[UpDownAround]

I still weighed 183. This was especially annoying as it seemed like it was another "perfect storm" weigh in and should have been on the low side. There is no way that 1500 is my maintenance level. I do feel a bit bloated but I really expected a drop. As long as it isn't going up, I am staying the course. I am resisting what is now a string urge to do some VLC days.

Tucson - I lost a lot of muscle also. I did it by losing too quickly without exercising. I need to start getting some regular exercise. That would start moving the needle again. I like to walk, but it is dark and cold when I have the opportunity.

[Tucson]

I weigh 179 today, rounding up. I am sorry for mentioning the desserts that I have made. It is not the right thing to do amongst people who are trying their best to lose weight. Having these desserts available to me is not good either. I am going to have to give some away.

BTW the specialist told me he could not find the reason for the weight loss. So I will be going back to my PCP to see what is next. I find it difficult to believe that depression did this to me.

@UpDownAround: I heard somewhere that a person has only a given amount a muscle cells in the body. So if I lost them, maybe I have to make due with what I have left? Not good. Not good at all.

[UpDownAround]

Originally Posted by Tucson

@UpDownAround: I heard somewhere that a person has only a given amount a muscle cells in the body. So if I lost them, maybe I have to make due with what I have left? Not good. Not good at all.

I never heard such a thing. You can rebuild. Body builders bulk up all the time. It is nearly impossible to add muscle unless you are eating more than you burn and working out. I am planning to go 5 below goal and then try to build muscle getting back to goal. My psyche could not handle taking a break from the diet and doing it now; I refuse to gain back anything I have lost until I am below goal. That's why I am frustrated with my apparent stall of the last several days. I have to start exercising. I will include some barbell work to try to keep from losing additional muscle. I need to bundle up and wear my reflective gear and walk even if it is cold and dark or I need to some up with something I can and will do inside.

[Tucson]

It was a 2300 calorie day for me. I restricted myself to two desserts even though I am tempted to have more. Discipline, discipline. I will have to give away one of my desserts to keep me out of trouble. When I put on a few more pounds, I will start exercising. I have a good health club, LA Fitness, within walking distance. My health insurance is paying the monthly fee, so I might as well use it. It looks like the image uploading feature on this website is still not working.

PS It has been in the 70s here in Tucson. I am so glad I am out west.

[Cocosurviving]

My goal is to eat healthier and not eat out so much. I hope to start working out when I have the energy. Today I ate out but it was Panera Bread. I have soup and had a turkey sandwich. For breakfast I did not eat some healthy. I hate turkey sausage. I ate three regular Johnsonville sausage links and two wheat toast. I’m doing better with drinking water.

[99fairies]

My husband told me that he thinks I have EDNOS. I have been a little obsessed with losing weight, But I don't think I have an eating disorder.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I expected to lose no weight while waiting for my gall bladder to come out. I'm eating things with lots of calories and little that is actually healthy. But I've lost about 2 lbs. which leaves me 1 lb. short of my next goal (last hospital weight before clozapine) and 5 lbs. short of breaking 200 lbs.

It's not healthy to lose this way (not eating) but it is nice to see the loss even though I'll probably regain it since it wasn't lost healthily.

[Naynay99]

Shiit. I really need to get my eating habits under control.
As soon as my mood plummets and I feel overwhelmed, I run out of food in the house and stop cooking or bringing lunch and that is when I start eating crap. I need to go bck to eating cleaner. Less going out to eat and more eating healthy foods in normal amounts. I feel like such a fuuck up. Can't stick to anything. Ugh.

[Tucson]

Naynay99,

Be kind to yourself. Dieting is very difficult to get started and so is having the discipline to see it through. You will get there in time.

Sincerely,

Tucson

[BeyondtheRainbow]

NayNay, Tuscon is right. Don't start by beating yourself up. In fact start when you are feeling fairly good about yourself because it takes patience if you are doing it right.

What worked for me was finding a diet that makes sense to me and then following it. It's not easy but it does work because it gives me structure and if I question a food I just look in my book and know if I can eat it that day or if it's a bad idea overall or if it's fine tomorrow if I watch for other things.

Good luck and be gentle with yourself.

[wildflowerchild25]

Originally Posted by Naynay99

Shiit. I really need to get my eating habits under control.
As soon as my mood plummets and I feel overwhelmed, I run out of food in the house and stop cooking or bringing lunch and that is when I start eating crap. I need to go bck to eating cleaner. Less going out to eat and more eating healthy foods in normal amounts. I feel like such a fuuck up. Can't stick to anything. Ugh.

I feel the same way.

[bizi]

Weight is slowly coming down since not drinking. It is a great feeling!
snacked last night on some pop corn, individual bag has 210 calories,I ate 2 1/2 bags cause hubby ate some. I thought it had fewer calories. oh well. Portion control is a lot of our challenge.
Keep it up everyone! better is better!
bizi

[99fairies]

I binged 2 nights ago. So I'm fasting for 3 days to clear my system out again. Only water for me. This is day 2.

Originally Posted by 99fairies

I binged 2 nights ago. So I'm fasting for 3 days to clear my system out again. Only water for me. This is day 2.

That is not at all healthy and I hope you will reconsider the fasting.

[99fairies]

How is it unhealthy?
My brother fasts for 3 days every full moon and he is one of the healthiest people I know.

[UpDownAround]

Originally Posted by 99fairies

How is it unhealthy?

The idea is that unless you average about 1200 calories a day (for women, according to mfp), it is unlikely that you will get the nutrients you need. If you did a 3 day fast and then 3 days of 2400 calories that would be healthier. That's one reason why I am trying to lose eating 1500 now. The other reason is that I lost more muscle than I hoped during my rapid weight loss in the first two months (Sept/Oct when I lost 32 pounds in 65 days). If you do the fast and then do low calorie days after, you run the risk of more losing lean body mass than you might like.

[UpDownAround]

I logged about 1500 yesterday, but it is hard to say how accurate it was. About half of it was a big serving of home made chicken pot pie. It is hard to gauge how big my slice was and my eldest made it with crust top and bottom plus 1/3 cup of butter (for the whole pie). I picked a home made "by the slice" chicken pot pie that was on the high side calorie wise from the mfp database and then guessed that I had about a slice and a half. So I could be off by hundreds either way, but my guess is that I am not that far off and I actually had less than 1500. This could throw a kink in my "waiting it out" to see the scale start moving again eating 1500 a day. I have remained at the same weight for over a week now. After an adjustment like that, it isn't that surprising as I have more in my gut and if I have something that makes me retain water, I retain more. It isn't moving up, so I am continuing to give it time. Frustrating, though.

Originally Posted by UpDownAround

The idea is that unless you average about 1200 calories a day (for women, according to mfp), it is unlikely that you will get the nutrients you need. If you did a 3 day fast and then 3 days of 2400 calories that would be healthier. That's one reason why I am trying to lose eating 1500 now. The other reason is that I lost more muscle than I hoped during my rapid weight loss in the first two months (Sept/Oct when I lost 32 pounds in 65 days). If you do the fast and then do low calorie days after, you run the risk of more losing lean body mass than you might like.

Thank you very much for explaining, particularly the loss of lean muscle mass as opposed to fat.

Some people fast and that is fine for them, but you are doing it as a punishment towards yourself for bingeing. That is not a healthy reason to fast, and you are losing out on essential nutrients plus you may slow your metabolism over time.

[UpDownAround]

The rapid loss also feeds my current frustration. It isn't unusual for one pound of loss to take double the average and some others to seem really quick. Now that I am aiming for about a pound a week, that could be two weeks of seeing no progress even if I am going to lose at the rate I want over the long haul. When I was losing a pound every couple of days, taking twice as long as average was still under 5 days. I keep telling myself it is perfectly normal for the scale to hold steady every now and then even though I am in calorie deficit. But it better start moving soon before I start pulling my hair out...

[Sunflower123]

Have continued to lose weight with my decreased appetite. My biggest accomplishment this holiday season has been drinking eggnog once or twice a week instead of every single day and in smaller portions. I’m thinking about joining TOPS next week although I’m not certain I need it. Does anybody have any input on this group?