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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 10:55:05 GMT -5
Once I got back onto an antidepressant, and can function again, I have started back on the very healthy eating and losing weight bandwagon. I am happy to report that I am now below 300 for the first time since my son was born over 18 years ago. I started at 370 and now hover around 295. While I am in no way "trim" I am starting to really feel/notice the difference. And, while I have some sag already, I expect it and at this point understand it is better than the fatter alternative. It amazes me every time I pick up a 50 lb bag of dog food, that I have lost 1.5 of those bags off my body! I can barely pick the thing up... I am tall and weighed over 200 pounds in high school, so I don't see myself being like 150 or anything, but I would be thrilled with anything in the 200 range. Heck, I weighed 230 when I was prego with kiddo #1, so anything in that range I would consider a major accomplishment! What I have found that really works for me is I try to only eat whole foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, etc... I don't tolerate lactose well, so I eat a little dairy or ice cream, but not too much. I am also interested in the correlation between animal protein and cancer, so I don't eat much meat. (Forks Over Knives movie for more info on that is a great resource.) When the scale isn't dropping, then I spend an hour, or day, cleaning something, sorting junk, cutting trees, building something, etc... and the physical activity seems to really speed up the weight loss. I also spend time, twice a day, running around the yard with my dogs and that seems to help as well. So, for the "life improvement plan" I have: 1. Finished my AS degree and now have the paper to prove it, 2. Lost the first 75 pounds 3. Kiddo 2 has his license, a great job and braces on his teeth 4. Have vastly improved our diet and have been lowering the cost of our groceries in the process.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 10:57:58 GMT -5
Slice bananas, freeze them, then blend them in a good blender... totally the consistency of ice cream. Look at vegan recipes for 'fake' cheesecake, etc... generally made with cashews... use almond, cashew and coconut milk to make cream or ice cream products... much better than dairy.
Keep up the great work ! So glad you are at a place where you are feeling good about your accomplishments!
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Sept 30, 2012 10:58:09 GMT -5
WOW CONGRATS >> >>
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 10:59:07 GMT -5
Slice bananas, freeze them, then blend them in a good blender... totally the consistency of ice cream. Look at vegan recipes for 'fake' cheesecake, etc... generally made with cashews... use almond, cashew and coconut milk to make cream or ice cream products... much better than dairy. Keep up the great work ! So glad you are at a place where you are feeling good about your accomplishments! Thanks for the suggestions! I have found that I like sorbet and since it is so rich, I can't eat much of it. It makes a good substitute for ice cream.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Sept 30, 2012 11:06:26 GMT -5
Congrats. That's a lot of pounds lost. ;D
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milee
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Post by milee on Sept 30, 2012 11:15:20 GMT -5
Great progress!
I love cashews and almonds, but be careful with them - they're very calorie dense. Ice cream may actually have fewer calories - it's a toss up.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 11:25:08 GMT -5
I don't think calories are the end all be all. I personally think dairy as we do diary at least, isn't very good for most people. I use nut milks sparingly, and desserts are always desserts, which is to say a treat. but, even without my body's personal issues with milk, in terms of 'good' fat and minerals/vitamins, i'll do cashews over dairy any day...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 11:33:38 GMT -5
Yayy! Big accomplishments!
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lurkyloo
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Post by lurkyloo on Sept 30, 2012 11:40:15 GMT -5
WTG GPG!! That's really excellent progress.
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milee
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Post by milee on Sept 30, 2012 11:43:18 GMT -5
I don't think calories are the end all be all. I personally think dairy as we do diary at least, isn't very good for most people. I use nut milks sparingly, and desserts are always desserts, which is to say a treat. but, even without my body's personal issues with milk, in terms of 'good' fat and minerals/vitamins, i'll do cashews over dairy any day... Agree on the idea that nuts have an incredibly healthy nutritional profile, much more so than most dairy. As for the calorie, thing, that depends at least in part on your goals. For someone who is trying to drop weight, calories are at least a major component of the equation. And yeah, it's a much healthier and most sustainable attitude to not make foods "good" or "bad" or "forbidden" but to simply be moderate. Personally, I have to be aware of the calories in nuts because they're one of my favorite foods and if I'm not mindful I can easily eat a few fistfuls at a time, which might contain a whole day's worth of calories, but maybe everybody else has better self control with those tempting little guys.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 11:51:44 GMT -5
I have no control where nuts are concerned. I love cashews, almonds, pistachios...etc. I drink Almond Milk. It is delicious. I don't ever drink real milk. But I LOVE cheese. LOVE IT. Shasta, congratulations on the weight loss. That is a huge accomplishment! Keep up the good work!!!
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daisylu
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Post by daisylu on Sept 30, 2012 12:10:39 GMT -5
Great job Shasta!
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Sept 30, 2012 13:04:40 GMT -5
WTG, I am large too and understand how frustrating weight loss can be when you lose so slow after a while. I am losing too but down to about 1lb every month or more while eating nothing bad for me. Whole foods is the thing for me too but I eat bread as my main carb so get some salt and sugar in the bread. I get the best bread I can find, currently eating Black Butte bread with 17 grams of whole grain and 18 carbs per 90 calorie slice, soup and popcorn with almost nothing else yet can't lose a pound a month. I have been eating a few ounces of meat a couple of times a week or a tablespoon of ground peanuts but gave up almonds because I tended to snack on them.
Losing 75lbs is great and exercise might speed it up a little but it will make you look smaller and muscle burns fat. Even small amounts of exercise help like housework or stretching. I am using a exercise band to work my arms a little and can feel it. Yesterday I spent the day in a boat on rough water and at the end of the day and today can feel my back muscles. I am also walking up and down more stairs than usual like going down stairs at work to talk to someone instead of waiting until she comes up. Then when ready to really exercise it won't be as much shock to my system.
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NastyWoman
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Post by NastyWoman on Sept 30, 2012 14:19:55 GMT -5
Congrats Shasta. That is absolutely amazing
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InsertCoolName
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Post by InsertCoolName on Sept 30, 2012 14:27:41 GMT -5
Way to go Shasta! That is amazing.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 14:28:55 GMT -5
1. Finished my AS degree and now have the paper to prove it, 2. Lost the first 75 pounds 3. Kiddo 2 has his license, a great job and braces on his teeth 4. Have vastly improved our diet and have been lowering the cost of our groceries in the process. Wow Gold - that is incredible!! Can you pin that up in like 20 places around the house? Next time you get feeling low, that would be a great reminder of how quickly you can turn things around when you feel well! Karma for you!!!
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Sept 30, 2012 15:04:10 GMT -5
Shasta - you amaze me. Would it be weird for me to say that I am very proud of you?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 15:05:42 GMT -5
WTG, I am large too and understand how frustrating weight loss can be when you lose so slow after a while. I am losing too but down to about 1lb every month or more while eating nothing bad for me. Whole foods is the thing for me too but I eat bread as my main carb so get some salt and sugar in the bread. I get the best bread I can find, currently eating Black Butte bread with 17 grams of whole grain and 18 carbs per 90 calorie slice, soup and popcorn with almost nothing else yet can't lose a pound a month. I have been eating a few ounces of meat a couple of times a week or a tablespoon of ground peanuts but gave up almonds because I tended to snack on them. Losing 75lbs is great and exercise might speed it up a little but it will make you look smaller and muscle burns fat. Even small amounts of exercise help like housework or stretching. I am using a exercise band to work my arms a little and can feel it. Yesterday I spent the day in a boat on rough water and at the end of the day and today can feel my back muscles. I am also walking up and down more stairs than usual like going down stairs at work to talk to someone instead of waiting until she comes up. Then when ready to really exercise it won't be as much shock to my system. Thanks Everyone! I have also found that balance and getting up off of the floor are apparently issues as we age. I sat down one day with the dog and then had to get up. At the time I was having knee pain from an injury and it was very non-graceful when I stood up. Since then, every day I get on the floor with the doggies and stand up. Some days I do this a lot. It is now easy to stand up, don't need to grab onto something or anything. I also read a good tip somewhere that you can judge your health partly by balance. It said to stand on one foot and close your eyes. Most people think they can do it, but easily fall over. So, now everyday while I brush my teeth I do it standing on one foot, sometimes with my eyes closed. Last time I went hiking I noticed the change in my balance and how much easier it was to hike up in elevation. And, I can also now easily cross my legs in any fashion I choose. I find that I stay the same weight until I put out some extra effort at exercise. Even one major day of working around the property and I seem to find about -3 pounds the next day on the scale. They don't come back, so it's kinda weird, but whatever works.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 15:16:26 GMT -5
Shasta - you amaze me. Would it be weird for me to say that I am very proud of you? Thanks. (Where is the blushing emoticon?) It's been a battle, but I feel really good right now. I see the "freedom" part of my life again and spend time each day thinking about what I want in my life and why I should be enjoying where I live and the things that I do. I have been putting my DS to work helping me do a ton of stuff around the house. Yesterday we cleaned out our grandma house. It has been a storage area for years and eventually we want to sheet rock it and hook the water back up to it. I had boxes there from when I was in college 25 years ago. I had no idea what was even there. We found a couple cool things for the kids that belonged to my late husband, and it seemed to help DS with the idea of getting rid of things that belonged to his father. That also is a process... We turned this huge "we have to deal with that someday" pile of boxes into a huge pile for the trash, some treasures of old, and a couple boxes of things I want to keep. The thrift store and school are going to love the boxes and boxes of kids books. I am thrilled for the space. I am finding dealing with all those old projects is also helpful to how I feel. It is good exercise for both the body and the mind. Who knew?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2012 15:18:35 GMT -5
Shasta, you've come a long way, baby! Congratulations!
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Sept 30, 2012 15:27:50 GMT -5
I'm also proud of you. Keep up the good work!
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Sept 30, 2012 19:39:13 GMT -5
You are doing great!
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Sept 30, 2012 21:21:32 GMT -5
Way to Go Shasta!
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MN-Investor
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Post by MN-Investor on Oct 1, 2012 17:26:57 GMT -5
Congratulations on your weight loss!!!
A suggestion which I have made in the weight loss thread in the Women in Red forum: Take all your measurements. I did that at my heaviest. I kept saying I was going to lose weight but it took years before I could finally do it. In 2011 I finally lost 60 pounds. At first I couldn't see a lot of difference, but the tape measure gave me good feedback. Plus, if you're exercising, you may lose inches even without losing weight.
I measured everything that bugged me and I'm glad I did. Chin (from earlobe to earlobe), neck, upper arm, wrist, bust, below the bust, waist, tummy, hips, thigh, knee, calf, ankle, foot. I lost inches everywhere and I loved seeing it on a spreadsheet. I highly recommend it!
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Tired Tess
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I'm so ready to wrap it up.
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Post by Tired Tess on Oct 1, 2012 17:43:43 GMT -5
I am so happy for you!! Thank you sooooo much for posting this uplifting thread. It's nice to read good news. You're an inspiration
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Oct 1, 2012 21:00:31 GMT -5
Congratulations! You should be very proud of yourself
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taz157
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Post by taz157 on Oct 1, 2012 21:11:51 GMT -5
Wow, 75lbs. That's amazing!!! Great job on the weight loss and the AS degree.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Oct 1, 2012 21:18:18 GMT -5
Congratulations on the great and difficult work. I am joining you in trying to lose weight. I saw myself in my DN's wedding pictures and absolutely found it abhorrent. That couldn't be me--but it is. I just started last week. I've started walking. Going to do that 5 days a week. Going to work up to an hour. I am going to do this. I'm trying to eat healthier. I don't think I'd sit around the house as much if it was easier to do things.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2012 6:49:44 GMT -5
Congratulations, Shasta! It's uplifting to read about all the good changes you've made after a lot of difficult years.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Oct 2, 2012 7:35:31 GMT -5
Wow! That is quite an accomplishment, congratulations!
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