Congrats on the new low!! The 160s are just around the corner.

*raises hand* Yes, I'm the guilty SOB who made Margaret count her calories for two weeks. I am amazed by the fact that she still speaks to me.

Y'all were talking about maintaining once you reach your goal weights. My plan is to keep weighing myself everyday. That way I can see if the scale is going up, and if it is, then I know I need to cut back on my eating for a few days and possibly increase my exercise if it's lacking. I want to nip it in the bud--not wait until I've put on 5-10lbs. By doing this, I don't think I'll have much trouble keeping my weight where I want it.

Thanks for visiting my diary.

Auburn

Thanks for saying nice things about the only way I can lose weight. Counting calories seems to work admirably for so many people - just it was never going to work for me. I've tried counting by the day and by the week. It never worked.

I am sure that you will find the best method for you. The secret is not to be conned into believing that what works best for everyone else will be automatically what will work best for you. If you find something that works well for you - use that method whatever everyone else does.

I am not sure about project management. I do have a strong background in logic and I think that stands me in good stead for trying to work things out. I just cant work out why I did not hit on the idea of how to do it when I was younger.

Kimberly

Thanks for your congratulations. Naturally my weight did not stay there too long - up slightly again Monday but that is what always happens to me the day after a new low.

As for counting calories - I forgave you long ago. I hate counting them though as it always makes me feel more vulnerable. The only way that I can cope is to convince myself that I am on something like 10 million calorie a day diet so I cannot go over. Whenever I see a number I start analysing whether I should eat all those calories - when logic and experience tells me that I can.

Regarding maintenance - I pretty much think that I should weigh myself every day for the rest of my life. And I will keep on wearing my pedometer. They say that everyone should do 10,000 steps. I am going to try and work out the best amount of steps for me (at least 10,000 but possibly many more) and I will try and keep my average at least that.

I also have a plan that I have told one or two people that I might join Weight Watchers not long before I get to goal weight. I think that it should be pretty cost effective if you time it right - on one of their join for free promotions and not long before goal weight. When you get to goal weight they give you free membership as long as you turn up to get weighed 5 times a year and are within about 5 pounds of goal weight. That free membership could be really useful because it would give a deadline and you could not stick your head in the sand and convince yourself that the scales were playing up. One of my friends is at goal weight and she goes every week just the same. She enjoys seeing people she knows and likes to hear about new products and healthy food ideas - she says that it helps motivate her to stay on track. It could also be a good way of meeting new people. This aspect is additionally useful because we are toying with relocating at some point in the future.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Monday 17/12/07

Nice bright weather but very cold.


General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 5 times
Extra exercises = keep fit class
Weight = 12st 6.2lbs (i.e. 174.2 pounds)
Steps = 28,453
Distance = 10.77 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed one bio-oil massage

My Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
1.5 large handfuls honey Shreddies
pork loin steak, tin of baked beans
2 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

I'm sure you already know this, but you would have to join WW when you've still got at least 3kg or half a stone to lose, compared to their chart which gives ideal weights. Apparently, they won't let you on to their books unless you've got a minimum of excess weight. So just don't leave it to the last minute! (Otherwise, excellent idea - love your strategy!)

Hi Auburn

This is very interesting. I dont like to ask for too much info from my friend as she goes to the group near here and has been part of that group and known the WW organiser longer than she has known me. I dont want to put her in a "conflict of interests" situation where she feels that I am acting unreasonably. It could block my plans.

I knew that WW would have some sort of minimum weight loss required but I did not know quite how they work it out. I certainly have known quite a few people go to WW that didnt seem like they had much of a weight problem.

My gut feel was that I should be able to join at about 10 stone if I was aiming for 9 stone or less. I know that 10 st 2 lbs gives a BMI of 25.15 which is officially "overweight".

You dont happen to know what the minimum weight someone of 5 ft 3 in should be on their chart to be able to join do you? Or for that matter what they consider to be the ideal weight for someone of 5 ft 3 in?

I really dont want to follow their diet plan to lose weight - I am more than happy with my own strategy. Naturally I would not tell them that though. I would just say that I was looking for motivational support and an improved strategy.

Take care
Love
Margaret

I don't know exactly, but I'm 5"4 and the weight range they gave me was 54-67kg (119-147lbs / 8 and a half to 10 and a half stone).

I don't know how they calculate this range. I believe that it's based on the BMI as I saw these charts lying around the place, but I don't know any more than that.

However, this business of having a minumum amount of weight to lose is, I'm believe, in terms of the lowest figure in the range, not the highest (so in my case 54kg). In other words, if I was 56kg, they wouldn't accept me as I would have fewer than 3kg to lose; if I was 58kg they would accept me. Does that make sense?

I'm not very knowledgable about WW as I did it for only a few months last year with my step-daughter. It wasn't really my cup of tea although I think the principle is fine: eat what you want in moderation (especially vegetables), do some exercise, etc etc. I just found it difficult to find the time to go to the meetings and, with my odd timetable, kept finding myself with old grannies with whom I had nothing in common!

Anyway, hope some of this info is useful.

Hi Auburn

That info is very useful indeed.

Their healthy range for someone 5ft 4 in is therefore a BMI of 20.42 to 25.23. The implication is that someone of 5 ft 4 in and 9 st can join - so someone 5 ft 3 should be able to join at 9 st if they still want to lose half a stone.

I can cut it finer than I had been thinking - maybe 9 and a quarter to 9 and a half......

I knew that I had worked with people who seemed quite thin who suddenly joined WW at key join up times (eg after xmas, before summer hols etc).

I did join WW about 11 years ago - it was prior to their points system. I was so big (cant remember the weight - but I know that I was size 30 then as I still have clothes from then) but we didnt talk about goal weight. I guess that they figured I had too far to go to put me off by talking about a number that I was so far away from. Anyway they effectively told me not to walk when I started walking then. They told me that there was no benefit in a big person going on a normal walk. They said that you had to run or jog or do something exerting to be of weight loss benefit. I knew that running or jogging would kill me so I just stopped going on walks. I really am only interested in it as an aspect of maintenance.

Thanks for your help. It is much appreciated.

Love
Margaret

are you sure you heard them right? WW is one fo the biggest promoters of walking as exercise... at least in the US? That's just insane that they would say that...

That is what they said 11 years ago. I wouldnt mind but at that time I had started walking from Waterloo to London Bridge and back each day en route to / from work and they effectively told me not to do it. They said that it would be of no benefit to me.

I believe that they have totally changed their stance on this now. Indeed I use a WW pedometer which a friend recommended to me.

The annoying thing is that if my project 11 years ago had worked many other things in my life could have panned out differently. There is a huge difference between losing a lot of weight aged 37 and losing it aged 48.

None of us can live in the past or the might have beens. We can only live in the here and now.

I got your card Margaret.

Thanks so much.

I'm a little worried bc I didn't think of this until I got yours..

Is our postage stamp enough to make it all the way to England, or did I need to do special postage?

If you haven't received the card yet, it may come back to me dern it!

Everyone else has recevied their card.

Have A Great Tuesday.

Hi Stacy

I just got your card this afternoon. I posted mine to you straight away - as soon as we exchanged addresses. You know how I am always out walking - so things like that dont get delayed. Since they both arrived today - it looks like it just takes that long to do the journey - either direction.

Thanks for the card. I really like all the little stickers that were on the envelope. They are so sweet.

I hope that you are having a great Tuesday. I am busy trying to get my walks done and I have to tidy the house as surveyors are coming tomorrow to sort out whether we should allow the people next door to extend into their roof space. We need to know whether it will cause problems to our house where they join up.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Howdy wow it's been a few days and your ticker
just keeps melting away CINGRATS!!!Wanted to say Happy
Holidays incase I don't get a chance to get back on here
much before XMAS but the day after I will be living on here again
lol!****hUGGS***TAMMY

Hi Tammy

Thanks for popping by. It's a really busy time of year for us all Tammy. On top of that we keep getting tempted with things that we love to eat and try not to eat. If you eat you feel guilty and if you dont eat you feel deprived. Not fair! You must be extra busy with your four kids. Wonderful! I just know that they will make your Christmas extra special - whatever else is going on.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Tuesday 18/12/07

Nice bright weather but cold. Hubby’s knee is bad so we may be travelling north on Friday instead of Thursday. Everything a little up in the air.


General Data:

Morning walk = 6.3 miles.
Round the block = 5 times
Extra exercises = none
Weight = 12st 5.0lbs (i.e. 173.0 pounds)
Steps = 26,702
Distance = 10.11 miles
Remembered to take normal vitamin / supplements
Continued my creaming regime – missed one bio-oil massage

My Food / Drink:

1 banana
3 weetabix, sweetener, 350 ml skimmed milk
2 large handfuls honey Shreddies
roast chicken breast, swede, carrots, brussel sprouts, celery, gravy
2 large handfuls of raisins
2 litres of cold water
some diet cola

Hey Margaret,

Great to see you doing so well!!

Just popped in to say hi,

Frankie