Battle of the Bulge

[Niede]

I'm comfortable with my body, if others cannot deal with it, tough.
It's actually more unhealthy to rapidly lose weight, than it is being overweight.
Also, some people we think of as 'overweight' live just as long as those who are seen as the 'right' weight.'  

[Mrs_Black_Bear]

Niede

I'm comfortable with my body, if others cannot deal with it, tough.
It's actually more unhealthy to rapidly lose weight, than it is being overweight.
Also, some people we think of as 'overweight' live just as long as those who are seen as the 'right' weight.'

Good for you! I want to get in good shape still though lol  

[Sapphire Waterlilly]

Everything is ok with me. But I know how hard it is to actually exercise and watch what you eat. I try to watch what I eat somewhat but the exercise is the hardest to fit in.  

[Wixandrettas]

Sapphire Waterlilly

Everything is ok with me. But I know how hard it is to actually exercise and watch what you eat. I try to watch what I eat somewhat but the exercise is the hardest to fit in.

I treat my exercise sessions like an appointment... My MS Calender is set up to remind me which days to report to the Gym... LOL I know, it sounds cheesy, but its a motivator for me..

PLUS, considering I dont pay for the gym, I get to reserve the Group-Room whenever it is free.. and I can use it all to myself. I usually do step-aerobics on my own, playing some awesome techno music to keep moving. One of the hospital-doctors walked through the group room to get into the weight-room, and he saw me, and smiled... Of course, in the heat of the workout .. I asked "What?!".. he said.. "If only I could motivate my patients to exercise"....

He shared a few stories with me of mutual patients of ours who he just cant seem to 'reach out'... I asked him what was the reaction of all the women... out of 10, 7 of them yelled and screamed 'insensitivity' and thought it was a malicious attack to even suggest they were overweight.... now mind you, I know the patients he talks about (I have to do his medical billing)... I told him, so long as you address it, no Board of Medicine is going to reprimand him, so long as he addresses it professionally and without negative personal attacks.. I know this guy.. he is a very sweet man, is married, has kids... and actually has a personality... I told him that no matter what, women will handle this very hard because society forces us to believe we have to be a certain 'look'... we are under ALOT of pressure, especially so when we hear it coming from the man's mouth.

He shows me a picture of his wife, who is not heavy, but a fully figured woman.. beautiful woman with three kids... and she is battling a thyroid issue... he tells me 'I wouldnt trade her if my life depended on it".. This is one-less judgemental man in society and I told him he needs to go down to Genetics and have himself cloned! LOL He laughed..

He asked me how I handled it.. I told him I was approached from two different doctors..

The first one, was HORRIBLE... blamed me for being lazy, not wanting to look better, you name it.. it was a dagger right between my eyes. This happened BEFORE I was diagnosed with PCOS.

The second doctor, was last year.. my Dermatologist. Because of the PCOS, you have alot more problems.. I am being treated for alopecia and male pattern growth.. He addressed his suggestions and then asked "what are you doing to help with the weight issues of PCOS?"... I never felt threatened or hurt or rejected.. he handled it so well. At the time, I was honest with him.. told him my primary doctor isnt much help. Ive asked for a referral to a nutritionist who works with specialty areas like mine. He would not give me a referral, wanted me to use the nutritionist he had in the clinic. I said "any attempt to set up an appt with that nutritionist will result in my leaving the practice. Its not what I want!"... The Nutritionist they have, well... lets just say, because I had ONE FREAKING turkey sausage link on my bagel, with one egg, lettuce and tomato was angry because I had too much protein.. She had been doing this constantly.... She never taught me to look for foods that would help keep me satisfied longer... BUT YET WHEN I WEIGHED IN I STILL HAD A POUND LOSS!".. I tore into her and reminded her that DESPITE THE FACT THAT I ADDED A TURKEY SAUSAGE TO MY SANDWICH, I STILL LOST A ******** POUND AND YOU CANT BE HAPPY FOR ME?! SCREW YOU!"...

LOL, I stormed out... Later, thanks to the Dermatologist that I am seeing now... I learned I had a Dairy allergy (butter on the bagel, the bagel was a white flour item) and I was not properly educated on low glycemic foods... and it was dead wrong to be criticized over a 2oz portion of turkey. LOL!!!!!!!

For me, Im not comfortable yet in my own skin, but I DO see the results. I see it, feel it when I wear my clothes. I notice little things about me in the mirror.. like, seeing a collar bone definition coming through... that is exciting for me!

To discover things changing that dont have to do with using a scale is so much healthier to follow. You tend to hang on the scale-number instead of seeing it on yourself...

Damnit, we need a support thread!  

[Mikiba]

I agree, we do need a support thread.
I've gained about 20 odd some pounds since I moved out on my own about two years ago. Usually when I gain weight, I go to a size 8 where I used to be about a size 6/7. I'm trying to lose the excess weight because being overweight does run in my family, along with high blood pressure and other health problems. Plus, I think it would be a great way to de-stress since I'm always stressed out or worried about something.

That being said, it's hard to eat well when the healthier stuff is so expensive and when you live with someone who isn't used to eating all that well. I'm trying to lose weight, it's just hard @__@  

[Harbone]

I weigh less than when I was married, but I am still nowhere near my ideal weight.

All the progress I have made is through eating less and exercise.

I try to eat balanced meals, avoid snacks and perform a regular exercise routine every other day. Recently, my doctor has insisted I begin walking to get a handle on my male obesity. I walk about one hour a day and it has been helping a LOT.

Also, cutting out soft drinks (not even diet colas) has really helped.

On any given plate, I try to have only about a fistful of starch, a palm-full of meat and twice that many vegetables, when I can afford it. Sometimes I am not so strict, but in general I have been seeing favorable results.  

[0Brutal-Beauty0]

Well I'm a small chic, at just barely 5' 4". I was nearly 150 in March. I'm down to 120, which is perfect for me. So far I'm a success, and I tell you how I did it and have kept it off thus far:

A suitable diet:
Diet is just another word for what I'm eating, not any fad diet. First of all, I quit drinking whole milk. I made the switch slowly and now I drink skim. I opt for low calories/low fat but filling foods. Lots of raw veggies with and whole grains with lots for fiber and nutrients at lunch. Whole grain rice as my starch with dinner and more veggies. Switched from soda to diet soda, it's not great, diet soda really isn't good for you but I couldn't give it up altogether. Water, water, WATER! You'd be surprised how much water helps get rid of that "I've got the munchies" feeling. Eat only at your table, not in front of the TV or standing up. Batch cooking cuts down on the frequency of just eating whatever too. That's just pre-cooking lots of different dishes and freezing them.

Working out:
Check with your doc to see what you can do as far as exercise goes. Once you get the okay, in my opinion this is the fun part. I started small. On the one hand you have Cardio work-outs. This is your fat-burning exercise. On the other hand you have Strength training. This gets you tone. I started with 3 days - 15 min. of Cardio & 3 days - 20 min. Strength training. Slowly I would add more every 2 or 3 weeks. The key is to get your heart rate to it's maximum healthy high rate. You need to get sweaty! At this point to maintain my weight I do 5 days - 1 hour of Cardio (30 min. yoga, 30 min. - 2 mile walking workout) and 40 min. Strength training.

I dropped a lot of weight in the beginning due to 3 things. Staying away from high sodium foods, refined sugar and mindless munching.

There was one key factor that helped me lose my weight -

www.sparkpeople.com. That site is a free resource to everything healthy. It's got a calorie-fat-carb-protein calculator to help you figure out what your eating and what you need. It's got a comprehensive exercise database to help find all sorts of work-outs and log your progress. It has recipes and their 'labels' so you know the serving and what you get out of them. Most importantly (to me anyway) it has forums so you can chat with people who just like us, who are working toward the healthy lifestyle. Everyone is so kind and helpful, always there to give you encouragement and hope.

I hope that everyone makes the plunge to start a healthy lifestyle!! blaugh There's hasn't been anything so satisfing as having to go out and buy new pants, not feel winded from taking short walks, being stronger, feeling fit, less tired and finally having some healthy self-confidence and self-esteem.  

[Karill]

Harbone

Also, cutting out soft drinks (not even diet colas) has really helped.

o_x How did you do it? I know sodas are bad for me, but I swear I'm nothing short of addicted to them.

Actually, I'm having issues with eating in general. I used to be one of those people who could eat anything and not gain an ounce. Unfortunately, my metabolism has since slowed and I'm starting to gain weight and in dire need of a diet overhaul.  

[Danamii]

it's karill!! -tackles-

well what do you usually eat on your average day?

while i like sodas, i can only have the diets. and then i dont usually drink them as much. i go for the crystal light stuff, that way i can have my water for the day as well.  

[connielass]

Okay, the fact of the matter is this: we're all over 21.

Yeah, so?

So we do NOT have the metabolism that we had at 18.
It takes even more activity now to burn the same amount of calories than it did when we were in high school.
Not to mention, those of us who gained that sophomore thirty on top of our freshman fifteen.
People, it's an uphill battle from here on out.

Welcome to getting old.  

[Creator Nan]

Part of my problem is the fact is I take medication that controls a disorder I have and the side effect is weight gain. I drink diet soda, drink skim milk, eat only whole grains, I prepare food from scratch, I only eat chocolate that one time of month...I don't exercise regularly. I know I should, but after working and running after the kids and their activities I am exhausted.  

[Danamii]

connielass

Okay, the fact of the matter is this: we're all over 21.

Yeah, so?

So we do NOT have the metabolism that we had at 18.
It takes even more activity now to burn the same amount of calories than it did when we were in high school.
Not to mention, those of us who gained that sophomore thirty on top of our freshman fifteen.
People, it's an uphill battle from here on out.

Welcome to getting old.

what?!

who told you?!

.....jk. im not old. the world is just getting younger.... stare  

[Karill]

@Danamii: Wow! I didn't know you were old, too! xd

And can we just say my diet is BAD and leave it at that? I'm too embarrassed to admit to just *how* bad. redface I know I need to eat more veggies, and I'm trying harder to do that. That's one good thing about getting a job. I'm eating (slightly) healthier because it's cheaper and easier to toss a bunch of greens into a container and taking that for my lunch. Yay laziness!

@Connielass: My god, I'm getting older?! I HAD NO IDEA.  

[Danamii]

haha im not old, these wrinkles just hide my other speedy lean attacking form. im a ninja geezer... ninja

any who, at least tell me your favorite meal. and we can go from there.

being a diabetic and having to go to dietitians is a pain, but i do learn a little bit of something. plus i stayed at a holiday inn last night... or woke up there at least... hey my stomach hurts confused  

[mega_melfina]

I'd like to join you by your side

Where we can gaze into the stars

And sit together, now and forever

I'm in the same boat kind of...I was at a healthy weight but I've put on 50 pounds because of polycystic ovaries? Or something?

Now I can't lose weight no matter what I do! I exercise as much as I can and I don't eat that much, and I eat healthy. And I'm too old to be exercising anymore then I already am! blaugh

For it is plain as anyone can see

We're simply meant to be