Maybe this will work...

Published on August 30, 2006 By dharmagrl In Health & Medicine

I've gained some weoght over the last year. It started when I had spinal fusion surgery and wasn't able to do much physical exercise afterwards.

I don't like being this big. I don't weigh myself - I have a lot of lean muscle and it makes me heavier than I look. For example, when we moved here to Illinois I was wearing a size 4 or 5 pants, but I weighed 130lbs. I prefer to measure my weight loss in terms of clothing size.

Right now I'm wearing a size 12 or 13. I don't like it. Being this big plays havoc with my arthritic joints; I ache more than I did when I was smaller. I just don't like the way I look.

I want to be a size 9 or 10. I looked good at that weight, I think (and my husband agrees. He says I look good now, too, but he knows I'm not happy). I had D cup boobs and a nice curvy shape. I looked healthy, and that's what I'm aiming for. I don't want to be skinny, I don't want to wear a size 3 or 4 again. I just want to drop a dress size or two.

My mom always told me to "breakfast like a King, lunch like a lord, and supper like a pauper".

So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm starting a new diet plan. I'm going to eat a healthy breakfast and a decent lunch, then I'm going to have a slimfast shake for supper. I'm not going to eat anything after 7pm. I walk both the dogs in the morning (we average almost 2 miles) and with all the cleaning and running errands that I do I'm using up the calories from breakfast. I'm active in the afternoons (running errands and general house and yard care) so I'll use most of the lunchtime calories, and we walk the dogs in the evenings - about a mile, which makes almost 3 miles of walking every day - so I'm going to be giving my metabolism a boost to help it use the Slimfast calories.

I'm still going to cook for my family, I'm just not going to eat the same things they do. If this plan works and I lose the weight, I'll go back to eating small portions of supper with them so I can maintain my goal weight.

I'm trying to lose this weight the old fashioned way: eat fewer calories and exercise. No pills, no suppliments, no juices. I'm simply going to use more calories than I'm putting in to my body, forcing it to use the fat reserves it's accumliated.

I started it today. I'll let you know if and when I start seeing a difference in my body.

Comments

jennifer1

on Aug 30, 2006

I prefer to measure my weight loss in terms of clothing size.

I do exactly the same

good luck with it, I hope it works for you! exercise exercise exercise!

pseudosoldier

on Aug 30, 2006

I thought the old fashioned way to lose weight was binge/purge?

Anyway, that bit of advice from your mum is sound. A large breakfast (of the right things) will kickstart your metabolism, lunch will keep it going, and a light dinner won't crash it. Mind your nutrient intake; a multivitamin might be in order. Don't crash your calorie count. You'll want to keep it overall about 80% of what you're using. That would give you a 1-2lb weight loss per week.

I'll toss up some formulae in a blog post. Good luck!

Dr Guy

on Aug 30, 2006

I know you know what is best for yourself, so good luck! Have a piece of bacon on me.

pseudosoldier

on Aug 30, 2006

Have a piece of bacon on me.

You know, I always thought bacon got a bad rap for no reason, but I was wrong. The fat content is ridiculous and the protein in there is actually pretty low quality. Turkey bacon (while not as tasty) is just plain better for you, or just have an extra egg (or better yet, an egg substitute).

dharmagrl

on Sep 02, 2006

I do exactly the same

I've realized in the past week or so that a LOT of women do that. I wonder why that is?

Anyway, that bit of advice from your mum is sound. A large breakfast (of the right things) will kickstart your metabolism, lunch will keep it going, and a light dinner won't crash it. Mind your nutrient intake; a multivitamin might be in order

I'm already taking a multivitamin; I put it in with my morning medications.

My mum's smart like that....she's got no end of sayings, one for almost every occasion!

I know you know what is best for yourself

I do. I know at what weight I feel best and also look best, and that's what I'm aiming for. After this heart problem that landed me in the hospital last week I'm even MORE limitied to the ways I can lose weight. I've never been a huge fan of weight loss pills and suppliments, but now I can't take ANY of them because of the caffiene and stimulants in them. SO, this eat less exercise more method is really the only way I'm going to be able to drop the pounds - apart from the gastric bypass method and not only am I not fat enough to qualify for that, I don't know that I'd even consider than an option.

Turkey bacon (while not as tasty) is just plain better for you, or just have an extra egg (or better yet, an egg substitute).

I'm trying to have the things I usually eat, just in smaller quantities. Instead of having 3 strips of bacon and 2 eggs, I'm having one of each. I'm also using a side plate to eat off of rather than a full-sized dinner plate. My portions look meager on a dinner plate but HUGE on a side plate, which helps a lot.

I started today. I ate breakfast even though I wasn't hungry, and I also ate lunch - even though I wasn't hungry (again). I'm going to have a shake for supper and I'm limiting myself to tea, lemonade or water for beverages after 7pm. I'm also walking the dogs twice a day for at least a mile at a time.

Let the fat burning begin!!

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