The Old Folks Home

[Peep_Show]

Started the GOLO plan (as seen on TV) on Sept 12 and as of today (Nov 20) I am down 27 pounds. BUT I got some bad news: During my Dexa scan they measured me and I've shrunk. No longer am I at 5'4" but 5' 2.75" which means I'm further back on attaining my "adequate" BMI for surgery per insurance mandates. Bah humbug!

However, I am loving the way my body is morphing. I have cheekbones again. Once too-tight tops now hang correctly. I've lost so many inches that I have to hike my favorite jeans up to my bra line to make them fit (so, yeah, they do not fit.) It's like wearing denim Spanx.

 

[Sally PB]

I am down 27 pounds

Excellent! Congratulations!

 

[Nomadicus]

I didn't bother to look at the scales at the cardiologists today as I don't like the way they read.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I don't look at mirrors either! Too scary.

I didn't bother to look at the scales at the cardiologists today as I don't like the way they read.

 

[Nomadicus]

Good Morning Old Folks.

 

[LaurenRitz]

My mirrors have a warped sense of humor. They show me a strange old lady who looks like my mother.

 

[sourland]

Good morning, OF. Have to go to town to make a deposit for the beagle club. I'll also go to TSC - full of anticipation.

 

[ShrekDawg]

 

[getaclue]

Even when dieting, after the second month, I allow myself a splurge/free day once a month. I find that after the second month, the body has grown accustomed to the reduced amount of food. The stomach shrinks, AND the body metabolizes food better, to accommodate for the reduced amount. Going into that third month, I find I couldn't eat nearly the amounts I used to, even if I wanted to, so it does NOT trigger old bad eating habits, as long as it's one day only.

I find that the one day, also provides incentive. I gladly stay true to my diet, so I can fully enjoy my splurge/free day. It also helps keep the diet from becoming so boring.

I try to plan my splurge/free day around an event such as a birthday party, anniversary, holiday, etc. Of course, ALL the real eating holidays are in the late Fall, and Winter months, which is when the body instinctively tries to store a bit of extra fat as insulation for the Winter. The body actually tries to work against your dieting efforts. That's the time when many dieters complain they hit a plateau, where they don't gain weight, but don't lose any either. Again, just keep plugging away. The plateau is usually triggered by the body itself. As I previously mentioned, it can be triggered by instinct to preserve a bit more fat as insulation in the Winter, BUT there is another reason too.

Ever see a chicken that's been overfed, and there are fat deposits on the heart, and other organs? Yes, the organs lose fat too, AND they reposition themselves some as that fat is lost. THAT is the other thing that can trigger a plateau phase. The changes going on to the organs, and other things internally can trigger a plateau. The body needs a bit of time to adapt to all the changes, without actually losing more weight. Just keep plugging away. I find that once I get through the plateau phase, the metabolism is further increased, and the body uses the food even more efficiently than at the start of the diet.

The aforementioned is why I don't exercise during my weight loss program. There are enough changes going on just with dieting, that it doesn't need the added changes from exercise. I don't add a bit of an exercise program until I get to my desired weight goal, and maintenance portion of the diet is stable. Once the maintenance phase of the diet, where I'm not losing anymore, but not gaining anymore is stable, then I introduce exercise, keeping in mind that exercise can cause a slight weight gain, since muscle mass weighs more than fat. Exercise can increase one's appetite too, which is not problematic when you've finished the dieting portion of your weight loss program.

I've got 25 more pounds to go, so that means around 3 to 3.5 more months of dieting.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I've got 25 more pounds to go, so that means around 3 to 3.5 more months of dieting.

Which is healthy weight loss. I have to cringe when people rejoice that they lost 25 lbs in two weeks--it's either water, muscle mass, or they had surgery. Then they can't understand why that level of weight loss doesn't continue, they get discouraged and stop.

My understanding is that 1-2 lbs per week is about what you can safely lose without causing major disruption.