Canadian DISer's Weight Loss Get In Shape Thread

[SandraC]

Hi All ~ OK! I'm ready to give up my POOH sized body. I never had an issue with bring LARGE! However, I'm done now. I used to be 210lbs, then went to 120lbs. Now I'm 230lbs. I'm ready to see 150lbs on the scale again!

I'm heading upstair to watch Corrie while on my treadmill!

Who's with me? Blessings, Sandra

 

[ChisJo]

Hey Sandra - I'm totally with you....I need some encouragement to get my body down a couple of sizes. I am 5'2", and last year I weighed 160 lbs, worked out like crazy and ate really well and got down to 130 lbs. Then, I had to have surgery and wasn't able to lift anything above 5 lbs for 8 weeks, and no cardio workout for at least 6 weeks. Well, now I'm lazy and eating terribly, and have gained back 10 lbs. I am completely devastated and so disappointed in myself and feel like all the hard work I put into my body has been flown out the door.

I have a 10km race in September that I registered for in February....I haven't run for 3 months, and I don't know if I will be able to do it. I have been dreaming about doing this race for 3 years as it's supposed to be absolutely gorgeous (in Banff), but also a very challenging race. I feel sick to my stomach that I may not be able to finish it, especially since when I registered for it, I was running 16km no problem....I don't think I could run 5 km right now if I tried.

I get into this depression every now and then about my body and I know that if I just started working out again, I would feel better about myself and I would be happier, and then the eating would follow, but I just can't bring myself to do it....I do need a motivational group...my BF is not very encouraging as he is very lazy (blames his job).

Thanks Sandra for starting this, and I will be happy to join this challenge and hopefully get the motivation I need to get going again....

Cheers - Joline

 

[SandraC]

You'll do it Joline! We will encourage each other!

I lost a ton of weight 9 years ago....about 80 lbs. I quit smoking 10 years ago too. I lost the weight by calorie counting, eating really well, exercise and drinking LOTS of water. I was in such great shape that I started teaching fitness classes and yoga. I even did two Triathalons. Teaching yoga and art classes took over and soon I wasn't doing a lot of cardio. Stress, anxiety, the death of my father and more stress added to eating poorly. I went on Paxil about 3 years ago. That, the stress, little cardio and eating poorly equals me gaining 100 lbs in about one year.

2004 was the year of change for me. Once I got back on track with the Paxil [I love it] the weigh gain didn't bug me. It still doesn't bug me in the vainity sense, but I am 42 years old, my dad died of a massive heart attack at age 61, so I need to get my body out of the OBESE state it's currently in so I live longer than my dad.

I'm so motivated right now! I did 30 minutes on my treadmill and I'm drinking water again. Tomorrow we head to the trailer, so I'll swim, hike and eat lots of good stuff.....okay, not LOTS.

I made alittle deal with myself. If I can get under 200 lbs by Cmas, I'll book airfare to Florida for March break 2008.

I might even call my fitness club boss and ask to design a fitness class for LARGE GALS! I taught aerobics until about 6 months ago. Even at 230 lbs, I was teaching aerobics. Itwas hard but I did it.

Joline, we'll do this together. I'm sure lots of CDN DISer's will join us! Blessings, Sandra

 

[blondie7]

Hi Sandra and Joline. I am with you. I have been trying to lose weight for the past few weeks. I am down about 5-7 lbs so far. I have been drinking lots of water and trying to watch what I eat. I am stil trying to get motivated with going back to the gym. I had knee surgery in May and I am still in therapy for it. The knee thing makes working out tough. After a long day at work (standing) I find it hard to find the energy to work out, Hopefully we can support and motivate each other. I would love to lose as much weight as possible before our family trip to WDW for Christmas. Then maybe I won't be embarassed to be in the family Pictures with Mickey sending you both encouragment and
Debbie

 

[SandraC]

We went to Cedar Point a couple of weeks ago. On Millenium Force roller coaster, the attendant had to help belt me in and help unbucket me. I think that helped motivate me. S

 

[B&B Mom]

Well, I'm sitting here eating my Reese Peanut Butter Cups(it's 11pm!) and knowing that I should be joining you gals...but I'm not sure what I'm waiting for.

I think I've just gotten into being lazy. I love to exercise and I really do enjoy eating healthy food, but something is holding me back from doing what I know is the right thing to do.

I think they say to make small changes at first, right...things you can live with easily and go from there. Maybe right now I could cut out the PB Cups at 11pm...well maybe I don't really need them at all.
How can I get a little chocolate fix???? Any ideas??

Thanks for starting this thread, I'll be sure to let you know how my battle with the PB Cups goes!

April

 

[Gina35]

Hi all! Well, it's not a chocolate substitute; but Viactiv calcium supplements are quite good. They aren't many calories, and they help to give the calcium that we women need. I've been watching for many months now, and they really do help to satisfy my sweet tooth....again, NOT anything like real chocolate, but not bad! You're right about starting small...I cut out everything between meals first...then the bread. I haven't been as good during the last several weeks, and I've gained a few pounds back. Next week, we'll be in Disney...and I'll be eating (DP...appetizers too); so that certainly won't help. Hopefully I can get totally back on track in September; seems like a good time to start anew. I also drink tons of water; that really does help. I work out with my friend 3 or 4 times per week, and I try to walk almost every day. It took me a LONG time to get started (this time around; I've yo-yoed like you, Sandra). There just comes a time when you are READY; you'll just feel it (like you gals are now). Hope we can keep in touch to help with the motivation!!

 

[ChisJo]

Ok - there looks like there is a few of us willing to join the challenge.

So, to begin, we should all have a goal...using the SMART acronym (I knew one day this would come in handy - thanks University!!), this is what my goal is: (in case you don't know what SMART stands for, it is "Specific, measureable, acheivable, realistic, and time-bound")

Specifically = I want to lost 25 pounds by Christmas
Measurable = I will measure my success by logging keeping a food diary, keeping a distance log/workout journal, and scale/measurement log of my weight on a weekly basis
Acheivable = Since Christmas is 20 weeks away, this goal is achievable by losing 1.25 pound per week, while maintaining a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week
Realistic = Presently, my BMI is over the specified amount for my age group, therefore, if I look at the BMI for my height and target (goal) weight, I will be sitting at the normal range within the BMI. (If you don't know what the BMI is, go to this website: http://www.consumer.gov/weightloss/bmi.htm
Time-bound = If I took 30 minutes a day, which I know I have (spend less time here (YIKES) and less time in procrastinating), I know I have the time to do this.

That is my goal....I will also be following the GI Diet book (very similar to the South Beach diet - worked great last time - had no cravings and very manageable). I hope that we will be able to maintain an upbeat and motivating community here. Do we want to keep an online daily journal of our successes, failures, and how our own programs are going???

Thank you Sandra for starting this...I hope it works out for everyone!

Joline

 

[Tabetha]

Yes please. I lost 23 pounds a couple of years ago, and gained it all back while working on a cruise ship. Man, you think you gain a few on a week's cruise, try 4 months!

Anyway, let's looooooose!

 

[Princess Minnie5]

Oh, I am so ready for this. I've been toying with the idea of fixing my problems, but I never have the guts to face them head on. It's always tomorrow . . . Monday . . . next week . . . etc. Maybe what I need is motivation. I hate starting something, b/c I expect results right away and feel like a failure if I don't loose a ton of weight.

My mother, who has had a slight weight problem in the past was always able to loose a few pounds very quickly. She had a bout with a hyper-active thyroid and lost all her access weight and has managed to keep it off. Now, she's constantly looking at me to see if I've lost any weight. Guess what? I've gained about 15 lbs. since my son was born. She can be so mean. Two weeks ago she said (in front of my daughter) that she was going to start calling me Big Momma. Don't know what I did to deserve that.

-Ready to make some big changes-

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I would love to join you ladies as well. I am tired of being overweight and I am going to do something about it. I need to lose 60 pounds overall to meet my goal of 130. My short term goal is to lose 30 pounds by the New Year. That is four and a half months so about 10 pounds a month. I am going to try and walk at least an hour every day and when I watch tv I will hop on the elliptical that I bought a while ago but so far have not got much use out of. Eventually I hope to upgrade my walks to jogs. I am really hoping to meet my weight goal by December 2008 when I am going on my Disney cruise.


My biggest weakness is pizza! I love it and can't get enough of it. I am going to try really hard though to eat well and limit myself to pizza once a month.

I look forward to getting to know all of you and helping each other out in reaching our goals!

 

[SandraC]

WOW! I am overwhelmed with the response to this thread! YIPPEE Ladies!

We will help each other thru this! Getting healthy together is awesome!

Blessings, Sandra

 

[drag n' fly]

Sandra what a fantastic idea! My last one is 4 and I am still carrying around baby weight from all three!.....IM in!

 

[pta-mom]

Oh yea! Count me in!!

I've played soccer for a number of years but last summer while on the field, I managed to tear the muscles on BOTH my heels!! This happened 14 months ago but it still hurts sometimes to walk!! From June to October last year, I could not walk a block without it being excruitiating!! Needless to say, I put on a little weight.

I just turned 40....I'm looking at my body in the mirror, wondering what happened!!! I know what happened....too much wine & chips!

Sign me up! I plan to lose 10 pounds before our upcoming DW trip next month!

 

[drag n' fly]

I just turned 40....I'm looking at my body in the mirror, wondering what happened!!! I know what happened....too much wine & chips!

Tag Fairy...OOOOH Tag Fairy where are you!

 

[canluvpooh]

Count me in I decided that last week enough is enough - I am tired of carrying around this extra baby weight - since my youngest is now 10 I can't get away with that excuse any more

I need to lose 30 lbs before my Feb trip to the world - 2lbs down

 

[SandraC]

OK! Now let's make a plan! What diet & exercise program do you think will work for you?

MY PLAN
* Look at lots of my skinny pictures
* Drink at least 9 cups of water a day
* Count calories ~ 1200 a day
* Eat healthy
* Exercise at least 30 minutes at least 5 times a week
* Set small goals and a couple a LARGER goals
* Plan a Florida trip and think about all the beautiful new clothes I can buy

GOALS
1. I'm 230 lbs now. My sister's wedding is 3 weeks away. I'd like to lose 10 lbs by then. I think I can do it because every time I diet, I lose a lot at the beginning and then tapper off to about 2 pounds a week.

2. Christmas is 20 weeks away. My goals is to be under 200 lbs by then. If I remain on task, I could potenitally be 190 lbs on Cmas Day. But I'll be very happy with 199 lbs.

3. March Break 2008 is 30 weeks away. If we do Florida it will be March 2008. Potentially, I could be 170 lbs by then. That's a 60 pound drop.

4. By May long weekend 2008 I should be at goal weight.

I plan to attack the weight aggresively so my secret dream goal is to be 149 lbs by March Break 2008. The last time I lost 80 lbs, I did it in 8 months using the above plan. The differences now are my age and my meds. I was 34 then, I'm 42 now.

Today has been a good day. I've eaten breakfast, two teas and lots of water. It feels good not to have sugar and fat weighing me down today.

Dinner will be a beautiful chunky veggie stew ~ homemade!

DH is so supportive! Blessings & Love, Sandra

 

[ChisJo]

I think that this would be a good place to share some tips and tricks....

I have a couple.
1) Eat lots of fiber. Veggies are full of fiber. Fiber is a slow release food - this breaks down at a slower rate in our digestive system, leaving us feeling fuller for longer. Fiber is also a low - calorie filler. it does double duty - fills up your stomach so you feel satiated; and your body takes longer and slows down the digestive process. There are two types of fiber: 1) soluble - found in foods like oatmeal, beans, barley, and citrus fruits and has also been shown to lower cholesterol leverl; and 2) insoluble - important for normal bowel function and is typically found in whole wheat breads and cereals and most vegetables.
2) change from caffeinated to decaf - caffeine stimulates insulin production, which in turn stimulates the release of insulin. This encourages your appetite, which in turn makes you want to eat more.

ok - those are my tips for the day....anybody else?

Joline

 

[P&L@WDW]

This is a fantastic thread! I've struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I'm 5'4", and I've always been 'curvy'. Even when I did martial arts for 2 hours a night, 5 nights a week (I was a gold medal champion at several national competitions), I was still a large size 9/10 thanks to my hips and bust!

Over the years (I'm 26 now), I've seen my weight slowly creep up to 210 lbs. About 5 months ago, when I seriously got into planning my upcoming vacation (Less than 4 weeks until we arrive at WDW!), I've gotten serious about losing weight. I've dropped from 210 lbs to 186.6 (as of this morning's weigh in). I'd love to be under 180 for my trip. Over the next two weeks, I'm doing a 'body cleansing' which should help with that goal, and kick me off the platform I've been on for the last 4 weeks. I'm eating nothing but fruits and veggies (and lots of them at that!) during the day, and having a big salad and portion of chicken or fish for dinner, and of course, drinking lots of water.

I've been doing so for about four days now, and I've already found that my energy has jumped through the roof, I'm sleeping better, and find I'm feeling better over all. Who knew that they knew what they were talking about when they said 'get your veggies and fruit servings up'!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

My ultimate goal is to be in the 130's (I am at 202 right now) by December 2008 when I go on my two week WDW and Disney Cruise vacation. My short term goal is to lose 30 pounds by January 1.

I am going to try and walk at least an hour every day and then hopefully once I start to get into better shape I will start jogging. I also have an elliptical trainer at home and I will try and use that as much as possible as well. My diet at the moment consists of

Breakfast
Bowl of cereal
Glass of Skim milk
Piece of fruit usually a banana or an apple

Lunch
Ham and Turkey Sandwich on Whole wheat with a small salad on the side w/ fat free dressing

Dinner
Grilled chicken breast with fresh veggies

Nights when I am at work for dinner I will switch my lunch and dinner schedule around or I will have one of the weight watchers microwave dinners along with some veggies and fruit. I work shift work which makes it very difficult to have a regular eating schedule.

I also try and drink a lot of water throughout the day. I always have water sitting at my desk.

My tip to everyone is to try and fit your exercise in in the morning. I find it helps energize me for the rest of the day.

Also don't skip breakfast! It gets your metabolism moving and helps you burn calories throughout the day and also gives you that energy boost you need to function during the day.