Tuesday, December 19, 2006
'30-In-30' Challenge Week 20 Update
I'm back to 220 pounds again after a 3-pound GAIN this week
It's TERRIFIC TUESDAY again here in Week 20 of The "30-In-30" Weight Loss Challenge as we are almost through one of the toughest times of the year to keep your weight from going up, up, up! You have LESS THAN A WEEK LEFT to survive the Christmas 2006 temptation season before the new year comes to rescue you from holiday bliss. YOU CAN DO IT!
With two-thirds of "30-In-30" behind us now, it's time to make that big push in the final 10 weeks to reach your goal. If you are lagging behind the pace, then it's time to step it up a notch or two. As it stands right now, I am EXACTLY on track with my original goal of one pound a week for the first twenty weeks.
But my weight has been doing some fluky things lately that are completely unexplainable from a dietary perspective. Does that frustrate you? You have been doing everything exactly right in your low-carb lifestyle, you haven't cheated a bit, you're exercising just as much as you always have, and yet the weight keeps bouncing up and down like a beach ball!
UGH UGH UGH! What the *&#$@ is going on?!?!
LOL! Actually, that's exactly how I used to feel before I started my low-carb lifestyle. It was all about living in the moment for me and allowing my present circumstances to dictate my attitude about my success or failure on my "diet." Oh, I've been so "bad" today, so I might as well just give up!
Do I REALLY need to tell you how dopey that is?!
Seriously, I was just talking with a respected controlled-carb advocate today about the qualities of people who have been able to successfully lose weight and keep it off forever. It's amazing how people like this are able to do so well and not fall prey to the notion that losing weight is some mystical impossibility.
Here are just 5 ways these people are different:
1. They are unfazed by any "sudden" jump in weight
2. They don't worry about "messing up" on their diet
3. They get right back on plan after indulging
4. They are laser-focused on what they need to do
5. They enjoy life more than they ever have before
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it does give you a brief look at what sets apart the successful from the not-so-successful when it comes to weight loss. It all comes down to being strong mentally more so than physically. That sounds so backwards, but it is true.
And the great thing is the stronger you get mentally, the more confident you will become to keep at it for the rest of your life. This translates into a dogged determination to NEVER EVER GIVE UP no matter how hard the situation might seem. Just when you are thinking of giving up is exactly when your next breakthrough is about to happen. Are you going to rob yourself of the joy of experiencing that?
Long-term success doesn't just happen and it's NEVER instantaneous. Day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, and year-by-year, you do what you know you need to do and then keep doing it and doing it and doing it because you know you are living healthier than you ever have in your entire life.
There is a very fine line between healthy and unhealthy living which means virtually everyone can make the switch. It took some time for this former morbidly obese slob to figure out those lessons, but look at me now. I'm emboldened and empowered by the truth that I CAN maintain and even lose weight now whereas in the past it all seemed so hopeless and futile. NOT ANYMORE!
When fretting over food is no longer a regular part of your life anymore, then you know you have made the transition from a person who struggles with weight to one who has risen triumphant at last over a lifetime of pain and anguish about how fat you are and will always be.
Stop thinking like a fat person and view yourself as the fit and fabulous person you've always dreamed about. That person is in there just SCREAMING to come out!
Getting over this mental obstacle, especially after reaching your goal weight, is the golden step to many years of weight loss success. Even the newly crowned winner of "The Biggest Loser" Erik Chopin admitted in a recent interview that he STILL feels like that 407-pound guy he was earlier this year despite losing 214 pounds in about nine months. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
This just goes to show you that it's not enough to just lose the weight, but to make healthy living a lifestyle choice that you WANT to do forever and ever. Change the mental is a positive way and the physical will follow. Even if your weight has a few ups and downs along the way. :)
How was your Week 20? Are you doing well during the grueling Christmas feasts that are everywhere around you? Do you have any comments to share about what I discussed today? Please share your thoughts with us!
Also, we WILL be here next Tuesday on the day after Christmas to weigh in for Week 21, so don't think you'll get a pass next week. :D YOU'RE GONNA DO GREAT!!!
I'd like to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and to let you know how very proud I am of you for sticking to your low-carb lifestyle for nearly THREE MONTHS now! WOW! I stand in awe of what you have been able to do and cheer you on to great success in these final ten weeks. KEEP IT UP and NEVER LOSE HOPE! I love you all!
Labels: 30-in-30, challenge, diet, low-carb, mental, success, weight loss
# posted by Jimmy Moore @ 12/19/2006 08:43:00 AM 
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"...grueling Christmas feasts that are everywhere around you"
Aha! Maybe *that's* why I always lose weight rather automatically between Thanksgiving and New Year's day! We live far from family and never go to any celebratory feasts at all (except Thanksgiving day and Christmas day). So this isn't a time of feasting for me, but it is a time when I'm very busy shopping, wrapping, packing and shipping, and not as prone to mindless eating.
~~~~~~~~~~~
So this week, I'm down 1-3/4 lb from last week (which was up 1/2 lb from the previous week), to put me at a total loss of 18-3/4 lb for the 20 weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can fully understand the way that Eric Chopin feels like he's still as heavy as he used to be. That was an awful lot of weight to lose so quickly. Not that we don't all want to get rid of the fat and get into our new bodies as quickly as possible!
But the problem is that when it happens soooo quickly, it's hard to wrap your head around such an extreme change, especially in a case like his, where he lost more than half of his original weight. For that matter, he looks almost like a different person now, so much healthier - even his face and neck are about half their original width! He probably still does a double take, every time he sees himself in photos or the mirror.
When I was oh-so-much heavier, I had trouble fitting into theatre seats, amusement rides, passing through a turnstyle, walking more than a couple hundred feet, and many other everyday activities that most people take for granted. I shied away from situations where I'd have to do such things back then, because I was trying to avoid the embarassment of not being able to do them. I still find myself shying away from situations where I need to do things that I couldn't do when I was much heavier.
But on the occasions when I haven't been able to avoid such situations lately, I've been very surprised to find that I can actually do them now. The seatbelt that used to just barely go around me now has room to spare. The steering wheel that used to brush against my gut is now sitting an amazing 5 inches from my belly. The smaller sized clothes I bought a couple months ago are now feeling loose, rather than tight.
And yet... And yet, I still feel like the woman who needed to evaluate the size and strength of a chair before sitting down.
Despite my ability to do so many things that I couldn't do for so many years, and needing much smaller clothes, I still don't really see myself as being much if any smaller at all.
Will I feel slim when I actually become slim? I don't know.
They say that inside every fat person is a slender person screaming to get out. I have to wonder what's inside every formerly fat person, because that self image of someone who is still fat seems to be very hard to shake.
Aha! Maybe *that's* why I always lose weight rather automatically between Thanksgiving and New Year's day! We live far from family and never go to any celebratory feasts at all (except Thanksgiving day and Christmas day). So this isn't a time of feasting for me, but it is a time when I'm very busy shopping, wrapping, packing and shipping, and not as prone to mindless eating.
~~~~~~~~~~~
So this week, I'm down 1-3/4 lb from last week (which was up 1/2 lb from the previous week), to put me at a total loss of 18-3/4 lb for the 20 weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can fully understand the way that Eric Chopin feels like he's still as heavy as he used to be. That was an awful lot of weight to lose so quickly. Not that we don't all want to get rid of the fat and get into our new bodies as quickly as possible!
But the problem is that when it happens soooo quickly, it's hard to wrap your head around such an extreme change, especially in a case like his, where he lost more than half of his original weight. For that matter, he looks almost like a different person now, so much healthier - even his face and neck are about half their original width! He probably still does a double take, every time he sees himself in photos or the mirror.
When I was oh-so-much heavier, I had trouble fitting into theatre seats, amusement rides, passing through a turnstyle, walking more than a couple hundred feet, and many other everyday activities that most people take for granted. I shied away from situations where I'd have to do such things back then, because I was trying to avoid the embarassment of not being able to do them. I still find myself shying away from situations where I need to do things that I couldn't do when I was much heavier.
But on the occasions when I haven't been able to avoid such situations lately, I've been very surprised to find that I can actually do them now. The seatbelt that used to just barely go around me now has room to spare. The steering wheel that used to brush against my gut is now sitting an amazing 5 inches from my belly. The smaller sized clothes I bought a couple months ago are now feeling loose, rather than tight.
And yet... And yet, I still feel like the woman who needed to evaluate the size and strength of a chair before sitting down.
Despite my ability to do so many things that I couldn't do for so many years, and needing much smaller clothes, I still don't really see myself as being much if any smaller at all.
Will I feel slim when I actually become slim? I don't know.
They say that inside every fat person is a slender person screaming to get out. I have to wonder what's inside every formerly fat person, because that self image of someone who is still fat seems to be very hard to shake.
EXCELLENT comments, Calianna! I fully concur about "feeling" fat, but it does get better over time. The key is to not allow yourself to slip into old habits as you are still transforming into staying that thin person for life.
Week 16 Weigh in........
Lost another pound for a total of 19.
I am pushing for 20 for next week.
I get the comments about feeling fat too. Even though I am down a size since we started and people are asking me what I am doing, I still don't feel "thinner"
I find myself (confession time!LOL!) looking for pictures with certain pound losses (20) and wondering if that is the same that I lost.......weird.
I am glad that I took pictures when I started because that is the only way that I am seeing it.
I know I am walking taller and feeling better but it's hard to get past the body image of how you used to be.
Wanda
Lost another pound for a total of 19.
I am pushing for 20 for next week.
I get the comments about feeling fat too. Even though I am down a size since we started and people are asking me what I am doing, I still don't feel "thinner"
I find myself (confession time!LOL!) looking for pictures with certain pound losses (20) and wondering if that is the same that I lost.......weird.
I am glad that I took pictures when I started because that is the only way that I am seeing it.
I know I am walking taller and feeling better but it's hard to get past the body image of how you used to be.
Wanda
# posted by 
: 12/19/2006 6:06 PM
: 12/19/2006 6:06 PM
Believe me when I say it DOES get better, Wanda. I suppose a part of you will ALWAYS feel like that "fat" person you recall in your mind's eye, but stay thin for one, two, three years and beyond and you'll start to convince yourself. Somebody asked me the other day if I still felt fat and I proudly said to them, "I almost forget what it was like, but not quite yet." :) THAT is a GREAT feeling!
Hi Jimmy,
I'm happy, and I feel just great! I am fluctuating, but I didn't expect to lose every week. I'm not disapointed, I am focused! I love the new me, and I don't ever want to go back to the old one. Merry Christmas you wonderful, happy, thin young man you!!! Merry Christmas to everyone and stay happy! We think your all great for what you have accomplished!!! MO
I'm happy, and I feel just great! I am fluctuating, but I didn't expect to lose every week. I'm not disapointed, I am focused! I love the new me, and I don't ever want to go back to the old one. Merry Christmas you wonderful, happy, thin young man you!!! Merry Christmas to everyone and stay happy! We think your all great for what you have accomplished!!! MO
# posted by : 12/20/2006 8:09 AM
: 12/20/2006 8:09 AM
You are absolutely amazing, Mo! CONGRATULATIONS on the changes that are happening in you and I am so very happy that the lifestyle change thing is taking solid root from within. What a Christmas present you've given yourself?! :D God bless you!
Checking in here with an additional 2 pound weight loss following my little 5-pound in 5-day post-Thanksgiving super-woosh. So, I've already matched my 7-pound holiday season loss from 3 years ago (day before Thanksgiving to day after New Year's Day).
And that's right after visiting my sister for my annual pre-holiday trip. She and her boyfriend were counting Weight Watchers points (with that built-in 50% penalty for eating fat calories) and hoarding those points for various sugary holiday "treats" and claiming they can "eat anything" while I see nothing but fat-free cheeses, fat-free milk and fat-free yogurt stocked in the fridge (we mostly dined out while I was there!)
I made a point of saying, "yes, your plan allows you to eat anything you want...even if it's poisonous."
A couple weeks ago, I managed to literally "wow" my physician registering a total 18 pound loss since my last visit in June combined with perfect blood work results, good blood pressure readings and the following questions/answers:
Dr.: What do you eat for protein?
David: beef, eggs, cheese...mostly beef.
Dr.: How many eggs a week?
David: A week? LOL How about at least 4 per day!
Dr.: How much wheat?
David: Zero
Dr.: What about vegetables?
David: Lots of fresh green veggies of all sorts...by volume, the greatest amount of food I consume.
Dr.: What do you put on your vegetables?
David: Butter, and plenty of it.
Dr.: [long silent pause as he keeps staring at my bloodwork results]
Dr.: Well, it looks like you know what you're doing, I can't argue with your results!
Then we discussed Omega fatty acid balancing and I introduced him to MacNut oil.
At which point he wrote a new prescription for my high blood pressure which removed the diuretic! Yippee!
So, in my week 16 of this challenge, I've lost a total of 22 pounds (hey...looks like I have caught up to you, Jimmy!) my stats are 260/238/227.
Overall stats are 320/238/200.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
And that's right after visiting my sister for my annual pre-holiday trip. She and her boyfriend were counting Weight Watchers points (with that built-in 50% penalty for eating fat calories) and hoarding those points for various sugary holiday "treats" and claiming they can "eat anything" while I see nothing but fat-free cheeses, fat-free milk and fat-free yogurt stocked in the fridge (we mostly dined out while I was there!)
I made a point of saying, "yes, your plan allows you to eat anything you want...even if it's poisonous."
A couple weeks ago, I managed to literally "wow" my physician registering a total 18 pound loss since my last visit in June combined with perfect blood work results, good blood pressure readings and the following questions/answers:
Dr.: What do you eat for protein?
David: beef, eggs, cheese...mostly beef.
Dr.: How many eggs a week?
David: A week? LOL How about at least 4 per day!
Dr.: How much wheat?
David: Zero
Dr.: What about vegetables?
David: Lots of fresh green veggies of all sorts...by volume, the greatest amount of food I consume.
Dr.: What do you put on your vegetables?
David: Butter, and plenty of it.
Dr.: [long silent pause as he keeps staring at my bloodwork results]
Dr.: Well, it looks like you know what you're doing, I can't argue with your results!
Then we discussed Omega fatty acid balancing and I introduced him to MacNut oil.
At which point he wrote a new prescription for my high blood pressure which removed the diuretic! Yippee!
So, in my week 16 of this challenge, I've lost a total of 22 pounds (hey...looks like I have caught up to you, Jimmy!) my stats are 260/238/227.
Overall stats are 320/238/200.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
Way to go, David! You are an incredible success story in progress and I'm so proud of you buddy! Keep it going into 2007 and you'll hit that ultimate goal of 200 pounds sooner rather than later. :D Keep at it!!!
Down another two pounds this week, for a total of 24.5lbs after starting this challenge. And it's only Week 7 for me! I just keep waiting for my weight loss to completely stop to balance out the fact that I've been losing so fast. I'm thinking that after the holidays I may have to set a more challenging goal to finish out the 30 weeks.
Unfortunately I don't identify enough with your list of qualities of successful people when it comes to weight loss. I especially struggle with #3. I haven't had a major binge episode yet, and I'm scare that when/if I do, I won't be able to get back on track without first doing some serious damage.
At last I haven't felt tempted at all yet. The increasing number of compliments is really helping. Lots of people are starting to notice the changes. Just makes me want to continue!
Keep up the great work, Jimmy. We all know you're doing great, no matter what the scale says. Next week will be better, I'm sure :)
Unfortunately I don't identify enough with your list of qualities of successful people when it comes to weight loss. I especially struggle with #3. I haven't had a major binge episode yet, and I'm scare that when/if I do, I won't be able to get back on track without first doing some serious damage.
At last I haven't felt tempted at all yet. The increasing number of compliments is really helping. Lots of people are starting to notice the changes. Just makes me want to continue!
Keep up the great work, Jimmy. We all know you're doing great, no matter what the scale says. Next week will be better, I'm sure :)
mrsb - You're doing absolutely fantastic! 24.5 lbs in only 7 weeks? What am I missing here? Wow - you go girl! I haven't lost nearly that much in the last 20 weeks!
By the way, indulging (as in #3) doesn't necessarily mean having a "major binge" where you scarf down high carb food with wild abandon.
It could mean having one more sugar-free chocolate bar than you'd originally planned on... or having two. Or three. It could also mean giving in to the lure of small servings of mashed potatoes and stuffing at Thanksgiving/Christmas feasts. It could also mean mis-calculating the number of carbs in a particular dish and when you realized you've consumed more carbs than you'd intended on any given day, it means you're "off-plan" and have therefore "indulged", albeit accidentally.
What's important is that if/when you go slightly "off plan" like that, you get right back on plan as of the next meal/day, and don't let it become an excuse to give up because it's "too hard to do this".
~~~~~~~~~
Jimmy, I always feel very encouraged when I have a day that my weight dips even 1/4 lb below a point that I keep bouncing around, even if it's back up for the next week, because I know that if I just stay on plan, in a couple weeks (or less) it will go back down to that point to stay. That's happened to me numberous times in the last few months. It was very discouraging at first to see my weight bounce back up after a day when it was down, but I've come to realize that when it does go down like that, it means it's a weight that it's possible for me to get down to - to stay!
You said you dipped down to 214 recently - which means that it's possible for you to get down that far, your body just isn't ready to accept it yet.
Every single pound is a victory, but every battle has it's little setbacks before you finally conquer the enemy for good.
Once you make it past this sticking point for good though, watch out! You'll show us all up!
By the way, indulging (as in #3) doesn't necessarily mean having a "major binge" where you scarf down high carb food with wild abandon.
It could mean having one more sugar-free chocolate bar than you'd originally planned on... or having two. Or three. It could also mean giving in to the lure of small servings of mashed potatoes and stuffing at Thanksgiving/Christmas feasts. It could also mean mis-calculating the number of carbs in a particular dish and when you realized you've consumed more carbs than you'd intended on any given day, it means you're "off-plan" and have therefore "indulged", albeit accidentally.
What's important is that if/when you go slightly "off plan" like that, you get right back on plan as of the next meal/day, and don't let it become an excuse to give up because it's "too hard to do this".
~~~~~~~~~
Jimmy, I always feel very encouraged when I have a day that my weight dips even 1/4 lb below a point that I keep bouncing around, even if it's back up for the next week, because I know that if I just stay on plan, in a couple weeks (or less) it will go back down to that point to stay. That's happened to me numberous times in the last few months. It was very discouraging at first to see my weight bounce back up after a day when it was down, but I've come to realize that when it does go down like that, it means it's a weight that it's possible for me to get down to - to stay!
You said you dipped down to 214 recently - which means that it's possible for you to get down that far, your body just isn't ready to accept it yet.
Every single pound is a victory, but every battle has it's little setbacks before you finally conquer the enemy for good.
Once you make it past this sticking point for good though, watch out! You'll show us all up!
Hey MrsB,
Success breeds success, so let that motivate you to GO, GO, GO! You have been doing a fabulous job, so I encourage you to keep that proverbial ball rolling and seriously consider changing your goal. That's what I did when I changed mine from 210 down to 199.
It's a greater challenge, but I still feel I can do it. And so can YOU! :D YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Success breeds success, so let that motivate you to GO, GO, GO! You have been doing a fabulous job, so I encourage you to keep that proverbial ball rolling and seriously consider changing your goal. That's what I did when I changed mine from 210 down to 199.
It's a greater challenge, but I still feel I can do it. And so can YOU! :D YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Absolutely, Calianna! I'm not a bit worried about my weight. Heck at his point, I've lost 190 pounds from where I was just three years ago. Unlike my previous "diets" where I have lost and then quickly gained back the weight, I'm approaching the three-year anniversary of beginning my weight loss journey that has me healthier than I've ever been. YEE HAW!
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