New plan of attack

elannis

I've decided to forget the weight I've lost up til now. For some reason I feel like it's holding me back. It's the same fluctuation. I have lost about 100-110 pounds, but I did the majority of that back in 2008-2009.

So I'm starting where I am now. I gained weight recently, so I'm up to 175 as of Saturday. This morning it was 174. I want to get to 160 and then from there I want to get to 145, but I'm only going to focus on a little bit at a time.

I also, in an act of desperation because I hate the feeling of trying and setting out to do well, and then failing ... but also an act of silliness, I placed my hand on FI's heart and put my other hand up and said, "I hereby solemnly swear ..." and promised that I would not go over a certain amount of calories for days I didn't work out and a certain amount for days I do work for 2 weeks (to start). I think picking a set number for those will help too because I've just been using a range and I've been pushing it too much. I also hate breaking promises to him and he has done a good job of reminding me when I shouldn't be eating/snacking (I asked him to), so I don't want to let him down.

But I'm telling you all concrete numbers because I think it will help. It's what helped me when I started at 278 pounds.

Yesterday was my first day and I didn't work out, but I cleaned for about 3 hours and I stayed under my "no-workout calorie limit".

I'm tired of the constant ups and downs and failing over and over again. So I'm gonna try it this way and see what happens. I'm hoping I'll be able to report in with good news and I would love it if you all would feel free to share your experiences too! : )

Ollie08

I think the idea of "not counting" your previous weight loss is a good idea. Get a new starting point and work from there. But always acknowledge your overall accomplishment. I think because this was something you accomplished several years ago, it's a good thing to start fresh with a new number and new goal. And bite sized pieces are so much easier to handle than big ones.

Way to go Ely!

lunarsongbird

I think this is an interesting viewpoint, but I'm not sure I could forget 100 pounds...it's totally epic!

However- I think your new siggy can help put things in perspective. I'm cheering for you!!

CCO2012

This sounds like a great idea. I've been making excuses because I've been busy, so I have only been to the gym 4 days in the last two week : / ... I also have been eating cookies. I need to stop. I brought extra food today for lunch so I have healthy snacks (apple, yogurt, string cheese) if I get hungry and I'll stay away from the vending machines!

I'm right around 163 right now and although I haven't gone back up to a size 12 pants, I can't really fit in my 8's so well any more. I would like to lose 15-20 lbs (again, that is what I lost last spring).

My first goal is to get to the gym at least 4 days a week. I also want to stop eating crap (cookies and chips)  I'd like to be able to do this from my bday (Nov. 29) until x-mas.

elannis

Thanks, everyone! I think the "bite sized" goals (as Ollie put it) will help me too. It already feels like a fresh start. I won't forget the 100 pounds I've already lost, but I think it's time to get serious and focus on this stubborn 30 pounds that I have got left! : )

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_new-plan-of-attack?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:73e6f608-ece6-472e-8b80-f8e675d63d00Post:59d8723d-a82d-4884-8d4d-5d2ac4456fc1">Re: New plan of attack</a>:
[QUOTE]This sounds like a great idea. I've been making excuses because I've been busy, so I have only been to the gym 4 days in the last two week : / ... I also have been eating cookies. I need to stop. I brought extra food today for lunch so I have healthy snacks (apple, yogurt, string cheese) if I get hungry and I'll stay away from the vending machines! I'm right around 163 right now and although I haven't gone back up to a size 12 pants, I can't really fit in my 8's so well any more. I would like to lose 15-20 lbs (again, that is what I lost last spring). My first goal is to get to the gym at least 4 days a week. I also want to stop eating crap (cookies and chips)  I'd like to be able to do this from my bday (Nov. 29) until x-mas.
Posted by CCO2012[/QUOTE]

That sounds like a good plan and very reasonable. Also smart to start this after Thanksgiving, lol. I forgot about Thanksgiving when I made my promise, but it's probably a good thing because Thanksgiving can be very dangerous if I'm allowed to eat whatever I want. I refuse to bring back leftover pie! Poor FI, lol. He has a metabolism like a humming bird though. It's not fair.

I'll get through these 2 weeks and see where I'm at and then when December hits, I'll make a new goal and we can work on our goals together! It helps to have that accountability! : )

How old are you going to be?

CCO2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_new-plan-of-attack?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:73e6f608-ece6-472e-8b80-f8e675d63d00Post:b87d0e58-ba27-4555-8ad1-29e632e69c45">Re: New plan of attack</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks, everyone! I think the "bite sized" goals (as Ollie put it) will help me too. It already feels like a fresh start. I won't forget the 100 pounds I've already lost, but I think it's time to get serious and focus on this stubborn 30 pounds that I have got left! : ) In Response to Re: New plan of attack : That sounds like a good plan and very reasonable. Also smart to start this after Thanksgiving, lol. I forgot about Thanksgiving when I made my promise, but it's probably a good thing because Thanksgiving can be very dangerous if I'm allowed to eat whatever I want. I refuse to bring back leftover pie! Poor FI, lol. He has a metabolism like a humming bird though. It's not fair. I<strong>'ll get through these 2 weeks and see where I'm at and then when December hits, I'll make a new goal and we can work on our goals together! It helps to have that accountability! : ) How old are you going to be?</strong>
Posted by elannis[/QUOTE]

I like it! We will both be like at least 10 lbs lighter by our meet up! :) I will be 24! I'm in my mid-twenties now! lol

cu97tiger

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_new-plan-of-attack?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:73e6f608-ece6-472e-8b80-f8e675d63d00Post:beb12c46-a54f-4b32-ba2c-c519ff9f0102">New plan of attack</a>:
[QUOTE]I've decided to forget the weight I've lost up til now. For some reason I feel like it's holding me back. It's the same fluctuation. I have lost about 100-110 pounds, but I did the majority of that back in 2008-2009. So I'm starting where I am now. I gained weight recently, so I'm up to 175 as of Saturday. This morning it was 174. I want to get to 160 and then from there I want to get to 145, but I'm only going to focus on a little bit at a time. I also, in an act of desperation because I hate the feeling of trying and setting out to do well, and then failing ... but also an act of silliness, I placed my hand on FI's heart and put my other hand up and said, "I hereby solemnly swear ..." and promised that I would not go over a certain amount of calories for days I didn't work out and a certain amount for days I do work for 2 weeks (to start). I think picking a set number for those will help too because I've just been using a range and I've been pushing it too much. I also hate breaking promises to him and he has done a good job of reminding me when I shouldn't be eating/snacking (I asked him to), so I don't want to let him down. But I'm telling you all concrete numbers because I think it will help. It's what helped me when I started at 278 pounds. Yesterday was my first day and I didn't work out, but I cleaned for about 3 hours and I stayed under my "no-workout calorie limit". <strong>I'm tired of the constant ups and downs and failing over and over again.</strong> So I'm gonna try it this way and see what happens. I'm hoping I'll be able to report in with good news and I would love it if you all would feel free to share your experiences too! : )
Posted by elannis[/QUOTE]

<div>Ely - maybe it would help if you didn't think of it as 'failing.' Now that you've lost that huge chunk of weight, you need to adjust to the new 'normal' and figure out what works for this new body of yours. What helped you lose weight when you were 270 lbs won't work now. So it isn't failing, it's experimentation to figure out what works now. You're taking the right steps!!</div>

Elle1036

I like your plan.  I think it's a brilliant idea, and one I might adopt for myself.

I've been stuck at the same weight for several months now, so over the past few weeks I decided to increase my calories a little and see if that would perhaps get my metabolism going some more.

Epic Fail.

See how my ticker says 126?  Well, after a couple of weeks of eating closer to 1500 calories (up from about 1200), I'm pushing 129.  I know that isn't a huge deal, really, but it still feels like a big step backward.  I nearly cried when I weighed myself the other day.

I just don't know where to go from here and it makes me want to give up altogether.

stacybean

A few bits of advice I have are to keep lots of fruit and veggies around so that you have foods that you can kind of pig out on and not feel guilty about later. Also, find a hobby or something that keeps you really busy so that you'll forget about food and only eat when you're really hungry!

elannis

Elle: I thought I wasn't eating enough, but then I kinda got carried away with it. So now I need to go back to counting what I eat and monitoring it. I need structure for it to work, so I think I just got a bit too lax and that was my problem.

Hmm, 1500 calories isn't a bad number. Are you sitting or moving around during the day? Any idea how many calories you burn a day? I would think that if you're eating 1500, then you wouldn't have a problem losing weight. Maybe you have something else working against you? Are you getting enough water/sleep maybe? Have you checked out this website: FitWatch? I'm not sure how tall you are, but it might help. If not, it might not hurt to go get checked out and see what's going on.

Tiger: Thanks! I probably shouldn't see it as failure. It's hard not to feel that way though when I gain. But I guess it's not ever really failure unless I give up, right? I'll try to keep a more positive outlook on it! : )

kellyt89

Could you afford to go to one session with a nutritionist? Maybe he/she could tell you not only calories but what kinds of foods you should eat (proteins, carbs, fats, etc). Especially for the holidays!

Good luck with everything, I'm really impressed on how hard you've worked to lose the weight you want and that you've done it so healthfully.