Obesity Discussion Forums

[Miranda]

Hello all. I am sooooo glad that I have found this forum. So many of the stories here are incredibly inspiring and have given me hope. It's also great to come here when I am feeling dejected and completely unmotivated. I've slowly been making my way through the blogs and feel like I'm getting to know all of you. So, Thank You!

Anyway, I decided it was time to start my own blog. There's nothing too exciting about my own ticker yet, but I promise you, there will be. When I first signed on I thought it was somewhat inappropriate to gauge our weight loss with burgers. I mean, burgers are the last thing we need to be thinking about, right?!? Then, I started realizing after snooping around a bit, that burgers are exactly what I need to be thinking about. It's time to consider carefully what it is I am putting into my mouth and into my body. I am starting to have some health issues because of my weight and at 43, I really don't want to have to start taking medications that I'll have to be on for the rest of my life. Nope, not going there. Eating burgers and other crap is what put my weight up here so I now understand the significance of that particular food as a marker! Mine however needs to be a double with extra cheese! Wait, I said "needs", I meant "needed". You know what I mean! Whatever the verb tense, all I can say is
I'm takin' that burger down!
I'm very glad to be here.

Miranda

[woppa]

Go Miranda, and dont you dare stop girl till that burger is well and truly beaten. Good luck. Dave

[Miranda]

So, my name is Miranda and I'm a 43 year-old female from Central California. I have a wonderful husband - we've been married almost 19 years now - and a terrific 13 year-old daughter.

I am fat.

My mother is fat.
My father is fat.
Both have serious health issues now because of their weight.

My sister was fat before her wl surgery, now she has serious health problems as a result of that surgery.
My brother is fat.

Both sets of grandparents are/were fat.

My uncles are fat, except for the ones who have had the surgery.
My aunts are fat, except for the ones who have had the surgery.

So, I guess it's hereditary, right? I'm stuck being fat? Wrong. I didn't get fat until my late 20's and then it was like I couldn't stop eating and I ballooned up.
I am sick of being fat and I am ready to stop being fat NOW.Only the world doesn't work that way, especially when it comes to weight loss. So, here I am. I'm going to plug away and slowly but surely push that burger down the scale.

On December 28, 2009 I went to the doctor for my annual mammogram. I hadn't been on a scale in months, it was just too depressing and ignoring a problem will make it go away, right?!? Well, there was a scale there and I stepped up on it and OMG, I weighed 254 pounds. I have never weighed that much in my entire life. OMG, I don't know why hitting the 250lb mark pushed me over the edge but I am grateful that it did. Normally after visiting Kaiser which is in the big city to the North of me, I always swing by Trader Joe's to pick up specialty items like bread and cheeses and dried nuts and fruits. I was so depressed, I drove right past it and came home. I put on my walking shoes and went for the first 30 minute walk I had taken in months (I used to walk almost daily).

I began not dieting, but making more intelligent choices and I completely cut out alcohol and fast food. I also started walking regularly. Then, putting away the Christmas decorations, I pulled a muscle in my back. I could hardly move for 8 days (this is an old injury). So, there went the exercising but since I wasn't able to move much, I severly limited what I ate and this helped somewhat. Now, my back is healed, although I'm limiting what I lift, and I can exercise again! Everything is low impact - mainly walking and upper body exercises - but I feel so much better and I'm ready to seriously tackle this weight problem. That's when I discovered all of you. I need a support group this time or I'm not going to get through this. My husband and daughter have no idea what I'm going through - they are both thin and my husband has the most unaddictive personality on the planet.

Anyway, so here I am. When I first signed up here, the weight on my old scale at home said I weighed 245, this morning after an especially intense workout, it said I weighed 240. I know I'm losing weight, I just don't know exactly how much yet. On Tuesday I go to the doctor for a regular checkup and I plan on getting my "official" weight then. I'm looking forward to it, I think it will be definitely be down from 254! Well, thanks for letting me ramble! I'm off now to do something more calorie intensive then sitting at the computer!

Miranda

[sickofbeinobese]

miranda,my sister (who is a nurse) had wls a few years ago...she gained the weight back and more...

[Fluffymomma]

Way to go, Miranda! Great blog so far. I am so proud of you!! And with a slim daughter, you are setting an example for her. I do hope she does not have to go through the struggles you have (we have).

I can easily relate to you. We had basically the same starting weight. Same age. Similar realization. My son is 10. Your daughter is still quite young. So I am sure we could both agree that we want to see them grow up and they would prefer (depending on the day of the week! LOL) to see us grow old and with less health issues.

Bravo! I am so proud of you!

[danv2]

lol, I was totally musing on that burger earlier. I eventually decided that they should stick some devil horns on that sucker, and once you reach your goal weight it turns into a beautiful broccoli stalk with a shiny halo over top of it. bwuhaha.

[Miranda]

LOL, Dan!

********

Okay, I'm done eating for the day (with the exception of my nightly mug of chamomile tea) and I feel pretty good about it. My goal is to sort of follow Dr. Shintani's "Eat More, Weigh Less Diet". It's almost vegan and focuses on reducing heart related health issues - which is something I need to do last year! I had more salt and cholesterol than I normally strive for but I was still well under the US RDA.

Breakfast - one banana, one protein bar
Snack - apple
Lunch - 2+ cups of homemade vegie/barley soup. Almost completely fat free and I put in black beans and barley for a complete protein.
Snack - 6 cups plain air-popped popcorn
Snack - nonfat yogurt
Dinner - 3 cups salad greens, 1/2 can asparagus, 1 6 oz can of albacore tuna, chopped carrot and celery for crunch, and wishbone salad spritzer.

Throughout the day I also drank plenty of water and decaf herbal tea - caffeine is a serious no-no for me. I ended up just under 1,300 calories. I'm not much of a calorie counter but thanks to the tool at www.sparkpeople.com (Thank you Chrissy for the suggestion) I can track them quite easily. It also helps me to make sure I'm getting the proper amount of protein. I'm not sure I'll use it every day but it's a great monitoring device.

I also walked for 70 minutes and after my walk, my scale was flirting with 240. I go to the doctor on Tuesday and I'll find out for sure where I'm at then. Thanks for all of the encouragement and happy losing to all!

(I'm off to get 8 FULL hours of sleep. I love Fridays!)

[Veldmuis]

Haha, while reading your first few posts I could have sworn your motivation was screaming out of it. Anyway I wish you the best of luck with your weight loss!

[sickofbeinobese]

droppin 9 lbs in a month,from what i've read is very healthy.....we're all in this together and old logan is pullin for ye!

[Miranda]

Okay, it's 7:13 pm here on the West Coast and I'm done eating for the day. I was really happy with my totals. Yep, I ate almost 1,600 today but only 22grams of fat, almost no cholesterol, and extremely low sodium. I also followed the Shintani Vegan approach almost to the letter except for the nonfat decaf mocha and the protein bar. All in all a good day and I don't feel deprived! Plus, I'm going to have a very healthy heart when all of this is said and done!

Breakfast - oatmeal and a banana
lunch - 3 cups homemade vegie barley soup and a 100 calorie fat free whole wheat roll
Snacks - protein bar and the mocha
Dinner - Salt free black beans with lots of "freebie" spices wrapped in a whole wheat lowfat tortilla, green salad, a fuji apple.

Later tonight I'll have my usual steaming mug of chamomile tea.

Exercise went well. I got up and walked for 65 minutes along the canal and then later this evening, went for a short 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. I didn't do any strength training today - I'm still recovering from overdoing it on Thursday but tomorrow I'll shorten the walking time and do some weights. I don't belong to a gym and am hoping I won't need to. The weather is mild enough here to walk outside year-round. I think I would die of boredom on a treadmill!

I also got through what could have potentially been a problem really easily today. My DD brought home a 4.0 on her report card so in our family, that calls for a celebration with the meal of her choice. She of course requested her favorite 4-layer chocolate chip brownie fudge cake as well as bbq hamburgers and homemade potato wedges. The official celebration is tomorrow but I had to bake the cake layers today. You guys would have been proud of me. I wasn't even tempted to sneak a chocolate chip and while the four layers were baking in the oven and filling the house with their incredible smell, I was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper and savoring a nonfat, decaf mocha and a chocolate chip protein bar. The potato wedges are totally okay tomorrow, it's the hamburger that I'll be drooling over but again, I have some 100 calorie gardenburgers in the freezer (sodium is higher than I would like but I'll compensate) ready to stand in. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I think it will be just fine!

Anyway, have a wonderful night and thanks for the support!

[Miranda]

Oh yeah, I also want to track my blood pressure. This morning it was 131/71 which is awesome for me. This evening it is 147/86. I'm trying to stay off the blood pressure meds and the Shintani "Eat More, Weigh Less" Diet is specifically designed to help with blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels, and heart disease. I'm not overly concerned about tonight's number since I walked 1.5 miles and ate dinner within the last hour.

[sickofbeinobese]

if i had baked that cake i would have ate it..

[Miranda]

LOL, SOBO. It's not my cake to eat, it's my daughter's!

********

Today was tough. I ended up right at 1,700 calories with 21 grams of fat and low sodium and cholesterol. I managed to grill cheese burgers without succumbing to the temptation, but it was really tough. I'm not going to do that again anytime soon! The gardenburger was a poor substitute and usually I love those things! I'm short on time so I won't bore you all with the details of what I consumed!

I walked 90 minutes this morning and my blood pressure has been pretty good. I forgot to take it this morning but right now it is 131/75. This is amazing for me. This is also amazing that after only one week of strictly following the Shintani Diet that my blood pressure would be that low. YEAH!!!! If I can keep it low that means no drugs when I go to the Doctor on Tuesday! Wish me luck!

Anyway, I'm going to get into my pajamas and cradle my nightly cup of chamomile. I've already warned my husband that if he gets the urge to eat anything tonight it has to be done out of my sight! I'm just really hungry tonight! But I will not give in. I'm stepping on an official scale on Tuesday and I am NOT screwing it up! Besides, I'm kind of excited!

Good Night!
Miranda

[Fluffymomma]

Doing great, Miranda! You know, you can find a recipe for garden burgers. And they would be better for you, too. I think the Garden Burgers aren't as good for you as they claim. Aren't they high in Sodium?

So are you considering going vegan or just cutting out alot of meats? What about fish and chicken?

[Miranda]

Thanks, Fluffy!

Yes, the diet I am following is strictly vegan however I am putting in some fish and chicken. I have followed this plan in the past and the results were phenomenal but what I really love is how GREAT I feel following this eating plan. Followed strictly, it will also reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugars (as in diabetes), and definitely promote weight loss. I've sort of followed it by lowering fat and increasing fiber since 12/28/09. But about 10 days ago, I got really serious about it and wow. I feel fantastic and my blood pressure has been practically normal. I have also had only one hot flash and I only had one episode of arrhythmia and it was so mild I hesitate to even call it an episode. I have figured out though that when I only eat 20 grams of fat or less, I am RAVENOUS, despite how many fat free calories I consume. So, today I started out right off with 2 tablespoons of almond butter spread on one of those new NutriGrain "Thin Buns". I don't feel nearly as hungry now as I did last night! Of course, I've already eaten more fat in one meal (but it was good fat) than I consumed all day yesterday.

But, I could definitely use a beer!

[Rue]

Congrats! It looks like you're off to a great start!

[danv2]

Man, all you women folk are some drinkin' fiends. :p

I tried a protein bar today. Thought it was gonna be okay for a few seconds, but then the chocolate/peanut butter taste went away and there was this awful mound of... stuff in my mouth. Eww. Gonna have to stick to getting my protein the good old fashioned way. From gloriously delicious dead things.

[Fluffymomma]

Heck ya, Dan! LOL Gotta have my beer. But am so glad I am past the NEED to have that beer everyday. Not sure what happened exactly. I was afraid to start WW and have to "cut it out" but it just came and then each day it was just easy. I think one of the reasons I drank during the week was out of boredom. I found more things to do.

Eww! That protein bar sounds gross!

Miranda, I am hoping that my sugars have dropped and so has my blood pressure. I am taking medications for both. My goal is to have lost almost 30# by the time my appt comes along and can be taken off of one or two. I would make a horrible druggie because I don't like popping pills at all.

[Miranda]

I hear you on the protein bars, Dan. You have to take tiny bites, chew them well, and drink LOTS of water with them. But they're a quick way to get your protein numbers, especially if you are not eating "gloriously delicious dead things. "

Fluffy, if you've dropped 30# by your next appt, from what I've read, you are almost guaranteed to have improved both of your numbers! That is an awesome incentive!

Today's results:
BP currently at 132/77, pulse at 70. I am absolutely THRILLED with these numbers, I hope my doctor will be too!

Calories are currently at 1,126 but I'm contemplating ending the night with a 60 cal decaf, nonfat instant mocha thing.

I hit my minimum protein target of 60 and had a really high day for fat, logging in 34 grams, but it was good fat and I was so hungry yesterday after eating 1,700 cals with almost no fat. Sodium was okay but the canned asparagus put me a bit higher than I would have liked. It sure tasted great on my salad, though!

I only had to work 3 hours today so I got in two seperate 60 minute walks. I think tomorrow I'll mix it up a bit and borrow dd's bike! Exercising is definitely getting easier and it's amazing how much more energy I have.

Hope you all had a great day and I'll check back in tomorrow after I weigh in at the doctor's!

Sleep well,
Miranda

[sickofbeinobese]

love asparagus..gotta get me some..are you mostly into the whole foods thing?