Losing Weight - Redford, MI

Hi F.,

My name is K. Cunningham and I own a work out facility in Ann Arbor. I just had a couple of questions for you. You said you were eating better but how many meals a day are you having? Are you spreading them out? The ideal is to eat around five times a day. Obviously you are not going to eat a full meal at ea. of those sessions. But it's more grazing throughout the day as opposed to eating large meals at one sitting. Also it would help a bunch if you started keeping a food diary. "what you bite, you write". This really helps you see how much food is actually being consumed.

Great job on the bike riding!!!! and giving up soda!!! Don't be discouraged. It took a long time to gain the weight it will take a while to lose it. Try not to rely too much on the scale, remember your weight can fluctuate as much as 5 lbs throughout the day and is affected by many different things. If you must weigh the best time is first thing in the morning after you urinate(before you drink anything).

Something to think about adding into your workout schedule is some weight lifting. This can be done with some lighter weights at home or in a gym. This will help you build muscle which will help you burn even more calories.

If you live in the Ann Arbor area I would be more than happy to extend to you an invitation to come into the gym for free for two weeks and I can show you some different things you can do in your home. We are a women's workout facility that utilizes real weights, Contours Express, we are located at 893A W. Eisenhower Pkwy, in the Colonnade shopping center by Panera Bread ###-###-#### My name is K. and I am the owner. I have been there...I know how frustrating it can be. But stick with it, I promise it will pay off.

Keep up the good work!
K.

1 mom found this helpful

Congrats on your proactive approach leading up to your gastric bypass surgery! This is a great start since you'll want to continue an active lifestyle following the surgery (after recovery, of course). What I've found that works for me is to write my food down. Many times I thought that I was cutting back but when I wrote my food down, I realized I was eating much more (calorie-wise) than I'd thought. Also try to incorporate at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies into your diet and they will help fill you up.

Again, kudos to you for taking a proactive approach. Keep up the good work and, remember, now that you're exercising more, you are likely building some new muscle which could account for a slower weight loss according to the scale. I try to go by how my clothing fits... If it starts to fit better, then you know you are improving your body :)

1 mom found this helpful

Did you happen to measure yourself before you started your biking program? If I had only lost 3 lbs. with so much effort, I'd be frustrated! There are tons of things to consider, but I am wondering if you are toning and adding muscle weight. I know that doesn't sound terribly encouraging, but when I realized I had lost several inches without losing many pounds, I felt much better. How do your clothes fit these days? If you haven't measured before, you might want to do it now. You are determined, and you will get thinner. Keep going!

Try to write down what you eat for a week. I have lost 40 lbs and that really helped. I was amazed at the portions sizes I was eating. Also try not to eat after 6:00. If you must, make it fruit. GOod luck to you!

Good for you for working so hard to become healthy! First of all you have probably gained some muscle weight which will "burn" the fat, so don't take heart the scale readings!
I have found from my personal experience that first cutting your "portion" sizes in half and actually snacking every 2 1/2 hrs. I will have a small breakfast, then a couple hrs later an apple or string cheese then lunch, then a few hrs later a half p.b. sandwhich(real P.B. on wheat bread) then either fruit again or it's time for a sensible dinner.
I still will have something sweet once a day, but it's a small amt. It's best to try and stay away from "packaged foods/frozen meals", fresh, preservative free(or low in) is best. I've lost the weight and am keepin it off now x 6mos. good luck with everything!

Hi

You are doing the right thing by exercising, keep up the good work and if nothing else, at least you are helping your heart!!! Also, you may want to try adding in some other type of exercise. When you keep your body guessing, it will respond!

I swear by Weight Watchers, not sure if you have tried this before, but any time I have had to lose weight, I have done Weight Watchers and have been successful!

Try not to get frustrated...I know it is not easy, but you sound like you are on the right track!

Try to look at this a little more long term, if you can. You are making amazing changes in your life that will pay off, I promise. Most of the failures we see from GB surgery is due to patients using it as a cure. They simply don't implement the other changes they need to succeed. You have such a great chance of permanent weight loss because you are making good habits of moving and eating right PRIOR to the surgery! I try to explain it this way; If you can't teach yourself how to take care of your body now, before the surgery, how do you think you will do it after the surgery, when you are recovering and the nutritional demands are even greater? You are doing this the right way....Kudos to you! Just keep pushing on and you'll do it! Congratulations on your hard work!
~L.

You are possibly experiencing this because you are exchanging muscle for fat. Do your clothes look and feel better? That is the real testiment, not so much the scale.

Hi F.! Good for you!! on the good changes you've already made! The commitment to riding daily and giving up pop are great steps in the right direction!

The responses regarding inch loss as a better way to track improving your health over pound loss are right on! Takes a different way of thinking doesn't it? We are so programed to the scale. BTW an initial weight loss of 3 #, if you are changing your metabolism, is a good rate for keeping it off long term. Has anyone talked to you about famine response? How many calories below what you need daily are you consuming?

What diets have you tried in the past? Which one did you like best?
Has anyone talked to you about insulin resistance? Protein ratio?

If you would like some more information on these kinds of things let me know. I have some great resources I'd be glad to share that I think would be encouraging to you as you work on getting healthier.

best wishes, M. G

Boy do I know how you feel! I can help you too. I have lost 25 pounds eating low-glycemic. It really isn't hard. If you want to know more, let me know.

S.
____@____.com

Hi F., Don't worry about trying to lose the weight now and getting all upset. I had a gastric by-pass in Nov. of 06. Best thing I ever did for myself. Just keep exercising, it will become real important after your surgery. I could not lose weight before my surgery either. But since then I have lost 140 lbs. Believe me it will all start moving away after your surgery. You will have a whole new way of eating and walking will be a big help.
So keep your chin up a new experience is on its way and you will be the happiest person in the world for the decision you have made. I lead a support group for Bariatric Surgery. Holler if you need to chat.

F.,

You should be so proud of yourself! It is really hard to lose the weight, but don't be discouraged, it will come off. Have you noticed if any of your clothes are fitting better yet? They should be. Also, have you been eating every two hours? For good weight loss you need to eat small meals frequently. I hated this change in the beginning, but it is really helping my weight loss. I need to lose about 45 lbs and haven't seen much change at all, only 2-3 lbs. But, I have lost two dress sizes!

I am using the Momentum Fitness System by Jonathan Roche. He has free workouts and sample menus on his website so you can try the system before you buy it.

He uses your Heart Rate and workout intervals to help you get into shape. By building muscle and strengthening your heart you will be burning 30% more calories than just biking alone.

Also remember those healthy snacks. I eat raw rolled oats with rice milk, walnuts, and raisins in the morning. I only make 1/3 of a cup of oats at night with 1/3 cup rice milk (you can use soy or dairy) and put it in the fridge. Then I eat half of that at breakfast and the other half a few hours later.

Jonathan has a great nutrition guide that shows you what real portions should be and how to cut calories so you can lose weight and gain muscle.

I would really recommend you not have the surgery if it is not medically necessary. By changing your lifestyle you can change your weight.

Congratulations on your decision to get into shape! You are doing a great job and should be proud of your accomplishment. Good luck with your weight loss.

-C..

All I can say is don't look soley at the weight. As you are bike riding, you are building muscle. You need to remember that muscle weighs more than fat. Keep going - you are a true inspiratiion to those of us who need to get up off our chairs and do what you are doing!

Also, Curves has a WONDERFUL program called the "Six Week Solution". It teaches your body's metabloism to raise up and gives you really good eating habits. I lost 20# the first time I did the 6 weeks. (7# the first week!)

Good Luck!!

Don't get discouraged. You may just need to change it up a bit. I joined Fitness 19 in Rochester Hills right before my second baby was born in October. I've been working out there at least 5-6 X per week since mid-march and I've lost 8 lbs. That is about 1 lb per week, which is the healthy way to lose weight. I eat healthy. I burn at least 500, but usually 600 cals each time I am at the gym.

You are right on target. Good luck with your surgery.

If you live close to a Fitness 19 check it out. It is not a competitive type gym. There are lots of moms, significantly overweight people, and elderly people working out. It is not intimidating, has GREAT child care and is inexpensive (9-13$ per month).

I read The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention by Kerrie K. Saunders. She has an office in MI as well. But I was just amazed about what I learned about the body,food, and what were told to eat. The amounts of animal products that are on the food charts cause heart disease and weigh problems.
http://lanternbooks.com/detail.html?id=1590560388
MS Saunders really puts some great info together! I was amazed what I learned about food. You don't have to go vegan to get results. I highly suggest calling her, and getting her opinion of gastric-bypass surgery.
Good luck! A. H

Check out www.sparkpeople.com. It is a free website. It has a ton of information, support, forums to ask questions in. You can log everything you eat and it tracks how much you eat and also log your exercise. It is a great site and might give you some good tips. Good luck

That's about average ... are you counting your calories? Have you seen a dietatin about how many calories you should be taking in and burning? I suggest you do that. Good luck to you ... losing weight takes alot of self control and dedication.

Are your portions in check? Make sure you look at what a real portion is, it is possible you are just eating to much.

Hi F. ~
First of all, remember that muscle weighs more than fat. So you probably have lost, but turned it to muscle. How do your clothes fit? It's better to go by measurements - around your chest, abdomen, hips, thigh, upper arm. Measure the same place, write it down, then compare it a few weeks later.
Also, have you tried Weight Watchers? The best thing is that it's not really a diet, it teaches you how to make better choices. You get a certain number of points every day - based on multiple things, including your weight. As you lose, the points you get daily go down. I lost 64 lbs with them a few years ago.
good luck!
D.

I am actually a few weeks away from becoming a certified personal trainer and what i can tell you first is keep up the good work. 2nd, try interval training. What that is is sperts of faster movement along with rest time. For example, when your riding your bike, peddle as fast as you can for about a 15 sec to a minute, whatever youor most comfortable with and then peddle slow for about 2 to recoup. It shocks your syastem and keeps your body burning calories throughout the rest of the day due to the intervals giving your metabalism a big boost. Congrats on the surgery too. My sister had that and she was almost 400lbs. She's down to 200 now and she looks better than ever and feels great too. Keep up the good work!

Hi F.!

Great work on taking control of your health! Honestly, your weight loss is fairly typical. It is recommended that you loose 1-2 lbs per week. Otherwise it's too fast and your body can release all sorts of toxins into your system.

That being said... keep up the 'extra moving'. The key to weight loss is this: move more eat less. That's it. Unless you have a medical condition that is inhibiting weight loss...that is really all it takes.

So, you've got the move more thing down. YEAH! GREAT! Keep it up. The eat less is what you need to work on next. Now, keep in mind... eat less does NOT necessarily mean less food. But less CALORIES.

A great place to start is www.calorie-count.com It is a FREE website. You put in your stats and then they pop out a recommendation for the number of NET calories you should intake per day. Net is the amount of calories you EAT minus the amount of calories BURNED through exercise.

They have a HUGE database of foods and activities... so it is super super super easy to keep track of your caloric intake.

Keeping track of everything that goes into your mouth is a real eye opener. Plus, once you do it for awhile you begin to just 'know' what foods are low calorie but high nutrition and how much you have to move each day to keep your net intake where it should be. It quite amazing... if you keep track of what you eat and make GOOD choices... then you can end up eating a TON of food so you're never hungry. Make a bad choice and you've wasted 1/2 your day calories!

It's like setting a budget. You have so much money to spend...and you decide where to spend it.

calori-count.com will also make food recommendations for you once you've put in a few days so you can make healthier choices. There is also an online forum so you can encourage others and they can encourage you!

You can do it!

Hey F. - Great job on dropping a few pounds! It can be a long term process, can't it? The older I get the harder it is to drop even a little weight. Try not to let yourself get discouraged. I'm sure you know that muscle weighs more than fat, and that has something to do with it, I'm sure. As your muscle mass increases it begins to burn more calories just because that's how it works, so it take patience. Getting on an exercise plan now is a great thing, it will make you stronger for your surgery and your pattern of exercise will be established - both great things.

Keep it up! Good luck in June!!

Try measuring ALL of your food. EVERY THING...
Keep a log of what you eat for 2 weeks and you may see a weekness food. For me its cookies and ice cream....
Its not about denying yourself, its about portion control and calories.
But you know all that already.
Do try spark people....

Muscle weighs more than fat so you won't notice much change in the scale. Go by how your body looks and how your clothes fit.

Hi F.,

My mother had a gastric bypass about 5 years ago, and it has totally changed her life! Good luck in June, and all the best for a healthy weight loss!

I know it's hard making this lifestyle change only because I'm trying to do one too. It's been about 3 weeks for me and just yesterday I put on a shirt I haven't worn in a while and it was a little baggy in the back area. I was so excited, it motivated me all over again to keep going and keep working hard at what I want to achieve!

When you're body has been overweight for more than 1 year, it takes a while to retrain your body and metabolism to not be overweight. Keep going and try not to get discouraged! As long as you stay dedicated to the new you on the inside, she WILL come out!

Best of luck to you!

M.

My question to you would be have you had your thyroid checked??? Many women in the Northern States have difficulties with hypoactive thyroids. This would cause you difficulty with boosting your metabolism. I hope this helps, make sure you are getting enough water. 64 oz per day minimum.

Sign up for SPARKPEOPLE.COM That website is awesome...

I lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks... You can track your workouts and your food intact. I never realzed how much CRAP I was putting in my mouth...

On this site I was using it to track EVERYTHING I ate and it really helped me..now I can go through a day and know I am staying within my calorie range...

here is my site to take a look before you join..

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=A.%5F%5FKIROSKI

Hallo-
I do not have this problem but my poor sister does, she has been going to the gym 7 days a week for the last 4 MONTHS!!!! and has only lost 4 lbs. She works out so hard, runs, swims does weights and she can not loose it, my only guess is that its a thyrois problem, you should really talk to your doctor about this.

F.,

Just don't give up. 3 lbs is more than 9,000 calories. It doesn't seem like alot when you see the little number, but 9,000 calories, Wow! Don't let yourself get discouraged. Keep up the good work, and the results will keep coming, too.

Just keep riding, my husband had that surgery last June and the better shape you are in, going in, the easier your recovery. Three pounds in a month with adding some exercise is good. Try getting your post op eating guide and begin incorperating some of those meal guidelines into your diet now. Best of luck to you.

There are a few things to note in what you're doing. First off, congratulations and you're moving in the right direction! Also, the amount of weight you've lost is consistent with what is considered healty FAT loss - about a pound a week. Keep in mind that you are building muscle with your exercise. Muscle tissue weighs more than fat, so you may not notice much difference on the scale, but in the way your clothes fit. Judge your progress by your clothes or a measuring tape, not the scale. Finally, cycling is great exercise, but it is more of a cardio-maintenance-toning exercise. This is because it is easy to ride 10 miles in a day, but the important factor is to increase your heart rate for a minimum of 30 continuous minutes. In cycling, this generally means quite a rapid cadence. So remember, it's not so much the distance, but the increased heart rate. That's why spinning classes are so hot right now. You basically pedal as fast as you can over a certain amount of time, increasing and maintianing an elevated heart rate. Spinning is actually a little more involved, but that's the jist of it. Keep with your program and I but you'll be surprised. Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress!!!

Hi F.---What types of food do you eat? I went to a lecture by Dr. Neal Barnard (www.pcrm.org) and he stated that a big problem with the American diet is the lack of fiber. Fiber fills you up. With every 14 g of fiber that you add toyour diet, you will trim calories by 10%. Example, with eating 12 g of fiber it takes 2000 calories to fill you up. With 26 g, you'll feel full at 1800 calories and with 40 g of fiber, only 1620 calories will make you feel full. Eat more beans (legumes) and fruts and veggeis. Whole grains are important as well. I am a wellness educator with a BS in Home Economics and I have a number of files and articles I can share with you on this type of advice. I can come into your home and facilitate a wellness presentation for you and your friends. Eating more fiber helps with the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

Another thing to consider is your exercise routine. If your health allows it, increasing the intensity of your workout will help you to lose weight faster. The amount of time spent exercising is important as well. Advice I've heard states that you need to exercise 30 minutes for general health, 60 minutes if you want to get into 'shape' and stay that way and you need a good 90 minutes of exercise most days in order to lose weight. It also takes time to see the results of a new exercise program. You should start to see more results after 2-3 weeks. The most fat a person can lose, the most that the body is willing to give up is 2 pounds per week. So be patient.

Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I would really try hard to lose my weight the old fashioned way before I considered bypass surgery as there as so many complications associated with that procedure. Another resource to look at are two books called, 'The Vice Busting Diet' and 'Awaken the Diet Within' by Julia Havey. She is a colleague of mine. Let me know how I can help. My mission in my business is to help people learn how to be healthier. Take care,
D. M ###-###-####

Sorry, no help here onlosing weight! But I am curious what kind of surgery and where. My husband is considering a vertical sleeve operation.

you might have hit a plateu. if you can add weight training to your routine, it has helped me, and i like the slim fast shakes too, i have lost all my baby weight and soem doing it.

F., I have just lost 47 pounds since the beginning of this year using a wonderful, free website called sparkpeople.com. Becoming more active certainly does help (I joined Ladies Workout express myself) but to really do it the right way, you have to get your eating in check too. Anyway, they have a program called the Spark diet, but know that it is by no means one of these "fad diets." They have a nutrition tracker on there which helps you keep a record of how many calories, fat grams, carbs, etc. you are eating every day. I really needed this to help me thru. I needed to see the NUMBERS of what I was eating to understand that I was eating too much. Also know that I did not give up my favorite foods! Just in moderation.

So, check it out. www.sparkpeople.com, and if you do join, say you were referred by member CASSIEKH. Good luck!