Weigh Loss & The Biggest Loser

I'm watching the first show of season 8 of The Biggest Loser. I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I love Bob Harper - he's really hot and he makes for good scenary. I hate watching these people broken down again and again though. They might lose weight, but how many of them actually keep it off?

What is the deal with the trainers looking like raging psychopaths this season? I realize this is a 'reality' show and its all about the ratings - but their behavior enforced it this time around. In order to lose weight, everyone needs encouragement but this, IMO, isn't encouraging. It's nothing short of abusive - to yell and scream in someone's face like that is just messed up. If I had to go through that to lose weight, I'd grab another Twinkie and turn to HBO.

Also - anyone who has studied the science of weight loss knows that to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week is too much. I understand why the first week these contestants lose big numbers, a lot of it is water weight as salt is pretty much being removed from their diet. If you drop the salt & salty foods I can guarantee that you'll drop some pounds as well.

While it might look good to see people watching big chunks of blubber each week, what is the real cost to their bodies? Hormone levels go nuts, stress hormones increase and the tissues become inflamed. Inflamation , for those of you who don't know, is almost the same as an injury - it causes your body to go into overdrive to repair the inflamed tissues. The metabolism starts doing gymnastics and your body goes into fight mode which means it hangs onto every calorie, every pound that comes your way. Its a vicious cycle which takes me back to - how many of them gain their weight back?

Daniel, a contestant from Season 7 - lost a good amount of weight and he's returned for this season. At the finale, he won 312 pounds and at the beginning of the season he weighed...312 pounds. Now this man states that he's been working out for four hours a day and lost...nothing?

I know how everyone loves to chant the weight loss mantra of calories and exercise but somtimes that equation doesn't equal success. Sometimes its about WHAT you are eating, not how much you are eating. I'm sure there are many who would argue with me on this but I've fought with my weight all my life and this has been my experience.

Show 1 - Julio should've been sent home because he's a whiner.

WLW: I'm a slacker...

Whee! I've been in a rough spot lately. I had to have a root canal last week and it was ugly now. I've had a root canal before and it was no big deal - but this one was the gift that kept on giving. With the first one I didn't have hardly any pain after 24 hours - I can't say the same for this one. I had to eat soft food (ICE CREAM, BABY!) for about 3 days and now the pain is finally slacking off.

I gained a few pounds but I do consider this extenuating circumstances. It was ice cream...or DIE. LOL.

But I'm back on my 'program' and I hope to shed my little gain by Monday and be back at my 45lb loss.

How did you do this week?

WLW: Progress is measured...

in inches, literally. :) I gained...I'm losing again - almost back to my 45 pound loss. It just amazes me how quickly I can get derailed. My knee has been acting up because my schedule is crazy and I haven't been going to the pool. Big No No for me. So I've been sitting with my leg up and the ice packs and the bandages...and breathing puts pounds on me.
So I've been watching what I eat and forcing myself to move around no matter how much it hurts. I've reclaimed 3 of my lost pounds and 1.6 more gets me back to my 45.
Ugh, haven't I been here before?

WLW - Think positive

Good morning!

It's Weight Loss Wednesday and I'm pleased to report I've hit a milestone. Drum Roll Please...

I've lost a total of 45 pounds. BOOYah. :)

Let me tell you that every single pound has been a struggle. If I have to fight this hard to lose a pound at my current weight, I don't even want to think about what it will be like 145lbs from now. :(

Lately I seem to be on a seesaw from hell. Last week I hit the 45th pound and was working on number 46 then WHAM - gained three pounds. There is no reason that I can discern. I didn't do the candy bar polka or dive face first into a cake. So I'm still working on getting those three pounds back off and outta here. The best part is people are now noticing I'm losing - myself included. I have some shirts that were tight around the belly - my zone of HELL - and now they are loosening up. My old sweat pants are about to hit the charity bag because...well...they fall down. :)

So how are you doing?

Many people have emailed me to ask what I'm doing to lose the weight. First is what I call, Intentional Exercise. I go to the pool three days a week for one hour each day. This week I've added one more day of intentional exercise and my plan is to finish my bedroom this week. (I've been redecorating - don't ask).

Food - my calorie intake varies from 1400 to 1800 depending upon what I'm doing that day. Most doctors will tell you to pick a calorie level and stay there but it doesn't work well with me. It almost feels like my body gets used to that calorie level and wham - I stop losing. So I try to mix it up a bit and that usually helps. I might spend a week at 1400 then increase to 1600 for a few days then back to 1400 - might not work for you but it does for me. Then again I have quite a bit to lose so I have that luxury.

Breakfast - For me I need to keep it as simple as possible. A protein shake and fruit. I use a powdered shake with skim milk and on pool days I use Slim Fast. My fruit is a banana when I have them in the house - they keep me full. I usually have breakfast around 7:30 am - gotta hit the pool early. No fruit? I eat yogurt. I'll be honest, I don't like the light stuff so I stick with the 6oz yoplait line.

Snacks are a little tricky and this is when I'm most likely to go astray. My snacks vary from granola bars to yogurt, fruit, cheese and crackers - my only guideline is to keep it around 150 calories or so. I usually try to avoid sweet things as they will trigger you to eat more.

Lunch - High protein! My favorite lunches are Big, Big salad with lean meat, strawberries, feta cheese, pasta on occasion, chicken, steak, fish - something like that. I will have a small amount of bread or crackers but this is the end of my bread for the day. This is also my biggest meal of the day.

Snack time is around 3 - did you know your metabolism dips around this time every day? This is what drives you to the snack machine. My afternoon snack is usually protein or fruit.

Dinner - small meal. Usually meat and two veggies. No carbs.

Snack - same as above. I will allow myself to have a little something sweet here. Check out the Weight Watchers desserts or low fat ice cream, pudding etc.

Emergency snacks - My emergency snacks are low fat cheese, granola bars or those 100 calorie packs. I'm still ingesting more sugar than I'd like but that seems to be the hardest thing for me to break. I can leave the chips alone but sugar? It's my kryptonite.

I'm off to the pool - wish me luck!

WLW - It's a new year!

Good morning my fellow BBW's and BBB's (big beautiful boys!).

It's a new year and the counter is set to zero. If you're like me and you had a rough-weight year in 2008 then its time to put that behind you. Do you know the difference between those who succeed and those who get bigger?

Perseverence.

Today, anything you did before now doesn't count. Did you lose 10 pounds only to gain 15? I did - gained 18 actually - but that's behind me. What I did in 08 doesn't count - what counts is what I do today...and tomorrow...and the next day.

I did gain 18 lbs in 08 and I own it. Yes there were health issues involved but that doesn't explain why I chose to eat ice cream rather than something healthier. Those were my decisions and while they weren't very smart, I'm not going to make excuses for it. The best news...the very very best news is that I actually LOST 5.8 pounds between thanks giving and new years.

I'LL TAKE IT! :)

How about you - are you ready to shed some weight for once and for all?

WLW - Here we go again!

Yes, it's Wednesday again. Boy time flies when you're HUNGRY. :) Just kidding.

This time of year is the hardest to keep yourself on the straight and narrow. Knowing this I set myself the goal of losing 15 pounds between Nov 26 and December 31. It roughly averages .5 pounds per day and yes, its been rough...but doable.

So far I've lost 7.8 pounds of my 15 - WOOT!

The most frustrating part is not seeing results. For a smaller person, losing 10 pounds is a dress size. For me, at my size, its more like 30 is a dress size. So I work and work and don't see a difference. Yes, I realize I will see one, but it would be nice to pull on a pair of pants and go..Hmm...these are a little loose. It hasn't happened yet - but it will. :)

How did your week go?

WLW - Just keeps getting better and better!

Yes, it's scale time - I've lost (drumroll) 3.8 lbs this week. WOOT!

Of course I want a Snickers to celebrate. :)

WLW: Where I Am Now

The Numbers - 6 :)

Yes ma'am - I've lost a total of six pounds and let me say, each pound has been a struggle. I admit, I'm having a really difficult time just keeping myself on my program. I accept full responsibility for what I put in my mouth - and I realize that willpower alone will accomplish nothing - but I feel like every meal is an uphill battle lately.

What's really frustrating for me is that in general, I eat pretty healthy. I love veggies, salad, fruit and while I have a weakness for carbs, it's already ingrained in me to eat the bulk of my carbs by lunchtime. I just seem to be HUNGRY all the time! GRRR....

I am an emotional eater and it doesn't help that it is abnormally cold here in Ohio. I have a tendency to hibernate when the weather is really cold so I'm fighting against staying inside and being warm and getting my chubby butt outside in the cold for some exercise. Lame excuse - I know. The good news is that I have been hitting the pool three times a week and that is helping out a lot.

So my goal for the week is get back on track, stay on track and have a good week. What's your goal?

WLW - Victory is MINE!

Yes, it's that time again. Time to hop on the bathroom scales and wish you'd weighed yourself before chugging a 32 ounce glass of water. The bill is now due for that one little cookie you snitched from your kid's lunch.

No, I haven't been looking in your windows. LOL!

My total for the week is...two pounds. Yes, I actually LOST this week. LOL. I wish it had been more but then again, I always wish it was more. I have to admit that I haven't been on my best behavior either so I'll take my two pounds and run with it.

Some of you have emailed me to ask what I'm doing to lose weight and my answer is simple - eat well and exercise. I know - not nearly as exciting as you'd hoped...but there it is.

Exercise - I have some physical limitations that prohibit me from doing standard exercises. Thanks to my craptastic knees, I can't run (wouldn't want to) and my walking is limited. So instead I go to the pool.

First off - I would live in the water if I could. It is the best thing you can do exercise if you have joint pain - the arthritis foundation recommends water aerobics.

I took a few classes then figured out I'm not a team player. So now I go to the gym (its pricey but you have to ask yourself - aren't you worth x number of dollars a year?) three days a week and I do my workout for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Basically my goal is to be in the water and move all of my limbs for that length of time without stopping.

According to my weight calculator (www.keyoe.com) it burns about 400 calories.

I think the trick to exercise is to find something you really enjoy that doesn't include having a couch strapped to your butt. I love to walk and years ago I would walk every morning. Now with my knee degenerating - if I walk then I pretty much have to take it easy the rest of the day. And if I overdo it, I run the risk of not being able to walk for a couple of days - so its the water for me.

How did you do this week?

WLW: I'm not surprised!

For many months I put off resurrecting my Weight Loss Wednesdays because I had a secret fear that the moment I told people I was trying to resize my butt that I'd gain weight. So I started up the WLW last Weds and what happened...

I gained a pound.

LOL! The universe has a really sick sense of humor.

I have a tendency to be private about some things and weight loss in one of them. Seeing that I'm an emotional eater, I honestly don't know how I will do from one day to the next. I know - all you skinny people are thinking "well if she'd just step away from the donuts" but I'm here to tell you that it just doesn't work like that...and I'm not a fan of donuts. :)

Emotional eating stems from being unable to express your feelings. The reasons for this is as varied as snowflakes, child abuse, child neglect, domineering relationships, feeling ignored, low self esteem, alcoholism, drug abuse - you name it, someone is suffering from the inability to embrace and express their emotion side. Most obese people have some sort of issue that plays into their obesity - people don't just sit down one day and say wow, think I'll gain two hundred pounds - that will REALLY make me happy.

There are also medical reasons for obesity, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome has a side effect of obesity. There is something called Insulin Resistance which means that the body doesn't handle insulin properly so instead of burning calories it takes them and turns them into fat. Some hormonal imbalances can be a cause of obesity - the list goes on and on.

So anyway - emotional eaters stuff our feelings by stuffing our faces. Big calories = Big emotional relief. We've all heard the term Comfort Food - these foods are usually high in fat, sugar and carbs (mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, ice cream, snickers) that the moment we ingest them we are assailed with feelings of safety, security, familiarity - you get the picture.

Unfortunately broccoli, carrots and rice cakes are not comfort foods!

So one of the reasons I don't discuss weight loss with friends is because inevitably I'll have a bad week and someone will say, "How's the weight loss coming?" I'll mumble something appropriately noncommittal but their innocent question only reinforced the fact that I've been slacking. Then I'll dwell on that...you get the picture. No, I won't rush out and molest a Krispy Kreme truck but I don't want the negative thought in my head. I know when I'm slacking and I don't need to be reminded! (Do I sound psychotic yet)

So there are two choices. I can continue the downward spiral of emotional eating (It's only a potato chip, I'll only eat one...then you wake up with salt on your face and chip crumbs in your bra) or I can say no, this isn't the path I want to go down.

The difference between those who fail to lose weight and those who succeed is...pay attention...this is a huge secret...those who succeed go back onto their plan after they screw up. Wow, who knew? They don't kick themselves and load up on McDonald's, they promise to do better and then they follow up by walking the walk. Kicking yourself for eating badly at lunch doesn't help you achieve your goal. It doesn't help how you feel about yourself and your body. Why are you beating up on yourself so much?

Let's face it - the cosmetic, weight loss and diet industry makes billions each year by making you hate the way you look. They put unrealistic images of beauty in front of you and promise that if you buy this then you can look like a prepubescent girl once again.

Not a wrinkle will mar your skin if you put sperm whale urine on your face.

Your husband will never leave you if you lose just ten more pounds...

Lose the love handles by spending 399.00 on Suzanne Somer's Love Handle Destroyer...

We can all look better with some effort, weight loss, exercise, eating right - but must we hate ourselves during the process? Not all of us were meant to look like Demi Moore. Hell, even Demi wouldn't look the way she does without tens of thousands of dollars in plastic surgery, personal trainers and chefs. So how about we take all of the self-hated the beauty industry heaps upon us and toss it out the window for a change?

No matter what you see in the mirror each morning, I think you're beautiful both inside and out.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Its time to get serious and face the music. My butt is so big...(how big is it)...it now requires its own zip code. :)

Seriously - I've been fighting the battle of the bulge since the day I was born. Its only in the past few years that I've come to understand why I am overweight and why I eat emotionally - more on this later.

But let's start from the beginning. In August of 07 I decided its time to take off the gloves. I've always been a haphazard dieter. Nother ever lasted more than a few weeks with the exception of Jenny Craig. I think the only reason that worked for me was because I was forced to invest Big Money to stay on the program. I lost about 72 pounds then gained all of it back plus 48 more.

The lesson learned? Diets don't work. There, I said it. That 700 million dollar industry that claims you can lose weight IF you use their product...is lying to you. If some pill really worked don't you think everyone would be all over it? That was a tough realization because I kept thinking that it was something *I* was doing wrong. Instead I forgot the prime rule of advertising - they want your money and they will lie to get it.

So would I say that Jenny Craig worked? Yes, using any calorie / fat restricting food plan will work BUT you have to do the homework and find out why you overeat. Simply resticting calories will cause you to lose weight, but you won't keep it off until you understand HOW you got there in the first place.

But before we go into that I want to share with you the life changes I've made to lose 27 pounds so far! :)

1 - Change of Attitude - Success starts with a healthy dose of 'I Can Do This'. There was a study done in the Netherlands which found the people who had the confidence in their ability to control their weight lost more than those who doubted themselves.
Be realistic in your goals and think in small portions. Set a goal of 5lbs rather than 25lbs. The more goals you reach, the more focused (and successful) you'll become.
Got a pair of pants or a dress that is too tight? Hang it up on your bedroom door so that you see it day in and day out.

2 - Clean up that Kitchen - This is a key to success. Get rid of the junk food - just having it in the house will entice you to overeat when you're having a weak moment. Heck - even when you're feeling strong you can stray from your life plan! I know I do.

3 - Get cooking - The more you cook the better you'll be at doing it. People who eat at home are more likely to stick to their eating plan. (raising hand) Me too! I try to eat out only 1 - 2 a month.
When you come home from the grocery story, clean and cut up your veggies (celery, carrots) and put them into baggies where you can grab them quickly.
Research new, light recipes at www.allrecipes.com - get a subscription to Cooking Light Magazine and Weight Watchers Magazine. I have both subscriptions and they're great!

4 - Make Friends - If you have friends that are trying to lose weight also, get together or join an exercise or weight loss program. Another option is to join a weight loss group online. Heck - comment on this blog - I'll keep you company. :)

5 - Get Ready to MOVE! - Research indicates people who move more, lose more. Yeah - sitting on the couch watching movies doesn't burn nearly as many calories as walking. (I hate math too)
Find an exercise you enjoy. For me it was swimming / water aerobics as I absolutely LOVE being in the water. The best part is that I go to the pool and join up with a group of health-minded indivduals and I'm the youngest! :)
Make a scedule for your exercise. It is as important as going to the doctor or taking your car into the garage. Those activities are scheduled - shouldn't your exercise be scheduled too?

6 - Drink - Bring on the water! I've found the more consistent I am with my water intake the more weight I lose. Also, I'm less likely to retain water which is important.
Bored with water? Add some lemon or mint, chunks of fruit, cucumber - anything to add a little flavor.

7 - Be Honest - Math doesnt lie. If you eat too many calories and don't burn them off with exercise you WILL gain weight. No ifs ands or big butts about it.
Keep a food journal - yeah, I hear the groans already. I hated doing this until I discovered a little program at http://www.keyoe.com/ - and it tracks everything for you. Woot!
The scale really is your friend. Keep track of your weight and the above program does that too.

8. It's all about Habits - This is not a diet - this is a Life Plan. Either you manage your life or it manhandles you, its as simple as that. Plan ahead and keep foods on hand that will enable you to stay on track. Yogurt, cheese, high fiber cereal, fruit, oatmeal, peanut butter, whole grain crackers - those are staples in my kitchen.

9. Forgive yourself - If you slip it isn't the end of the world. Losing weight is is a long term goal - it isn't something that happens overnight. If you have a small slice of cake, you won't gain all your weight back but you have to remember to get back to reality the next morning.
I allow myself snacks - I'm a sucker for chocolate cake. Do I eat cake? Yes, in moderation. I will bake a cake (no icing - not a big fan of it) and freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic. How do I keep from eating the whole thing? I keep telling myself that eating the cake will not enable me to reach my goals. I want to feel better, look better and move more easily.

10. Learn from your mistakes - Keep a journal for emotional support. Write down WHY you want to eat that cake. What is going on inside of you? What are you trying to fill with that cake? Keep doing this and you will, over time, see the pattern to your overeating.

Now, ready...get set...GO!