Weight loss support thread #2

[MaryanneK]

I've bounced up a bit, I knew I would and that's ok. Just trying to get a gradual progression downwards, and keep a 'ceiling", which I have. My "bounced up" weight now used to be my "yippee I'm down that low" weight! I'm struggling with motivation now. I've lost enough that I don't feel or look fat anymore, really, if I'm objective. I don't think maintaining a significantly lower weight than what I am now ( or even staying in the really low end of the scale I got to recently) is sustainable for me. I mean I could probably do it but it would be really hard, and the pay off isn't worth it. I mean there really is no payoff - like, what - look very slightly better in a bikini that I'll never be wearing anyway?? 

[Etcetera]

Morning weigh in and I'm pretty happy. I've lost 1.2kg since my surgery 2 weeks ago, and during this time I've gone over my calories more times than not. I'm not quite as far along as I'd like but I made my goal before my surgery was planned so just thinking of it as a little blip.

I'm not sure what weight to aim for ultimately. The last time I was happy with my weight was about a year after my eldest was born when I'd lost the baby weight etc. He's turning 18 this year! I'm going to focus on getting in the 50s and see how I feel.

Just a little vent. It's unfair that because I'm short I can't eat as much.

[Bornagirl]

1 hour ago, Etcetera said:

Just a little vent. It's unfair that because I'm short I can't eat as much.

Welcome to my world! Truth is we don't need as much as someone a foot taller, but our stomachs (and serving sizes when we eat out) don't seem to register that.

If it's any consolation, it's going to be a lot easier now, than later on.  The amount I can eat at 71 is significantly lower than even ten years ago, much less 20.  If I'd been eating 800 calories at 50, the weight would have fallen off.

[CrankyM]

1 hour ago, Etcetera said:

Just a little vent. It's unfair that because I'm short I can't eat as much.

I hear you!

[blackcat20]

10 days since I came off medication and I've lost around a kilo without making any other changes.

[Bornagirl]

On 18/02/2024 at 7:57 AM, dianalynch said:

I need to post in here to keep honest…had some early success (goodbye Christmas kilo or two) and now I’ve drifted. Stuck on 68, and I feel so chunky.
 

I think I’ll start with another short term goal, that seems to work better. 65kg, how long do I need to lose 3kg?

In the past I’ve found I’m better off dropping it quite quickly, then just working on maintaining that weight. 5:2? 16:8? What has worked for you? 

I've been a bit relucant to post mine, because it's not sustainable, and I know it. If I needed to lose a lot more, it wouldn't be what I'd choose to do.  I've done it for a handful of reasons, but if I'm going to be honest, the final kick in the bum was knowing that in a month from know, part of our trip in Africa will be a very indulgent period of three meals a day, plus.

In the past, when we'd travel, I'd be able to eat more as we moved more, but as I get older, I'm slowing down more, and apart from period like the Kumano Kodo (where my pants were falling off me by day three), I just enjoy what's available and worry about it when I get home ... or not.   I can handle 2kg above ideal, but by Christmas was 4kg above ideal, and with this trip coming up, had to bite the bullet, rather than the vanilla slice ha ha.

5:2, never, have tried it a few times, and I'm too consicous that I was a goody two-shoes the day before and eat a bit erratically anyway, so I don't have an 'eat normally'.

I was doing a version of 16:8 long before it had a name, I just didn't eat breakfast, for decades.  I realised at one point the times in my life I've put on weight, is when I've eaten breakfast. I don't look for it. If I do eat it, it just seems to prime me for more food.   Drinks like tea & coffee, even with milk, don't seem to have the same effect.

Why I say it's not sustainable, is because the things I'm eating for one of my two meals, are things that I wouldn't eat again until 'next time', and I'm sure any dietician would frown on the idea.  Apart from copious amounts of black tea with milk* (my teacup is 400ml, and I generally have three, plus a latte), most days I have a small tub of Bulla Cottage cheese with something added for flavour: strawberries, 1/2 banana, tinned crushed pineapple in juice, low cal jelly. If I'm having the jelly I have a small fruit. The reason for this is that the Cottage cheese (which I don't love, but don't hate) gives me 80 - 90% of my protein needs for the day, which is astonishing.  I've recently discovered that protein needs after 70 increase by 1/3 (Who knew? Not me!), so it's an important consideration. Some days when I'm sick to death of cottage cheese, I just have yoghurt (Dairy Farmers caremelised fig, yum) with the jelly, which means insufficient protein, probably. Occasionally when I'm sick of all of them, I'll have a protein drink - I make it with double the water and treat it like a terrible milkshake.

Second meal is a very small portion of whatever the other two are eating, plus three cups of either veggies or salad.  I'm sick to death of lettuce. Sometimes I'll just have a salad if what they're eating is not sharable, but make sure it's got avocado or chopped fetta for some substance.

Each day I have a treat: neighbour made us a flourless orange cake for walking their dog while away, then another cake the second time they were away, and we've frozen slices of each and I have like a 2inc square with my coffee. Daughter made banana muffins, so at the moment it's half of one of those, shamefully with butter.

I quite like Saxby's diet Ginger Beer, but that's another thing I only drink for zero calories.  Other times, if we're not drinking wine, then I'll have orange or apple juice diluted with sparkling water.

Have succumed to wine a couple of times in the last month, also snuck a drumstick one day, had a second half muffin today, so I do cheat occasionally - it keeps me sane.

*Reason for not wanting to cut down on milk is I'm using Heart Smart, recommended on EB on the cholesterol thread. Yet to have it tested so don't know how much it's helping.

 

[dianalynch]

Thanks so much @Bornagirl, I’ve been a 16:8 girl most of my life too, and breakfast has exactly the same effect! I’m much better the longer I leave it in the day to eat 

I’ll look up  my protein needs…I I’ll check out the cottage cheese I don’t love it either but I think my evening appetite relates to insufficient protein. The high protein yogurts are helpful 

 

thanks again as like you I suspect it’s best I lose relatively quickly and then maintain 

[Bornagirl]

17 minutes ago, dianalynch said:

Thanks so much @Bornagirl, I’ve been a 16:8 girl most of my life too, and breakfast has exactly the same effect! I’m much better the longer I leave it in the day to eat 

I’ll look up  my protein needs…I I’ll check out the cottage cheese I don’t love it either but I think my evening appetite relates to insufficient protein. The high protein yogurts are helpful 

 

thanks again as like you I suspect it’s best I lose relatively quickly and then maintain 

I'm not sure I'd do much 'maintaining' in South Africa but if we manage to climb Table Mountain first, that should help.

I've just looked up protein recently, it's .75g per kilo of body weight, 1g per kilo after 70.   The 200g Bulla Cottage cheese is 48g.   My focus is protein, calcium, 1 x fruit, and 3 x veggies or 3 x cups salad. I do add a teaspoon of oil from the fetta in oil jar, and a tiny sprinkle of fig balsamic, just so it's edible.

Forgot to mention I also have 1 heaped tablespoon of a mix of psyllium powder & psyllium husk, which is disgusting, I mix it with water but have to keep adding water or it starts to 'set' in the glass. That's another cholesterol thing, but it's also great fibre, which is why I don't worry about it separately, even though it's obviously more valuable within the food.

Also take a high potency mult-vitamin, which I've been doing for many years, and a year or so ago added magnesium to avoid cramps.

The exercise is really the most effective thing - the weight loss was agonisingly slow until we started bike riding again - 32k a couple of times a week, and in between I'm now doing yoga three times a week at the gym.   The last few weeks have seen the main drops, so the exercise is obviously working.

[Bornagirl]

39 minutes ago, dianalynch said:

 The high protein yogurts are helpful 

 

 

I'd forgotten about high protein yoghurt - I tried them when I was eating normally and wasn't keen on the texture, but of course my needs are different at the moment, so will give them another try.

I noticed Optifast have also brought out a higher protein range, more expensive, but handy for days when you just feel bleugh at all of the food options, but really need the nutrition.

[dianalynch]

44 minutes ago, Bornagirl said:

I'm not sure I'd do much 'maintaining' in South Africa but if we manage to climb Table Mountain first, that should help.

I've just looked up protein recently, it's .75g per kilo of body weight, 1g per kilo after 70.   The 200g Bulla Cottage cheese is 48g.   My focus is protein, calcium, 1 x fruit, and 3 x veggies or 3 x cups salad. I do add a teaspoon of oil from the fetta in oil jar, and a tiny sprinkle of fig balsamic, just so it's edible.

Forgot to mention I also have 1 heaped tablespoon of a mix of psyllium powder & psyllium husk, which is disgusting, I mix it with water but have to keep adding water or it starts to 'set' in the glass. That's another cholesterol thing, but it's also great fibre, which is why I don't worry about it separately, even though it's obviously more valuable within the food.

Also take a high potency mult-vitamin, which I've been doing for many years, and a year or so ago added magnesium to avoid cramps.

The exercise is really the most effective thing - the weight loss was agonisingly slow until we started bike riding again - 32k a couple of times a week, and in between I'm now doing yoga three times a week at the gym.   The last few weeks have seen the main drops, so the exercise is obviously working.

Lordy that’s an amazing amount of protein in 200g of food! I think I better learn to like cottage cheese… my daily protein needs are 50g, but I’ve heard it’s good to throw in a bit extra with adhd…

 

my ability to exercise is severely limited by nerve damage, when I lost post pregnancy weight I’d just seriously increase exercise…but this time around it pretty well is all reliant on diet. 
 

thanks again for sharing, I think we have twin metabolisms 

[CrankyM]

I use the bulla high protein cottage cheese. @Bornagirl which one is it that has 48g/200g. Mine is only 12g/100g. I usually pair it with strawberries or peaches. Or in a spinach omelette (2 eggs, I use frozen spinach that comes in rounds, so 4 of those and about 60g cottage cheese). Or the days I actually feel like bread it’s usually Vegemite on dark rye, avo and a heap of cottage cheese. Apparently I’m supposed to be having around 80-100g on protein a day with my activity level and it’s a massive struggle. Usually 60 is what I end up with. (And I swear most protein powers have stevia or some other sweetener in it I don’t tolerate). 

[dianalynch]

@CrankyM that’s a very good idea for an omelette…that would pack a good amount of protein 

[CrankyM]

@dianalynch it’s my CBF dinner with the kids. I top it with a tortilla then flip it and toast the bottom of the tortilla. Let it cool a bit and then turn it into a roll. I might top with tomatoes, fried mushrooms, ham etc. (This is because I have yet to manage to actually flip an omelette without destroying it). 

[Bornagirl]

11 hours ago, CrankyM said:

I use the bulla high protein cottage cheese. @Bornagirl which one is it that has 48g/200g. Mine is only 12g/100g. I usually pair it with strawberries or peaches. Or in a spinach omelette (2 eggs, I use frozen spinach that comes in rounds, so 4 of those and about 60g cottage cheese). Or the days I actually feel like bread it’s usually Vegemite on dark rye, avo and a heap of cottage cheese. Apparently I’m supposed to be having around 80-100g on protein a day with my activity level and it’s a massive struggle. Usually 60 is what I end up with. (And I swear most protein powers have stevia or some other sweetener in it I don’t tolerate). 

OMG how did I manage to do a 12/24/48? It's been a while since I looked and the figures are so small on the 200g that I couldn't read them anyway in the fridge light.

When I originally looked at it (correctly) and thought that it was giving me 48%, I registered that was for an averate dietary intake, which is far higher than what I 'need' to maintain weight.  When I looked at calculations for my weight & height, it showed I needed 42g of protein a day, so 24 was well over half.  I think I might have added what I'm getting from the milk, came to 80% and forgot that I'd added the milk .... never mind me.   Now that I know i need more, being over 70, it's not quite half, but that's still pretty good.  Where do you get your requirement figures from? That sounds really high.

I do wish I could enjoy an omelette without slabs of sourdough and lashings of butter. It really is the perfect food.  I must remember the cottage cheese addition once I get back to bread, which is definitely going to happen!

What sort of peaches do you use? I find the vast majority of fresh fruit just doesn't have sufficient flavour once added to the 200g of cottage cheese. You used to be able to get tins of pie apricot, which would be good, but haven't seen that for yonks.

I just looked at the label for the Nature's way protein powder that I have - it uses sucralose.  I'm fine with stevia, it's sorbitol that's like a red rag to a bull for my innards.  It's generally used in low fat yoghurts, and even a few tablespoons will have a vicious effect. I'll be at the chemist today and might get some of the high(er) protein Optifast to top up protein in the short term. Not something I'd want to continue, each packet is the same price as my gym membership!

I'm going into 'maintain' mode this week, as I've got two events involving food, and another the following week.  I don't mind not drinking alcohol, but be damned if I'm going to eat out and not enjoy the food.  It's why the majority of my food at the moment are things that are not generally part of my eating. It's not really sustainable, but it doesn't have to be. If I had to lose a lot more, I'd be eating very differently.

 

[dianalynch]

@Bornagirl 24g of protein for 200g food is still awesome, I’m going to give it a go, and also try @CrankyM’s fabulous omelette idea. I wonder if I can try the cottage cheese with tinned peaches in natural juice, or if that will give me too much of a sugar high 

[Bornagirl]

23 minutes ago, dianalynch said:

@Bornagirl 24g of protein for 200g food is still awesome, I’m going to give it a go, and also try @CrankyM’s fabulous omelette idea. I wonder if I can try the cottage cheese with tinned peaches in natural juice, or if that will give me too much of a sugar high 

I might give them a try, anything for a change.  I make my husband a fruit salad every day so I can drain the juice and add a bit to that.   If you stuck me on a desert island and said I could have any food group, but only one, it would be fruit for sure.  There's not a single one I don't like, I even like durian, and some I absolutely adore, but for some reason they just don't have sufficienf flavour to stand out with the cottage cheese.

I thought in South africa we had three meals for most days, but it's 'only' five of the ten, plus we're there independently for ten days or so, so hopefully I can make up for my indulgences on the breakfast only, or self catering days. (I mean no one says you have to eat it, but for me that's part of the pleasure of travel.)

The new optifast high(er) protein ones are 28g protein per serve, so I might splash out and get some of those to alternate with the cottage cheese days. I tried getting the larger tub due to price benefit, but I find myself cheating with the amount.  With the 200g tub, I can't kid myself on the amount I'm eating, so one of those, plus 3/4 punnet strawberries, is the same price as the Optifast anyway.

I'm also going to get some of the stronger flavoured Yo Pro, and do half yoghurt/half cottage cheese twice a day. I'm wondering if the passionfruit, and the salted caramel will be sufficient to make it more palatable? Will let you know!

[banyan]

@Bornagirl, try smearing fig jam on an omelette. It might be so good you don't miss the sourdough.

[Bornagirl]

1 hour ago, banyan said:

@Bornagirl, try smearing fig jam on an omelette. It might be so good you don't miss the sourdough.

Interesting idea!   I've always thought of omelettes as savoury. I can almost enjoy a ham & cheese one without bread, but that hardly fits the intake and cholesterol criteria at the moment.

I eat fig jam off the spoon, and if it doesn't have ginger in it you'll be hearing from me.

[Etcetera]

Hi fellow shorties! @Bornagirl @CrankyM

 

I love Cottage cheese. I find the aldi one isn't bad, and cheap too. I really like it with peach and some fresh mint. 

We had takeaway pizza last night and honestly didnt even really enjoy it. Salty, too much cheese and not enough veg. And it gave both DH and I heartburn. Then a neighbour popped round and gave us a ton of leftover bakery stuff - rolls, loaves, scones, scrolls. The freezer is stuffed full and I'm not eating carbs The kids think it's Christmas! 

[CrankyM]

@Bornagirl I was having fresh peaches when they were good, but they are bland now. So back to tinned. I need something sweet or salty with the cheese. Though, it’s also great mixed with tuna, some finely chopped onion and capsicum.

[Bjh]

For a high protein meal I quite like a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds soaked overnight in milk and served with a dollop of high protein yoghurt, some berries and about 30g of chopped roasted almonds. It’s about 25g of protein.

I also make a tex mex dish using lentils and red kidney beans with the usual suspects and serve it with steamed vegetables for another high protein option.

[Bornagirl]

54 minutes ago, Etcetera said:

Hi fellow shorties! @Bornagirl @CrankyM

 

I love Cottage cheese. I find the aldi one isn't bad, and cheap too. I really like it with peach and some fresh mint. 

We had takeaway pizza last night and honestly didnt even really enjoy it. Salty, too much cheese and not enough veg. And it gave both DH and I heartburn. Then a neighbour popped round and gave us a ton of leftover bakery stuff - rolls, loaves, scones, scrolls. The freezer is stuffed full and I'm not eating carbs The kids think it's Christmas! 

Haven't tried the Aldi one, will give it a go, thanks.

mmmm mint with the peach, yum.

[Bornagirl]

28 minutes ago, Bjh said:

For a high protein meal I quite like a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds soaked overnight in milk and served with a dollop of high protein yoghurt, some berries and about 30g of chopped roasted almonds. It’s about 25g of protein.

I also make a tex mex dish using lentils and red kidney beans with the usual suspects and serve it with steamed vegetables for another high protein option.

My problem with almonds, is if I have them in the house, I don't end up with any in the house, they're all in me.

I can resist some things, but nuts are a particular weakness.

[Bjh]

Just now, Bornagirl said:

My problem with almonds, is if I have them in the house, I don't end up with any in the house, they're all in me.

I can resist some things, but nuts are a particular weakness.

I completely understand. They’re such a great snack if you can stick to a small handful, and terrible if you can’t!

[banyan]

2 hours ago, Bornagirl said:

Interesting idea!   I've always thought of omelettes as savoury. I can almost enjoy a ham & cheese one without bread, but that hardly fits the intake and cholesterol criteria at the moment.

I eat fig jam off the spoon, and if it doesn't have ginger in it you'll be hearing from me.

Trust me on this one ( fig jam smeared on omelette), but I am not convinced about the ginger.