occasionally. No one is perfect and no journey is without its stones along the way. Like we say about our toddlers - it's not how you eat on any given day but how you eat over the course of the week. Simplistic perhaps but it motivated my mothers.
Go, JB, go!! What's that noise you hear in background - why that's pom pom rustling to cheer you on!! :)
I am with you! Its a lot of work for goal that seems so far away! It seems a dream. I have been on my own journey to lose wt. probably 30-50 lbs. I am a terrible dieter. I don't calorie count. I am a baker of goodies. When I was younger and cooking for everybody, my thought was that I could never turn down what I spent time cooking and I cooked what they liked. This last year our new rec center for the city opened. I decided I was loosing wt. I have only lost about 10 lbs so I am not talking fast! I hope to be talking long term changes that I can easily keep up, life style changes.
As for the blueberry muffin, protein is my weapon of choice. Good for you that you can do the smoothy thing! I don't want to drink my food. I could never keep that up. Maybe for a while but never every breakfast for life. I do an egg sandwich on a triple health English muffin. I am equipped to refuse that banana bread I made the other day. Don't even really think about it. I have reduced my cheese intake so much, I had some cheddar yesterday and it didn't even taste that good. As I am replacing processed foods with natural, I don't have near as many cravings. But I didn't do it all at once and I have a long way to go.
I just started doing these interval training things on the recumbent bike. Where you do 2 min warm up, 30 sec fast as you can, 1 min regular, 30 sec. Fast as you can , 1 min regular, for 8-10 cycles. That would be nothing for you! But they tell me it's supposed to rev your metabolism for 24-36 hours afterwards. We shall see. I have also started taking the green coffee bean extract. It has kept my wt more steady when I can remember to take it!
I hope living healthy is not hard forever! It's easier than it was a yr ago. Keep posting. It encourages me!
Once on the lips, forever on the hips? Does that help?
Smiles!
Dawn
My mom lost about 100lbs over the course of a year and has, so far, kept it off! Seriously, you can't even recognize her in old family photographs. She did a no-carb diet while losing the weight and is now allowing herself to have a very limited amount of carbs. It's very very hard because carbs are pretty much in everything yummy, lol, but it's something to look into.
Good luck to you and kudos to you for being a surrogate! Remind yourself of your goal. Do you have a picture of yourself thin that you could hang up on the fridge? :) Remember pretty much EVERYTHING you put in your mouth has calories, even beverages and they add up fast! I also say don't deprive yourself of things you want but do so in moderation. I ususally do really well during the week but every now and then with the kids I might splurge on something small. They say that is good sometimes because your body will over time get used to what you are doing and it will need a shock. Make sure your diet is realistic or it will never work and you'll gain it back. I love the ZONE/South Beach/diabetic concept where everything you eat is balanced. Hubby and I lost 30 lbs on it and kept it off because we learned good behaviors and didn't starve ourselves. I wish you all the luck! I know how hard it can be, especially to stay motivated! Just think though...3 lbs last week...if you stay on track this week you are down another 3!
When I am trying to eat right and a blueberry muffin crosses my path. I will take a bite then pour liquid soap on it. Just sayin........
It's a life change, so it takes a while to stick with anything. Once your at your goal weight all you really have to do is maintain. You should not have to work as hard. Just keep an eye on your diet and still work out 3 Xs a week. Good luck!
Add strength training 2x week. Try not to buy foods u can't eat, even for kids. Don't let yourself get too angry, lonely or tired which could lead to overeating. Have a list of 5 things to do other than eat, walk, journal etc. have raw veggies in baggies in fridge for snack.
