Mostly for Darlingnikki

In August of 2003, I weighed 209  pounds. In August of 2004, I weighed 160 pounds. This morning I weighed 160 pounds. This year-long weight loss was done under the auspices of the University of Vermont who were conducting a study to see if weight loss was possible with on-line support. My group met on line every Tuesday and once a month in a face to face situation. {Other groups met face to face every week or met on line only.}

When I started, I contracted to do the following:

• count calories
• report calories eaten and exercise done daily on line
• meet on line weekly
• meet face to face monthly {and get weighed on the Official Scales!}
• walk daily

I was given a calorie allowance of 1325 calories a day. I don’t know how this was calculated but think it probably had something to do with my height {5 ft 9 in}, starting weight {209} and the weight I was aiming for {175 pounds.} Some people in the group followed their diet of choice {I remember one was South Beach} and others, like me, made it up as they went along!

Here are some things that helped me.

1. It was suggested that I could think of my calories as money. I could spend this money on anything I wanted to. However, if I spent a lot of calories on chocolate chip cookies, there was not going to be much nutrition happening. I found this idea really helpful.  Some foods, like peanut butter or salad dressing, were just not worth the “money” I would be spending on them. Other treats, such as Schwann’s fudge sticks were well worth the 50 calories.
2. I measured everything that went into my mouth. I mostly used a half-cup measuring cup because there was for me a psychological advantage in putting two half-cups of oatmeal into a bowl as opposed to one whole cup measurement! In addition, I used small plates and small bowls. I wrote down everything. The best time to do it was right after I had eaten it. If I waited to do it all at one time, invariably something {usually something high calorie} got forgotten. I “saved” about 150 calories a day so I could have some toast before I went to bed. Going to bed hungry is not good for me.
3. I started by walking for 15 minutes morning and afternoon every second day. Music was very helpful. Gradually, I worked my way up to one 45 minute to an hour walk in the morning {which is when I have the most energy} and one 20 to 30 minutes walk in the afternoon 5 days out of seven.  I also rode my bike {in addition to walking} when the weather was nice.
4. I told myself after every meal that if I wanted more in 20 minutes, I could get up and get it. Most of the time, I was no longer hungry after 20 minutes. If I was, I got more. {I found that I had to be truthful to myself. The 20 minute rule was no help if I knew I was kidding myself!}
5. I was fortunate in that I do not like soda and do like water. {I have only one kidney since renal cancer in 1998 so have always had to drink a lot of water.} Another fortunate thing is that I really love salads and –with the exception of blue cheese dressing–mostly don’t like dressing on my salad. I learned to dip the fork in the dressing I liked and thus I got to taste it and not inhale it!

Now I am maintaining. This is what I am doing now.

1. I weigh myself every single morning. This is an important part of my maintenence. I have an “allowed” weight range from 160 to 165. If I am within this range, all is well. However, if I drift up to the high end, I immediately go back to a week of measuring and counting calories. However, remember I am post menopausal and do not have the monthly bloating. If I was younger, I would give myself more leeway than 5 pounds.
2. I endeavor to walk for at least 30 minutes every day. Mostly I make it. {I live in Vermont where a white Chrstmas snow often goes on into March!} We have a manual treadmill {much more effort required than a motorized one} and I try to do a short stint on that every day.
3. I have found that I can eat pretty well anything I like as long as I walk daily.
4. Although I no longer measure or record what I eat, I still try to have smaller portions and I still know that I can have more in 20 minutes if I want it.
5. My on-line support group  now {and during the year I was losing} is a group of women on OD who are endeavoring to live healthier lives. The communal diary is called somekindofacircle. {Please feel free to drop in and read. Instructions for joining if you feel it will help you are on the front page.} This is the place where I report in every few days and they get to read my boring “I still weigh 160 pounds!”  My entries were much more dramatic last year!