20 april 2013- my body is behaving crazy- 87.8 kg
even though i am working out and dieting still scale has increased
but i wont give up

April 20
Sorry I didn't post. I ended up having company a little longer than I thought and I was very busy.
It seems that the birthday celebrations have gone on for days. Not just a one time occasion.
It may be a good thing that it's TOM and my scale needs new batteries..... I have no idea what my weight is and I'm afraid to find out! lol
Actually, I overate some comfort foods and didn't care. It was cold and miserable and I was shivering. Plus I had my period and wanted some comfort.
I hope my events haven't taken a hard toll on me. I'll find out when I get new batteries and when TOM is over.

Raymh... I'm glad that you got a treadmill to help you with your goal. That's fantastic. Don't worry about your body going crazy right now. It is just adjusting to the exercise and diet. It's trying to hold on to the fat becasue it's not sure what's going on. Give it some time and then it will start to release the fat and the weight will start to fall off.
You've got the right attitude... good for you!
DO NOT GIVE UP. That's what your body wants you to do. Once it realizes that you are not giving up, it will give up and release the fat.

April 21
Still TOM
Still don't have new batteries.... can you believe that the store is out of this particular type? They have every other one!
Still haven't been eating properly. I kind of took advantage of the fact that I had company and the birthday celebrations went on and on.
I hope to get back on track today and, if not, definitely tomorrow!!

I'll fill you in on my few days with SIL tomorrow. I've got too much going on today as well.

April 22
No weight to report. Still TOM and still no batteries.
I am definitely going back to eating properly and controlling my portions today. My 'eating spree' has gone on for too long. lol

@Raymh: I hope you've started to notice a drop in weight. But.... also remember that you are building muscle and it weighs more than fat. Your scale may not show a big drop yet but your measurements will.

@Simba: I can't wait to hear about the wedding. I hope everything went well.


Okay.... so....
When I first saw my SIL, she was busy doing some things. She stopped and gave me a hug and went back to doing the dishes. She did, however, take a second glance at my mid area and turned back around. Not a word.
She was quite distant as well. Not her usual self. She hardly spoke two words to me all evening. She did chit chat with my sister for a while. And she went off into another room with my other SIL and they were talking non stop. Two peas in a pod.... both strange.
My MIL was looking for them because we were about to cut the cake.
That's it. Not a word to me let alone about my weight!
The end of the evening came and I asked her if she would be coming with her DH and her DD the next day to my house. She said she probably won't and I said that it was too bad as we hardly had time to talk all evening.
The next day, after her DH had already come, she called to say that she would be coming with the rest of the kids and my MIL for lunch. They took so long to get to my house that we ended up going out quite late. My kids were in school. They hung around all afternoon and were making plans to leave when my DH asked them to stay and leave the next day to head back home. They had already packed up their items from MIL's house. We hung out, we went shopping. Still nothing.
Finally she saw me taking a pill and I explained that it was for iron. That's when she finally said something! She said that I'd lost a lot of weight and was wondering how I did it! I told her I eat everything and do not deprive myself. My weight starting coming off and I'm going with the flow! I told her I have to eat to lose weight. It's the truth! Let's see where she goes with that!
She just nodded. No compliment. End of subject.
Oh well..... at least she acknowledged it. lol

Funny story. This was more support to me to know that others have noticed my weight loss....
As I was getting ready to leave for the birthday celebrations, my neighbour came over and asked me it i lost weight! It was a beautiful day and I didn't need a coat and she noticed right away! I hadn't seen her all winter as she just had a baby. I was thrilled. I wasn't sure about the clothes i chose to wear.... but she noticed.
After she went inside, another neighbour was driving by and stopped to tell me how great I looked.

I was so thrilled and so happy. People have noticed! I knew my SIL would also notice. I just had to see if she would say anything.... and of course, she didn't that evening.

I'm back! We went out town this weekend for the wedding. I received many compliments on my weight loss. As you stated Shy, there were some who just stared and did not give any compliments. I wore a cream pantsuit with gold jewelry and cream peep toe heels. A guy that I have not seen in years walked up to me and said, "You look so different....you are tall and skinny now." I guess the heels made me look long & lean! lol

The week of the wedding I was very restrictive with my calories since I was trying to get under 170. I weighed myself on Friday morning and was still at 170.4 lbs. Over the weekend, I ate whatever I wanted (including wedding cake & cookies) and did not count calories. I was only able to exercise once by using the treadmill on Saturday morning in the hotel's fitness room. Well I weighed myself this morning and guess what....

I am at 169.4 lbs!!! I AM FINALLY UNDER 170 lbs. I guess my body was holding on to the weight and by zigzagging my calories, I finally got the scale to move!!!

Shy, I hope you enjoyed all your birthday celebrations!! TOM is here for me as well. To my surprise, I started on the drive down to North Carolina!

Raymh, Keep up the good work!! The weight will start to fall off! Have you been drinking a lot of water? Also, thanks for the book recommendation! I am reading a couple of books right now. I will definitely see if my local library has it.

@simba-- CONGRATULATIONS dear, i am very happy that u came in to 160s now, u have done it finally

@shy-- ur SILs not giving u any compliment is the biggest compliment, u see , she is soooooooooo jealous that she has forgot common courtesy too, and congratulations to u for all the compliments flowing in from neighbours

now about me 23 april 2013- 88.9 kg
how all this happened, i dont know how to cope, i excercised, did dieting but scales were going high only, it depressed me and i ate
now my dd suffered an accident and her left hand 2 fingers got crushed by coming in between door, though not that bad
i had family gatherings pooja etc and all people poured in 35- 40, had to serve snacks etc, lots of those snacks are still sitting in fridge, i gave most of them away so that i dont eat them anymore

yesterday i went to a dietitian to get a diet plan for ma, she gave me a 1600 calorie sensible diet plan
but i am not going to follow it , as it gives me very limited options and i will always have to go to market first , if i have to follow this plan
today i chose my diet plan from India's reknowned dietitian Namita Jain, I have her book THE 4 WEEK COUNTDOWN DIET, it is a very sensible diet plan , with lot of options and it is really a very good book that takes care of plateaus as well,
the diet plan maximum (for women who have to lose more then 11 kgs) is this

one beverage + one cereal bite
breakfast-- one cup tea/coffee + 2 serving cereal + one serving fruit + one serving protein rich food

mid morning snack-- one beverage+ one fruit/veg bite

lunch-- 2 serving cereal + one serving fruit + 1 serving protein rich food

evening snack-- one beverage + one bite protein rich food

dinner-- soup + salad + one cereal + one veg + 1 protein

late night- one protein

she has given lots of option for one serving

e.g. one serving cereal is equal to one slice large braed/ one chapati (30 gm)/ 2 mini phulakas/ one katori corn flakes/wheat flakes/rice flakes, 2 katori puffed rice, or 2 non creamy biscuits etc

in this way it becomes very easy to plan the day with flexibility and i dont have to rush to market each time

it seems that daily weight check is hampering my success , i will try to check weight after 3 days, meanwhile i will keep posting

so friends, today i followed the above diet plan by NAMITA JAIN, and it is really doable, in m life i have tried innumerable diet plans and it is the one which i have found doable, it is not crash diet, it can be done for life long, it is very easy, requires least planning, gives innumerable options for mix and match, u don't get bored, almost no food is prohibited and one eats from all food groups, it allows me 4 snacks and 3 meals, i don't remain pendulum like , on one side on extreme strict diet and on other binge eating

i don't have to think for what to eat, i have stick this diet plan and diet choices (servings etc) on my fridge door and i just check and choose before eating, i have kept one katori (small bowl 100 ml) and one cup (200 ml) to measure food portions in a cupboard

today i cheated twice, i ate one moong barfi and half motichoor laddoo (both are indian sweets), still today's food consumption was much lesser and much more mindful then any other day, i knew what i am eating and that too without the hassle of counting calories
most of the time i do mindless eating and i never know what i have ate and in how much proportion, now this will change,
though i am suffering mild headache due to decrease in calorie consumption, still it is ok

NAMITA also recommends 1 and half hour excercise per day, one hour walking everyday and 30 min stretching or 30 min weight training every alternate day, she has also given all types of exercises with diagrams in her book
i still have not got my treadmill despite ordering it, it seems shop owner is in no hurry to sell his stuff

can u believe? 24 april 2013- 88.3 kg
straight 600 gm loss and that too without starving myself or depriving myself any group of food and yesterday i had not excercised

the plan i am following is of 1550 calories, yesterday i ate about 1750 calories (as i had cheated)
this shows that via excercise and overeating i have increased my metabolic rate, now i have to exploit it,
i have to keep my metabolic rate high, while staying on this diet
following things will help me
1- this diet follows principle of thermogenesis, it gives me 4 snack and 3 meals, so i eat 7 times per day, it keeps furnace ongoing
2- i have incorporated daily cardio work out in my shedule, i am going to add other varieties of excercise as well
3-- i drink 3-4 cups hot green tea daily
4-- i will search for foods which increase metabolic rate and fat burning e.g. cinnamom, fenugreek seeds, caffien etc

That's awesome Raymh...keep up the good work! I sprinkle Chia seeds on my breakfast. It is supposed to speed your metabolism as well as give energy.

I was able to go for a walk this morning before it started raining. I will weigh myself again on Friday.

@simba-- thank u for the tip

@shy- where r u dear?

25 april 2013-- 88.5 kg, strange after working out and on diet with minimal cheating i gained 200 gms, reason may be having dinner very late (at 11.45 pm)

April 26
Hi guys.... I'm here. Sorry for not posting but I literally did not have the time. Too much was going on in the last few days. Even now, I'm quickly checking in because I've got 5 minutes! I've got to take the cupcakes out of the oven and run into the shower after that. Then I have to decorate them and drop them off at school for a fundraiser this evening. I'm gong to it but I don't know if I'll be there early enough for my cakes to be entered into the cake walk. I would hate for all this effort to not be enjoyed by all who wants to partake in that event. There is so much to do at the fundraiser!

I read your notes and I'm thrilled about the weight loss successes!
I'll check in later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning! My crazy week is finally coming to a close.

@shy- take care of urself too

@simba- where r u ?

27 april 2013-- 87.9 kg
lets see how does it goes today

April 27
Okay..... with all my running around yesterday, I managed to get some new batteries for my scale. I was reluctant at first but I knew I had gained back more than I had initially 'allowed' for myself. All truth be told, I was not really measuring and weighing my foods and i was eating more of one type of food group and totally ignoring another type. I also was not eating breakfast.... I was running around too much. Oh... and I wasn't taking my iron pills.
How's that for falling off the wagon. I had the best intentions but I didn't expect to have the company come and STAY over! All my efforts kinda went out the window. Yes, they're gone for one week now but I couldn't pull myself together again.
Well all that has changed. My scale is working and I will be on top of things again. I'm having a cup of tea right now and have already eaten breakfast. AFter my tea, I will have my iron pill. Normalcy is sinking in again.
I will get my house back into shape as well. It's been neglected for the last week and it shows.
I will get in my exercise today by mowing the lawn. I have a fairly big yard and it will take time to get it looking nice for the season. The grass suddenly grew so much in spite of the heavy rains, snow and hail we experienced two days ago! This will be the first cut of the season.
YEAH!! Gardening is back! I love to garden.... and i have lots of plans to make some nice 'beds' this year. However, it may have to wait until late summer or fall. DH is going away on a trip and i can't do it by myself.

Anyways, I was taking full advantage of losing the weight and having some wiggle room. I have to get back to the weight I want to be at and then start the next phase of my plan.... Stabilization. I have to slowly add more foods and monitor my weight for increases. This is a six week process and then I head off to maintenance. I will continue with this for the rest of my life.j

I never really completed the stabilization part of this plan the first time I lost all my weight and i slowly gained a lot of it back. My centres closed down and I didn't have the guidance. But it's not going to happen this time.
But first, I have to get back to 140 lbs and decide if I want to go to 135 lbs. Yes, I gained weight. I'm over the 140 mark again..... it's totally my fault but, I am embracing life and enjoying it. I really didn't and don't care about a few pounds. This is the freedom to live! I know I will always gain a little and I know I can always lose it.... afterall, isn't that the whole point?

Current weight: 141.5 (not bad)
Goal (again): 140.0
1.5 lbs to go!

@Simba: Wow. Good for you. I had a feeling that something like that would happen to you! 160's is very impressive... you are out of your rut! I hope you're hubby is proud of you.
I'll bet you looked like a dream at that wedding. Aren't people strange...... I mean, does it kill a person to pay a compliment? The thing is that you know they were stewing inside.... and that makes for a nice feeling, eh?
I'm glad people noticed your weightloss and payed you compliments. You must have felt like a princess! Good for you. You deserve it.
Can;t wait to hear about your new goals and that you've achieved them.

@Raymh: Good for you as well. I like the sound of this eating plan. It sounds very much like the plan I'm following. I don't really count calories but, rather, weigh and measure food or just know how much of one type of food I can have in a day. I love my plan. If followed properly, the weight will just fall off. And I guess you see and know that already. Look at you go.
Stick with this plan. I like it. You will lose the weight easily and without too much effort. Take it from me. I did it!

I weighed myself yesterday morning and I was at 170 lbs. I gained .6 lbs. My goal is to be at 169 again by Monday.

Glad to see you back Shy! Don't worry about the weight gain...you will lose it in no time!

Raymh, sounds like your new plan is working for you. You are doing great!

@shy-- don't worry dear, u will be back on track, u have achieved so much that u deserve some leniency too, but not for long, so get back on track, i will suggest u that u lose till 130 lbs, it will give u 5 to 10 lbs margin, so that when u put off diet and gain some of it back then too u will be on ur goal weight, another advantage is that u will continue ur efforts to lose and in this process some more months (4-5 months ) will pass and ur weight will stabilise (even if u never reach to 130 lbs) because our body needs to stay on a weight at least for 6 months to let it stabilise

@simba- u will shed that .6 lbs more quickly then u think

28 april 2013-- 86.9 kgs
body operates in strange ways, i have got my treadmill 2-3 days back and have started walking on it, not much just 2 or 3 km in a whole day, have stopped other excercises, as i was feeling too hungry after walking on treadmill, so yesterday i didn't follow my diet plan , i cheated entirely and devoured 2 full motichoor laddoos (indian sweet), butter on chapati, noodles etc, i was ravenously hungry, and i thought that i will gain and will reach on 88 again, but voila i am full 1 kg down today, i am unable to understand it,
letssee what will be the result tomorrow, i will try to be a good girl today