Plus Sized Mommies Weight Loss Support FAQ
This FAQ is a collection of tips, links and info gathered and shared by the members of the Plus Sized Mommies group.
This group is entirely about support and encouragement in our weight loss journeys! We follow no singular diet plan or eating lifestyle. (If any of the info below is specific to a certain weight loss plan or regime, it will be noted.) Any amount of weight loss is welcomed here --we are all fighting the same battle, regardless of how much we need to lose. Some will shed large amounts quickly while others struggle with a small amount, so in fairness, we ask that you support each other equally.
If you would like to add any info to this FAQ, please either post it or email it to StephSBZ@babyzone.com .
Eating/Drinking Tips:
Don't eat standing up. It takes longer to feel full.
Listen for the sigh. When your stomach is full, you naturally let out a small sigh. Most of us have learned to ignore it and keep on eating until the plate is clean. Stop eating when you hear the sigh and you'll see results!
Pay attention to serving size. One serving of meat or chicken is approximately the size of a deck of cards. Many restaurants serve a portion twice that size. Eat half and take the rest home for the next day. Count out a serving of pretzels or snacks and put them in a bowl, and then put the bag away. It'll keep you from overeating.
Slow down! Chew your food thoroughly. If you pay attention to really chewing every bite, it'll last longer and be more satisfying, rather than gulping food down. If you eat too quickly, you may ignore your stomach and psychologically feel like you haven't had much to eat, and therefore, end up overeating. Another way to make yourself slow down is to set your utensils down between each mouthful, or only cut one bite of food at a time.
It's okay to throw food away. Most of us had the "starving children in Africa" or the "clean your plate" speech driven into us. But you know what? It's okay. If there is a little left and you really don't want it, go ahead and throw it out. We won't tell your Mom.
Use a measuring cup to test the amounts that your drinking glasses hold. Many hold 16 oz., which means you only have to drink 4 of them to get you daily requirement of water! (daily requirement = 8 8 oz. glasses)
Juice, decaffeinated tea, soda, and most other non-caffeinated beverages count as "water". Caffeine, however, is a diuretic, so you'll need to drink an extra 8 oz. glass of water to counteract it. Don't forget to watch the calories and fat in your beverages!
If you find it hard to drink enough water, try using a straw. It makes it easier to drink it quicker.
Eat plenty of fiber! Fiber moves quickly through your body, and not only keeps your intestinal track healthy, it also helps move fat out of your system! Remember to have fiber and water in combo -- without enough to flush it through, you can end up constipated.
Try writing down everything you eat in a daily food journal. Write EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth. All those little nibbles here and there can really add up without you realizing it!
Brush after meals or have a mint. You're less likely to want to nibble when your mouth feels clean.
Avoid convenience food. It's made for a quick and easy, on the go solution, but that makes it even easier to grab at a moment's weakness of wanting to snack. If you have to make the effort to cut, cook or otherwise prepare your food, it may be enough effort to make you stop and think if you really want and/or need that snack.
Tips For Exercise:
To understand how our bodies burn fat, think of the body as an oven. The first 15 minutes of steady exercise get the body warmed up, and then the time you exercise after that actually bakes the fat and calories away. If you exercise for only 15 minutes, you will not actually do much in the way of burning fat, but any exercise in whatever amount is beneficial to your general health and energy level.
When you exercize on an empty stomach (at least two hours since last meal), you burn the fat and calorie reserves stored in your body. When you exercize on a full stomach, you are burning off your stomach contents.
Be sure to drink plenty of fluids while exercizing! You need to replace the fluids you lose while sweating. (Some diet plans suggest weighing before and after exercizing, but you're only seeing water-weight loss --not a real loss.)
Distraction is a big help! If you hate to exercise, try to read a book or watch tv while riding an exercise bike, or take a friend along to chat with while walking (you should be slightly out of breath while talking on a vigorous walk).
Try to keep what you do fun -or at least stimulating enough that you don't give up out of boredom. Find what works best for you - doing something different every day or the same.
Try exercising in the morning. It's amazing how much energy it can give you! For the same reason, many people find working out before bedtime makes it hard for them to unwind and fall asleep. Everybody is different.
If you have trouble getting yourself to exercize, set up a reward system. For example, for every fifteen minutes, you get one Hershey's kiss, or if you do 45 minutes every day all week, you can get a new novel at the end of the week.
If you have trouble getting time for real exercize, take it where you can get it. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the farthest end of the parking lot, go up and down every aisle of the grocery store, empty the dishwasher - one item at a time (bend, grab fork, walk to cupboard, put it away, back to dishwasher), tap dance under your desk, or do butt clenches, kegels and abdominal contractions while seated.
Tips For Weighing In:
Weigh at the same time each weigh-in period, so that the stomach contents can be comparable and will be limited in how they affect your weight. For example, weighing in the morning naked and before breakfast ensures that clothing and food are not being weighed as well. Weighing in the evening always after dinner ensures that you will always have food in your stomach (keep in mind some fluctuation will be normal as different foods weigh more or less and liquid intake changes from day to day)
Try not to weigh in more than once a week. The human body (especially females!) fluctuates a great deal and daily weighing can drive you insane as you watch the numbers bounce around. Don't forget about monthly water retention! Cut yourself a little slack with the weigh-in at that time, but keep with your eating routine - you'll feel better!
Go to the bathroom! As indelicate as it sounds, a full bladder or a full bowel can add pounds.
You might find better success if you weigh in later in the week. A US government health committee released a find a couple years ago that dieters who weighed in early in the work-week (Monday, Tuesday) were more likely to give up their diet regimes than those who weighed in at the end of the work week (Thurs or Fri). The reason for this is that on the weekends, even strict dieters tend to snack more, go out to dinner or to parties. Even with eating and drinking healthy options, the body tends to retain the bigger quantities of food or liquid (alcohol especially), and the salt from healthy snacks such as pretzels or low-fat chips can cause water retention. When weighing in on Monday, your body still is very likely to be retaining extra fluids and bulk yet from the weekend. You may have actually lost or remained the same weight since the last weigh-in, but due to the bloat, do not see it, and sometimes get discouraged and give up.
Don't get discouraged if you're not seeing any change at the scale even though you're eating well and exercizing. In fact, you may even see a small increase if you've just begun exercizing. Muscle weighs more than fat, and that maybe what's happening. Try taking measurements occasionally, or cutting lengths of string to fit around waist, hips, wherever. You may see physical loss when you don't see poundage loss, or the other way around. Your body has to readjust as you lose, and it doesn't always do it consistently.
In order to visualize your weight loss, collect items and pile them on the scale until they equal the amount you've lost. Place the items in a bag and carry it around for a while. You won't believe how much you used to lug around! Try this with 5 pound bags of flour too, or sticks of margarine.
Inspirational Quotes:
There's no such thing as "only"…such as "I only lost a pound." All those only's add up.
It took a long time to gain all the weight. You can't expect it to go away overnight.
Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.
You don't drown by falling in the water -- you drown by staying there. You have the power to get out.
Helpful Links:
http//www.weightwatchers.com
For recipes, calories and Weight Watchers points for restaurants, and more, check out: http://www.dwlz.com
http://www.3fatchicks.com
http://www.webmd.com
http://www.Calorieking.com
http://www.weightwatchers.com
http://www.glorysite.com/hints.html
http://www.fitday.com
http://www.atkinscenter.com
Water: How 8 Glasses A Day Keep Fat Away
Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body
metabolize fat.
Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat
deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually
reduce fat deposits.
Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water.
When they don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto
the liver.
One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into
usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the
kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it
metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and weight
loss stops.
Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention.
When the body gets less water it perceives this as a threat to
survival and begins to hold onto every drop. Water is stored in the
extra cellular spaces (outside the cell walls). This shows up as
swollen feet, legs and hands.
Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored
water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives
a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity.
Thus, the condition quickly returns.
The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give
your body what it needs--plenty of water. Only then will stored water
be released.
The overweight person needs more water than the thin one.
Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water
is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person
needs more water.
Water helps maintain proper muscle tone.
It does this by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and
by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin
that usually follows weight loss--shrinking cells are buoyed by
water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and
resilient.
Water helps rid the body of wastes.
During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of--all
that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush
out waste.
Water can help relieve constipation.
When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from
internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result?
Constipation. But, when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel
function usually returns.
So how much water is enough?
On the average a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day.
That's about two quarts. However, the overweight person needs on
additional glass for every 25 pounds overweight. The amount you drink
should also be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is
hot and dry.
Water should be preferably cold--it's absorbed into the system more
quickly than warm water. And some evidence suggests that drinking
cold water can actually help you burn calories.
To utilize water most efficiently during weight loss follow this
schedule:
Morning
1 quart consumed over a 30 minute period.
Noon
1 quart consumed over a 30 minute period.
Evening
1 quart consumed between 5 and 6 o'clock.
When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its
fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens you have reached
the "breakthrough point." What does this mean?
Endocrine-gland function improves.
Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.
More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize
stored fat.
Natural thirst returns.
There is a loss of hunger almost overnight.
If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown
out of balance again, and you may experience unexplained weight gain
and loss of thirst. To remedy this situation you'll have to go back
and force another breakthrough.
The above article taken from "The Snowbird Diet" by Donald S.
Roberston, M.D., M. Sc.
About our weight loss challenges:
In an effort to light a fire under our tushies, some of us partake in short term weight loss challenges. Participation is always optional, as is the set amount of weight you would like to lose. The duration of the challenges is usually around six weeks, so I encourage you to pick a realistic amount of weight loss for your goal. If losing has been slow and steady for you, you might do better to choose 4 or 5 pounds, rather that 15. If you aim too high, you may only see it as failure if you don't achieve that loss, rather than celebrate the amount you did lose. If you aim lower, then you might get the joy of surpassing your goal amount! However, if you truly feel you can do it, then aim high! Go with whatever psychology will encourage you most. :0) At any point in the challenge, you many change your goal loss amount (if you're losing faster or slower than you thought). Just let Steph:0) know!
We post weigh-ins on Fridays (If you weigh on another day, that is fine. Post on Friday from an earlier day, or post a day or two late if need be.) I keep a chart of the participants and their weights each week. I won't publish that chart unless asked to. However, I will add up all the pounds that we have lost as a group at the end of a challenge. Now that's a nice number to see!!!
So if you would like to participate in the current challenge, I just need your name, challenge start weight, and your goal of how many pounds you'd like to lose. If you'd like to participate but are not comfortable with posting your weight, then I least need to know your goal for loss amount and you can give me a + or - amount each weigh in.