i agree with rosered. one lb is not lame and neither is how far you've gotten. i would also agree with rosered that this time of yr is tough with temptation so you are aboslutely doing great. getting the gym in the mix totally helps. and the family support is awesome. you said something a few posts back about this being a 'life change' b/c of your mom/dad holiday. losing weight and achieving goals defintiely falls into my definition of 'life changes'. if we set our minds to 'one day at a time' and a lifestyle change for the better, it should work. sounds like you believe it. look how far you have come. it is great to hear your success.
s

Thanks so much to EVERYONE for all your wonderful comments and encouraging words! It's a wonderful feeling to have such support, and this community is so great at providing the support!!

Yesterday was basically a throw in the towel day. Did well until late at night. . . .felt the horror of PMS cravings hit me, and had two slices of pizza which were totally unecessary as I had not 2 hours before finished off a sushi dinner. Ugh.

so today i started something just to see what my calorie intake is like. . . . .and i started to write down my calories. i'm thinking that i'll just start with a record of what i'm eating normally and see where i fall. then from there i'm thinking i'll adjust it to about 1200-1500 depending. i remember doing a diet a while back where i ate about 1500 cals per day and i definitely lost weight. . . .and i was lighter back then, so we'll see how it goes.

now to do some errands, possibly buy a NYE outfit, and go to the gym!

Calories so far: 253. (keep in mind that breakfast for me was about half an hour ago :-D)

Hey Heather..good idea tracking your calories. It is a bit of adjustment cutting them back a bit, but I am sure you can do it. I can relat eto the PMS horror of cravings, I'm suffering from them now..and I think today may be a throw in the towel kind of day.. chocolate is calling me!!

It’s always the worst isn’t it? I have a friend who had a hysterectomy and she still gets the once a month cravings, looks like it never ends.

so i calorie counted for the first time today. it was a semi-typical day, with the exception being that i caved in to my greasy food craving and had some cheese fries earlier tonight. (oops) had a few beers with my brother, his gf, and my lovely boyfriend. had NO IDEA how much those add up the calories of the day!!!

i think i'm going to have to go a month without drinking (unless i'm actually going out with friends on a weekend. . . . .then maybe one night a week) and see what happens.

my total calories for the day was so good up until dinner with the beer, then the cheese fries. . . .had a total of 2182.

now, these are my 'warm up' two days. . . . .warming up to the new year, when my goal is going to be a 1500 calorie day.

now. . . . .hmmm i wonder if i could figure out my basal metabolic rate. . . .because i definitely burned 400 cals at the gym today simply doing my cardio, then did 1/2 hour of lifting afterwards.

so according to several websites, my BMR is around 1700 calories. that is my metabolic rate were i to do my regular day-to-day activities.

SO. . . . .i did the 1700 calories. . . plus the 400 i burned at the gym. . . . .and let's see if i can find how many calories weight-lifting burns. . . . .approximately 150-200 according to a website i just looked up.

SO . . . . let's assume 1700 BMR.
400 burned as cardio (3.3 miles on the cross-trainer, go ME!)
150 burned weight-lifting for 1/2 an hour

total = 2250.

i wonder. . . . . .am i really under my caloric requirement for the day? or am i calculating this wrong?

either way, i'd like to be under my BMR for caloric intake, just on principle that if i feel like having a lazy day, i wont' be gaining weight.

i feel skinnier since christmas. . . . .which is very odd, considering i'm at that TOM. i usually feel huuuuge. have to go shopping/try on outfits tomorrow for the NYE party. . . . .i'll have to eat greenery all day long in order to be OK with calories at the party!!!

counting calories really gives me control, though. . . .i like it. only prob right now is one of my patients gave me a huuuuuuuuuuuge basket of chocolate. . . . .like REALLY GOOD chocolate!!! newleaf and rosered, the cravings are awful. but unlike a lot of women, i go for the salt more than the sweets. i LOVE salty food. greasy and salty is what i go for during my TOM. which is probably even WORSE than craving sweets. ah me.

still got a positive attitude though. . . . .feeling good about the calorie counting! also made my workout schedule for january. . . .missed 6 days this month. . . .striving for no more than 4 next month. i'm a gym rat. . . . .i really do love the gym. (hides) it's just so nice to get into physical activity and not think about anything else except just the sweating and breathing, and burning muscles and my music. brainless stress relief. . . . .i like it.

that's all for tonight, ladies and gents. if i'm not on tomorrow. . . .HAPPYNEW YEAR!!!! will be reading your journals on sun and catching up with everyone's new year's eve festivities!

thanks always for the support!

ok . . . so i need some advice here. i've been dating the world's most wonderful man for nearly 2 years now. i love him to death, and i would never change him for the world because he's so good to me all the time. . . . .

HOWEVER.

when it comes to my battle with weight loss, he just isn't supportive. well, no i take it back - he IS supportive, but only in a 'hey go do your thing' kind of way. which is fine. . . . . . .when it was something like quitting smoking. when it's weight loss which is really a lifestyle change, it's not quite as helpful.

i try and try and try to get him to come to the gym with me, and it's like pulling teeth. i suggest it to him, and he might agree for a little bit, but then if he actually sticks with that thought and comes with me, he'll end up spending the entire time there complaining about how boring it is. it's to the point where i don't even try to get him out anymore. (trust me, it was more frustrating to bring him than to be sad i was leaving him behind)

now that i'm the only one who goes to the gym on a regular basis, he just refuses to help me stick with it. he is always telling me i shoudlnt' go because i should be spending time with him, or that i don't need to go every day, etc. then to support my eating habits, he'll buy a huge pizza with cheese fries and soda!!! it's so frustrating!

i love him more than anything in the world. i don't want him to change the way he looks. . . . .i love him the way he is. but it frustrates me when i work so hard for something and i get no one to share my work with, and thusly it's two times as hard to keep with it. not only do i have to deal with temptation myself, but i have to deal with the temptation to just be lazy with my boyfriend!!!

and the thing is, i don't want to hurt his feelings with this. weight is a very touchy subject with him, and i don't want to imply that i want him to lose weight. i just wish i could convey to him that it's hard for me since i'm dieting to watch him eat that way and not support me exercising.

does this make any sense?!? i feel kinda mean for thinking about it that way - but i had so much family support while i was home for christmas with my mom and brother both going to the gym that i miss it now!!

anyway that's all, time for some gym rattiness. then some new year's celebrating!

also - total calories so far = 518.

awesome!

Heather, nice to meet you and welcome to the forum. I read your first few entries and I like the way you think! Your paragraph about waiting out the craving was great, I'm definitely going to do that. I would like you to know that I am a pizza-a-holic, so I know how you feel. My trick is to never get a whole pizza, because then you're asking for an overindulgence. Whenever I want pizza I go to an actual italian restaraunt (the family owned ones are best) and I get ONE slice with a salad. One slice of cheese is roughly 250 calories and if you go light on your salad dressing then you have a very nice little lunch. Hey, I lost 60 pounds and had that as a lunch as least once a week. Glad you're part of the forum.

funkymonk, thanks for the awesome idea! the craving thing works until i get my period, then it's about 3 times as hard to wait it out simply because i'm starving all the time. i'm super impressed with your weight loss accomplishment!!! that's just awesome!

so i have yet to add up the calories from yesterday. . . .not too sure if i even want to do it, as it was a night out with friends that ended in a 7-11 stop for undrunk food. never a good plan. but i will add them up, simply because i promised myself i would start to do this.

and now it's 2006. . . . . .and the start of my promised 1500 cal/day plan. day one. i have yet to eat breakfast, have just been sipping on water while recovering! :-P stocked my fridge up with all kinds of tasty things to help me out, and am going to try a yummy chicken with penne and cream sauce recipe i got from a low-fat recipe site.

just gotta find a way for the boy to be in on this too!!!! the support of mom and brother is SO great, but neither of them are near me. . . .brother is three hours away and mom is an hour away. need to find a way to get the boy in on this too.

oh dear god. . . . .i added up the calories for yesterday. . . . .let's just say i know now why i've been having a slow start to losing weight. (well, slowish. . .the beginning was fast, now we've slowed down)

i've got to cut back on alcohol consumption. i cannot even BELIEVE the amount of calories i consumed in alcohol last night. it seriously upped my total for the day by nearly 1000 calories.

granted, last night was pretty crazy, and it WAS NYE.. . . . .but still. i'm just in shock.

mini-goal for today. . . . .be under 1500 cals. (and i'm pretty sure i can do it, seeing as i've only been awake for 2 hours!!! :-P)

start the new year with a new approach!

I can't believe that I've never browsed through your diary until today when I actually searched for it after you stopped by mine. So sorry about that!

Don't let your boyfriend get you down. Don't give in to that temptation. You really may need to have a talk with him and let him know how you feel and how it would really mean a lot to you to have his support.

Hey Heather, you're really doing great! I'm sorry to hear that your b/f isn't supportive like you'd enjoy. I would suggest sitting him down and having a talk with him. Just simply letting him know that this is about YOU and YOUR weight, don't imply that its anything to do with his and he shouldn't be offended. I know easier said than done!

However, just let him know how its making you feel and how it does not help your struggle. Let him know you think its sweet he may think you are "jsut fine" as is, but you know better for yourself and your health. Let him know it woul dbe very helpful for you to have his support behind you! And hopefully this will make him realize that he's been sabotaging you in a way, maybe not cruelly but he is all the same. And maybe letting him know that you will be sure to keep time for him in your schedule. Maybe he' sjust gotten a little envious of your gym time, versus him time. Men can be just oversized children at times! Good luck girl!

Yesterday is yesterday mate it’s from today that everything matters.

hippo and newleaf, i actually did talk to him about it a little bit yesterday - i don't go very long thinking about something and not telling him about it. he wants to start going to the gym with me, and said that he wants to try to eat better as well!!! so i'm excited. i'm just worried that he'll slip again. . . .he's told me this gym spiel before. but for now, i'm just glad that the dear boy wants to try for me (and for him too!). i told him that for as long as he wants to come with me, i'll support him and help him out with it. so i'm keeping my fingers crossed on that! and newleaf, you're totally right - they're just big five year olds.

monday is weigh-in day, and good news to report. . . .the holiday season brought a 1 lb loss for me, and that was all!!! 187 lbs as of today. no difference from last week, but to me during the time of indulgence, that's pretty much an accomplishment!

started calorie counting yesterday. my mini-goal was met!!! and only just barely! haha. did a solid 1498 calories. i think what i'd like to do is figure out a spread for my day in terms of snacks vs. meals and calories. what i'm thinking is a spread as such. . . .

breakfast - 300
snack - 150
lunch - 300
snack - 150
dinner - 500
snack - 100

now i'd like to eventually end up at a 1200 cal/day plan, but i'm trying to start it off a little easier for myself. maybe in the spring when i'm truly used to the 1500 cal/day plan, i'll move on to the 1200 cal/day. most likely what i'll have to end up doing is breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. . . . .just because i work night shift, and it's really weird for me to have 'lunch' at like 4pm. we'll see what happens. . . . .

now time to rack some exercise up to major cleaning of the apt!! then gym with the boy after he finishes work!

i'm definitely a junkie for this website. . . .but i wanted to post a victory!!! took the boyfriend to the gym today. i burned nearly 400 calories plus a half hour weight lifting and *counts* 100 crunches on the little crunch machine thinger.

came home to try out a new recipe that i found online. . . . .will post if people want it - i HIGHLY recommend it. it's fantastic! it was chicken, asparagus and red peppers in a cream sauce over penne. bought whole wheat penne to cut down the calories and increase my whole grain consumption. the recipe called for fat-free chicken broth, light sour cream and wine to make the sauce. . . .i found it to be REALLY limp even when reduced, so i added a little bit of flour. i'd really like to buy some whole wheat flour, unbleached. just want to make some more whole grains part of my diet. i'm pretty good so far, but my flour is that all-purpose stuff.

the boy liked the dinner - minus the veggies. he's definitely not a veggie kind of person, so i made his without the veggies. he gave it a thumbs up!

in other news, i'm WAY under my calories for the day, so far cashing in at 1054. definitely been working REALLY hard today. feel great with the boy behind my back! i'm really really trying to get him into this, and i think he's a bit resistant but he's making an effort and i really appreciate that.

challenge starts tomorrow!!!! can't wait!