DCUM Diet Club

[Anonymous]

NP here, I am nearing 40 and my metabolism's changing. I have never dieted but now need to exercise and experiment with the wacky world of portion control. And no, I'm not a size 0. I am an 8 or a 10. Just never had to deal (I am tall). My empathy for Lulu - I experienced near-pregnancy and bfeeding starvation when I first started restricting my caloric intake.

I read somewhere that if you eat lots of calorically less dense foods (ie apples, celery, broth-based soup, whatever) then you will lose weight. Ie you eat about the same weight of food per day as you used to but less calories. As a PP suggested, I've been going to town with ice water variations. Lemon slices, you name it. I'm at a spa!!

Also, I have gone crazy cutting up veggies and fruits and putting them in tupperware. As long as I am going to binge, I figure I will channel that bingeing towards something less disastrous than the fat, salt, and sugar I really want to eat.

My goal is to wear a bikini again. I had a college reunion and was appalled in June by my hot mama friends (who all have lots of children! my excuse!) wearing string bikinis. Sigh. I have a warm weather wedding in 10 days but definitely won't be prime time till next summer, probably. I should say that my real focus is on exercise, with restriction of calories my secondary goal.

Drinking coffee really helps, Lulu, first thing in the am. I wish I were not so sensitive to caffeine, I can't really even drink decaf but it totally works.

[Anonymous]

I'm Sas.

I'd like to lose 10 pounds by Christmas. I had gotten to a happy place with my weigth after 2 kids and the last few months I've lost control. Halloween is NOT helping.

My problem is that I am all or nothing. I have never been a snacker and I don't usually eat breakfast and have either a cup of soup or a salad for lunch. my problem is that when the floodgates open at night I just want to eat crap. I am so lazy that instead of having steamed broccoli for dinner with chicken or whatever I'll have a bowl of cereal or a bagel. I am one of these people who chooses not to eat rather than eat bad things. So for breakfast if I ate I would have a piece of toast or 1/2 a bagel. I'd rather just have fruit but I don't have the time to cut it up or eat it.

God, I sound pathetic. I know the answer is to eat three healthy meals but I can't be motivated. Maybe if just ate half a bagel for breakfast, a salad or soup for lunch and some sort of health snack at work around 4 then I could be motivated to make myself something yummy and healthy after I put the kids down.

And exercise? My husband is away on travel for three weeks so I am hoping to dust off the 30 day shred but I am so just wanting to reward my single mom status with tv and wine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lulu here. Someone please tell me that after a week or so with less food, I will stop being so hungry all of the time. Please let that be true.

To Lulu, I have been doing WW online for almost 6 weeks and have lost 13 pounds. It has gotten easier- I am no longer starving if I stay within points, and sometimes am actually full at night with points leftover. My biggest issue is just snacky, mindless eating now. I have started running since starting WW and am at 9 miles a week (ish). I would like to lose at least another 12, but really more like another 25. But at 12, I'll be at the weight I was before baby #1 , which was admittedly high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here who will be Tall Girl. I joined WW 8 weeks ago and lost 17 pounds of 40 so far. Since I don't have anyone to talk to about this, I am excited for this thread.

Tall Girl- do you go to WW meetings or are you solely online? I am doing online and also have no one else doing it with me. I am inspired though as I have hit a point where now someone is noticing everyday that I have lost weight. Im at almost 6 weeks and 13 pounds gone. I am also happy for this thread!

[Anonymous]

Momto2 here

I was doing WW before my 1st pregnancy and lost 15-20 lbs. Its great and you do adjust to the points. Jus tmake sure to use all of them, including any exercise points and your additional weekly allowance. It may slow down your weight loss a little (it also may not) but it will definitely help you keep the weight off.

I started back on WWonline (no meeitngs) when DD2 was 6 weeks but its so hard to track when I am running around all day. Now that I am back at work, I am going to track and I know it will work again.

[Anonymous]

I have lost 8 lbs in five days! The secret? The flu!

[Anonymous]

I'm Alma. I am mid-forties with a two- year old and don't need to lose too much weight (5-10 lbs) but need to desperately workout and eat better. I would like to get control of my muffin top. I know it may never go away completely but I've got to get a hold of this stomach or I am going to look absolutely awful in the next couple of years.

The problem is I work and I am tired when I get home. I am going to try to leave work early so I can go to the gym but usually something "more important" needs to be done (groceries, iron, clean etc.).

Once I put the baby to bed I am exhausted and usually go to bed myself. Now, we are all sick with colds so it's hard to do anything.

They say doing just 15 minutes a day is better than nothing so I will try to do "something".

I too need to throw out the pita chips!!

[Anonymous]

Small steps ladies, small steps. How about dropping soda/juice for a month? (And that includes diet drinks.) Take the stairs whenever you can. Take a 20 minute walk after dinner. Eat what you like, but no second helpings. These are some suggestions, but you all might have others. Eating more soup is something I find very helpful, as is starting dinner with a plain green salad. And the fewer processed foods you eat, the better.

[Anonymous]

Tall Girl here. I am just doing the WW meetings. Other than getting me out of the house for about 40 minutes, I am not sure that it is so much of a help. I think the key for me is having access to the materials. I bought the books and a scale to weigh my food. Surprisingly, I found that 4 ounces of fish is much more than I thought.

I'm getting a little bored right now with dinner ideas. I've never been a great cook and now I am a bit more restricted with ingredients. But, yesterday I bought a new cookbook and I'm hoping for some inspiration.

As far as exercise, I get up around5:30 am and walk on the treadmill for half an hour before I start getting ready for work and waking the family. It's not what I did pre-kids, but it's something. We also just joined a gym, which I am very excited to use.

[Anonymous]

NP here...I'm encouraged to read the posts from those who've lost weight using WW online as I just joined this morning. I had my first child almost exactly six months ago and after losing a bit after she was born, I'm currently back to my highest pregnancy weight now that I'm back at work. I'd like to lose 50 pounds, ideally by my daughter's first birthday in May but probably more realistically by my birthday in July.

I've gone up and down in weight over the years, but what's really doing me in lately is snacking/mindless eating. When I was pregnant, I struggled to gain weight for the first time in my entire life, and as a result, I was encouraged to eat small meals and snacks throughout the day. Now that the baby's here, I don't need to still be doing that, and what used to be healthy snacks of fruit and veggies has become Doritos and candy in the office. I feel terrible every time I have to put on one of my pairs of maternity pants when I get dressed for work, and then I have a bowl of ice cream with my husband after dinner. I can and will stop this!

[Anonymous]

OP back again. Last night I did better (still ate stuff I shouldn't have, but LESS!). Also did not exercise. We have a new puppy who has lots of energy, but if DH gets home after 10 pm as he has the last two nights, I no longer feel like walking him then. I am trying to figure out how to work out for me and do something with him at the same time before he eats all of my furniture!

I really wish if you were good for one day somehow you would have your old body back. Like a PP, this is also new to me since turning the dreaded 40. I think some part of me still wants to rebel against the idea that I need to watch what I eat.

I am gong to weigh myself tomorrow just to see if I have lost anything. I know if I have it is probably water weight, but I'm all about the psychological right now!

Welcome to Tall Girl, Lulu, Momto2 Sas and anyone else I missed. So nice to have you and the other PPs here!

To Sas - I know exactly what you mean. I think I am being so good all day, but really I am creating a situation where I am going to fail when I get home.

Good luck getting through the day, all!

[Anonymous]

16:43 here - I forgot to nickname myself! FU40 seems to be my mantra....

So I'm curious, everyone seems to have times of weakness where we chow down. I've been thinking lately about ways to mitigate the damage during my bad times. On another DCUM thread, someone suggested an apple with cinnamon sprinkled on it. She described it as "like eating an apple pie!" Somehow the image stuck in my head and whenever I am standing at my cupboard door contemplating pouring a stale bag of melting chocolates (I mean, how many times can you really make fondue?) down my gullet I try to make myself eat an apple instead.

I'm not doing WW like lots of you other folks - I'm looking for easy and relatively satisfying cheating-feeling foods that aren't all that bad for you. Thanks! xoxo FU40

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:43 here - I forgot to nickname myself! FU40 seems to be my mantra....

So I'm curious, everyone seems to have times of weakness where we chow down. I've been thinking lately about ways to mitigate the damage during my bad times. On another DCUM thread, someone suggested an apple with cinnamon sprinkled on it. She described it as "like eating an apple pie!" Somehow the image stuck in my head and whenever I am standing at my cupboard door contemplating pouring a stale bag of melting chocolates (I mean, how many times can you really make fondue?) down my gullet I try to make myself eat an apple instead.

I'm not doing WW like lots of you other folks - I'm looking for easy and relatively satisfying cheating-feeling foods that aren't all that bad for you. Thanks! xoxo FU40

Lulu here. What about Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches? Those always feel very fulfilling to me.

Also, I've just started this -- and it was largely designed to expand my 1 year old's eating horizons -- but I have found a number of recipes for healthy cookies, I made two batches, froze a bunch so I wouldn't be inclined to overeat them, but have planned ahead and ate a really healthy lunch so that I knew I was going to have two cookies and a glass of milk after dinner last night. Very satisfying and, for the WW people out there, only five points (not bad as far as a treat goes).

The recipe I just tried, btw, was for pumpkin oatmeal cookies. Really yummy and really filling.

I also feel that homemade things like this are just inherently more healthy and filling than the processed diet stuff.

[Anonymous]

Lulu here again.

I have an idea -- let's all share one great recipe -- hopefully an easy one -- and maybe we'll inspire each other.

Here's mine -- salmon with cucumber dill sauce.

Ingredients:

salmon fillets
2 cups white wine
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
fresh dill
1 lemon, sliced
1 cucumber
1/2 cup fat free yogurt
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Bring white wine, water, bay leaves, 4 sprigs of fresh dill, and lemon slices to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Put salmon fillets in water and cook 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and de-seed cucumber. Dice it. Dice 4-5 sprigs of fresh dill. Mix together sour cream, yogurt, 1/2 cup of diced cucumber, dill, and dijon mustard. (you can adjust amount of cucumber or dill to taste)

Serve salmon with cucumber dillsauce. Salmon can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.

this is a great recipe to make and have planned leftovers for the next day, to be eaten cold.

Healthy, delicious, and filling.

[Anonymous]

Tall Girl here. Lulu, thanks for the recipe. I'm challenged in the kitchen. Since kids, I feel like all I make is spaghetti, hot dogs, mac and cheese and stove top stuffing. I'm exaggerating a bit, but I am really weak in the food prep area lately.

Good news - lost another pound for a total of 18. However, I am really struggling with the loss of a point on theWW program. It wasn't so bad when I went down the first point because you get the extra 35 per week and you can earn exercise points. But, this time, well, I'm having some trouble. I know it will pass, but I feel a little like whining about it this morning for some reason.

One other thing since I'm on a whining note. Everyone is noticing that there is something different about me but no one seems to notice it's that I've lost weight. I keep getting asked if I colored my hair, got a haircut, have a new piece of jewelry and things like that. I suppose I should look at the bright side - maybe my friends didn't notice how fat I'd become.