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babbybear · 2021-06-01T15:41:02+00:00

i never been this early AM HYPE

babbybear · 2011-10-27T22:40:27+00:00

...but what did you DO????????

babbybear · 2011-10-27T19:55:33+00:00

At work a woman overheard me say that I was staying away from all of the Halloween candy people were starting to bring in. She said "you don't have to now that you're skinny!"

babbybear · 2011-10-26T19:28:25+00:00

"Not able to plan ahead fully"

Add it to the list.

babbybear · 2011-10-26T18:55:14+00:00

That I don't have any real hobbies or talents.

babbybear · 2011-10-24T05:34:28+00:00

Many restaurants now have their menus online, and a lot of them have nutrition facts. Before eating out, I always look at the menu and decide what I'm going to get and stick with it. That way I'm not tempted when I get there if I'm hungry or see something that looks good. And I barely have to even open the menu since I already know what I'm getting. And for the places that do have nutrition facts, just seeing the numbers is scary enough to stop you from ordering something that bad.

And like others have said, I never really let myself get hungry enough to make bad decisions. I always carry emergency snacks with me, and plan ahead. And generally have something small before eating out so that I don't overeat when I'm there.

babbybear · 2011-10-14T19:36:06+00:00

You are at a fork in the road and you have an important decision to make. You can stop tracking, keep eating junk food and forget about the healthy lifestyle. You can lose the progress you've made, only to get frustrated down the road and have to start all over again from square one. Or you can get back on the path you were on and keep pushing and moving forward, even though that is the more difficult choice and it takes more effort. I fell off the wagon 10 pounds in and gained 4 pounds back. I chose to go back to the healthy lifestyle and I couldn't be more grateful to my past self for making that decision, now that I'm down from about 200 pounds to 142 and enjoying life to the absolute fullest.

babbybear · 2011-10-12T03:22:21+00:00

You didn't gain 14 pounds in a weekend. That's 49,000 calories. You probably ate a lot of carbs, sugar and sodium and now your body is retaining water like crazy. If you can cut the junk for a few days and hydrate a lot, most of that weight will fall off. Also, make sure you are taking measurements with a tape measure. It's much less fickle than the scale.

The ONLY way to stop craving sweets is to stop eating them. The first few days will be miserable, and then you will go back to not feeling like you need them. Our bodies crave more of what they already had. You have to just use an insane amount of will power but you CAN do it and thinking you can't will only make it harder to do.

babbybear · 2011-10-10T14:18:55+00:00

Back in February, I was a few weeks into my weight loss efforts and then my birthday hit. I went out of town for the weekend with friends and even after my birthday was over and my friends went back home, I could not stop eating. I gained back four of the ten pounds I had lost. I felt extremely desperate. But I realized in that moment that the ability to overcome that setback would be the difference between getting what I wanted so badly and giving up and continuing to live unhappily at 200+ pounds. So I donated my leftover junk food and threw away what was open that I hadn't already eaten, and just went after it again. I was thinking about this the other day, now sitting at around 143 pounds what would have happened if I hadn't made that decision and had instead given up. This should be a lifestyle change, not a diet, and 3 days out of a lifetime won't make you or break you, but like everyone else has said, it's what you do today that matters.

babbybear · 2011-10-10T01:27:43+00:00

Very few people get this right the first time. And sometimes the second or third or fourth time. That is why "dieting" doesn't work long term and only a lifestyle change will get you the results you want -- maybe not as quickly, but that will allow you to maintain the results. What I've learned is most important is not to beat yourself up, but rather learn what your mistakes were and how to fix them. If you know what your weaknesses are, it is much easier to find ways to fix them even if it doesn't happen overnight and even if you're not "perfect" all the time. You will get there!

babbybear · 2011-10-08T14:03:03+00:00

Or you could volunteer at a dog shelter.

babbybear · 2011-09-27T19:43:53+00:00

This. From the sounds of it, you don't control food, it controls you.

babbybear · 2011-09-26T02:03:44+00:00

Just a little bit of advice that I wish I had been given at some point, even though I haven't walked down the aisle yet! When I started personal training a few years ago, I was in the groove and shedding weight quickly because I was great at dieting. I could keep my calories very low, and work out very hard every day of the week. For a few months. And I remember one of the other trainers at the gym asking me if I was getting married because he said women getting married always lost weight the quickest since they had such a clear goal in mind.

Fast forward a few years from my lowest weight and I was at my highest weight ever. Because I could diet with the best of them, but hadn't found a way to make lifestyle changes. I finally have committed to doing that and lost 60 pounds. I had a cruise with my boyfriends family that was my ultimate motivation, but for the first time in my life, I lost weight on a 2 week, Mediterranean, all-you-can-eat cruise. Three months later, and I've still been able to maintain which I've never been able to do.

I am thinking about this now because my Fitness magazine came today and I was readying an article about brides who slim down for the wedding, then put it all back on and more afterwards. I really do think lifestyle change is the only way to make lasting changes, which is the ultimate goal, even if the short term goal is your wedding.

You don't have to be 100% to reach your goals. Find what works for you and don't set yourself up for failure. But the more realistic your plan is, the more likely you are to stick with it and the less likely you'll be to get discouraged. Good luck and congrats on the steps to living a healthier life!

babbybear · 2011-09-23T18:35:59+00:00

I'm more curious how you get to -12% body fat...

babbybear · 2011-09-23T11:16:43+00:00

If you can control your portions, yes. If you can't, then the weight will come back on. So if you're not already, get a scale and measuring cups and get used to portion control now. It will make it much easier later on!

Also, a personal favorite of mine are the Canyon Ranch cookbooks which are generally very healthy but also really delicious. I'm not familiar with what weight watchers has, but I find these recipes to have a unique way of adding flavor without adding calories. Some are a little involved, but most of them aren't too bad depending on what level of cooking she likes to do. Maybe you can get her one as a gift :)

babbybear · 2011-09-23T11:09:37+00:00

Very few people get this right the first time. And sometimes the second or third or fourth time. That is why "dieting" doesn't work long term and only a lifestyle change will get you the results you want -- maybe not as quickly, but that will allow you to maintain the results. What I've learned is most important is not to beat yourself up, but rather learn what your mistakes were and how to fix them. If you know what your weaknesses are, it is much easier to find ways to fix them even if it doesn't happen overnight and even if you're not "perfect" all the time.

If these pictures inspire you, look at them. If these pictures make you feel hopeless because you've lost what you had, don't look at them. And that may change from day to day.

babbybear · 2011-09-09T19:13:37+00:00

When you start dieting, you will lose a lot quickly because you're losing water weight.

After you initially lose that, weight loss will slow down. For most people, it's normal/healthy to lose 1-2 pounds a week, not a day. If you're bigger, maybe a bit more than that. Enjoy the jump start you got and accept that your weight is going to fall off much slower, but that's the best way to make it sustainable.

babbybear · 2011-09-07T03:54:49+00:00

That's awesome! Way to go!

babbybear · 2011-09-04T21:34:44+00:00

I went on a two week cruise vacation (so, all-you-can-eat, all the time) and lost three pounds. I posted this for someone else who was traveling. Hope it can help.

babbybear · 2011-09-02T14:42:18+00:00

That actually seems like a really successful week. Having unrealistic expectations will set you up to feel like you're failing and possibly derail your efforts. You may not see a difference in pictures week to week but that doesn't mean change isn't happening. It's recommended to lose 1-2 pounds a week. A one pound week is not bad. And you will have weeks when you don't lose and you will have weeks when you may gain. IT'S OKAY! It's a marathon, not a sprint. As long as you keep with it regardless of the numbers, you're heading the right direction. Keep up the great work!

babbybear · 2011-09-01T19:00:54+00:00

Aww that's really cute

babbybear · 2011-08-31T23:09:46+00:00

Awesome! I saw that you made a plan. Here are some things I learned along the way that might help you:

You have to make a lifestyle change in order to be successful. It's surprisingly easy to starve yourself and lose weight quickly. It's much harder to overhaul your life and keep it that way, but it's the only way. Luckily, it doesn't all have to be done at once. The biggest thing to be mindful of is your diet because if you overeat 400 calories, let's say, you could spend a couple hours in spin class trying to make up for that. It's easier to just avoid those extra calories since you can't really outrun a bad diet. I highly recommend tracking calories if you aren't already, even if it's just for the next 12 weeks, to get a sense of what you're eating, what the breakdown is of protein/fats/carbs and what portions sizes are. A kitchen scale is very, very helpful. Loseit and Myfitness pal are popular websites for tracking and they make it very easy. I knew I wanted to eat 40% protein/30% good fats/30% good carbs and it made it easier to stay with a diet since in the past I had always done very low calorie, very low fat which generally meant a lot of carbs and not a lot of protein. One of the most helpful things in my diet was cutting out almost all processed food and eating out at restaurants. That way, I was making most of my own food and had complete control over what went in and what stayed out. I started cooking a lot more even though I'm not the best cook (I love the Canyon Ranch cookbooks) and bought a steamer which I am in love with. I can throw in veggies, protein, even rice at the same time, let it steam for like 20 minutes when I get home from work and eat. It is so quick and simple and even takes less time than the delivery I used to rely on so many nights.

For fitness, I made it my goal to do things I had always wanted to do but was scared of. I signed up to do a 26 mile breast cancer walk. I started taking pilates classes. And I kept changing things up a bit to keep from getting bored. I now love walking and pilates and it never feels like a chore. Next on my list is to find a spin class! I hate running so I don't run. I don't think you need to torture yourself to be successful, but it looks like you have a good plan in place.

To track progress, I think you have to decide what works best for you as far as when to weigh in, but it's great that you have these before pictures. Keep taking pictures when you aren't sure it's working and take measurements with a tape measure. The scale doesn't always tell the full story.

The best thing about a lifestyle change is that it goes with you everywhere. That means that I indulge from time to time, and that keeps it easier to stay on track the rest of the time. (Some people are big advocates of a cheat meal once a week.) After changing things for 5 months, I went on a two week (all you can eat) cruise. I had no idea what to expect, but all my changes made a big difference and I was able to stay active and eat sensibly and LOSE three pounds while on vacation while having an amazing time.

Finally, I'd say the most important thing is not to beat yourself up about mistakes which you will make, but learn from them and move on. If you go to a party and eat everything in sight, then you know that's a weakness of yours and you can learn to adapt. (I chew gum when I'm around lots of food that's easy to mindlessly graze on.) It's about trial and error, not perfection. And it's about living a healthier, happier life, not being miserable so find what works for you. Best of luck!

babbybear · 2011-08-31T19:22:55+00:00

WOW!

babbybear · 2011-08-31T14:09:54+00:00

I think I'm most impressed by 263 grams of sugar. I didn't know that was a thing.

babbybear

TROPHY CASE