Transformation

[JanaNanner]

hugs

i hear you...i put alot of pressure on myself as well it is totally fine to do things at your own pace, and you are doing well...eating healthy and exercising. That is all anyone can ask of you. You are miles ahead of where you were before you joined this site and started your fitness journey.

that meal looks yummo!

if i get down about my weight loss, i just do some calculations...like i say i'll lose 2lbs a week (or so) and calculate that by christmas, i will be back down to my previous low weight of 223 lbs. I find that very motivating! You can be down a ton in weight by christmas, which sounds like a long way away but will be here before you know it.

Aww, you're such a sweetheart. You're always so supportive. Thank you!

Actually, on Sunday I went clothes shopping with my Mom (for her, not me) and I was walking through that section with all of the beautiful clothing that I can't fit yet, and let me tell you, that's terrific motivation. As I walked through, I pointed out things to my Mom and said "I'm going to wear things like this when I lose the weight." I like to speak about it in terms of when, not if...

 

[JanaNanner]

Thats what I love to hear!

Atta girl! Hope you have a great week!

Aww, I will try to say things that you love to hear more often if they get that reaction out of you.

You never had my wife's baked chicken! It was the first meal she cooked for me. She's the only person in the world that could make chicken jerky in the oven in 18 minutes. (She thought the oven was like a microwave....put it on high and it takes less time.) Hence the name of the first meal she cooked for me will always be remembered as Hiroshima Chicken!

Haha. Yeah... I try to stay away from cooking meats as much as possible, actually. I was a vegetarian for 14 years at one point so I am woefully inexperienced at cooking it, therefore I'm constantly afraid I'm going to do something wrong and go down in a tragic, self-inflicted food poisoning event. But I have made chicken before and I admit it wasn't quite that bad. She put a lot of love into it, at least? It's the love that counts, even if she did turn the outside of the chicken into a thick, charcoal crust.

Sounds even better when you don't use a fork Jjjay! lol

I like it when you nom nom nom. It reminds me of my sister because she says it, too.

 

[JanaNanner]

I just burned about 650 calories, by my best estimate (I MUST GET A HEART RATE MONITOR, ahem). I feel amazing. My body is getting used to doing this every day because when I'm finished I don't feel worn out and abused, but alive, completely aware and clear-headed. I found a workout on Netflix instant view (through my wii console) that I really enjoy. It's called Dance off the Inches: Fat Burning Jam. It's so much fun that you don't care that you're about to drop because you're having a great time. I'm also starting to think that I actually have potential to be a decent, non-flopping-about dancer, which is really motivating for me.

I've noticed lately that there has been an interesting change in my body in the last 5 weeks. Before I changed my eating and activity habits, I was always, always tired during the day. After eating, I felt extremely drowsy and basically passed out on a regular basis because I was so tired. I took naps every single day (sometimes for as long as three hours), even though I was getting plenty of sleep at night. I can't tell you the last time that's happened, now. It just doesn't happen anymore. I'm completely awake all day long and that really says something about the effect these changes are having on my body. I'm very pleased with this realization.

 

[Cellina]

Hi, I came across your page and I just want you to know that you are motivating me!! We are starting at about the same weight. I just signed back in after several months. I am very motivated to lose weight. I want to feel better and get healthy! My short-term motiviation is my wedding in October.

Congrats on your success so far!

 

[JanaNanner]

Hi, I came across your page and I just want you to know that you are motivating me!! We are starting at about the same weight. I just signed back in after several months. I am very motivated to lose weight. I want to feel better and get healthy! My short-term motiviation is my wedding in October.

Congrats on your success so far!

Aww, thank you! Knowing I am motivating you is motivating me right back. Welcome back to the forum and congratulations on getting married soon! It's always nice to have short-term goals to meet along the way because achieving them drives you onward to longer-term goals.

We can do this, can't we?

 

[Tigpuppy]

I've noticed lately that there has been an interesting change in my body in the last 5 weeks. Before I changed my eating and activity habits, I was always, always tired during the day. After eating, I felt extremely drowsy and basically passed out on a regular basis because I was so tired. I took naps every single day (sometimes for as long as three hours), even though I was getting plenty of sleep at night. I can't tell you the last time that's happened, now. It just doesn't happen anymore. I'm completely awake all day long and that really says something about the effect these changes are having on my body. I'm very pleased with this realization.

Isn't this amazing? I used to drink a lot of coffee - lots and lots of coffee to function during the day. Now I just have it maybe a couple of times a week as a treat. And half the time the cup I start with in the morning isn't finished by the end of the day but is still sitting on my desk!

You are doing awesome by the way! Keep it up!

 

[ecky1]

non-flopping-about dancer, which is really motivating for me.

I've noticed lately that there has been an interesting change in my body in the last 5 weeks. Before I changed my eating and activity habits, I was always, always tired during the day. After eating, I felt extremely drowsy and basically passed out on a regular basis because I was so tired. I took naps every single day (sometimes for as long as three hours), even though I was getting plenty of sleep at night. I can't tell you the last time that's happened, now. It just doesn't happen anymore. I'm completely awake all day long and that really says something about the effect these changes are having on my body. I'm very pleased with this realization.

Same here, I would always have an afternoon nap and haven't had one for a couple of months even with the summer heat. I hadn't really even thought about it until you mentioned it but I am sleeping probably 2 hours a night less as well. I go to bed much later than before and get up at the same time. I rarely feel tired wheras I was always exhausted before.
Well done on all the exercise. I'll see if I can download the dance workout on my Wii a it sounds fun.

 

[JanaNanner]

Isn't this amazing? I used to drink a lot of coffee - lots and lots of coffee to function during the day. Now I just have it maybe a couple of times a week as a treat. And half the time the cup I start with in the morning isn't finished by the end of the day but is still sitting on my desk!

You are doing awesome by the way! Keep it up!

It really is. Sometimes the scale is not a sufficient way of measuring the improvements that are being made in your body. It's things like this that are a true measure... how healthy you feel. And I've been feeling ridiculously healthy lately.

Thank you so much. You keep it up too.

 

[JanaNanner]

Same here, I would always have an afternoon nap and haven't had one for a couple of months even with the summer heat. I hadn't really even thought about it until you mentioned it but I am sleeping probably 2 hours a night less as well. I go to bed much later than before and get up at the same time. I rarely feel tired wheras I was always exhausted before.
Well done on all the exercise. I'll see if I can download the dance workout on my Wii a it sounds fun.

You'll need a Netflix account and a wii disc from Netflix to access it, but as long as you have those (do they have Netflix in Spain?) you should be able to download it. Hehe, I'm using that workout again today. I'm going to do it all this week until I have the dance routine down solid.

I think it definitely takes the body a period of time to adjust to the increased level of activity, but once it has, the body is very, very happy being active. It's like a car engine that runs better with good maintenance and better quality parts. Haha, I still have a lot of garage work left to go on my engine but I'm certainly running better than I ever did before.

 

[ecky1]

I've never heard of netflix so I doubt that I will be able to get it here but I will look into it. I think I might buy the Dance on Broadwy disc for the Wii. My daughter, sister and myself all love musicals so I think that we would enjoy it.
Love the car metaphors. My body is like an old banger that is gradually getting new parts to the engine and a re-spray

 

[JanaNanner]

I've never heard of netflix so I doubt that I will be able to get it here but I will look into it. I think I might buy the Dance on Broadwy disc for the Wii. My daughter, sister and myself all love musicals so I think that we would enjoy it.
Love the car metaphors. My body is like an old banger that is gradually getting new parts to the engine and a re-spray

Aww, I'd rate you better than an old banger, personally. But no one is ever perfect so we can all keep driving ourselves forward, one milestone at a time.

 

[JanaNanner]

Today is national junk food day, apparently? I never knew about it even when I practically lived on a junk food diet. Now that I've discovered it, it bothers me in the same way that I'm disturbed every time I see a child ecstatically proclaim that "there's a lotta joy in chips ahoy" on the TV. Really? Because 100+ excess lbs later, I'm not seeing the joy. The problem is the constant promotion of an excessively indulgent view of food... that it is okay to eat with no awareness of consequences or moderation.

Perhaps it is just me, but I am tired of seeing it everywhere. The US is saturated with the message that it is okay to eat anything you want, anytime you want, as much as you want. Is it necessary to have a National Junk Food Day?

Fortunately, there are a whole slew of fruit and vegetable days. Here's a list of some!

Bean Day--January 6
National Grapefruit Month--February 1-28
Spinach Festival--March 26
National Zucchini Bread Day--April 25
National Raisin Week--May 1-7
National Salad Month--May 1-31
National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month--June 1-30
National Papaya Month--June 1-30
Eat Your Vegetables Day--June 17
National July Belongs to Blueberries Month--July 1-31
Peach Month--August 1-31
National Watermelon Day--August 3
Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Night--August 8
Potato Day--August 19
International Banana Festival--September 21
World Vegetarian Day--October 1
Vegetarian Awareness Month--October 1-31
National Pickled Peppers Month--October 1-31
National Fig Week--November 1-7
Eat a Red Apple Day--December 1

So let's eat some blueberries. And don't forget to make plans to sneaky-sneaky a zucchini onto your neighbor's porch, which is coming soon. You'll both puzzle your neighbor and promote healthy eating. Good times.

 

[JanaNanner]

Today I weigh the EXACT same that I did last week on the same day at the same time.

I'm really, really, REALLY disappointed... I've been averaging a 1000 calorie deficit per day through calorie counting and exercising... That's two pounds a week. I even had a 1300 calorie deficit yesterday (730 calories burned through cardio). I have been strength training, so it is POSSIBLE that I am adding muscle weight to counteract the fat loss, but... I don't know. I'm just disappointed. I don't expect this to happen overnight, but no loss at all? None? I don't ask much. ONE POUND would have satisfied me. Just one!

I am averaging 1750 to 1800 calories a day. I haven't gone above 1850 this week. I have burned an extra 500 calories every day on average through cardio and I'm also strength training 45 minutes three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). Opinions, please. What am I doing wrong? Am I not eating enough?

I have to keep reminding myself that I feel good, that there are other signs of improvement... but then I see the scale and it just makes me doubt it all...

 

[shygemini]

Today I weigh the EXACT same that I did last week on the same day at the same time.

I'm really, really, REALLY disappointed... I've been averaging a 1000 calorie deficit per day through calorie counting and exercising... That's two pounds a week. I even had a 1300 calorie deficit yesterday (730 calories burned through cardio). I have been strength training, so it is POSSIBLE that I am adding muscle weight to counteract the fat loss, but... I don't know. I'm just disappointed. I don't expect this to happen overnight, but no loss at all? None? I don't ask much. ONE POUND would have satisfied me. Just one!

I am averaging 1750 to 1800 calories a day. I haven't gone above 1850 this week. I have burned an extra 500 calories every day on average through cardio and I'm also strength training 45 minutes three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). Opinions, please. What am I doing wrong? Am I not eating enough?

I have to keep reminding myself that I feel good, that there are other signs of improvement... but then I see the scale and it just makes me doubt it all...

Hugs

I know this will be hard to hear, but my advice is to not change anything this next week, and see what happens. One week of not losing is not really enough to warrant changing your routine. If you notice midweek that things still are not moving..you can try changing something. I wouldn't worry just yet though

If you don't like that advice though, you can do what i would suggest doing next, which is switching up your calorie intake. If you notice, somedays i eat around 1800 calories, and then others i eat around 2000, and sometimes even more. Switching up your intake could help trick your body so it doesn't get used to eating a certain number of calories. You might want to give it a try! You can eat more on the days when you burn alot through exercise, if you like (i tend to do that).

A third suggestion is to measure yourself, if you haven't done so already. You don't have to post it online (but you can)..but keep track for yourself. And measure yourself next week and see if there is any improvement. Sometimes we lose inches, not weight.

ANd don't give up!

 

[jjjay]

Jana - my body seems to work on a 3-4 week delay...in that I have to wait that long to see the effects of what I do re eating and exercise. Its weird but give it another week or two on the same plan and I reakon you'll start to WHOOOOOOSH!

As for overall body changes...I'm getting a LOT less spots (big hormonal acne kind of ones), I feel a LOT LESS sleepy after eating and do not need coffee throughout the day to keep me awake, my eyes are brighter, my hair more glossy, far less aches and pains in my joints and wierdly TOM is now half the time and half as much - really makes me think that my body was creaking under the strain of so much weight!]

I completely agree with Shygemini re the inches not weight thing - sometimes I've stayed the same weight for ages but find that I can fit into increasingly smaller clothes so just switch your motivation/way of measuring progress around a little bit. Think of it in terms of how far you can walk or how quickly you can go up the stairs without getting puffed out or what size clothes you can try on in the clothes store....

 

[ecky1]

Do you feel slimmer? It's often better to ignore the scales for a while and just see how your clothes feel on you. Or as mentioned measure yourself. It's hard not to see results after all the hard work but you seem to be doing everything right so the weight will come off. I'm sure that you have a big whoosh on the way.

 

[JanaNanner]

Hugs

I know this will be hard to hear, but my advice is to not change anything this next week, and see what happens. One week of not losing is not really enough to warrant changing your routine. If you notice midweek that things still are not moving..you can try changing something. I wouldn't worry just yet though

If you don't like that advice though, you can do what i would suggest doing next, which is switching up your calorie intake. If you notice, somedays i eat around 1800 calories, and then others i eat around 2000, and sometimes even more. Switching up your intake could help trick your body so it doesn't get used to eating a certain number of calories. You might want to give it a try! You can eat more on the days when you burn alot through exercise, if you like (i tend to do that).

A third suggestion is to measure yourself, if you haven't done so already. You don't have to post it online (but you can)..but keep track for yourself. And measure yourself next week and see if there is any improvement. Sometimes we lose inches, not weight.

ANd don't give up!

Thank you for your good advice and support, which you're always giving so much of. I appreciate it every time. And advice is never hard for me to hear, so don't ever worry about that... anything that might help me do this better is welcomed.

I will keep at it a while longer and see what happens. I have decided to start using a measuring tape to track loss of inches. I'd been thinking about it already but I was being lazy about locating the measuring tape I knew that I had somewhere.

 

[JanaNanner]

Jana - my body seems to work on a 3-4 week delay...in that I have to wait that long to see the effects of what I do re eating and exercise. Its weird but give it another week or two on the same plan and I reakon you'll start to WHOOOOOOSH!

As for overall body changes...I'm getting a LOT less spots (big hormonal acne kind of ones), I feel a LOT LESS sleepy after eating and do not need coffee throughout the day to keep me awake, my eyes are brighter, my hair more glossy, far less aches and pains in my joints and wierdly TOM is now half the time and half as much - really makes me think that my body was creaking under the strain of so much weight!]

I completely agree with Shygemini re the inches not weight thing - sometimes I've stayed the same weight for ages but find that I can fit into increasingly smaller clothes so just switch your motivation/way of measuring progress around a little bit. Think of it in terms of how far you can walk or how quickly you can go up the stairs without getting puffed out or what size clothes you can try on in the clothes store....

Yeah, if it wasn't for the other physical changes I've noted during this, I would have lost all hope. It's nice to have that to keep me going and motivated.

I have definitely decided to start measuring inches. I'd already been considering it anyway and this was the kick in the pants to stop being lazy about it and do it.

Thank you so much for the encouragement and advice. I'll be looking out for that whoosh.

 

[JanaNanner]

Do you feel slimmer? It's often better to ignore the scales for a while and just see how your clothes feel on you. Or as mentioned measure yourself. It's hard not to see results after all the hard work but you seem to be doing everything right so the weight will come off. I'm sure that you have a big whoosh on the way.

When I've looked at my waist in the mirror, it did seem like I was getting slimmer but I didn't know if I could trust my assessment. It could have been wishful thinking. I am going to measure myself from now on though with the measuring tape. Thanks.

 

[Tigpuppy]

Another way that I've measured my progress is to take monthly photos of myself. Sometimes I can see a change from month to month, sometimes not so much, but when I compare my current photo to my first I can DEFINATELY see a BIG change! And it motivates me to keep going, even though my scale is playing mind games with me some weeks!