Weight Loss

I'm looking for a 130/120 club, but I don't see any topics started.

If anyone knows of the proper topic, would you mind letting me know?

Thank you :)

Welcome lizbubble!  Good luck on your journey.  What are your plans? Diet and exercise wise?

Good catch hbbroadbent -- about eating fats (nuts) I have experienced plateaus that resolved as soon as I upped my fat intake,  you gotta eat fat to burn fat.  So I second the peanut butter (cashews are also a great source)

collins617 -- the fact that you feel so bad for missing the gym two nights, is a great reflection of how dedicated you really are.  My advice: do not worry or stress about it, today is another day.  Stressing about cheats and missed gym days do not accomplish anything.  Just take each meal, each snack, and each workout as it comes.  So you gave your body a break this week? That is only so you can pummel it next week :)

I also second hbbroadbents recommendation of doing HIT (high intensity training) instead of the long slow cardio crawl.

Wow broadbent you are seriously doing it low carb.  How do you feel you function?   I just can not ever seem to manage less than 120g of carbs for more than a day in a row (that is why I like the carb cycling).   I am convinced some handel it better, though.  I notice my ability to do homework and lift weights really suffers.  Your meals look great though!  No problem with you not getting enough protein or fiber :)  Keep up the good work!  Have you tried some green onions in you egg whites?  That is my favorite.  (The only way I can eat a dozen egg whites in one sitting)

Oh and yesterday I found a soy dog that is 50 calories but 10g of protein.  Score!  I am sure the amino acids are not balanced in it but I do not care (b/c I eat enough other sources).  And it tastes pretty good with ketchup.  The brand was Yves -- I like all of their stuff.  I also found an apple and hickory flavored soy sausage, 260 calories with 24g protein.  I plan to have it as my mid-afternoon snack; I will tell you guys if it is any good, it sure sounded good.

And for all those not digging meat, do not despair there are plenty of vegetarian (mostly ovo-lacto but there are some vegans too) bodybuilders out there that manage to get their protein form other sources.  here is one guy with his own site and some good nutrition advice and some sample vegetarian meals  and list of alternative protein sources, calories and portein content

http://ksteveh.tripod.com/protein.html

great article on post-workout nutrition

http://ksteveh.tripod.com/Window.html

Thanks for all of your input

jredig  & hbbroadbent!

 I will keep checking in periodically!  I think i will try to eat more calorie wise and ramp up my workouts.  Thanks for listening!

jredig- i plan on zig-zagging my calories, to try and and jump start and shock my metabolism! Im also getting back to strict calorie counting and cutting out my spoon fuls of peanut butter and compulsive chi lattes. Im also gonna try and not be as lax about the gym, but its my burfday and even though i want to go my boyfriend said "dont plan on it" oh well theres always tomorrow,,,, wait thats my party.. oh well theres always saturday,,, shoot thats my recover from friday night get ready for saturday night,, well i guess theres always sunday 

 

ps im down a pound 133!!- 125 here i come 

yeah birthdays and holidays always mess everything up.  Enjoy your day!  And keep us posted, congrats on the new loss.

Wow!  I love seeing all these new people and how active we've all been posting for the past week or two.  It really helps keep me motivated.  Let's keep it up!

Reading about what everybody eats is giving me so many great ideas.  I get stuck in a rut eating the same foods all the time, and I'm always trying to find something new to sneak into the healthy eating so my husband doesn't get bored with my crazy eating (it's crazy to him, at least).  I'm inspired to make more of my own protein shakes (I use mostly EAS or Isopure now) and eat more veggies as Heather is showing us how many veggies she can eat in one day.  I think I counted like 7 servings! You go!

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I'm definitely going to up my weight in workouts. It wasn't easy before (I think my friend went moderate with her selections) but I think I'll try for more weight and probably just change my cardio plans every other day. I read the best way to get in shape is to constantly change your workout routine.

Yesterday I went to costco (my favorite store!) and found this organic trail mix be Bear Naked. It has cashews, walnuts, almonds, raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and mini dark chocolate chips. There is no salt or sugar added. I might be missing a nut or seed in my description too. Anyway I think it's amazing and I would suggest maybe cutting it with some more nuts because i think the fruit/choc ratio is a bit high. I looked at the website but didn't see the mix I bought (high sierra) but here's a link http://store.bearnaked.com/  PS I have a protein shake that I really like the flavor of. It's not drinking it that makes me sick, it's the afterward when I feel nauseated.

It's Friday which means a weekend of going out and doing bad things :)  I live in Tempe, AZ so the FBR Open and Superbowl are making it a very active and busy town. Traffic is a holy terror. Tonight is happy hour at a mexican food place :( I plan to ask for sliced peppers (red, yellow and green) instead of chips with my salsa. It's really good! I only drink vodka tonics which is at least low cal for being terrible for me. I think the most i've ever drank was 4 anyway so I should do ok. Good luck to everyone this weekend!

Oh I almost forgot. Whenever I mess up I just remind myself to look at the overall progress and general trend. taking a day or two off is fine as long as I remind myself I've been doing great for months and will continue to do so. You can take control anytime too, you don't have to wait until tomorrow!

Well I WAS good last night when I went out for Mexican with the family.  I did not eat a single chip or tortilla.  And for an extra $2 they added extra veggies (broccoli, carrots and mushrooms) to my chicken fajitas which I just ate with a folk.  It was really quite good.  Oh and I sucked down 3 large ice teas instead of a margarita.

But then I came home and had a piece of cake  Because it was my husband’s birthday celebration, oh well, as it goes.   So I guess that was my cheat this week, hello veggie tray and no beer on Sunday :(

ren: i'm so jealous i'm not in AZ! i heard the Counting Crows were playing tonight (for free?) by some lake (?). my good friend lives in Phoenix so i've gotten to visit a couple times. p.s. the bear naked sounds delicious. and my husband would love it too. i'm gonna look for it. that is such a good idea to ask for sliced peppers! i never would have thought of it. i think its fun to kind of make a game out of healthy substitutions.

suggestion to all my fellow vodka tonic (w/ Lime!, yum) lovers- unless i really want the taste of tonic, i drink vodka & soda waters (or club soda, whatever your bar calls it) w/ lime (you might want extra lime for more tart flavor) so i get around those useless tonic water cals! but if its what you like, its what you like!

Hi gang! Love the talk about protein! I've been seriously considering protein shakes as of late.  Previously, I never wanted to get into it, b/c I thought I could go without it, but I do know that protein is very important in the weight loss, muscle gain process. I also know that I do not eat enough protein in my diet.  I love the suggestions of simply purchasing the protein powder and making your own shake with milk, yogurt and fruits. I think I'm going to try that --- right after the honeymoon of course.  We leave in 1 week!  I've been doing so good in the weight loss dept.  (129.9 again today --- so down almost 2.5 pounds ina couple weeks!).  I'm sad that it will go back up over the honeymoon -- hey I'm being realistic, I know I'm not going to be counting calories on my vacation!  But I wont focus on that for now. 

Love the recent splurge of activity! Superbowl sunday should be super fun!  =)

I'd love to join the 120/130 club!  I'm 23 and very new to the whole diet/exercise thing.  I was always afraid of counting calories in college because so many of my friends had eating disorders.  I didn't want to become one myself so I counted on my great metabolism to keep me going.  After college I gained 5-10 pounds and am looking to lose it.  I am 5'7'' and when I started dieting about three weeks ago I was 132.  Today I weighed in at 129.5.  I am very excited about this.  My goal is 123 by April 1st. 

It's so uplifting to read about others who are doing the same thing as me.  I hate hearing people tell me that I am thin enough already.  I know what it is like to weigh 123 and I am totally ready to get back there.  I'm sure my husband won't mind either!

My diet has been to replace as much of my old bad food with fruit and veggies (raw if possible).  I make lots of smoothies to snack on too.  I also count my calories on this website.  I have started running about 30-45 minutes a day for three days a week.  (I'm new to the whole running thing so it will take a while to get up to where I want to be).  Is there anything else I need to take into consideration while dieting?

Welcome simignonne!

great to have you.  I think you got the right idea starting slow with running, nothing is worse than going too crazy in the beginning then hurting yourself and not beign able to run at all (I am a forming cross country runner and realized just how hard it is to "start" again after taking a few years off)

My biggest advice:

1) eat your lean-body mass in grams of protein everyday.

    for example: i am 138 at 24% BF so I need to eat 104grams (or more) of protein a day.   BTW i just finished my first "bulking" phase and am now "cutting."

2) eat 5-6 meals a day.  keeps your metabolism up, your insulin and cravings low.

2) lift heavy weights,  the results from weight lifting I think trumps all other workout's results

3) eat pre-workout and post-workout meals, within a half-hour on either side of your workout (protein in each, comple carbs before, some simple carbs after)

4) do not net less than 1200 calories a day, net calorie = calories-eaten minus calories-burned (including workout).

5) count those calories.  I am sure you will do it healthy, so do not worry about the eating disorder, most 5'7" girls can be perfectly healthy at 123.  I think you have set a healthy goal over a resonable time frame.

P.S. we are the same height :)

jredig - Thanks so much for replying!  Yay for being 5'7'' :)  Your advice really helps, esp. considering what to eat before and after I work out.  I'll remember that for tonight! 

I'm so glad to know that you don't think my goal is too over the top.  Thanks again for the advice.  

Does anyone know about protein shakes?  I was thinking about just buying the powder to put in the smoothies I make at home.  What exactly would be the benefits of this?  (my gosh can you tell I'm new at this!) 

here is a link to help you find the type of protein you want

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/proteinfind er.htm

I always order Optimum Whey (whey is faster acting than casein protein powder).  It mixes well (as well as any), ships fast, well priced, lower carb.  I like the chocolate, strawberry is alright (it gets old though), their orange-cream is really good and I use the vanilla to bake with.

Protein shakes are just an easy way to get some lean protein in you.  Cheaper than most meats too.  When you are eating 100+grams of protein a day and your hubby is doing 200+grams and you are living off a graduate-school stipend cost is a factor :)

oh and if you are really serious about your protein: look for the powder to have plenty of glutamine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA)   all of which Optimum 100% whey protein isolate has (isolate means they removed the fat and lactose).  Also know that "hydrolyzed" means it will mix better and be faster absorbing -- good for post-workout.

That reminds me, rennai: is your whey protein powder isolate or concentrate???

Now for a "before bed" protein I would recomend casein (if you wanna do a shake) because it is slower acting.  That or cottage cheese (which is what I do).

OMG I sould like I rep. for Optimum or something...I swear I do not (or for bodybuilding.com).  I just really like their stuff.

hbbroadbent--I am a gin & tonic drinker, and recently found diet tonic water.  I find it more flavorful than soda water (tastes almost like regular tonic), but it still has zero calories.  Not every grocery store carries it--it'**** and miss.

down today 137.6 and well hydrated :) (take that birthday cake!) 

It is snowing here right now, so pretty.  I am so glad I do not have to bike to work today (because i have saturday off). 

Down today as well, 129.  Even after all the peanut M&M's at the super bowl party.  This is sort of unrelated but I just started a new Birth Control (switched from Loestrin to Ortho Tricyclen because of bad side effects) and it's making me a bit nauseous.  Do you think that will go away after my hormones settle down?  It is assisting a bit too much with my new eating habits  Like making me not as hungry.. which isn't bad, I could eat forever if I don't stop myself.  But it is a little aggravating.  Will it continue until I get off Birth Control?

What exactly will protein do for my body?  What are the pro's of eating it etc.? '

Jredig congrats on your weight!  Staying hydrated is wonderful for your body too! 

Is it too late to join?? I'm so happy to see so many others in the same boat as myself. I am just looking to lose about 10 pounds or so. When I hit the 140 lb mark a couple weeks ago, that was it for me! I am 5'6" and am currently at 138 or so, and my goal is 130. 125 would be nice but little steps : ) I am going to Florida for vacation in the end of March and would love to be at my goal by then so I can look good in that bikini!

Yay Paulajmcd! I just joined about a week ago, so no, it's never too late to join.  Your goal is wonderful!  That was part of it for me as well.  I want to look good when Summer hits!  Let us know if you find any awesome encouragements!  I know I can always use it!