A Bride's diary and quest for info...

LolaBride

LolaBride

New member
I have always been on the tall and slender side but when I turned 30 I seemed to start gaining weight more easily. I worked at it and basicslly starved myself until I kind of leveled out at 145. I'm 5'9" so I looked good, but still wanted to tone further and go down an additional dress size. Then I met my current fiancé and started gaining weight again. Most of it was innocent enough...more meals out, less time at the gym..etc etc. but also he's English and I spend a lot of time over there visiting him. I am moving there as well. We have cheese, chocolate, chips and beer. Lots of drinking those Brits do. Their eating habits are different too, with huge heavy meals full of starches. My lifestyle changed and I found I wasn't going hiking in Runysn Canyon and going for sushi anymore, but instead just meeting up in the pub and then getting kabob meat at 2am all the time. Suddenly before I knew it I was 190lbs. WAY heavier than I had ever been! And at 36 it's harded than ever to lose it again!

Then he proposed. We're getting married in October and I desperately want to be a size 6 again. I've been working hard, and now I am 176lbs.

I used to go dancing all the time, but it's actully hard to move my body right now. Even STAIRS make me winded! I go to the gym, but there are so many issues right now. My knees pop and crackle all the time and start hurting after a few minutes of running or obital training. I have joined a yoga class and a Latin dance class as well. My main trouble is that I work freelance and sometimes I am sitting at my computer for 80 hours a week. I don't always have a free schedule.

I consulted a nutritionist and also got a diet plan from weight-loss-for-idiots. I showed it to her and she said that it's actually pretty sound for immedite results and still remaining healthy food intakes. If anyone knows about it, I'd love to hear their experiences/information. It basically has you eating small meals 4 times a day that alternate your carb and calorie intake, swapping out the different types of calories in a pattern that will keep your body guessing and maximizing your metabolism. You'll burn more fat this way apparently. I kicked it off with The Master Cleanser fast during which I lost 12 lbs.

I need to lose about 2 lbs a week if I want to do this at a steady pace. I really would love to get there quicker and then work on managing a steady maintenance diet to control it later..but I know the folly of losing weight quickly. I still would love to get there faster though.

Does anyone have any advice for what I might do since I can't always get to the gym or be very physically active? I try to walk briskly a 1/2 hour a day but I'd love some good things to do on break at work. My biggest problem areas are my flabby tummy and rear end/thighs.

I'd love some great eating /workout advice.

Here are some pics from along the way:

This is me in January and August 2005. I weighed 145:

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This is me recently at my top weight of 190lbs.

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I now weigh 176

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OK, today I just got a startling discovery. I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy a fancy digital scale with BMI calculation and such and the first thing it told me was that my old dial one was 6 POUNDS OFF!!!! So I actually weigh 182! WHAT A DRAG!!!! True, I have STILL lost 14lbs...but that also means that I started out at 196! Nearly 200lbs! I cannot believe I let it get that far. I feel like the wind was just taken out of my sails. I'm still proud of my accomplishment, but I'm further away from my goal which is so, so depressing and I just feel like a big oaf today. I nearly burst into tears. I could barely enjoy the 3 days of diet freedom I have worked into my plan in-between the fast and the nutritionist's diet. Tomorrow I start that strict kick-butt diet. But today I just felt fat and like a failure and I didn't want to eat at all. I should have bought the scale at the very beginning, but if I did I might have been to upset and fargone to even try. Tomorrow I go to yoga and salsa and hopefully I'll get those 6 pounds off soon and be in the happy state I THOUGHT I was in this morning. What a rip off!!!
 
First of all, let me just say that you are gorgeous, no matter what you're weight! And you have a beautiful figure, even at your heaviest.

At 5'2", I also weighed about 200 lbs. I've now lost 50. You have lost 14 so far...so just remember your number of 196 as a number you will never see again. :)

I don't know anything about the diet you're trying. Just make sure you're getting enough calories overall, and you're not feeling deprived, which can lead to binges.:eek: I would suggest checking out this diary; lots of wonderful, informative things in here!

And congratulations on your upcoming marriage!!
 
Awww! Thanks!!! That is a very sweet thing to say. I do have my height to work in my favor at least, Even being close to 200 I was proportionate...but it's causing me some serious issues I have never dealt with...like stressed knees and ankles, and breathing problems. I need to get this weight off really soon! How long did it take you to shake of 50lbs? That's a great accomplishment!

The "weight-loss-for idiots" diet plan is nice...in theory. We will see how it works in reality. It gives me between 1200-1600 calories a day, and alternates the kind of calories you get, where they come from...if you will. There are days when you have lots of protein, there are days when you have only fruit all day. It keeps your body guessing so that you never have the same sort of intake and your burning doesn't "level out." But just about everything I like to eat is on there...just combined in weird ways. You eat 4 times a day spaced out by 2 1/2 hours each. It's an 11 day plan that results in a 9lb weight loss. Every 11 days you are supposed to have a "break" from the diet and eat things you normally shouldn't...take a "small step back." This more or less tricks your body into thinking you always eat this way, it kicks into "high burn mode" so that when you go for another 11 days...your plan is more effective and you burn fat. It takes a few days to register and react to your eating patterns. All the while you are working out regularly..on a DAILY basis, but slow burn, like power walking or light cardio..so that you burn fat. Nothing mega strenuous or your body goes into a different burn mode and attacks muscle since you are at a low calorie intake.

Of course this diet doesn't promote good eating "learning," you can't do it forever...eventually you are going to want to eat normal balanced meals with all the food groups in ONE meal...but I have a goal that requires a specific result. I need to be AT LEAST the size I was the day we met. I know the folly of "crash diets," but I'm taking that gamble. I just need to get there, and then I will sort out a long range plan for my future. I won't let it slide and pack on the weight after the wedding...I CAN'T let that happen. I VOW to be the exception to this statistic...

And now the chorus of "yeah right...."

No, really....does it make me crazy to just do things mega-aggressively and follow an unusual diet/lifestyle plan JUST to get an immediate result so that in my pictures a beautiful thin girl will be immortalized?
 
HI!

I don't blame you for feeling that way about crazy diets. I'm totally against it too. Loosing weight is cals in vs cals out, move more, eat less. I know its harder than just that though. Don't stress, you'll loose that weight and be a BEAUTIFUL bride!!

Im in a hurry today, but I'll be back :)
 
Lola, it took me about 7.5 months to lose 50 lbs; I think I averaged about 1.5 lbs a week. I've been at a standstill for about 6 weeks now though.

Cycling calories is one thing I do; I agree that it seems to work. I don't know how I'd feel about eating all fruits one day, or mostly protein the next. I'd rather have a little at each meal. Tastes better. :D
 
yeah I agree. I'll be the first one to admit that this "diet" is not one you can manage for any extended period of time, but it forces faster results, which is what I'm after. I'll also readily admit that it doesn't teach you great eating habits, and so by default, most people would just gain back that weight once they go back to eating normally..but as I mentioned, I want to be that "special case" who can co-exist with reality later!!!

Also, for years I never really ate complete meals. In NYC you can graze so easily. I'd get an apple and some milk at the bodega while walking to work, a smoothie downstairs for my break, a single piece of sushi here and there...maybe a bagel...bag of nuts....shish kabob.... hot dog....cous cous...falafel...bowl of dolmas.....slice of thin pizza....oatmeal...banana...small fish sandwiches....it was tapas all day long for me. None of it made sense or "went together." If was just condusive to my lifestyle and lack of time

That was how I ate for years. MAYBE 3 times a week would I ever just sit down and have a big meal at a table with or without another person. I would usually just get something really small and eat it on the go 6 or 7 times throughout the day. In NYC, you cand have a small hankering for something, walk out the door, walk 3 paces to the right and it would just be there. this can also be very dangerous on the flipside, but it really kept me in line without me realizing it. If I felt slightly peckish, I'd just nibble something, and I'd never truly get starving and pig out. 8 times out of 10 it was something both yummy AND healthy.

Now eating is an "event" that has to be planned and made time for. That makes me want to eat more...and my options are so much more limited. It's also become way more social for me and that's strange since 9 times out of 10 before now I hve eaten by myself, usually while walking somewhere. The thing I really liked about this diet plan is that you can eat small portions of all one kind of food...then a couple of hours later snack on something completely different. it's kind of like my old default eating pattern from NYC that was created wholly out of convenience and simple availability.

I hope it works.
 
First of all, I'm a bride being married in October too! What a coincidence! October 7 to be exact- when's your date?

ANd I too am on the rollercoaster ride of attempting to diminish my body shape in order to experience satisfaction with my very expesnive wedding photos! I lost ten pounds by simply cutting out refined sugars and refined carbs [not all sugars or carbs- basically avoiding these so-called poisons and only eating wholegrain bread rather than diet bread, etc.]. This is a fairly simple way to get the first bit off... Now I am beginning the Fiber35 Diet this week to shed the final 15- its actually a really interesting eating plan- the first phase lasts 2 weeks to a month and guarantees quicker results. Basically, you have a bigger caloric deficit for this period of time to shed the most fat and then go into phase two where your caloric intake is slightly increased and you can eat a bit more to shed off the additional pounds. It all focuses on consuming at least 35 grams of fiber each day, which keeps you full. If you're interested, I'd be happy to provide more information from one bride to another!

Also, I've been doing the Buff Brides Workout to tone up- its really fabulous and only $14.99 for the book on Amazon. There are home dvds also, but I find that my results are more effective if I utilize the gym!

Your wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of your life and we are not supposed to be stressing every day leading up to this big day. So remember that despite the fact that you're not the size you were years ago, there's no point killing yourself to get the weight off if its just going to come back on once you start eating differently. We have almost 6 months- if you wanted to lose between 30-40 pounds, you could most certainly get if off by then in a healthy and reliable manner by losing no more than 1.5 pounds a week! Hope to speak to you soon!
 
WOW!!! WHAT a coincidence!!! I am getting married the DAY BEFORE YOU!!! HA! That's too funny!!

There is a thread for Brides here....well I am more or less monopolizing it at the moment...but it would be swell if could copy all those great comments you just wrote and paste them up there. I am hoping to create a nice useful place for all brides that's full of all kinds of information. I have heard about the buff brides workout....can you tell me more about the gist of it?

I know that I'm stressing myself, but it's not what I was YEARS ago...it was only like a year and 1/2 ago. I put on 60lbs in ONE YEAR completely out of the blue in an unprecedented change to my usual physique. I'm devastated about it and I just want to get back to normal as soon as possible. I'm freaking out and determined to get back there.

Anyway, I'm completely interested in the plan you were just discussing and I'd love it to hear more. Can you repaste all that and then some (when you have time) on the bride forum? it would be a GREAT service!!!

Thanks SO MUCH for all this!!!

the forum:
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/off-topic/3173-bride-2-thread-bridal-info-support.html
 
Hi Lola,
Welcome to the WLF!

First, I want to say your pictures are beautiful! You are a stunning young lady :)

As for losing weight, I have found that I can't 'depend' on losing x amount of weight a week. At least my body isn't predictable enough, but learning to eat healthier and with a better idea of proper proportion, I have been able to come to the understanding that the weight WILL come off. It truly takes time and commitment.

Now...here's a little input from an old lady who's been with her husband for 17 years...

My wedding day was BEAUTIFUL, my guests had a GREAT time - despite the fact that it rained and I didn't get the pictures I wanted, despite the fact that the horse drawn carriage was cancelled and despite the fact that I weighed 218 pounds.

All these years later, I rarely even look at those pictures and it wasn't the *happiest* day of my life - that day was the day our daughter was born and both Bob and I were able to hold her in our arms.

The wedding was just a party - an outward celebration to commemorate our coming together. Nothing grander then that.

When we put so much of ourselves into the planning of the party, it's easy to lose site that it's a one day event, a snapshot of our lives that will pass with a blink.

Yes, there's no doubt you want to look good - but the important element in weight loss is being healthy. Learning to eat in a manner that will help maintain your weightloss.

My calories were way too low for a long time, I lost a lot of weight, but now, when I should still be losing, I'm sitting here at a plateau eating the amount of calories that should correlate to weight loss and isn't.

Losing weight fast is NOT worth screwing up your system or metabolism.

OK - enough forum mother preaching :D

Best of luck for your wedding, and I have no doubt you'll reach your goal weight - just remember to be healthy and happy :D

I look forward to getting to know you!
 
LolaBride said:
WOW!!! WHAT a coincidence!!! I am getting married the DAY BEFORE YOU!!! HA! That's too funny!!

There is a thread for Brides here....well I am more or less monopolizing it at the moment...but it would be swell if could copy all those great comments you just wrote and paste them up there. I am hoping to create a nice useful place for all brides that's full of all kinds of information. I have heard about the buff brides workout....can you tell me more about the gist of it?

I know that I'm stressing myself, but it's not what I was YEARS ago...it was only like a year and 1/2 ago. I put on 60lbs in ONE YEAR completely out of the blue in an unprecedented change to my usual physique. I'm devastated about it and I just want to get back to normal as soon as possible. I'm freaking out and determined to get back there.

Anyway, I'm completely interested in the plan you were just discussing and I'd love it to hear more. Can you repaste all that and then some (when you have time) on the bride forum? it would be a GREAT service!!!

Thanks SO MUCH for all this!!!

the forum:
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/off-topic/3173-bride-2-thread-bridal-info-support.html
Click to expand...


Hi there- I'm at work at the moment but I will past a thorough explanation of the eating plan and fitness regime I've been doing in the brides forum this evening- I will save all the brides the money and post all the routines although it may be easier to get the book so you can have a visual! I'll hop to it in a few hours xo
 
That was a nice post by m2m :)

Don't push yourself to loose X amt of weight before your wedding day! TRUST ME, slow and steady wins the race!! I can't tell you how many fad diets I went on, just to turn around and gain the weight back. I can tell you now, that if i had just cut one thing out of my diet a week...or cut back a hundred or two cals a week and build on that...loosing only 1 pd a week....i would have lost all my weight YEARS ago!

You'll do it hun!! I believe in you :) Just remember, slow and steady!
 
M2M...will losing weight fast mess your metbolism up or make it difficult to keep it off later? That's worrisome. Thanks for the compliments though! And your insight. You too NewBride!!! I really hope I can do it. I'm determined!!!
 
LolaBride said:
M2M...will losing weight fast mess your metbolism up or make it difficult to keep it off later? That's worrisome. Thanks for the compliments though! And your insight. You too NewBride!!! I really hope I can do it. I'm determined!!!
Click to expand...

Hi again! It's your twin:) If you lose more than 1.5-2 pounds a week it will make it difficult to keep it off as this accelerated weight loss cannot be maintained. Considering quick weight loss is usually attributed to a larger caloric deficit, it will also slow down your metabolism as your body will go into starvation mode! Good luck!
 
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