I've known those.
They're cherished prizes in an unfortunate world
Weight maintenance is so much harder than it used to be!
- Thread starter Ronni
- Start date
They're cherished prizes in an unfortunate world
Trade
Well-known Member
Still holding at 195. So that's six days now. But the needle on the scale was a little under that this morning. But not far enough to call it 194 since my policy is to always round up.
I decided to go to Wally World and see how a pair of 36 jeans would fit. My longer jeans are both 40's and they are starting to look like clown pants on me. I had a hard time finding the size I wanted. 36/30. They had lots of 36's but none in 30 length. Lots of 29's and lots of 32's, but no 30's. Finally I did find one pair. By the way, why do they call it a pair of jeans? It's only one garment? Maybe because it's for two legs? I've always wondered that. So then I went to the area where the fitting rooms are. Which were all locked of course and no employee at the station. So I look around and around and finally see someone in a Walmart employee uniform and I ask her if she can open up a fitting room for me so I can try on these jeans.
And she tells me she can’t, and that I will have to go to the customer service desk and ask them to call someone to do it. So I ask her why isn’t anyone at the station by the fitting rooms and she says they don’t have anyone there this early.
So I decided to Hell with this, I’ll go back to the rest rooms and try them on there. When I get back to the rest room area I see signs that read “No merchandise allowed in the rest rooms”. I suppose that’s to try to make it harder to shoplift. Well, I’m not a shoplifter, so I go in anyway.
One Walmart employee sees me go in with the jeans and when I get in there there’s one in there sweeping the floor but neither one of them says a word to me, so I try them on. And they are a bit snug, so that they will stay up without a belt, but not so much as to give me a muffin top, so I decided to buy them. Hopefully when I lose the 5 more lbs that I want to they will be totally fine. When they are I’ll order another pair just like them from Amazon and save the hassle of going to Walmart again.
I decided to go to Wally World and see how a pair of 36 jeans would fit. My longer jeans are both 40's and they are starting to look like clown pants on me. I had a hard time finding the size I wanted. 36/30. They had lots of 36's but none in 30 length. Lots of 29's and lots of 32's, but no 30's. Finally I did find one pair. By the way, why do they call it a pair of jeans? It's only one garment? Maybe because it's for two legs? I've always wondered that. So then I went to the area where the fitting rooms are. Which were all locked of course and no employee at the station. So I look around and around and finally see someone in a Walmart employee uniform and I ask her if she can open up a fitting room for me so I can try on these jeans.
And she tells me she can’t, and that I will have to go to the customer service desk and ask them to call someone to do it. So I ask her why isn’t anyone at the station by the fitting rooms and she says they don’t have anyone there this early.
So I decided to Hell with this, I’ll go back to the rest rooms and try them on there. When I get back to the rest room area I see signs that read “No merchandise allowed in the rest rooms”. I suppose that’s to try to make it harder to shoplift. Well, I’m not a shoplifter, so I go in anyway.
One Walmart employee sees me go in with the jeans and when I get in there there’s one in there sweeping the floor but neither one of them says a word to me, so I try them on. And they are a bit snug, so that they will stay up without a belt, but not so much as to give me a muffin top, so I decided to buy them. Hopefully when I lose the 5 more lbs that I want to they will be totally fine. When they are I’ll order another pair just like them from Amazon and save the hassle of going to Walmart again.
StarSong
Awkward is my Superpower
- Location
- Los Angeles Suburbs
The funeral, family gatherings, and sadness that demanded group eating of comfort foods are mostly past me. Jumping back on, though not quite where I left off. One of the pounds returned so I'm back to down 1-1/2, 3-1/2 to go.
Yup
I wear 38s and 29 length, regular fit
I have two other brand new one's in the closet 36x29...at this juncture they may end up in my will
Looks like wallyword pretty much sucks nationwide
Gary...so reminds me of hub when we were building this big old joint. Took us three years and my mom said "saw him do things I never knew a man could do". He would work all day as an engineer, come home, have dinner, and work all evening till 11 pm or so, 24/7. He ate whatever and how much food he wanted. Then had to "trim done" his appetite after we moved in. Thankfully there are enough outdoor "chores" around this acreage to keep him slim!
Yup
Did that with a hundred year old house
Work thru the night, stumbling around, looking for tools somewhere on wunna the three floors, at 3AM, knowing Home Dopey would open in three hours
He's me
Wife fussed at me after seeing me sitting in a sand chair on the third floor roof, painting trim.
Hey, it was comfy.
Trade
Well-known Member
Trade
Well-known Member
People who think they have a weight problem really don't.
At 405 lbs, I'd explain, "I don't have a weight problem; I have a height problem. I'm exactly the weight I should be...if I were 13 feet tall."
Dayum Dude, and you weigh 170 now?
How long did it take you to lose that much?
In my photo, I'm at 183 lbs. I'm at 170 now. I've been there for 12 years. It took about a year.
I've had a weight problem since birth. It really wasn't very difficult - once I learned what foods to avoid - mostly processed foods. A processed food is made in a plant & has a long list of ingredients. (ever watch "Cheetos" or a similar food being made in a TV documentary?) A natural food comes from a plant. That's where 80% of our diet should come from. I hear a lot about "portion control." I've found that totally unnecessary. I only need to control portions when I eat things I shouldn't - processed foods like bread, pasta, cookies, chips, etc.
Before I did research, I saw several doctors. Most recommended surgery & tried to convince me to see their associates who specialize in weight-loss surgery. Well, I was interested in weight loss; not helping their bank balances. A couple of doctors told me to "just avoid fried foods." I learned that if you want drugs or surgery, see a doctor. If you want useful nutritional information, do some research.
Example: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/27/obesity-surgery-children-kids/40447663/
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Ronni
Well-known Member
- Location
- Nashville TN
Your story is so inspiring @win231!! Do you mind giving me an example of a typical day of food for you?
Catlady
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern AZ
I very SELDOM eat cookies and chips, I do eat some Ritz crackers a couple of times a week (I know, bad), and have pasta maybe once a week with homemade marinara sauce. But, how about bread, is homemade bread also bad? Yes, I use white all purpose unbleached flour, don't really like wheat bread. I fry very seldom and I actually have bowel problems when on the rare occasion when I have deep fried foods.
Congrats on the weight loss, that took a lot of willpower!
Breakfast is usually some fruit, cottage cheese, coffee. Once or twice a month, I'll have ONE slice of toast. (I love bread, but it's a processed food)
Lunch - sometimes a large salad with beans.
Dinner - sometimes chicken & more salad or other veg. Sometimes just fruit & cheese. (I have a sweet tooth & always crave something sweet).
Snacks - raw fruit & usually nuts (in spite of some people saying "avoid nuts; they're high in fat & calories"). Yes, they are high in fat, but that type of fat doesn't cause weight gain. Same with avocado - high in healthy fat.
Cookies, pastries, desserts etc. on special occasions - Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc. And small portions.
Note: My previous breakfast (at 405 lbs) was 2-3 slices of toast or a bowl of cereal. Doctor told me "Wheat bread is good; avoid white bread." He also said, "Avoid sweetened cereal; Corn Flakes are OK." WRONG. Bread (all kinds) is a processed food. So is any type of cereal.
If you want to lose weight, eating bread (or anything made with flour) on a regular basis won't let you. Look at the nutritional labels on bread & cereals. Each slice of bread has 15-20 gms carbs (sugar). So, if you eat 2 slices of bread, you're getting the same sugar as a 12-oz can of soda - (40 gms) & that's before you put anything on it. Those little restaurant packets of sugar are 1 tsp which is 4 gms of sugar. Tear open 10 of them & you'll see how much sugar you're getting in one soda or 2 slices of bread. Who drinks only one can of soda? That much sugar requires a lot of insulin. Insulin is a fat storage hormone. Check the label on a box of cereal; even worse. When we were younger & more active, maybe we could use up all that sugar playing basketball for hours. We're not as active when we're older.
"Everything tastes better when it sits on a Ritz." HAHA
One of the saddest things I learned was about bread. When I do eat bread, I eat the "Eziekel" brand which (at least) is made without flour. But it still has 15 gms carbs (sugar) per slice. It may not be an issue, unless you're trying to lose weight.
I also love pasta. I had to get more bad news on the nutritional label - most pasta has 39 gms carbs per half cup. "Half Cup??" I'd eat a bowl. A half cup is a canary-sized portion; I'd still be hungry. Since bread & pasta don't taste sweet, I didn't think they had any sugar. My previous serving of pasta had 80-100 gms sugar.
Catlady
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern AZ
Well, I make my own breads. The basic recipe one uses 6 tsp sugar and the Amish bread uses 1/3 cup sugar, that's two loaves each which I cut thin into 16 slices per loaves. That's not bad, is it? And I only have one (thin) slice per meal and two slices when making a sandwich. I LOVE bread and refuse to give it up, but I don't have it everyday either. When on a diet, bread is what I crave for the most.
Well, it's not bad....unless you're trying to lose weight. The "sugar" in bread is not the actual sugar you add. Like any food, the carbohydrate in flour is converted to sugar (glucose) when it gets into your blood stream. When wheat is ground (processed) into flour, it becomes high glycemic, meaning it spikes blood sugar quickly, causing your pancreas to quickly produce insulin.
Bread is what I crave, too. But if I ate as much as I wanted to, I'd have to take a lot more insulin & that would cause weight gain.
By the way, I also used to make bread - just the smell in the house was pure ecstasy. I almost cry when I drive by a bakery near my house.
Catlady
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern AZ
LOL, I agree!
I don't know how true it is, but in old movies they show them giving people in prison only bread once a day and that would keep them alive, so bread MUST be the ''staff of life'' for sure. I was thinking of the original "The Count of Monte Christo".
IrisSenior
Senior Member
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
I do find that I lose more weight if I limit my bread and carbs. I have an app on my phone that I have been using for about a year and half. I have lost about 23lbs (along with hubby who has lost 50lbs). Limiting calories totals per day and eating more salad and fruit and limiting high fat bakery sweets, etc has made a big difference. I walk almost every day for 30 min to an hour and I feel so much better.
Ronni
Well-known Member
- Location
- Nashville TN
@win231 thanks!
I have begun following a low carb approach to eating. I seldom eat bread so that hasn’t been a problem, but I miss rice and other grains, and fruit.
I was missing pasta too until I bought a cheap spiralizer from Amazon. I turn a zucchini into long ribbons, spoon pasta sauce or whatever other sauce over it that I would normally serve, and it’s a very acceptable substitute.
I have begun following a low carb approach to eating. I seldom eat bread so that hasn’t been a problem, but I miss rice and other grains, and fruit.
I was missing pasta too until I bought a cheap spiralizer from Amazon. I turn a zucchini into long ribbons, spoon pasta sauce or whatever other sauce over it that I would normally serve, and it’s a very acceptable substitute.
Son is morbidly obese. its been stunning to watch his weight accumulate. All at once he went from obese to over the top. When he was younger he was slim. Then he began having wife issues and got a divorce. He has a nice business, but just can't seem to get it together with the eating issues. He's talking about the "non-reversible" by-pass surgery. A Bariatric surgeon lives in his neighborhood and they are friends.
He says "I just hate this, that I can't keep the weight off. I can lose it on a low carb diet but can't maintain it". His lifestyle is one of extensive travel and entertaining clients, which certainly doesn't help, of course, but is no excuse for not finding a plan that works 24/7.
Now he can't even do the things he used to and when he does go on a diet he doesn't lose the weight he used to, either. Its like his muscles are surrounded with bubble wrap, and when he moves he doesn't even burn the calories like before. Its sad.
Hub said "son take care of yourself, I want you to bury me, not the other way around."
Sometimes wonder how someone can be so smart in one area and so clueless in another.
Its all about having that "decisive" moment, when you want to be thin more than you want that
next shovel of food. Certainly hope he gets it.
He says "I just hate this, that I can't keep the weight off. I can lose it on a low carb diet but can't maintain it". His lifestyle is one of extensive travel and entertaining clients, which certainly doesn't help, of course, but is no excuse for not finding a plan that works 24/7.
Now he can't even do the things he used to and when he does go on a diet he doesn't lose the weight he used to, either. Its like his muscles are surrounded with bubble wrap, and when he moves he doesn't even burn the calories like before. Its sad.
Hub said "son take care of yourself, I want you to bury me, not the other way around."
Sometimes wonder how someone can be so smart in one area and so clueless in another.
Its all about having that "decisive" moment, when you want to be thin more than you want that
next shovel of food. Certainly hope he gets it.
StarSong
Awkward is my Superpower
- Location
- Los Angeles Suburbs
Truer words were never spoken.
Most MDs are clueless about nutrition though they pretend otherwise. On reflection, it's probably a good thing that nutrition isn't their focus. Big Pharma's heavy pressure, dare I say bribery, for docs to prescribe the latest, greatest (most profitable) drugs, is well known. Imagine if Coke, Pepsi, Kraft, Nestle and the rest were pushing foods on them they way they push meds? We'd all be dead by age 25.
My experience has mirrored yours, Win, in that I also have to avoid processed carbs like the plague they are. They not only bump up my weight, they make my body feel crummy.
Under normal circumstances breakfast and lunch include 1/4 - 1/2 cup of beans, brown rice, or plain sweet potato, but the rest of the meal is comprised of non-starchy veggies, some tofu, and berries. Most days I eat large salads with lots of ingredients and stir fries (with a smidge of oil).
When trying to shed a few pounds (like now), my dinners are very light - maybe a few rice cakes with peanut butter.
Catlady
Well-known Member
- Location
- Southern AZ
I agree about doctors and pharma, I become suspicious when a doctor gets out the pad without even trying to try a non-drug alternative.
I tried rice cakes and didn't like them, and I'm a rice lover!
How do you serve tofu? I usually drain the liquid it comes in, rinse it a couple of times, pat dry with towel, and freeze. When defrosted it looks like chicken and has body in it, not the slimy feeling of the fresh tofu.
StarSong
Awkward is my Superpower
- Location
- Los Angeles Suburbs
I always liked puffed wheat and puffed rice cereal so it's no surprise that I like rice cakes. They're really just a low-carb, low-calorie delivery system for the peanut butter, hummus and sliced tomato, (vegan) cream cheese and sliced green olives, or whatever schmear strikes my fancy.
I drain firm, organic tofu, then put it on a dinner plate and add a few other plates on top to weight it down. Let it set for a couple of hours so a lot of the liquid is released. I cut it into thirds, then into roughly 1/4" slices. Heat a frying pan with a little sesame seed oil, then add the tofu slices.. I stir periodically to turn them over. They're done when slightly golden. Take them out and let them cool, keep in the fridge a few days.
I also do a Mexican style crumble that's easy-peasy. Costco's Taco Seasoning mix works just fine since my BP isn't sodium sensitive. If yours is, then look on the magic Internet for a taco seasoning mix recipe. In a big bowl I add 2 Tbsp of the seasoning mix with 2 Tbsp of reduced sodium soy sauce (this is for a 16 oz block of tofu).
I press out the liquid as above, then use a fork to mash the tofu into pieces that range from the size of pineapple chunks to green peas. Stir it into the seasoning and mix it until all the tofu is pretty well coated. Put that in a frying pan (no oil) over medium heat and stir frequently. When the amount of steam being released lessens and the tofu starts to darken, it's done. Let it cool, then put it in the fridge. This is good on salads, as a tofu scramble instead of eggs, ingredient for burrito bowls, or a quick snack.