Weight Watcher/Weight Loss Thread December 2012

[Valerie226]

Off to a flying December start.

I ran on the treadmill for the first time in a while. used to run almost every day but am trying to diversify a bit and I think it makes for better fitness to do different activities.

Cafe Latte, I'm afraid he won't acknowledge his disease until something bad happens although he is quite serious about taking off 20 lbs, he says by christmas. I can't imagine that, but whatever wiorks. I couldn't lose 20 by christmas even if I ate nothing. men always seem to do better at weight loss.

our "fun project" for the day was getting our truck out of the mud where it was stuck for 2 days. very wet out, very greasy mud, steep hill. we chained it up, spread some gravel and with a fair amount of struggling we got it up the hill. will get a bid on getting the lower part of our road graveled so this doesn't happen again. it was quite the mess.

I am really having trouble with this site not letting me use any of the directional keys on my keyboard. the arrow keys don't work, nor does the home, end, or several others that worked until this last upgrade. I can't move around without using the mouse, and even that seems slow and not responsive. any ideas?

[patt]

Oh, Valerie, that may be an activity, but slogging around in the mud isn't my idea of fun. From the weather info up your way, mud is going to be an issue for this week at least.

I got some really good feedback from my WW leader re the Active Link. So, I'm all hooked up again to see if it helps this week while I'm visiting the clan in Sacramento. I may only walk between the raindrops, but I may as well count every step. Okay, it's a journey, but I could hurry it up just a bit.

Have a great week, everyone.


Patt

[Casey1230]

I'm still holding my own pretty much.... a pound down, a pound up... but doing well anyway. Still working out with the personal trainer 2 days a week. I've increased my intake a bit to even out stuff. Been to the wineries twice this week, but was marginally good, with doing tasting and having a glass with lunch/dinner. Had amazing shrimp cake with spicy sauce yesterday at my favorite winery... was yummy! Got a few Xmas gifts there .. very cute. I'm going to stick with the trainer thru the holidays and then see where I'm at.

Good luck to all this week.... have a cookie exchange tomorrow (I'm making German Spice Cookies),,,, pray for me

[Valerie226]

I thought if i started a thread I'd get notified if there were posts on it, but I did not. hmmmm.

Patt, we're used to mud here, from about oct to may. this was, however, more mud than usual. our truck is bigger than out old one, so the tires are further apart and got into soft stuff on sides. an education on the properties of mud. I'm hearing Sacramento area is getting a fair bit of rain too... this is not out of the usual for us but I dont' think californians are used to being this wet.
I did an upper body workout yesterday, and today will be cardio for an hour or so. there's a bicycle/hiking trail that goes along the river in Sac that is absolutely lovely. we rode a lot of it a couple years ago.

german spice cookies may or may not be a diet disaster... some of those spice cookies are not too deadly, in decent numbers that is.

[Cafe Latte]

Just dropping in to say hello and wish everyone a good week.

[MusicMom]

I haven't posted in a few weeks, but I've been keeping up with my goal of exercising for 30 minutes a day/5 x per week (most weeks) and staying within my calorie range. Exercise is mostly cardio with some ab and arm work.

I've lost 10 lbs. since August and two pants sizes. I go for a blood test in January to see if all of this has had an effect on my cholesterol and blood sugar. (cross-fingers)

[Cafe Latte]

Good job MusicMom. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you on the blood work, but with results like that, I'm sure the numbers will be good too.

This week wasn't so bad with food and activity for me, but due to PMS and some bloating, I am up 1.5 lbs. I've been through this many times before, and hopefully the pattern will continue with a larger loss next week than this gain. Even though I'm on maintenance, looking back at my food, I did eat extra pts this week than I have been averaging, so that probably didn't help either. Oh well, there's always next week.

[Valerie226]

Seems like spam is alive and well aroundn here. the post (Giovanni, back three) is copied right out of my post above it.
I reported it earlier but this time with an explanation. massin44, are you a serious poster? don't want to be hostile if you are.

Music mom, that's great. I would think that regular exercise would promote bone growth. bone is living tissue and the push/pull encourages new bone formation. congrats on the loss and sticking with the exercise. I wish I could say I've lost that much, but no. I've been doing 2 hours most days lately, and watching my intake closely. just stay the same. at least I'm not gaining. I was going to weigh this morning but had to get going to yoga and I forgot. my clothes feel Ok, not like anything is happening. I lose so slowly that I need some encouragement. Are you dealing with potential type 2 diabetes? you are smart to turn things around while you can.

[dcollier]

Hi everyone! Back from Amarillo, and back to an overflowing desk at work. My trip was bittersweet. My mother is one month from turning 93, and she's frail, forgetful, and has mild dementia. So sad. And sad for my sister, whose life has pretty much been taken over with her care. And I was wrong about my sister's meals. She's a very decadent cook -- heavy cream in her quiche, butter, sugar, etc. We did the best we could, which really meant very small portions and turning down the bread, desserts, etc. It looks like we both maintained, so that means no loss in three weeks if that's the case. I'll know tonight. But I'm glad I went. I never know if I'll see my mother again after each trip, and my sister is my best friend -- always has been. She's got a lot of health problems and says she's joining WW in January. I hope she does, but I'm not convinced.

I'm very excited about tonight's meeting. I've been reading online the new approach, and it sounds amazing to me. I'm hoping that it will jump-start my weight loss again. I've been told we'll get all new material.

Valerie, hang in there. I know you've got to be discouraged, but I don't know what else you could possibly do. It's just the hand you were dealt, and it sucks. You're my exercise inspiration and have been since I joined this group. I signed up again for my weights and aerobics class next semester, and I'm walking five days a week now. And I mean it when I say you inspired me.

Cafe Latte, don't you get discouraged either. I remember how I was during PMS, and it's not fun. I have no doubt you'll drop what you gained and then some next week. You're really doing amazingly well.

Casey, you, too, are doing great. I'm impressed with your exercise program and how you're handling maintenance.

I'll check in tomorrow and tell you how I did and how the meeting on the new program went.

Denise

[MusicMom]

Valerie- yes on trying to prevent Type II Diabetes. My father had it and my blood sugar was elevated in my bloodwork last summer. My nutritionist didn't seem too concerned and was pretty confident that the exercise would help.

Denise- I'm sorry to hear about your mom. It's difficult being far away with all of that going on with your family.

Vivian

[Cafe Latte]

Denise, I'm not discouraged - I knew it was coming. I'm still doing my daily weighing experiment and at TOM, and on days of extra sodium, my weight shoots up a lb or two. It is what it is, and I accept it. Today is already better.

I'm glad you got to see your mom. It's sad to see our parents aging. Even though my parents are younger than your mom, each time I see them they have aged a bit more. Once DS2 is off to college next year it will be easier to see them more often as they live far.

[Valerie226]

Denise, that's so sweet of you to say! Best I inspire people rather than drive them crazy! Long, long ago I used to get so annoyed with myself, every spring deciding "to get in shape" and it finally occurred to me that it was a lot easier to do something all year long rather than go thru the struggle annually of regaining lost ground. so I decided to do "something" daily, allowing not many exceptions.
Congrats on maintaining in the face of family and temptation! it's a thin line to walk.... you don't want to insult people by by refusing to eat their food, but also don't want to use that as an excuse to go WAY off program. when we visit DH's family we bring a lot of our own food with us but they don't cook much at all, so no one is getting feelings hurt and we can stay on our food plan. Was your sister inspired to WW after seeing how much you & DH have lost?

Musicmom, type 2 diabetes has become kind of "background noise" to me too, with both my brother and sister having it and my tendency to hold onto weight. I know many others in both mother & father's family had it but were very secretive. there are definite metabolic issues at work here, I work as hardas anyone I know and eat more carefully, but the weight does not budge. I check my blood glucose with a home meter regardless. I'm not discouraged. it is what it is, and I don't worry but keep on track.

It's so hard to see our parents deteriorate... we're dealing with MIL who has terminal cancer. FIL passed from cancer about 2 yrs ago. she may get a little more time if she follows thru on treatment, but it will be hard and it's not a cure. my mother is about as old as yours and still is doing pretty well. I need to get back for a visit either this winter or early spring. my brother takes care of her.

In my ongoing search for a diet that works for weight loss, I've switched almost completely from wine to a margarita, admittedly a stiff one, made with sugar free margarita mix. I add more mix if I run out before I'm done with dinner. so we will see if that helps. I will not give up my dinner cocktail, that is not negotiable.

[dcollier]

I lost .6 last night, so I hit 68 pounds gone! I was a little disappointed in the meeting as I believe there's a good bit more info online than my leader gave us last night -- although I didn't get a chance to review all the new material we got. I'm still very encouraged as the new program isn't changing the eating plan (PointsPlus), but trying to instill 16 routines and 8 "spaces" we need to manage. The premise seems to be that if we do that, weight loss is much more likely to occur. Like I said, I'll get online this weekend and get all the scoop.

Valerie, my sister has been following my weight loss journey for 16 months, and she told me again how inspired she is by what I've lost. But she has a hard life -- my 93 year old mother's care, her 88 year old mother-in-law's care, an alcoholic husband, a 60 hour a week high pressure corporate job, to name a few. She's rarely home before 8:00 p.m., and on this plan, if I didn't eat well, really delicious meals, I wouldn't have stuck to it myself. I have an easy, very good life. I have a full time job I love which is only 36 hours a week, lots and lots of time off (education, you know), a wondeful husband, and a lot of time to plan, shop, and cook. Donna's life is very different from mine.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll check in soon with more on my take of the new program.

Denise

[Cafe Latte]

Denise - 68 lbs! That's excellent. As for the new program, since I only do online, I don't care for the changes. They just want you to click on more things (that really are not important to me) with the routines and spaces. I mainly use my iPhone to log food anyway, and nothing has changed there. I was expecting more in the change, but really am glad that it's really nothing (IMHO).

[Valerie226]

thank you Ralph...

a rainy weekend. did get some yard work done between showers. we're working on the road where we got our truck stuck , graveling it and then pounding in the gravel. it will be good for riding our mt bikes up and down hill, in addition to keeping our truck from getting mired in mud. we were going to pay someone to have it done, but apparently no one wants the job so doing it ourselves.
started splitting and chopping up a tree that Dh dropped a couple weeks ago. I'm a pretty good wood chopper, and that is a great upper body workout. Dh can do harder stuff than I can but I do a respectable job with an ax.

Denise congrats on reaching the 68 lb mark. that is fantastic. wow, sounds like your sister has a pretty full plate of things to deal with. maybe she will still be inspired. could she do an online program like caffe latte where she doesn't need to attend meetings? but probably best she arrive at that decision herself. I can't think of anything more motivating than seeing a family member do so well. but there are only so many hours in the day and cooking/shopping can take up a lot of time.

[Cafe Latte]

Well, I was really good this past week watching sodium mainly since the PMS excuse couldn't work this week. I wanted the 1.5 lbs gain to go away, and it did - along with another 1.5 lbs loss on top of it. My pattern has been a greater loss after a gain, but never that large a loss. That's a total of 41.5 lbs since I stated March 8th. I need to add 1 or 2 daily points to see if I can stay within the range I am comfortable with. I had lunch again with my oblivious friend the other day, and once again she didn't say anything to me about my weight loss, which I am fine with. I think I really must have worn those extra lbs well.

I hope everyone has a good week. DS1 comes home from college tomorrow - he has 5 weeks off until next semester, so it will be nice to have him home. I have to load up on milk since he's the only one that really drinks it - and I really mean "drinks it".

[Casey1230]

Hurrah for you! That is SO good! I'm still doing well,,, staying within a pound or two of my desired weight. I got measured this morning by trainer,,, been about 5 weeks. I have lost another 2 inches overall... which is good as I'm not looking to lose more, but would LOVE to gain a bit on my hinny... actually did gain 1/2" there. My friend who comes up with me lost 12 MORE inches! 24" in 3 months with the trainer!!! Amazing. She has a bit to go, but going in the right direction now. Hope everybody has a great weekend and all goes well with the scales!

[Valerie226]

Caffe latte that's just bizarre that this "friend" doesn't notice.... or she does, and says nothing. That's a lot lost ... congrats again.... and I can't imagine it's not noticeable. 10 or 15, maybe but 41? no way.
speaking of milk, we go through quite a bit of non fat... both DH and I love having a latte in the morning.

I've been cranking along without trying especially hard. "maintaining", I guess you would call it. I had one cookie the other day and a small piece of pumpkin pie......my big holiday indulgences so far. no parties or dinners this year. not sure what happened, but just about everyone we know has gone somewhere over the holidays this year. Hawaii is the main choice. I haven't been hungry at night so probably not losing anything. Been active as always. went to yoga this morning and will do an hour of something later this afternoon.

Casey...strong work. exercise as a habit will go a long way to help you maintain your loss and firm things up, as you're finding with your loss of inches with stable weight.

[Cafe Latte]

Caffe latte that's just bizarre that this "friend" doesn't notice.... or she does, and says nothing. That's a lot lost ... congrats again.... and I can't imagine it's not noticeable. 10 or 15, maybe but 41? no way.

I think it's because she sees me ever few weeks and since it's a couple of lbs each time, she probably doesn't see the gradual loss. Also, since she has a gym membership and I don't, she assumes I do no exercise even though she knows we have an exercise room in the basement with a treadmill, bowflex, etc. Since I know her, it doesn't surprise me that she is so oblivious. She's really in her own world.

Maintaining isn't easy to do, so at least you aren't gaining. I don't know how much weight you'd like to lose, but with all the physical activity you do, you're bound to break the plateau at some point.

Casey - great job on those 2" lost. I think I may need a trainer to get some "butt" myself. However, I never ever had much there though, so I don't think it's in my genetics. Now, the boobs, that's another story. I could be lighter if I had less there.

Have a great weekend everyone!

[Valerie226]

Cafe latte, I've always needed to keep a serious grip on what I eat. the only way I manage ... is not gain in the first place. I have very gradually lost (over years), about 11 pounds. I weighed 157 at one point, and now weigh 145-146. I should and would like to weigh 135. I'm not tall but muscular and big boned, not a "delicate little thing". you can see and feel the muscles in my legs, back, shoulders. I'm more muscular than when I weighed less so I think my fat % is not that high and that's one reason why loss is so difficult. I've worked hard on building strength though and don't want to back off.

IMO 41 pounds is dramatic. If you weighed 300 lbs to begin with, maybe not, but if you went from 170 to 130 (guessing here) that's dramatic. maybe I'm more fixated on weight & appearance than others. I really
"look" at people, and recognize individuals in real life and movies/TV. a quirk I have . Like I'm shopping at Costco, and I'll recognize someone who used to be a checker at another grocery 20 yrs ago. so maybe I notice things others don't.

[Cafe Latte]

Val, is it possible that even though you would like to weigh 135, that with muscle, it's not possible? I've heard where people build muscle, drop a few pant sizes, but show no weight loss. Just a thought.

I went from 180's to 140's, and with my height, it's a BMI of just under 22 now. When I was in my teens and 20's, I was in the low 120's and always looked too skinny. Most people thought I weighed about 115. In my late 20's, I was able to gain some weight and looked better and healthier at about 135. If I can stay between 140 and 145 now, it's a good place.

I'm having a hard time getting into holiday baking. I plan to make cookies the kids like, but I have really gotten away from baking, that I really dread it now. I'm going to a gathering tonight and plan to bring a cookie plate. That way I can make what I want, and only keep what we really need. I'm just having a hard time getting into it though. Maybe once I pull the mixer out, it will be easier.

Hope everyone has a good week. Don't get too stressed out this last week before Christmas!

[Vivienjohn]

Hi everyone! I've never been too good at introductions, but here goes...
I'm not really a musician but I love the music Kyle makes in his Youtube videos. That was what brought me to this forum. I would love to learn to play some day but school is ruling my life lately. Still, I love listening to talented pianists such as Kyle and I hope to discover more on this forum.
A few things about myself: I'm eighteen, I live in Seattle, I'm a college student and an aspiring writer. In my free time I like to write, paint and draw. I love video games. In fact, I bought Zelda: Skyward Sword yesterday, and then was devastated when I came home and realized I had to have the Wii Plus accessory to play it. Grr.....
Anyways, I'm looking forward to get to know you all on this forum, and I hope to get in touch with my "artistic" side, corny as that sounds.

[Cafe Latte]

This has been a quiet thread. I weighed in and stayed the same, which is what I was expecting/wanting. We are expecting snow tonight, which I dread, but I don't need to go anywhere in it if it does come. I don't have much shopping left to do, but on Sunday I plan on getting a standing rib roast or beef tenderloin (I haven't decided yet) and the rest of the groceries I need for Christmas Eve and Day. I don't go out on the 24th if I can help it at all. We always watch Christmas Vacation and Elf as some point during the holidays as well, so hopefully we can get those in too. As the kids get older, it's harder to keep everyone at home in the evenings.

What is everyone else up to?

[patt]

I was up #1 last week (Friday) which is better than I expected. I had two weeks of family trip, no gym and general "Meh". This week should be better, but I'm not stressing over it. I tracked, I paid attention yet I still had a taste of cookie dough and one cookie. Yes, the cookie was good enough to be worth it. I've been to the gym twice so that's back on track somewhat.

I'm hosting a party for my Aqua Volleyball group on Saturday. Everyone seems to need a dose of real food so I'm switching out the crackers and dip for stuffed cucumber slices and other veggies-not the usual tray of raw stuff but still healthy and fresh. I've decided that spiced tea and a simple sangria will be the drinks I offer. With around 20 people coming and bringing stuff I can go easy on myself.

I want all my shopping done by tomorrow afternoon. There's only 3 of us and we're keeping it simple. I've already got a leg of lamb that I'll start marinating on Monday for Christmas Day. I like the idea of stocking up the movies- should be fun. Maybe Christmas with the Kranks? Tuesday will be a lazy day, something DH really needs.

I'll check in tomorrow after weighing in. Hope everyone is still smiling and singing "Jingle Bells."

Patt

[Valerie226]

Hello everyone.. I've been busy like everyone else. DH and I have eaten a pumpkin pie over a week . he eats more than I do, but I like it a lot and it's a small indulgence. it's homemade, we even grew the squash I use rather than pumpkin. it's not "diet"food but it's not ridiculous. low fat milk, no whipped cream. we had a giant hubbard squash that weighed around 80 lbs that contributed its all for pie.

we're planning on taking the camper and going off by ourselves for xmas eve and day, at least at this point. our weather has been awful...rain and more rain. but that IS way better than snow. it sounds liek christmas will be dry, or at least drier. we hope to do some low key hiking, maybe some mt biking, and winter bird watching on one of the islands near here.

Patt, that sounds good.. I love vegie trays but have gotten tired of the standard ones picked up at the store , with the same old- same old choices.
Caffe latte... I can afford to lose the pounds and would look better if I could, but it seems to require a herculean effort right now. I'm going to hold steady...we don't have a whole host of parties this year... and get on the media diet bandwagon that shows up right after new Years. DH wants to lose a few pounds too, so maybe a joint effort will be more successful. If he wants things lightened up too, it will be easier to stick to.

Good luck with the baking.... I don't bake much, used to do some but not much anymore. my family did, but DH's family didn't and I sure don't need umpty- dozen tins of home baked cookies lying around calling my name. I think it's fun to do and I'm a good baker. I just don't want it all sitting here without anyone to help eat them.

Vivienjohn, welcome. I live north of seattle so you understand my whining about the rain I'm sure! things are usually livelier here but the holidays suck up a lot of time and energy.

[patt]

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells.....

Sometimes it is all good! 1.8# is gone and I do not want to see it again. It feels great to know I could indulge a wee bit but still lose.

Vivienjohn and Valerie226, could you send a little rain our way? It's so dry I'll have to set out a waterbowl for Santa's reindeer. The squirrels are coming to the porch water dish and threatening the dogs.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Patt

[Cafe Latte]

Sometimes it is all good! 1.8# is gone and I do not want to see it again. It feels great to know I could indulge a wee bit but still lose.

Great way to start the holidays.

Val, we all need indulgences every so often. I like a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt a couple times a week.

[Casey1230]

WOW,,, good for you to lose any this time of year! I've had 2 luncheon and one dinner this week and the scales and my belly show it! I shall not stress and get back on track after the holidays. My trainer has already told all of her ladies to get ready in January to hunker down and be better. I was doing well until Tuesday, but will just be a bit more careful now that the parties are pretty much over. Everybody have a great holiday season!

[dcollier]

Hi everyone! The14th was my last day at work until January 2nd, and I haven't had a breather since then, until today. Lots of dinner parties with good friends (a Christma tradition with our small group of friends), last minute shopping, and several day trips to Hot Springs. Now it's all about relaxing and enjoying the rest of my time off. We have a candlelight Christmas Eve service followed my our annual wine and cheese party, and my DH's sister is coming in on Christmas day for a few days, which will be very nice. And it looks like we're going to have a white Christmas, which thrills me!

I stayed the same Thursday night at WW which I consider a HUGE win considering all the goodies we made to give (and packaged up immediately), were given, and all the dinner parties and hollday cocktails. I'm going again this Thursday as I really need the accountability, especially at this time of year. But if I can continue to maintain until the first of the year, I'll be more than pleased.

Each one of your posts sounds like you're all going to have great holidays. That is my wish for each and everyone of you. Merry Christmas my friends!

Denise

[Cafe Latte]

I just wanted to say hi and hope everyone had a nice holiday. Ours was quiet with the boys and we ate well, but not too much. I step on the scale tomorrow and will be fine with whatever it says. At this point, I am trying to keep within a range and I would have had to have been extremely naughty with food to go over the range. The next few days will be busy with basketball as DS2 has a tournament. This is the last holiday to be controlled by sports. A part of me will miss it, but a part of me will love the freedom of being able to plan things without any conflict of schedules as well.