I survived my weekend getaway without gaining any weight - YAY!! There was a lot of junk food there and I had a few bites of things but I still logged everything I ate and controlled myself pretty well. It was weird though all the high calorie meals compared with what I've been eating for the last month. I got some strange looks when I put a tiny dollop of food on my plate. I ate a fraction of what I would have eaten in the past and brought carrots, apples, oranges and clementines for my snacks - though I did succumb to a little junk food. I did manage to get out for two 50 minute walks which probably helped a little.

Back home now to my normal routine. I do have a new problem that I have to get fixed this week. I mentioned earlier that I'm an above knee amputee. Now after losing 7 lbs my prosthesis is too big!! I have to get it shrunk this week as it's falling off - which interferes with my exercise.

A nice thing happened before DH left town today. He said, "Boy your butt really is a lot smaller".

I know I haven't lost anything since my last weigh in. I've been eating far too many carbs. I weighed myself yesterday and was still the same so I'm not gaining. I need to let go of those carbs by tomorrow at the latest. Hopefully by week's end I'll have at least dropped another pound. I'm still doing my water exercises 3 times a week.

gibby - Observant husband!!

Still at it over here! Last week was my birthday and I went to an "Anything Goes" class at my gym. I'd always been nervous about going. It was a blast, but OMG, had a hard time sitting all week. (there were lots of lunges). I did Pilates on Tuesday and Thursday and back to the Anything goes on Friday. Saturday I weighed in at WW and it was better than I'd expected as I had a lot of trouble staying on plan the week before.

Since Saturday I've been VERY strict with WW, logging every bite. I've got Pilates today and yoga early tomorrow. I just started a new job so I'm not 100% how the rest of the week is going to go, but I'm determined. No wine, no cosmos...poor DH thinks I've gone mad. :)

Thanks for keeping these threads going.

Beth P.

Can you all explain to me this kettlebell thing?

I had a knee replacement several years back at age 30, it is really bugging me a lot lately so I can't work out as hard as I used to. I can't do zumba, or many of the other aerobic classes, too many twisting maneuvers.

I'm trying so hard, and the darn scale has not budged since the first 4 lbs. I'm so frustrated. I tried putting my regular jeans on and could even get them up. Yes I gained that much over the holidays.

I am logging at least 3-4 days a week at the gym and tracking every bite with a calorie counter. According to that I need to stay within 1300 cal/day for a 1-2lb weight loss per week. The only day I may have blown it was Sunday, when we had friends over and I made "Thanksgiving" dinner.

I have not lost a pound but have at least maintained. My goals right now are a getting back on track with healthy eating and increasing our exercise. My biggest problems have been cravings for sweets - and never knowing what to have/what I want for breakfast. I really have a problem with breakfast.

Gibby - too funny!!

Kelly - glad to hear your knee is doing better!

Polly - yum - I would love to have some dressing!

Yay! We are a persevering bunch, aren't we! Pats on the back to everybody.

Polly, hang in there. Stalling is normal as your body adjusts. I stall frequently too (like now, in fact), then I drop & drop some more, then back to a stall. Also, I find the easiest & biggest weight loss is always in the first month. Then it's small victories after that. But that's why perseverance & getting back on the wagon is so important -- you win in the long run, even if it's not apparent in the short run.

gibby, your chronicles of your husband's observations (or lack thereof) are hilarious!

kellyeng, I'm really happy you had a good workout session. I was hoping kettlebells wouldn't bother your knee.

Speaking of which, Madame Kettlebells is picking up the pace now that we're getting stronger. "No more babying!" Thought I was gonna die. But I'm thrilled to be getting more fit.

I fumbled the diet ball on Super Bowl Sunday, but not terribly. Scale bounced up 1.5 pounds, but am down 1 already. Mostly water from salty foods.

polly, here's a good video on the core kettlebell exercise, the double-handed swing. You can judge for yourself if this would bother your knee or not. Take a look at the other kettlebell videos too.

I looked on Google, and there are people with knee replacements who swing kettlebells. I'd work with a trainer, starting out. Form is so important.

Here is a link that might be useful: double-hand swing demonstration

Huge victory this morning! Did another cycling class (yes my butt is crazy sore), then upper body weights and finally an abs/back class. Burned a fabulous 1300 calories!

I ate really well yesterday, even had 7 WW points at the end of the day so I used them up with some peanut butter and carrots. Tonight we are going to a late music show with some friends so I picked out a seafood oyster bar for dinner. I think I'll be pretty happy with a bunch of oysters and ceviche or maybe some tuna tartar without blowing my calorie budget.

I think kettlebell exercises are great for a bum knee. I noticed that I really have to watch my form closely and swing with my hips, otherwise I have a tendency to engage my quads which could tweak my knee. I would absolutely recommend getting a trainer to help make sure your form is spot on - good form is essential with kettlebells.

awm03, do you snap your hips as much as the girl in the video you linked? I think I might through out my back if I tried to do it as hard as she does!

OMG kelly - you burned 1300 calories? I can't imagine that!!

Yes. My instructor makes sure we do. It's kind of a pelvic tilt, so you're pushing out with your lower back, which is protective. The deceiving thing about the swing is you're not using your arms to swing the bell. The momentum comes from snapping the glutes & the hamstrings & rocking your pelvis in.

What the gal says in the demonstration about hurting your back by looking down or swinging too low is absolutely true.

awm03, I have the pendulum action down pretty good, that's why I am able to use heavy KBs. I just don't thrust my pelvis with as much gusto!

gibby, yep when I was at my peak I could burn 2000 in three hours. Sadly, I don't think I'll be doing that anymore.

kellyeng,
What type of fitness monitor do you use to monitor your calorie burn? I'm thinking about replacing my old Polar heart rate monitor & watch for something new.

I went to the gym this a.m. and also had time for an hour walk outside, since the weather was beautiful today (50 degrees in Pa in Feb!). At the gym, I used the rower again but my nose was itchy and running so I had to keep stopping to blow my nose. I finally gave up and did the elliptical machine.

I'm still bouncing up and down within the same 3 pound limit. I need to get serious and bump down my base weight so that the 3 pound bounce doesn't annoy me as much.

I use the Polar. Everybody says it really is the best brand on the market. No matter what, you have to use something with a chest strap because the kind that takes your wrist pulse are terribly inaccurate. I have the F6 but it looks like they don't make it anymore. It's one of the basic ones, I just need to know what my heart rate is and calories burned. It looks like the FT4 is comparable. If you workout around other people, make sure you get one that has a coded chest strap so you don't get "cross talk" from another signal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Polar FT4

Thanks, I'll check that one out. My old Polar (with a chest strap) seems to be going through batteries, and it didn't use to do that, so I was thinking it was time for a new one.

I have now hit my goal weight. Started my serious weight loss plan on Jan 2 and hit my goal on Feb 7 so about 5 weeks. I waited another day to declare victory to be sure it wasn't a temporary fluke.

I only had 7.6 lbs to lose but I haven't weighed this little in maybe 5 years. Gradually kept creeping up but reaching the 7 lbs over mark during the holidays really hit home with me and that's when I got serious about getting back on track. I did what I did when I initially dropped about 12 lbs in the past. More disciplined, healthy eating and more frequent exercise. I'd just gradually started eating more junky food and exercising a little less and of course the pounds crept back on.

Now I'm focusing on continued regular exercise, building and maintaining muscle and healthy eating. I had my tracker set for 1/2 lb weight loss per week and it's very nice to get a couple hundred more calories to work with each day.

Some things I observed over the past month that I have to continue to do:

stay conscious of the quantity of stuff I eat - portion control and snack quantity control - no mindless eating

forbidden treats - not a problem in SMALL quantities - eat slowly, savor, and linger over each delicious bite

Down another pound. I'm sure my weight loss is the slowest in history, but that's OK, I'm happy with the direction the scale is going and how much better I feel with each pound leaving.

Did any of you happen to see Dr. OZ yesterday with the super obese women who wanted to continue to gain weight? I felt so badly for one of the women who walked off the stage that could barely walk. So sad. Great to see the majority stayed for help.

Way to go, gibby & HIWTHI. It's inspiring to read of your success.

I'm still stuck at 3 lbs. (lost), after a few events caused me to gain a bit, then I lost it again. Slow, slow, slow.

To make a long story short, my doctor thinks I may be lactose intolerant so has advised me to have no dairy at all for 2-3 weeks. It's hard! It's been only two days and I haven't been able to get thru a whole day yet without slipping up. And I miss my beloved Chobani yogurt...

DD has been home sick for a couple of days but I plan to be back at the gym tomorrow morning!

This has nothing to do with us but it's a health happy inspiring thing I think. I work with someone who travels a lot so I don't see her all that often. I saw her this week walking in front of me and I thought OMG - she's half the size she used to be. I commented that she looked skinny and she told me about how she's been exercising a lot, etc. I said I guess you didn't just start this new healthier lifestyle on Jan 1 and she said she started last year and had lost 65 pounds! I was amazed and truly impressed. It's not easy to eat well and exercise when you're home let alone traveling all the time.

Thanks AWM.

Sueb have you tried any of the soy or almond milks? What about soy cheddar cheese? Some soy yogarts are pretty good also.

Do you have a Whole Food market around your house? They have a huge selection anything you want dairy free. Most of the products are just as good or better than regular dairy items.

HIW, this new "plan" is only a couple of days old so I haven't done much exploration yet. I am using vanilla almond milk (unsweetened) in my coffee. It's OK. I guess I need to get used to it. I have tried soy milk in the past (we have had a variety of this stuff in our house over the years, because DD is lactose intolerant) and didn't like it. But I know there are lots of products out there!

Just need to get thru this no-dairy "trial" (to make sure the stomach issues I've been having are dairy related and not something else) and then I figure I can make decisions as needed to either have milk or not, or just have it sometimes. The effects are not life threatening, of course, just uncomfortable (bloating, gas... if you must know LOL).

I figure a life without cheese could be beneficial to my waistline!

sueb20, what about those OTC drugs they offer for Lactose Intolerant people? Wonder if those would be an option for you if you are LI.

Nowadays there are a lot of variety in types, brands and flavors of soy and other substitute milk products. My DH decides he likes WM's brand of vanilla soy. I have to agree it is the tastiest. I like the Silk vanilla almond milk. If you do have to make some changes let me know and I'll recommend a bunch of products I use now that are very tasty. Hopefully you won't have to make those changes soon. Good luck.