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WEIGHT LOSS AND DIETING 2012
Here we are over ½ way through the year; I hope everyone has been having a good year. I hope everyone got to spend time with their children over the summer and do some fun things. Now that school is back in session (or very close), maybe it’s time to renew the commitment to lose those extra pounds, or maybe just tone the muscles and get back in shape.
Better late than never, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome back any old members that might have strayed away, and for those just joining, welcome to the community; we look forward to getting to know you and hope we can all be successful in our weight loss journey.
I don't know about everyone else, but this past year has been a challenge for me, both physically and emotionally. I'm quite sure that I've gained and lost the same 5 lbs, at least weekly for the past couple years. Sometimes, frustration runs high, other times I look at lab results or my notes on how I felt at a given time and decide to "forgive" myself. Yes, we do have to learn to do that, because how we feel about ourselves is a very important step in weight loss. Don’t be any harder on yourself than you would be on a good friend who has trouble staying on track.
One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that prior to embarking on weight loss efforts, we should check with our doctors to make sure we don’t have underlying medical issues that can cause us to gain weight or be unable to lose it. There are several conditions that will make weight loss, seemingly, impossible, or nearly so. Any sudden gain, or inability to lose, should warrant a visit to the doctor to get some simple blood tests. Common conditions that can cause this are hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, PCOS (for women) and stress. For me, hypothyroidism and stress have been major factors for the past several years.
These medical issues (and others) can be an important part of many weight loss woes, but are relatively easily treated, if tested adequately. Additionally, carrying extra weight can cause a multitude of health issues, each of which, in turn, can make losing that much more difficult. Some medications can also cause weight gain. You should always read the insert that comes with any prescription medication and if weight gain is a side effect, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if there’s an alternative; if not, be sure to take this into consideration when beginning your weight loss program. Failure to address medical issues, prior to embarking on a weight loss journey, can leave you very disappointed and frustrated. This is the road I've been down and I'd do almost anything to keep others from following in my footsteps. Removing obstacles can make the journey much smoother.
All of that said, the best/safest way to lose weight is to adopt lifestyle changes we can stick with over the long haul. We don’t want our weight loss to be temporary, so we mustn’t use temporary means to achieve it.
I'm not really an advocate of "dieting", per se. I believe our "diet" is merely what we eat; it may be good, bad or indifferent, it's still what we eat - just like cows eat corn, horses eat oats/hay, koala bears eat eucalyptus leaves, etc - that's their "diet". I believe that we need to develop a healthy attitude toward diet and exercise. Extreme measures rarely work for any length of time.
All food groups are necessary to be healthy. Cutting out entire food groups (i.e carbs or fats) may help for a time, but what happens when you add those back in? Most likely, you will gain back any lost weight, often adding even more than you lost. And don’t forget that some carbs and fats are essential for maintaining good health. Some drugs and/or weight loss aids might also help, but, again, what happens when you stop them? The weight comes back.
It all has to be done in moderation; food must be consumed in appropriate portions (a small piece of cake, instead of the whole cake). There are an abundance of websites that will help you learn what size a "portion" is.
The same goes for exercise. You can throw yourself into exercise for weeks and weeks and maybe will be a bit successful, but what happens if you miss one day or one week of that intense exercise?
Like eating, exercise must be done in moderation - don't believe the old saying "no pain, no gain". If you exercise and feel actual pain, you are probably doing too much. Yes, it's normal to have some sore muscles when you first start exercising, but, you should recover with a few hours rest. If you work out to the point that it takes several days to recover, you haven't gained anything because, most likely, you aren't going to exercise again until the pain is gone........... best to work up slowly; "feel" the exercise, but stop before it's painful. You will be much more likely to exercise daily.
I wish for each and every one, old friends and newcomers, alike, the best of everything for remainder of the year.
I invite you to join us on the weight loss journey. We are here to help provide ideas, suggestions, support, or motivation.
Wishing everyone health and happiness.
WELCOME TO WEIGHT LOSS AND DIETING................. 2012
Better late than never, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome back any old members that might have strayed away, and for those just joining, welcome to the community; we look forward to getting to know you and hope we can all be successful in our weight loss journey.
I don't know about everyone else, but this past year has been a challenge for me, both physically and emotionally. I'm quite sure that I've gained and lost the same 5 lbs, at least weekly for the past couple years. Sometimes, frustration runs high, other times I look at lab results or my notes on how I felt at a given time and decide to "forgive" myself. Yes, we do have to learn to do that, because how we feel about ourselves is a very important step in weight loss. Don’t be any harder on yourself than you would be on a good friend who has trouble staying on track.
One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that prior to embarking on weight loss efforts, we should check with our doctors to make sure we don’t have underlying medical issues that can cause us to gain weight or be unable to lose it. There are several conditions that will make weight loss, seemingly, impossible, or nearly so. Any sudden gain, or inability to lose, should warrant a visit to the doctor to get some simple blood tests. Common conditions that can cause this are hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, PCOS (for women) and stress. For me, hypothyroidism and stress have been major factors for the past several years.
These medical issues (and others) can be an important part of many weight loss woes, but are relatively easily treated, if tested adequately. Additionally, carrying extra weight can cause a multitude of health issues, each of which, in turn, can make losing that much more difficult. Some medications can also cause weight gain. You should always read the insert that comes with any prescription medication and if weight gain is a side effect, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if there’s an alternative; if not, be sure to take this into consideration when beginning your weight loss program. Failure to address medical issues, prior to embarking on a weight loss journey, can leave you very disappointed and frustrated. This is the road I've been down and I'd do almost anything to keep others from following in my footsteps. Removing obstacles can make the journey much smoother.
All of that said, the best/safest way to lose weight is to adopt lifestyle changes we can stick with over the long haul. We don’t want our weight loss to be temporary, so we mustn’t use temporary means to achieve it.
I'm not really an advocate of "dieting", per se. I believe our "diet" is merely what we eat; it may be good, bad or indifferent, it's still what we eat - just like cows eat corn, horses eat oats/hay, koala bears eat eucalyptus leaves, etc - that's their "diet". I believe that we need to develop a healthy attitude toward diet and exercise. Extreme measures rarely work for any length of time.
All food groups are necessary to be healthy. Cutting out entire food groups (i.e carbs or fats) may help for a time, but what happens when you add those back in? Most likely, you will gain back any lost weight, often adding even more than you lost. And don’t forget that some carbs and fats are essential for maintaining good health. Some drugs and/or weight loss aids might also help, but, again, what happens when you stop them? The weight comes back.
It all has to be done in moderation; food must be consumed in appropriate portions (a small piece of cake, instead of the whole cake). There are an abundance of websites that will help you learn what size a "portion" is.
The same goes for exercise. You can throw yourself into exercise for weeks and weeks and maybe will be a bit successful, but what happens if you miss one day or one week of that intense exercise?
Like eating, exercise must be done in moderation - don't believe the old saying "no pain, no gain". If you exercise and feel actual pain, you are probably doing too much. Yes, it's normal to have some sore muscles when you first start exercising, but, you should recover with a few hours rest. If you work out to the point that it takes several days to recover, you haven't gained anything because, most likely, you aren't going to exercise again until the pain is gone........... best to work up slowly; "feel" the exercise, but stop before it's painful. You will be much more likely to exercise daily.
I wish for each and every one, old friends and newcomers, alike, the best of everything for remainder of the year.
I invite you to join us on the weight loss journey. We are here to help provide ideas, suggestions, support, or motivation.
Wishing everyone health and happiness.
WELCOME TO WEIGHT LOSS AND DIETING................. 2012
COMMUNITY LEADER
What are you and your husband doing to lose the weight? We'd all like to know.......because some of us have such a hard time losing.
Hi, there! My husband I are on a mission to lose weight! We're doing well so far: he's lost 24 lbs. and I've lost 10 lbs. We've challenged each other to a race to see who can lose the last 15 lbs!
COMMUNITY LEADER
I'm very sorry to hear about your husband's back problem. Are you able to exercise yourself?
To find the food diary, hover your mouse over the "health tools" at the top of the page, and a menu will drop down, which lists the available trackers. Click on the food tracker and you will be ready to set it up to suit your needs. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.
To find the food diary, hover your mouse over the "health tools" at the top of the page, and a menu will drop down, which lists the available trackers. Click on the food tracker and you will be ready to set it up to suit your needs. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.
Thanks, Barb. I will look for that diary. It is necessary to keep track of what goes down the hatch. My husband has very severe back trouble - has had 2 surgeries (few years back) and recently had what seems to be another major set back so possibly another surgery coming. Any form of walking beyond a minute or 2 just intensifies pain.
I will also have the blood tests done. The insulin one caught my eye because of some diabetic/pancreatic issues in relatives.
Thanks again.
I will also have the blood tests done. The insulin one caught my eye because of some diabetic/pancreatic issues in relatives.
Thanks again.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Welcome to our community. As you read in my original post, I lose/gain the same 5 pounds weekly, so we're in the same boat.
All you have to do is let us know how we can help you. My goal is to help motivate people, but I, too, need others to help motivate me. So I hope we can work together to help each other.
All you have to do is let us know how we can help you. My goal is to help motivate people, but I, too, need others to help motivate me. So I hope we can work together to help each other.
Hi there everyone I am new to this and your post really caught my attention I have been struggling with my weight for what feels like forever lose 10 gain 12 up and down I would love to join your group to help me stay motivated as this has been a very frustrating journey LOL
COMMUNITY LEADER
Welcome back, even if it's only temporary. I miss all our old regulars, around here.
I knew you had been diagnosed with Lyme disease and were having a very hard time with it. Sorry to hear about the other issues.
As far as committing to weight loss, that's something we all have to do, at one point, but it only works when we are really ready for it and can stick with it. It doesn't sound like a lot of exercise is in your near future, but an hour on the treadmill is a great start.
Don't forget the commitment to eating better, too, that can go a long way toward our goals. Simply cutting out junk food or watching portion sizes (portion sizes are my downfall) can go a long way toward reaching goals.
Wishing you the best of luck with your health issues and look forward to having you come back, full time, when you're ready.
I knew you had been diagnosed with Lyme disease and were having a very hard time with it. Sorry to hear about the other issues.
As far as committing to weight loss, that's something we all have to do, at one point, but it only works when we are really ready for it and can stick with it. It doesn't sound like a lot of exercise is in your near future, but an hour on the treadmill is a great start.
Don't forget the commitment to eating better, too, that can go a long way toward our goals. Simply cutting out junk food or watching portion sizes (portion sizes are my downfall) can go a long way toward reaching goals.
Wishing you the best of luck with your health issues and look forward to having you come back, full time, when you're ready.
What a wonderfully written post!
I used to be a regular here and a few years ago I lost about 40 lbs., despite going through other health complications at the time.
Well, I found those 40 lbs again over the past 2-2.5 years, and much like you write in your post I believe my health is currently making it even more difficult to lose.
My approach for the last year or so has been to remain committed to exercise and to try my best not to gain. I regularly go to the gym 3-5 times a week for 30-60 minute workouts, and it is all I can do to not put on more pounds.
My biggest impediment to better weight management is chronic Lyme disease, and specifically the constant debilitating fatigue it causes me. I work full time and pretty much go in between work and recovering from work. It is very rare that I even have energy to run an errand after work, and if I do something on one day of the weekend then I need to be sure I fully rest on the other day. Yup, I'm 33 going on 90!
Recently, I also had to have abdominal surgery to remove an out of control uterine fibroid (my doctor said I was the size of a 5.5 month pregnancy) and so there has been a lot of "down time" as I recover, and I've been on medical leave from work. As I recover, I've been using the treadmill at the gym and am up to 1 hr/day. So hopefully when it is time to go back to work I'll have the strength.
Anyway, I wish I could say that I'm ready to give weight loss another solid go, but I'm not sure I'm able to go beyond my holding pattern. While I know it is in my best interest to try and lose weight, the stress from work and the complications of my fatigue symptoms (not to mention Lyme flares) often has me near my breaking point in terms of what I can handle emotionally and physically. But I did find your post to be very inspirational and perhaps it will help me to try and do a little better each day.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Welcome to our community. I see a couple things I might comment on.
First off, you are right that every bite counts and they must be the right kind of bites. Do you know about MedHelp's Food Diary? It can help you keep track of those bites (and sips, which count, too), along with the nutrients you get from your food.
Secondly, I don't know the nature of your husband's disability, but exercise is essential to all of us, so --- since you're housebound, I might suggest that you look into yoga as a type of exercise. There's a form of yoga for almost everyone, including yoga for seniors, chair yoga, etc.
I don't know your circumstances, but I might also recommend that you get some simple blood tests to rule out medical issues, such as hypothyroidism and insulin resistance, which are both more prevalent in people our age...... yes, I'm older, but not by that much...... lol
First off, you are right that every bite counts and they must be the right kind of bites. Do you know about MedHelp's Food Diary? It can help you keep track of those bites (and sips, which count, too), along with the nutrients you get from your food.
Secondly, I don't know the nature of your husband's disability, but exercise is essential to all of us, so --- since you're housebound, I might suggest that you look into yoga as a type of exercise. There's a form of yoga for almost everyone, including yoga for seniors, chair yoga, etc.
I don't know your circumstances, but I might also recommend that you get some simple blood tests to rule out medical issues, such as hypothyroidism and insulin resistance, which are both more prevalent in people our age...... yes, I'm older, but not by that much...... lol
I happened to come across this site and immediately wanted to be a part of this community. I've struggled with being overweight most of my life even though there was the odd time when I wouldn't have appeared to far off the plumbline.
By now I'm 61 and because of the extra weight I'm feeling it in my feet. (I'm also a great barefooter so that could be part of it.) I've never been the active type - would love to become a swimmer but would never wear a bathing suit at a public pool! I have taken to walking to the grocery store recently - going a time or 2/week.
My husband is the active one but has a disability which for now will not allow him to get out and both of our lives have actually become more 'house bound' as a result. This could change depending what the surgeon's consultation with my husband leads to.
I enjoy my food and recently read that every bite counts at this age. We need the bites but only of the right stuff so it counts where it should. With the metabolism slow down this is a must.
Thanks for posting and inviting newcomers and former friends. If you have any input for me feel free to let me know.
Irene
By now I'm 61 and because of the extra weight I'm feeling it in my feet. (I'm also a great barefooter so that could be part of it.) I've never been the active type - would love to become a swimmer but would never wear a bathing suit at a public pool! I have taken to walking to the grocery store recently - going a time or 2/week.
My husband is the active one but has a disability which for now will not allow him to get out and both of our lives have actually become more 'house bound' as a result. This could change depending what the surgeon's consultation with my husband leads to.
I enjoy my food and recently read that every bite counts at this age. We need the bites but only of the right stuff so it counts where it should. With the metabolism slow down this is a must.
Thanks for posting and inviting newcomers and former friends. If you have any input for me feel free to let me know.
Irene
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