The Weekly Weigh-in Thread.

[amadaun]

I've seen those calorie counting things on various exercise machines, but how do they work? How does it know?

And yay Kailey!

Well, you have to enter your weight into the machine, and then I assume it just does some fancy-pants calculation with the RPMs. At my gym they have heart rate as well, might have something to do with that.

And congrats, WD... I rarely manage to get more than 350 calories on the elliptical before I gotta give up and go sit in the hot tub for awhile.

 

[WriterDom]

Like she said, it's just an estimation based on speed with resistance factored in. Based on your weight. Some equipment makers actually test a pool of people to get an average. It's more entertainment value than useful. I go by time and increase a minute each time. 40 minutes tomorrow. <groan> But.. I'm almost doing in one day what I did in a week when I started. Sometimes just being able to do more is its own reward.

 

[brioche]

I'm down 1.8, which means that I'm still down 10 pounds, but wearing heavier pants and a wool sweater, instead of lighter pants and a light sweater. I got tired of freezing on Mondays.
ETA: I've lost the 10 pound goal for Jan and Feb, and if I lose 1.5 more pounds I'll be back down to my lowest recent weight, ie, any weight lost will go on the tracker. I'm pretty happy. Just that little bit more.

 

[Cherrysweetdeal]

Woohoo...another 2 lbs!!! It's been 8 or 9 years since i've wieghed this much. It feels great. The thing is, i'm not doing much to lose it. It's coming off VERY slowly but it's coming off and that's all that matters. i can't wait to lose another 6 lbs....i will have hit one of my goals. Mind you, i made that goal months and months ago. That doesn't matter. i'll still be accomplishing a goal.

It doesn't matter how long it takes to reach a weightloss goal. If you can reach it, good on ya.

 

[Etoile]

More walking. Lots of walking. Hell, walking through the MGM Grand alone was at least half a mile. Love to all.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Ok, so here's the deal. I do not weigh what I want to. Obviously... I am not always inspired to tell other people around me that I am dieting, usually it is a little way of setting myself up to fail. But... my Dom told me about this thread and he thought that it might help me. So here I am and I have been walking three miles every night with my dogs and eating healthier.

I want to get down to 150 pounds but perhaps a short term goal would be better for this right now. I would like to see myself lose at least 8 pounds by the end of the week.

 

[WriterDom]

Rather than trying to lose 8 pounds in a week, why not make lasting changes to your lifestyle that may give you a weight loss over time rather than a quick fix. If not, you'll gain it back after the gimmick loss is over and you go back to habits that got you extra weight to start with.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Hm... See it isn't like I'm on some lose weight quick scheme. I am eating healthier and doing what is good for my body now, of course I sure that it came across that way. The reason for losing weight is something deeper than just losing weight.

If I don't there is a good possibility that I won't be able to have kids one day.

So, by cutting out a lot of my carbs and sugar and by exercising more I can see myself losing that weight. It's not just a diet, it's a lifestyle. That much I am fully aware of.

 

[WriterDom]

I'm just saying 8 pounds is unrealistic. You might lose 2 pounds of fat and 6 pounds of water only to go up 6 pounds the next week and really get discouraged. Plus, once you go below 1000 calories or so, your body goes into starvation mode.

Sugar should be a controlled substance. Some carbs are just as bad, but you body needs good carbs.

The key is exercise. Like my brother said once, he's never seen a fat person on a bicycle.

 

[Etoile]

My view is that losing 8 pounds in one week is also setting oneself up to fail. This is simply because it is very difficult to truly lose 8 pounds in one week - like WD said, it's probably mostly going to be water. So when the scale only says you've lost 6 pounds, that will feel like failure because you wanted to lose 8. Why not start with 4-5 pounds, and then when you exceed that, you'll feel that much better? It's about the mental hurdle, not the physical one. The physical one is very high at 8 pounds, but you can bring it down and feel better about yourself for clearing it. Is this making any sense?

Today I'm not going to be doing a whole lot of walking. I'm about to head down to the Flamingo to take pictures of the birdies.

 

[Kierae]

Well I seem to be stuck weight wise (12 pounds since Jan 1st is great so not complaining) but I am a bit apprehensive. I leave tomorrow morning for Houston for the annual Rodeo and BBQ competition. A bunch of friends gather together to help one of the bbq competitors run the booth. This means 5 days of airplane food, hotel food, and good ole texas bbq, jello shots and booze. It is going to be a major challenge to try to meet my diet as much as possible. I love this South Beach Diet but 4-5 cups of veggies a day is impossible when on the road (hell its a challenge at home!). I figure I can get a road trip to a store to pick up a bag of carrots/celery, v8 and bottled water which will help supplement the salads. It will be interesting to see what my weight is come tuesday...

Glad you are enjoying Vegas Etoile - lots of fun people watching there!

~kierae

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Ok.... I will admit that eight pounds is alot. And I am not looking to starve myself at all. I am merely looking to take in less calories than I burn off. And running a mile in the morning and three at night should just about cover me in that department. I will change my goal simply because I think you all raise good points and I wouldn't want to set myself up for failure. Before I wasn't even paying attention to how much I had lost.

So, what would you all guess is a more reasonable?

I have dropped all of the soda, and I haven't cut out all carbs I'm just limiting myself on how many I can have. I'm not eating refined sugar but there are these apples 'Crunchy Snacks' in the produce department that are sooooo good and it's natural sugar.

 

[amadaun]

Ok.... I will admit that eight pounds is alot. And I am not looking to starve myself at all. I am merely looking to take in less calories than I burn off. And running a mile in the morning and three at night should just about cover me in that department. I will change my goal simply because I think you all raise good points and I wouldn't want to set myself up for failure. Before I wasn't even paying attention to how much I had lost.

So, what would you all guess is a more reasonable?

I have dropped all of the soda, and I haven't cut out all carbs I'm just limiting myself on how many I can have. I'm not eating refined sugar but there are these apples 'Crunchy Snacks' in the produce department that are sooooo good and it's natural sugar.

For consistent weight loss? 2 pounds a week is generally considered a healthy amount, but don't browbeat yourself if you can't make it every week. Sometimes it just doesn't happen and there's nothing you can do about it.

It's entirely possible that you might be able to lose eight pounds in the first week or so of a new diet, but as others have said, that will probably be mostly water... which you could easily get back just from hormonal shifts and what have you.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

For consistent weight loss? 2 pounds a week is generally considered a healthy amount, but don't browbeat yourself if you can't make it every week. Sometimes it just doesn't happen and there's nothing you can do about it.

It's entirely possible that you might be able to lose eight pounds in the first week or so of a new diet, but as others have said, that will probably be mostly water... which you could easily get back just from hormonal shifts and what have you.

Thank you for that. I will shoot for a 2 to 4 pounds a week thing. I appreciate the info.

 

[WriterDom]

I think it depends a lot on your starting weight. Take the "Biggest Loser" people. Before they get to the show they have to be eating a hell of a lot just to maintain their weight. Roughly, a 400 pound man has to eat 4000 calories just to maintain. And the only exercise he is getting is during a midnight raid to the fridge.

Now you put him in a controlled environment and cut his calories down to 2000, he starts running a 2000 a day deficit from day one. Couple that with a personal trainer and they can have huge loses.

But someone like Etoile doesn't even eat 2000 calories a day now. For her to lose a pound a week she has to cut out 500 calories a day without going into starvation mode.

I think most people would be thrilled with a 52 pound weight loss in a year. That's one pound a week. Boring, slow, and agonizing. We want miracles. A pill that will make us lose 30 pounds in 30 days.

 

[catalina_francisco]

I think it depends a lot on your starting weight. Take the "Biggest Loser" people. Before they get to the show they have to be eating a hell of a lot just to maintain their weight. Roughly, a 400 pound man has to eat 4000 calories just to maintain. And the only exercise he is getting is during a midnight raid to the fridge.

Now you put him in a controlled environment and cut his calories down to 2000, he starts running a 2000 a day deficit from day one. Couple that with a personal trainer and they can have huge loses.

But someone like Etoile doesn't even eat 2000 calories a day now. For her to lose a pound a week she has to cut out 500 calories a day without going into starvation mode.

I think most people would be thrilled with a 52 pound weight loss in a year. That's one pound a week. Boring, slow, and agonizing. We want miracles. A pill that will make us lose 30 pounds in 30 days.

Very true. Most people who have weight problems can lose a lot just by cutting out all the bads like processed foods, reading the labels on food you buy (I have found to my surprise here in The Netherlands that even buying a roast in the supermarket means reading as most have added sugar and salt of all things), not being fooled into believing that because something is labelled as natural that it is exactly, and adding a little exercise. I am hoping my body is the same as it always has been in that it responds quickly to exercise (haven't really started it seriously. that is week 2), and the weight stays off if I maintain most of my previous healthyeating patterns. I also think it is a mistake to stick to just one diet method throughout as the body adjusts to suit the diet content and then stops losing weight. My thought is if you switch to another method every few weeks, the metabolism is kick started regularly to maintain a pattern of loss.

Catalina

 

[Etoile]

I think it depends a lot on your starting weight. Take the "Biggest Loser" people. Before they get to the show they have to be eating a hell of a lot just to maintain their weight. Roughly, a 400 pound man has to eat 4000 calories just to maintain. And the only exercise he is getting is during a midnight raid to the fridge.

Now you put him in a controlled environment and cut his calories down to 2000, he starts running a 2000 a day deficit from day one. Couple that with a personal trainer and they can have huge loses.

But someone like Etoile doesn't even eat 2000 calories a day now. For her to lose a pound a week she has to cut out 500 calories a day without going into starvation mode.

I think most people would be thrilled with a 52 pound weight loss in a year. That's one pound a week. Boring, slow, and agonizing. We want miracles. A pill that will make us lose 30 pounds in 30 days.

You're right, I have been eating about 1300 calories a day for more than a year now. That's why the closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to lose weight...because you don't have any spare calories to cut out, unless you're living on lettuce. I am going to be dropping to 700-800 calories a day for a few weeks to try and shake things up a bit, we'll see how that goes.

Speaking of a 2000 calories a day diet, though, why does American packaging still list that on Nutrition Facts labels? Given the rampant obesity in our society, shouldn't many of us be eating less than 2000 calories a day? Perhaps people are being fooled by that "% of your daily allowance" thing - they're not doing the math to calculate what the percent is for their ACTUAL appropriate diet.

I did the math using www.gmap-pedometer.com and discovered that I walked about four miles today alone. It took about 3 hours, but that includes a break for lunch, some shopping, and a ride on a roller coaster. I didn't realize how much walking I was doing - it's a lot more than I ever do at home. And you know what? I still felt good when I got back to the hotel room. My feet were a little sore, but I wasn't totally wiped. This is good.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

My problem was that I ate food just to eat, because it tasted good. And now I am eating things that are healthier and that actually taste good. I usually stick myself to this uber strict diet and I fail every time so this time I am going to go easier on myself. If I want some cake... have a small piece. It all must be done in moderation.

 

[Master_of_Pupets]

You're right, I have been eating about 1300 calories a day for more than a year now. That's why the closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to lose weight...because you don't have any spare calories to cut out, unless you're living on lettuce. I am going to be dropping to 700-800 calories a day for a few weeks to try and shake things up a bit, we'll see how that goes.

Speaking of a 2000 calories a day diet, though, why does American packaging still list that on Nutrition Facts labels? Given the rampant obesity in our society, shouldn't many of us be eating less than 2000 calories a day? Perhaps people are being fooled by that "% of your daily allowance" thing - they're not doing the math to calculate what the percent is for their ACTUAL appropriate diet.

I did the math using www.gmap-pedometer.com and discovered that I walked about four miles today alone. It took about 3 hours, but that includes a break for lunch, some shopping, and a ride on a roller coaster. I didn't realize how much walking I was doing - it's a lot more than I ever do at home. And you know what? I still felt good when I got back to the hotel room. My feet were a little sore, but I wasn't totally wiped. This is good.

The daily recommended calorie intake varies person to person, for me 2000 calories a day would be starvation levels. The more muscle you have and the more active you are requires an increased calorie intake. For me to maintain my weight I need about 3200 calories a day, given that I’m 6'5" and now 225 pounds and that I work out for 2 hours 5 days a week I need to keep just below that 3200 calorie level to loose weight or my body will go into starvation mode and I could actually gain weight.

 

[WriterDom]

I'm not so sure the school system is producing a product that could comprehend a food label. At least at the high school level. I think Americans are fat because it's the path of least resistance. I don't think most men give a flip about their weight after 40 until they have some brush with death. More women do, but they get on diet merry-go-rounds that only make them gain weight in the long run. Advertisers have spent billions on the emotional rewards of eating. Food isn't fuel for your body, it's entertainment, it's a reward, it's a comfort, it's your best friend when you are lonely, and it's your lover. Don't feel like going out? Order a pizza, which is nothing but a whole loaf of white bread covered and smothered in fat.

Now it has filtered down so far we have obesity running rampant in children.

 

[Etoile]

It does make me wonder, though, WD - can our culture make a healthy transition toward being fat? That is, assuming everyone is still in good shape, but we just weigh too much, is that bad? Obviously extreme obesity leads to diabetes and other issues, but I know several fat people who are in perfectly good shape, they're just fat. Why should they have to try to lose weight, as long as they're already healthy?

I'm not saying I agree with this suggestion I'm posing - I'm just pondering it, y'know?

 

[WriterDom]

It depends on age as well. Most people put on the poundage as they get older. One can be 75 pounds overweight at 25 or 30 and cope quite well. But it creeps up over the years then suddenly they are 50 and 175 pounds overweight.

 

[Cherrysweetdeal]

My problem was that I ate food just to eat, because it tasted good. And now I am eating things that are healthier and that actually taste good. I usually stick myself to this uber strict diet and I fail every time so this time I am going to go easier on myself. If I want some cake... have a small piece. It all must be done in moderation.

Other things you could do, is if you didn't have any chocolate or desserts one week you could get a piece of cake one day the next week.

Use it almost as a reward for eating healthy and that way you don't overload on the sugar thats missing. I find if you let yourself have something once in awhile and don't stick down on every single bit of sugar you are less likely to binge on it.

 

[Cherrysweetdeal]

I'm not so sure the school system is producing a product that could comprehend a food label. At least at the high school level. I think Americans are fat because it's the path of least resistance. I don't think most men give a flip about their weight after 40 until they have some brush with death. More women do, but they get on diet merry-go-rounds that only make them gain weight in the long run. Advertisers have spent billions on the emotional rewards of eating. Food isn't fuel for your body, it's entertainment, it's a reward, it's a comfort, it's your best friend when you are lonely, and it's your lover. Don't feel like going out? Order a pizza, which is nothing but a whole loaf of white bread covered and smothered in fat.

Now it has filtered down so far we have obesity running rampant in children.

Though I have found the diet part of the sales community in books and dvds and everything, to be one of the largest sections in any bookstore. And some of them are great it's just there are so many it is often confusing for people who want to lose weight and want to feel better about themselves. It is almost easier to do it with someone and join a group that is trying to get healthier, the more support and help in a diet the better you feel and the easier it is.

As to the whole kids being overweight thing... I find it has to do with kids playing less outside and having more game devices either portable or not. My brother has always been like that playing more video games then exercise.
There is no motivation to get out and who knows why but he's changed to diet pop and what not now so it could be worse.... I'm pretty sure if he cut down the amount of pop that he drank he'd lose about 20 pounds.

Edit:

I also forgot to say that I think it's also attributed to the fact that they've taken out games like tag and dodgeball on play grounds, I used to climb and run around the monkey bars all during that 15 minutes we had to be free of work and that crap I don't use anymore... like math... and french... and writing lol

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Other things you could do, is if you didn't have any chocolate or desserts one week you could get a piece of cake one day the next week.

Use it almost as a reward for eating healthy and that way you don't overload on the sugar thats missing. I find if you let yourself have something once in awhile and don't stick down on every single bit of sugar you are less likely to binge on it.

Yeah, I decided that a better reward would be to get a manicure and a pedicure *smiles* I guess tonight can be my fun night but I am not going to go overboard on anyting. This whole thread has been really great to post on.

But I did hurt myself. I decided that I wanted to jog as far as I could go without stopping.... yeah my left knee is now really sore but I went practically a whole mile! I am so proud of myself. This is going to be a good thing.

And about the whole fat but healthy deal. I think that it is an oxymoron... kind of. Because you might not be obese but even carrying extra pounds isn't really healthy. I've been a big girl since I entered middle school. I was still very active, I could run the mile in 9.4 minutes. But carrying the extra weight puts a strain on your body. It's really not healthy.