Hang in there, Lisa!! You are stronger than those cupcakes!
It looks like I'm losing a couple of pounds...maybe? I've been super busy in the evenings making fondant figures, so I haven't had time to snack...plus my figures are getting extra practice. DS's birthday is next month and he wants a Mario Bros. cake with ALL the characters...ARGH! I'm going to have to make him pick his top 5, I think.
This may be a "girl's thing" and maybe I'm putting on my MD's hat here, but. . .
You guys shouldn't care what the scale says but what the mirror says. You can weigh 150 lbs. at 5'2" and look as slim as IDK, a branch?
When you lose weight, you usually begin by losing a lot of muscle tissue, which weighs more per size unit than fat. So this means, yes you may have lost 10 lbs. in the last three weeks, but that doesn't do you any good if 8 of those ten lbs. were muscle! Why? Because it isn't reflecting that in the mirror nor in your health.
I hope I made sense.
My point is. . .don't stress so much about the number on the scale. 
I'm still sick. I have been eating soup and SF/FF pudding all weekend. My temp is 102.4 and I hope to get into the dr tomorrow. The tylenol and ibuprofen aren't even touching it. But I bet I'll have a good weigh in this week! Lot's of tea and water, too.
Oh, Monika, I hope you can get into the dr.!! I'm sorry you're so sick. Keep those fluids in as much as you can so you don't dehydrate!!
Thanks for the input, nglez! Some of us (myself included, esp. this week!) really hate that scale. But we have been trying other ways of measuring our losses, such as taking pictures, measurements, and how our clothes fit. We all have different diet plans, but I believe we're all on a healthy plan geared toward better eating habits and exercise.
I know my darn scale is a stinkin' liar, because it claims I gained 10 POUNDS last week 
...surely if that was the case, my clothes wouldn't fit anymore.
When you lose weight, you usually begin by losing a lot of muscle tissue
Um, no you don't. I'm a Certified Athletic Trainer, and have a Master's Degree in Physical Education/Sports Medicine/Sports Psychology. The first thing you lose is water. We can all lose weight and gain muscle at the same time by dieting and exercising properly.
-Lisa
I don't care what I'm losing I just want to lose..j/k, of course I want to be healthy.
Yesterday was ok for me, my sister and her family were over for dinner and we had steak, tater tots and salad. So the tater's and kool-aid were the worst of my day.
Exercising is ok. For the past 5 days I've done On-Demand quick work outs. The 10 min abs eps. 1 is kicking my abs =D and arms and legs is awesome too, I can already feel it getting easier. Then for cardio I have some episodes of In Shape With Sharon Mann recorded, they're 20 min workouts that I *love*. Anyway if you don't feel like you have enough time to workout, the quick workouts on-demand are awesome ( that's my tip for the day! )
Water is still an issue, I really need to buy some Crystal Light I just wish it didn't cost almost $5 for a container.
I haven't done too badly this weekend! I had to work at the restaurant Saturday night and that is always my weakness since I am an avowed Pepsiholic and I can drink as much of it as I want when I work. I did limit myself to 2 cups and then switched to water. I'm going to Curves on Monday and look into signing up so I can do that 3 days a week and my bike at home 2 days a week. Monika, I hope you start feeling better soon! Being sick and having a family to care for is the PITS!!
This may be a "girl's thing" and maybe I'm putting on my MD's hat here, but. . .
You guys shouldn't care what the scale says but what the mirror says. You can weigh 150 lbs. at 5'2" and look as slim as IDK, a branch?
When you lose weight, you usually begin by losing a lot of muscle tissue, which weighs more per size unit than fat. So this means, yes you may have lost 10 lbs. in the last three weeks, but that doesn't do you any good if 8 of those ten lbs. were muscle! Why? Because it isn't reflecting that in the mirror nor in your health.
I hope I made sense.
My point is. . .don't stress so much about the number on the scale.
Thanks Nick. You are correct that we shouldnt stress so much about the "number" on the scale. But yeah, it's a girl thing. I know a lot of us are trying to gauge our progress in other ways in addition to the scale to measure our weight. It is just the "scale" is the easiest way for us to keep track of our progress. It shouldnt be the ONLY way though.
I think it is possible to loose muscle when you loose weight, but I think that may be more like if you are ill and inactive. You can loose muscle quickly that way. I was/am an occupational therapist and worked a lot in rehab. We told patients for everyday they were in bed all day (or nearly all day) it takes roughly 3 days to regain that muscle.
BUT I think most of us here are keeping active as exercise is a common goal here. It seems to me that everyone is taking a healthy approach to our weight loss.
Anyway, I purposely took off Friday night and went out to dinner. I had a greasy burger and fries...oh and dessert. It was sooooooooooo good. I paid for it the next day when I gained 2 pounds! 
But I hadnt "cheated" in over two weeks and I was kind of experiementing. I am trying to see if I can "trick" my body into loosing weight again after I stalled a little on my 2nd week of the south beach diet. We will see. I think I needed a little treat though so I dont fall off the wagon here. Otherwise I have been good!
Casey, I have found that Target has a brand of Crystal Light that is very good. I don't like Walmart brand or Food Lion brand, but Target's is good and I think it was under $2 a can. Check it out if you have a target close by.
Ok, so I am feeling a little better right now. My hubby decided to start "cleaning" like a freak and now I have a huge disorganized mess to deal with when I am better. He just shoves everything wherever he can find a place. And after he finished acting like a giant azz doing that, he got out the indoor grill and the fumes are burning my throat! He fed the baby a piece of toast and some cheese and thought that was all he would eat. I said no, try giving him some applesace or yogurt, or both....well, he ate all of the applesauce and some peas before he got down. Grr, I hate being sick.
Monika, thanks for the Target tip. I'm going there tomorrow so I must pick some up. Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better. Hope the house isn't too trashed for you. My dh idea of cleaning ( the toys at least ) are shoving them all into a corner. He's gotten better though because I've gotten more vocal.
Well Ladies we made it!!!!! It's a good day for fat cell bustin!!!! It's Monday and a new week to start kicking those fat cells butts and working out our own!
Now I am feeling better, but now my 13 1/2 year old has exactly what I and my 2 year old already had! 
But at least I will be cleaning all these germs today so that'll help keep me from snacking too much! Hope everyone has a wonderful day and .......
DIE FAT CELLS, DIE!!!!!!!!
Ok, so I am feeling a little better right now. My hubby decided to start "cleaning" like a freak and now I have a huge disorganized mess to deal with
Oh no! I'm glad you're feeling better, but don't you hate it when DH's try to help? I am such a hypocrite - I get really frustrated with DH because he doesn't ever clean anything, but then when he does (try) he either doesn't do it "right" or asks me for help every 30 seconds. *sigh*
-Lisa
My DH is off work this week, so he gets the kids up and ready for school in the mornings (a HUGE help for me!) But he freaks if I don't lay out their clothes for him! Seriously, how hard is it to grab a pair of jeans and a shirt???
I did okay this weekend. I made my dad a diabetic cake yesterday and had only about half a piece (it really wasn't good!!) but it had no sugar and only a touch of flour...no frosting either!
Well, I went to the dr. I have a severe "bug" that has been in the area for months. He said it is worse than the flu. Yuck. My daughter has a temp and a sore throat, but otherwise seems ok. My little dude is developing a cough. I hope he doesn't get it as bad as I have it!
I am feeling better today, not great, mind you, but better than yesterday. At least I can walk today without everything hurting. I got some good drugs from the dr, not that I could afford to get them all yet, even with the insurance, but I have them available nonetheless.
I hope everyone had a better weekend than I did! Is there a diet that involves consuming only soup and hot tea? Hmm, I'll have to let you know at my weigh in.
okay i am knocking on wood, i have only had a minor cold so far this season. The last 2 winters I got really sick (especially last march when I had mono...it was soooo bad) Sooooo I am hoping I get to skip a year! I hope everyone feels better soon! and I hope to remain healthy this year. I have too much going on to get sick!
Ok, I wasn't sure of any other way to do this. I started a Yahoo group and posted the file there. Here is the link, you might have to join the group before you can access it, though. I have never done this before though, so I'm not sure how it will work.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PutDowntheCake/
The first thing you lose is water.
-Lisa
Well of course water is lost first; I meant tissue that would be lost that'd actually show "results", if you will.
I'm curious about your last sentence.
We can all lose weight and gain muscle at the same time by dieting and exercising properly.
-Lisa
How would you accomplish this without killing yourself w/ exercise if you're supposed to be cutting calories to lose fat but increasing calories to gain muscle? It looks like a predicament. Thanks in advance!
I found an article that I thought some of you may find interesting:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/109/109264.htm
Other helpful websites that you may have not known about:
www.mayoclinic.com
www.pyramid.gov and www.mypyramid.gov
The first thing you lose is water.
-Lisa
Well of course water is lost first; I meant tissue that would be lost that'd actually show "results", if you will.
I'm curious about your last sentence.
We can all lose weight and gain muscle at the same time by dieting and exercising properly.
-Lisa
How would you accomplish this without killing yourself w/ exercise if you're supposed to be cutting calories to lose fat but increasing calories to gain muscle? It looks like a predicament. Thanks in advance!
Okay, you could be right nick, but I dont think anyone is thinking of entering a body building contest any time soon 
! We need to do something! I dont think you necessarily have to loose muscle just because you loose fat. I mean you arent going to GAIN muscle from sitting around obviously. I think for most of us we are trying to look and feel good about ourselves. We are trying to live a healthy lifestyle by "putting down the cake" and picking up the water and veggies! I agree is shouldnt be all about the "number" but it helps to have a reference to see if things are working properly. We should all be concerned about the way we feel in response to our "diet" Some people here really need to loose weight for health reasons, not just because they want to look good in a bikini.
Okay here is an article I found in regards to loosing fat/gaining muscle
http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/f/losefatgainmusc.htm
Anyway....cool link Monika! Thanks!
Okay who's going to post pics in their bikinis! Ha Ha. If I ever get hot enough maybe i will post before and after !
How would you accomplish this without killing yourself w/ exercise if you're supposed to be cutting calories to lose fat but increasing calories to gain muscle? It looks like a predicament. Thanks in advance!
Maybe ganing muscle was the wrong term to use here. Merissa is right, we are not out to become professional bodybuilders and the kind of caloric intake needed to increase muscle mass is contradictory to what we are trying to accomplish by dieting. I do know that I have lost 13 pounds during the last month & a half, and have maintained my muscle tone and strength level. I know I have not lost any muscle tone/tissue because I can still lift the same amount of weight (sets & reps) that I could prior to dieting. So how can you say that what I have lost is muscle tissue? I guess I lost that mysterious muscle around my belly that was making my jeans too tight 
I'll wager that if I can find the time to get to the gym more than once a week, I can increase my strength level and still lose weight at the same time.
-Lisa
Maybe ganing muscle was the wrong term to use here. Merissa is right, we are not out to become professional bodybuilders and the kind of caloric intake needed to increase muscle mass is contradictory to what we are trying to accomplish by dieting. I do know that I have lost 13 pounds during the last month & a half, and have maintained my muscle tone and strength level. I know I have not lost any muscle tone/tissue because I can still lift the same amount of weight (sets & reps) that I could prior to dieting. So how can you say that what I have lost is muscle tissue? I guess I lost that mysterious muscle around my belly that was making my jeans too tight
I'll wager that if I can find the time to get to the gym more than once a week, I can increase my strength level and still lose weight at the same time. -Lisa
Ohhh, gotcha. Thanks.
All I know is that sometimes when you work out a lot more than usual and diet at the same time, the scale won't necessarily show a loss, because you are building muscle while you are losing fat, and muscle is heavier than fat. That doesn't mean you're not losing, it just takes longer to see the results on the scale.
But, I know there are ladies here much more knowledgeable that I am about that, so I'll leave that to them.
Okay so now I have to pop in here with a question. Doesn't muscle help burn fat? Isn't that why you're supposed to pump some iron even though you're trying to lose fat, because it helps burn it quicker??
All this stuff can get so confusing.
Yes, muscle burns fat. Fat burns fat too. I am not sure on this one, maybe Lisa can help, but I believe each pound of muscle burns about 50 calories per day?
HHHmmmmmm, stretched out on the recliner like a big fat cat....
I like narcotic cough syrup. It makes me feel nnniiiiccceee.....
I think nglez really does have a point here that maybe we need to consider more. I have been referencing my body for life book here. I am paraphrasing: Your body will "fight back" when you severely reduce your food intake-it decreases the reate at which it burns fat-survival mechanism. You also can start to loose muscle tissue...then you get tired and the next thing you know your body sounds the alarm "eat, eat, eat" and your are then binging. Typically this is an unfavorable way to loose weight because half of the pounds lost come from muscle tissue that is sacrificed. Remember that muscle is your metabolic furnace. Muscle uses energy, even when you are sleeping...fat pretty much just sits there. So when you go off the diet, you will gain back tha fat you lost and more! That is because now your body is less efficient because you lost muscle. Now you eat less and still gain fat. here is what we call yo yo dieting. But Bill Phillips (BFL) says you can lose fat without loosing muscle. He says in fact you can lose fat, and gain muscle with his plan.
So the point is to NOT STARVE ourselves but to start making the right choices with food, use exercise and strength training to achieve our goals. I think maybe I have let this philosophy get away from me just a bit. I did do this diet last year. I ate quite a bit. I didnt loose a ton of weight but I did do the recommended eating and exercise plan. The pictures did show quite an improvement in just a couple of months....then I got sick with mono and it all went downhill from there .
So anyway I just wanted to think Nick for pointing something out that maybe had gotten away from me a bit. There is no reason to starve!
have a good day everyone!
[quote="merissa} Your body will "fight back" when you severely reduce your food intake-it decreases the reate at which it burns fat-survival mechanism. You also can start to loose muscle tissue...then you get tired and the next thing you know your body sounds the alarm "eat, eat, eat" and your are then binging.[/quote]
Yes, that is correct. If your body thinks it's starving because you have drastically changed your eating habits (i.e. anexoria), it will start to "eat" itself. This is why crash diets & fad diets are dangerous, and even seriously obese people who go on liquid diets do so with close monoriting by their doctors. If this is the context nglez was considering with his initial comment, he was correct. I do not feel that any of us are in that category, and therefore did not agree with what he said (still noting that muscle is not lost first). This is why exercise in any form is so important - and I think that we are all doing some type of exercise. Even walking for 20 minutes when you have previously done nothing is a tremendous help.
This from the Mayo Clinic website - "Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking daily for 30 minutes or more, is an excellent way to burn calories. Strength training exercises, such as weight training, also are important because they help counteract muscle loss associated with aging. And since muscle tissue burns more calories, muscle mass is a key factor in weight loss."
To be more specific, this from About.com - "Most people know that muscle burns more calories than fat but, just how much more? Ever since I got certified more than eight years ago, I've been told that a pound of muscle burns anywhere from 30 to 50 calories per day. However, after doing some research, I've found that number isn't accurate. In fact, a pound of muscle only burns about 6 calories a day...a lot less than what many of us thought, but still more than a pound of fat, which burns only 2 calories in a day. If you can expect to burn 6 extra calories for each pound of muscle you have, you might also wonder how much muscle can you expect to gain once you start lifting weights. According to Dr. Cedric Bryant, Chief Exercise Physiologist at ACE [1], the average person usually gains about 3-5 pounds of muscle mass every 3-4 months." http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/f/muscle.htm
So unfortunately, we can't say those two pounds we gained this week are because we started lifting weights 
Essentially, to benefit the most, you need to combine cardio with strength training and change those bad eating habits.
-Lisa
P.S. Today is cupcake & cookie baking day here 
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%