Weight Watcher's Thread

[661-Pete]

Hmmm.... I'm making a start on this after months, years of prevarication.

I can hardly get into any of my trousers anymore. Each morning has become a struggle .

At the start of the week I ventured onto the scales, for the first time in months.

95.4 Kg. BMI = 31.8

So I'm going to cut things, stress/anxiety/depression notwithstanding. Maybe it'll be a positive. I don't really eat unhealthily, leastways not in the main meals: just too much of everything. Oh and there are all the nibbles to cut: the biscuits, the peanuts, the junk.

Evening meal this evening was a Quorn-and-parsnip Korma, not too much of it, not too much fat in the recipe. And brown rice but not too much of it. And water mostly instead of fruit juice (being virtually TT we get through a lot of fruit juice from the cardboard carton, it all mounts up). Yesterday it was a grilled trout, again not too many spuds. Lunches - I've been cutting my sandwich a bit thinner, always plenty of salad in it and cutting the Tracker bar! Breakfast is unchanged: grapefruit/melon/avocado, coffee, few slices of soda bread. Better make that "fewer".

Will it work?

Anyway will post progress. If.

 

[Banjo]

Good Luck Pete I lost 4 stone 2 years ago just by cutting back a little bit here and there like you are doing now combined with regular cycling and other vexercise but nothing too strenuous.<BR><BR>Put half a stone back on since so am trying to get rid of that again at the moment. <BR><BR><BR>You mentioned stress/ depression ,I am lucky enough not to suffer too much with those but certainly found I felt better in myself after dropping from 16 to 12 stone.<BR><BR>I have identified a few things I was eating that were higher in calories than I thought they were,one thing was bananas, as they are good for you I was eating about 3 every day, they are good but also about 200 calories each so down to 1 a day now unless using them as fuel for a long cycle ride.<BR><BR>Down from 12 stone 9lb last week to 12 stone 7 lb this week :-)<BR>

 

[carolonabike]

Morning guys,

9st 1.5lb this morning, up 0.5lb Ho hum. This is very, very slow progress. Perhaps I am being unrealistic and expecting too much.

I still reckon I look slimmer in the mirror though. Having said that, Mr carolonabike says I still look 16 to him, so perhaps my eyesight is going the same way as his and I just can't see properly .

Hi Pete, I can sympathise, it's a horrible feeling when your clothes get too tight and motivation can be very hard to find, especially at this time of year. Do you find exercise helps? Mr Carolonabike doesn't get proper depression but is prone to very gloomy periods and he finds exercise helps a lot.

"Will it work" Yes it will, you're doing the right thing, just easing back on the excess in your diet, that, coupled with some miles on the bike will do the trick. Having said that, don't deny yourself too much, I'm a great believer in moderation in all things. Quorn and parsnip korma sounds interesting. Was it nice?

Banjo, 2 lb loss, well done! I didn't realise bananas were so calorific. It's scary how quickly the calories mount up if you're not careful.

Went out last Saturday and did 42 quite hilly miles, so I was rather pleased with that. It was jolly cold though, the sun was supposed to shine but didn't. I've cycled to work 3 times this week, swam once and ran once, although it was only 3 miles cos the weather was foul!

 

[661-Pete]

Quorn and parsnip korma sounds interesting. Was it nice?

It is nice! If I can dig it up I'll put it on the recipes thread in cafe.

One of the things many people don't realise about Quorn is the way it goes with other things in combination, so well.

A lot of negative stuff has been said about Quorn, I think unjustified: allergies are relatively few (no more than the average for any vegetable), likewise aversions: well every food creates its aversions (look at the Selective Eating Disorder thread!). I think the main problem was the hatchet-job done on Quorn a few years ago, by a lobby group sponsored by the USA meat industry...

 

[carolonabike]

I don't like parsnips, could I use other veg instead? Let me know if you post the recipe.

I was a vegetarian for over 10 years and I used to use quorn although it wasn't as easily available then as it is now. It doesn't have a lot of taste but it is really useful as an ingredient. Recently I've been toying with the idea of becoming vegetarian again or at least reducing my meat intake. Ethical reasons really, I still feel guilt eating meat even though I only use free range chicken; beef and lamb are ok but I'm very uncomfortable about pork.

It's a big step though.

 

[ColinJ]

Well, I'm finally back up to where I was at the end of 2008 - 100 kg (15 st 10 lbs)! I don't like it and I've decided to get serious about getting slim and fit again.

I don't eat meat, though I do still eat fish. I eat a lot of fruit and veg. I don't eat a lot of rubbish. Food-wise, I'm pretty good, though I do slip into the habit of eating breakfast then nothing until 19:00-20:00 and then it is a very big meal. I'd be much better off spreading the same amount of food over (say) 3 smaller meals.

No, my real problem is booze. When I feel stressed, I drink in the evenings to relax. I'm talking 3-5 500 mL cans a night. That's okay once in a while but when it's regular, it is too much. The trouble is - I often feel stressed!

I'd like to get 20 kg off (3 st 2 lbs) and see how I felt back down at 80 kg (12 st 8 lbs). I'm a medium build and 1.86 m tall (6' 1" ish) so I'm fairly slim at that weight. It would certainly really help my cycling on the Yorkshire hills. I felt much better when I was last that weight. I might go a 2 or 3 kg below that but I start to look gaunt if I lose too much.

I got down to 74 kg (11 st 10 lbs) in 2001/2002 and people kept asking if I was ill. I didn't realise how bad I looked until I had some photographs taken and I was quite shocked by what I saw. I don't know why I couldn't see it looking in the mirror ...

Anyway, I'll drop into this thread every week or so and let you know how I'm doing. Good luck Pete, and everyone else. I'll have to look back over the past few pages of the thread to see how the rest of you are getting on.

 

[potsy]

Inspired by Colinj's account above, I am now revisiting this thread as I have been away for some time.
Midway through 2010 got myself to a 6 year low weight of 14st but due to a period of over-eating in the run up to Xmas last year I tipped the scales at a whopping 15st 2lbs on the 5th Jan 2011, I am getting it off slowly and so far have lost 6lbs and now weigh in at 14st 10lbs.
Being only 5' 8" on a good day, that is not good, and I now have to get serious and shed at least another 20lbs this year, hopefully the good start to the year mileage wise will inspire me to keep at it.
Good luck to all

 

[ColinJ]

I tipped the scales at a whopping 15st 2lbs on the 5th Jan 2011, I am getting it off slowly and so far have lost 6lbs and now weigh in at 14st 10lbs.

Well done. Keep it up and you'll soon be needing a "Skinny cat" avatar.

Incidentally, my avatar picture was taken in 2006 when I was about 82 kg (13 stone). You can see that I looked pretty slim there so you can imagine how scrawny my face looked when I was over 8 kg (1 st 4 lbs) lighter!

 

[potsy]

Well done. Keep it up and you'll soon be needing a "Skinny cat" avatar.

Incidentally, my avatar picture was taken in 2006 when I was about 82 kg (13 stone). You can see that I looked pretty slim there so you can imagine how scrawny my face looked when I was over 8 kg (1 st 4 lbs) lighter!

I'm hoping the fear of riding those hills will force me to keep dieting this year

If you promise not to laugh I'll tell you who I thought your avatar was a picture of when I first saw it

I remember losing a fair amount of weight in my 20's and managed (just) to get into a pair of 32" jeans

I was told I looked 'ill' I think I was about 12 stone.

 

[Banjo]

Good Luck Colin and Potsy. Re the booze Colin, my simple answer is dont stockpile it in the house.If its in the cupboard i can open and drink a beer or bottle of wine without hardly realizing I have done it.

I still drink but way less than before and only a couple of times per week.Walking to the shop then buying just enough for tonight means your sensible (sober) head makes the decision on quantity not your more relaxed head later on. In pubs I try to buy my own rather than get into rounds.

Doesnt allways work , dont mind letting my hair down now and thern but it keeps the regular consumption of booze at a much lower level.

 

[661-Pete]

I don't like parsnips, could I use other veg instead? Let me know if you post the recipe.

I was a vegetarian for over 10 years and I used to use quorn although it wasn't as easily available then as it is now. It doesn't have a lot of taste but it is really useful as an ingredient. Recently I've been toying with the idea of becoming vegetarian again or at least reducing my meat intake. Ethical reasons really, I still feel guilt eating meat even though I only use free range chicken; beef and lamb are ok but I'm very uncomfortable about pork.

It's a big step though.

OK I posted the recipe on the thread in Cafe. You don't really have to put the parsnips in, throw in any suitable veg. or cook just the quorn and cook and serve up a veg. separately. This is a fairly basic dish lots can be added to it.

I tend to 'warn off' people who are toying with going veggie but are unsure, or who are thinking of doing so as a matter of conscience. Very noble reasons, but I'm sorry to say, people who do it for these reasons often don't stick it out!

I often wonder how a global reduction in meat intake would change the world we live in - for the better or the worse? Sometimes I think we're on dangerous ground here, much as I'd like to see it happen from a purely personal point of view.

 

[661-Pete]

Yesterday I was about to go and buy myself another pair or two of trousers - 'office' trousers I mean, something I can't get at a reasonable price locally so I need to go into Brighton for.

The significance was, that I was thinking of getting 38" waist - the first time ever . I've been holding out with 36" waist for decades now.

But I didn't go. I shall stick it out with the 36"s and the tight squeeze, for the time being.

Am I doing the right thing?

 

[ColinJ]

I'm hoping the fear of riding those hills will force me to keep dieting this year

The suffering on climbs is a good reminder that the weight needs to come off!

If you promise not to laugh I'll tell you who I thought your avatar was a picture of when I first saw it

Er (dare I ask ...), who?

Re the booze Colin, my simple answer is dont stockpile it in the house.If its in the cupboard i can open and drink a beer or bottle of wine without hardly realizing I have done it.

I still drink but way less than before and only a couple of times per week.Walking to the shop then buying just enough for tonight means your sensible (sober) head makes the decision on quantity not your more relaxed head later on. In pubs I try to buy my own rather than get into rounds.

Same here so I don't stockpile it! It's a bit of a pity because there are some cracking deals at Lidl in Todmorden. They are currently doing 500 mL bottles of Shepherd Neame Master Brew Kentish Ale for 99p and I'm rather partial to that, but I know if I stock up on it I'll just end up drinking more. It costs double in my local shop so I've stopped buying it.

I've had to stop buying wine altogether. It's too strong and goes down too easily! I have the occasional glass if someone else offers me one when I'm visiting or I'd share a bottle with a few people over a meal.

I can't afford to go out to pubs any more. Most of the ones I used to go in here have either shut down, or charge well over £3/pint. I was pretty shocked last time I went out to be asked for over £10 for a round of 3 pints!

I never drink the amounts I used to when I was young - 8-12 pints in an evening - that would kill me now. In fact, I'd feel pretty rough after 6 so I usually keep it down to 4-1/2 pints or less (2.5 L or less). It's the regularity rather than the amount in one evening that is the problem.

Anyway, I'll start my new regime tomorrow and see how I get on. I think if I allow myself a couple of nights a week where I could drink within those limits, I should be okay.

I shall stick it out with the 36"s and the tight squeeze, for the time being.

Am I doing the right thing?

If wearing the over-tight trousers spurs you on to slimming down to fit them - yes. If you don't lose any weight and spend a couple of years feeling really uncomfortable - no!

 

[potsy]

The suffering on climbs is a good reminder that the weight needs to come off!


Er (dare I ask ...), who?

Like you say, you were a LOT slimmer then

 

[guitarpete247]

As ColinJ said, if you lose too much weight you can look ill. In 2001 I went from 16st 12lb down to 12st 10lb in just over 6 months. I felt a lot better but some friends really did think I had a serious illness. The major reason for this drastic weight loss was down to a very stressful relationship. When that relationship ended I started to relax and my weight has started to creep back on. I'm now around 15st 10lb a BMI of around 31.62 as seen on this BBC site. I put a little on over Chrimbo but I am back losing it again .