The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Nova]

Merry Christmas.

I'm still around. Taking some time off (from work) and been working my way through A Song Of Ice And Fire, about 1400 pages total. Doing okay on maintenance, although I've had 3 off-plan days so far, 2 of them planned for.

I've been hovering between 1500-1700 calories per day, as per the quick start guide, but I haven't been losing any more weight. I'm still hovering around 165, and the last couple days, it seems to have gone up a pound or two. It's really bothering me, because I am exercising, and I am eating according to the plan. I do 2 L&G, a LF dairy, a whole grain, a fruit and 2-3 MF meals depending on the type of my grain and L&G. I'm doing 2-3 cardio/week and 2-3 weight lifting/week.

I was getting very frustrated and paranoid that maybe I was eating too much, or having too much trouble with the holidays. All the cookies are gone now, so that's not around to trouble me any more.

I honestly don't know what to do. I finally ended up putting the scale away for a month. I can only control what I eat and how I exercise, so that's what I'm going to focus on for the next month. I don't know what I'll do if I gain weight in a month though.

[Karli]

I can only control what I eat and how I exercise, so that's what I'm going to focus on for the next month.

Hi, Nova. It sounds like you actually know exactly what to do. You know when you are eating according to plan and when something else might be sneaking in or not. So, concentrating on what you know is a good idea.

Have you just started the weight-lifting portion since hitting maintenance ? Maybe you have said somewhere else, so forgive me if I am making you repeat already known information. But, of course, if you are just starting this much exercise it is very likely that this is the culprit !

Hang in there, you will get it figured out soon enough .

Karli

[Nova]

Thanks, Karli. I've been exercising for a couple of months now, but it has been 3X/wk cardio and 1/wk lifting. I'm trying to switch it over to 2-3 times lifting and 2-3 cardio. I want those sleek muscles that look so nice, but cardio is great for burning tons of calories right away. I lifted enough this past week that all my muscles are sore, so I know I'm increasing volume and intensity.

There's so many reasons my weight could go up, and I know them all and my husband tells me I'm being paranoid. He's the one who took away the scale. I threw out all my old clothes, so if I gain weight, I'll literally have nothing to wear. Guess I'll just have to use my jeans as my gage for now. Should be a good motivator.

[Nova]

I decided to try something different this week for my exercise, since I'm off work. I'm going to do a short run first thing in the morning every day. So today, I got up, ate some oatmeal because it had been 16 hours since my last meal, then ran around the block, which turns out to be 0.55 mile. We have a long block.

I ran around it without stopping once! Last time I tried it, this past summer, I couldn't even get half way down one side of it. I felt amazing. I also still need to do a lot of cardio work because I was huffing and puffing at the end.

Later I did my leg exercises, but my legs are still too sore from 2 days ago to do much. So it was a very light workout.

[Nova]

I've been having fun with my christmas presents, which is why I haven't been spending much time on my computer lately. It's been nice.

It's been a week without scales, and I think I'm starting to relax a bit. I really needed a vacation at home to just chill out from all the stress at work. Too bad I couldn't make it 2 weeks. Not having a scale is good and bad. Good because I'm not obsessing about gaining 2-3 pounds, which is what happened right before I put my scale away. Bad because I have no idea if those pounds went away or brought back some friends.

I'm exercising every day, alternating cardio with weight lifting. As for meals, I keep a list in my head of broad categories to eat, and I track everything I eat in my palm pilot. Daily, I aim for:
2 L&G (lunch and dinner, usually)
2-3 MF meals
1 dairy
1 fruit
1 grain
4 bottles of water

I'm finding that my favorite meal is the fruit and the grain, and I'd happily have 2-3 servings of grain if I could. Unfortunately, they have lots of calories, especially the whole grains that I eat. Depending on the grain and dairy that I have, it's hard to stick to 1500 calories. But on days when I do a lot of cardio, I try not to stress if it goes up to 1700 calories. My BMR is supposedly around 1800, and every day I have a net negative calorie intake. Theoretically, I'll lose weight. I hope.

I have a lot of recipes that I'm adapting for maintenance, but I'm so scared of calories, it's hard to adapt them sometimes. For instance, last night, I made crockpot oatmeal, with steel cut oats, an apple, 2 cups of milk, and the recipe called for 1/2 cup walnuts. Nuts are good for you, and the recipe makes 6 servings, so that's not a lot of nuts per serving, but when you add them in and think about the calories...ack.

Still trying to sort out my calorie/exercise ratio. I was doing cardio a couple days ago, and I felt awful. I mean really bad. No energy, breathing hard. I wasn't feeling faint or dizzy though, so I kept going. Finally it occurred to me to bump the resistance down a level and that made it much easier. But was it overtraining? Doubtful. Just starting training. Too few calories? Maybe, but I don't want to bump it up yet. I just don't know the answer. *sigh*

[Serendipity]

I don't know how you can go without weighing. I need to weigh every day.....just need to know that I'm on track. It would make me nuts not to know.

I know that some people go by the way their clothes feel, but to me, if the clothes feel too tight, it's already too late.....the extra weight is there. I'd rather see on the scale that I have to be careful on a given day/days to keep my weight where I want it to be.

That's just me, though.

[bikipatra]

I don't know how you can go without weighing. I need to weigh every day.....just need to know that I'm on track. It would make me nuts not to know.

I know that some people go by the way their clothes feel, but to me, if the clothes feel too tight, it's already too late.....the extra weight is there. I'd rather see on the scale that I have to be careful on a given day/days to keep my weight where I want it to be.

That's just me, though.

If I weigh and lose it's a great day. If I weigh and gained a bit, I just know I either went off plan or if I didn't that my body fluctuates but it is something I need to keep an eye on-maybe increase water or exercise.

[Nova]

Jo, I'm the same way you are about weighing. If my clothes are too tight, it's already too late. So in my mind right now, it's always too late. There's no room for error. No way for me to say, I lost 2 pounds this morning, I can have a cookie. So every day, I have to be on plan, and every day, I have to exercise. Borrowing a page from DogMa, I am giving myself 1 free meal once a week though. Anyway, I'll try it for a month and see where I'm at.

[DogMa]

Did I hear my name?

As for weighing, I weigh every day but try not to freak out every time I show a gain, as long as the gain doesn't stay too long. I've always fluctuated so much, I would never have made it if I'd worried every time I went up a pound or two. But I couldn't stand not stepping on the scale. I'm just proud to not be tracking every bite right now.

And I know what you mean about the nuts. I'd like to add more healthy fats, but they add calories SO quickly. Nuts, avocado, olive oil - right now I usually pick a small amount of one or two a day (OK, peanut butter pretty much every day and sometimes hummus).

BTW, if you're sore, your muscles are probably retaining water.

[Nova]

Today's my first day back at work in almost 2 weeks. I was mostly ready to come back, although I think I could manage if I won the lottery and led a life of leisure.

I just got back from the gym where I ran for 16 minutes (nonconsecutive) on the treadmill and walked for the rest of the time. New Year's always gets me thinking about resolutions, and I just don't make them. What's the point? It's an artificial timeline that has no personal meaning to me. The only thing I resolve to do after January 1 is to write 2007 on my checks and dump some money in my IRA. For everything else, I'll do it when I get around to wanting to do it. Like losing weight. IT took me over 25 years to figure out how to do it and finally stick to it, but it happened because I was ready to do it. And I started in April, not January.

Now, with that being said, I do have some goals for this year, but I don't think of them as 'resolutions.' My goals are something that I decided upon after I'd been mulling them over for many months, and I think the timing is as much because I'm entering maintenance as anything.

So, my goals for this year are to:

1) enter a powerlifting contest this summer. I need a contest goal to get serious and stop farting around in the gym. ugh, the pain. I can already feel it and I haven't even started yet, but I've done the routine before. Still, if I want those sexy muscles, no other way to get there.

2) run a 5K by the end of the year, even if it's on a treadmill. I can do a half mile, and I think it's just a matter of building up cardio endurance. My leg muscles are more than strong enough, especially now that I'm toting around 80 less pounds of me.

[Karli]

Great goals, Nova .

Cheers to you,
Karli

[Nova]

I've started a 5x5 weight lifting program in preparation for getting stronger to compete. the 5x5 is a great way to build base strength. I highly recommend it for anyone; although with a caveat that you need a good gym and someone to teach you how to squat if you've never done it before.

I also successfully completed week 4 of the Couch to 5K Running Plan. I did 30 minutes of alternating walking and running, with more running than walking, and at the end, I was only a little tired. I do feel like a hamster on a wheel while I'm on the treadmill though. But it's a lot easier on my legs and feet than running on the pavement. I guess I'll have to break down soon and get a real pair of running shoes.

I had a great NSV at the mall tonight. We went to the Galleria in downtown Houston so I could cash in a Victoria's Secret gift card and get some new hosiery from Wolfords. You know, I have no problem buying clothes from a thrift store now, but I have developed a taste for very high-end hosiery. I adore the stuff by Wolfords. I bought a pair a few months ago, and I wore a large. Tonight, I asked the sales lady what size I should get, and she said definitely a medium. How sweet is that?

Then we got dinner, and we went to La Madeline. I've wanted to eat there for months, and have never been able to. Originally, I'd planned on going to the CHeesecake Factory and getting a piece of cheesecake and taking it home and eating it over the next 4-5 days. Maybe I could have done that. But after buying the hosiery and eating a half sandwich and salad for dinner, I decided that I'd rather wear the hosiery than eat cheesecake.

I really think the weight lifting and cardio I've been doing the last month are working. I put away the scale, but my jeans seem to be getting a tad bit looser, and I realized today I need a new, smaller sports bra. Too much jiggling as I jog.

[Karli]

Wow, I feel so inspired to get back into the gym !! I just missed my athletics so much as I read what you were describing and for some reason, I *loved* squats and cleans (have you ever done cleans ?). It just takes so much strength it makes a person feel like they have really accomplished something. I also *love* free-weights in general.

Anyway, it sounds like you are doing really well. I have been thinking so much about maintenence lately, and it's nice to read about how you are doing. I am going to go pour through other threads and journals to gather more info and inspirations .

Cheers,
Karli

[DogMa]

You're making me feel like such a slug because my running hasn't been going so well lately. I think it's the sudden lack of sleep. Walking just isn't the same, though.

[Nova]

I have never been able to run so much in my life. I think I like it right now because it's something of a novelty. Hey, look at me, I'm running! I'm also the first to admit that I hate running or exercising outside when it's uncomfortable. I'm not up to running in the heat, cold or rain yet. Right now, it's working for me to go at lunch time to the gym at work. Doesn't seem too crowded then.