The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Nancy]

Dutch ~

Whee! Brown Shorts is bringing your reward to you! WHat an awesome reward - you will be able to create some really wonderful skinny clothes and then press them so they look like couture desgins!

Look out, Cindi Crawford! Dutch Choc is heading down the runway!

I suggest that you order the book, Life is Hard, Food is Easy by Linda Spangle - it is great and it has some wonderful helps - it has to do with emo eating.

[DutchChoc]

Thanks, I'll try to reserve it at the library if it isn't already there. Reading that will help get me ready for coming outta this bullpen, which is really a GOOD place, just that I have a rebunctious emotional eating problem under that cape.

[DutchChoc]

Yup, got the steam generator yesterday as designed, but have been too rushed to try it yet. Sounds odd, but not odd for me, lol.

Today was OK -- did not use RTDs at work and that seems to have helped the overconsumption while at work -- back to the normal two meals at work.

Nothing much going on -- think I'm going to bed early tonight and have some Medidreams. Hope everyone's doing well. Will do some reading first on the threads.

[DutchChoc]

Hi, guys!! I lost a post I made so this will be short as I'm trying to go to the gym!

I was in the drive-thru lane at KFC today while others were getting food and I realized that I'm halfway through this countdown month -- AND that there's little chance I'll be finishing either by choice or by "settling" in two weeks time. I need some more "shake time" to get where I want to be.

Fortunately, I'm OK with that. The "getting there" part is virtually tolerable now that I feel like I'm at a successful state of weight loss. And obviously, if I'm not planning on gaining it back, there's no rush to get off this just to eat, lol!!

Maybe I'm just feeling calm and patient in the MF sense. I know that what I'm doing has to work AS LONG AS I don't capitulate -- and I also know that I'm doing isn't damaging my body as I still feel fabulous at about 68 days of shakes only.

Take care, everybody. Should be a wonderful weekend. Will be doing some sewing and some exercising for sure.

[hawaiiwhatnot]

Dutch,

I know how you feel. I thought I'd have lost enough to where I'd reached my goal in October, but looks like I'm 2 or maybe 3 months off that prediction. Our bodies just don't wanna give up that fat - especially at the rate we want! Oh well. Me too. I've resigned myself to just doin it until I'm pleased with the reflection in the mirror. I also try to keep in mind that I can't lose weight any quicker than doing this MF plan. P.S. thanks for the reminder to update my stats, they're current now.

Have a great weekend with your new steamer toy - it's rare to see anyone sewing anymore.

Camille

[DutchChoc]

Yes, steamer toy -- lol!! Still haven't made any steam with it, though I did have fun at the fabric store. Once worked at Kuni Dry Goods in Pearl City Mall if you've ever been to that mall. So long ago, like almost 20 years.

Good thing we aren't weak-willed about this and in my case, I hope that lasts longer than it often does/has!! But after losing 50 pounds, you KNOW you're doing great and going where you want to go -- to THINSVILLE.

LW must be coming your way soon, eh!??

I'm still looking at your stats -- shouldn't it say 145? I'm just doing 195 -50.... ?

Anyway, it is what it is, and we are still kicking butt here and that's what counts. Thanks for the understanding and the encouragement.

[hawaiiwhatnot]

Dutch,

Yes, you're right about the stats and I'll correct it right away. I only calculated and changed the number of pounds lost - not my resulting weight.

Can't believe you're still just doing shakes. WOW! I'm not much of a sewing person so I don't visit the fabric stores. I know the one you used to work at. I'll sew if it's a quilt, but clothes make me crazy. I once got so frustrated sewing an outfit that just wouldn't go right after MANY take aparts and re-sewing that I threw it on the floor and jumped up and down on it. I knew then sewing clothes is better left to someone else. I admire anyone with a creative ability to make things out of just raw materials.

Have you read any of the recommended books preparing for maintenance? I'll need to but I'm not that near my goal yet. I should get and read the Success in a Shaker Jar at least I suppose.

Also, I'm not clear on what my strategy should be on maintenance. It's obvious I need to educate myself during the next few months. What I'm confused about is whether we should focus on low-calorie, or low-carb or both. Don't even know how many calories I should eat when maintaining.

Nancy's schedule for connecting flights in Honolulu to Kauai is too tight for us to meet tomorrow so we're planning on it on her stop over going back to the mainland. Can't wait !

Take care,
Camille

[DutchChoc]

Yes, still doing just shakes. I still feel like I couldn't stay on the path if I had anything else. I get quite neurotic about deciding if what I had was OK or not and if there's a chance even a crumb was wrong, it messes me up. I know the prognosis for that isn't too good in the "real" world! But, like you say, maybe there's some hope in training via some books and preparing any other possible way. I suspect I should include looking for some in my errands today by going to the library. This is too good a thing not to be able to hold onto.

Still without a loss this week. I think you did fantastic waiting all that time without becoming unglued. It doesn't seem right or even possible that one could do this and not have a loss. Things I could be doing poorly would be too much aspertame and too much sugarless gum... but I feel I can't really live without my decaf and in it there's always the sweetener.

Like you say, we couldn't be losing any faster doing anything else, so this has to succeed and be good enough.

Lucky LW if this is her big day to go to Kauai.

Sewing can be a big annoying. I can visualize the jumping on the thing, for sure! That happens sometimes. Maybe it was just an isolated incident, lol. But buying clothes is a good alternative and often the prices are pretty good considering what the materials would cost anyway. Fabric costs have gotten fairly high.

Such a sunny day here again. I love it. Will continue on my way hoping for a breakthrough this weekend. Take care!

[DutchChoc]

Ah, the Sunday doldrums with no one "around" so that there would be posts and news to read here! Well, at least less than on busy weekdays.

I'm slowly making it, yes, indeedy. I just keep on makin' those shakes and keep on hoping I'll stay full enough to do this. After several exercise days in a row, there's sometimes a persistant hunger that comes tapping. Have already had four shakes today, and I expect that by the end of the day that number will be six. Sounds like a lot, but exercising almost wipes out my calorie consumption otherwise, at about 400 per session. After today, I'll take a few days off. I have a "system" -- which is that exercise week starts on Saturday, so I go Saturday and Sunday -- which makes twice, and then for the rest of the week I try to work in one and no more than two more times. I believe I went five times last week, though, feeling myself becoming slightly more obsessive.

I'm getting some mixed messages from Sig Other -- on one hand, he says I'm getting too thin for him, and on the other, when I said that I either have five or eleven pounds to go, he told me to go for eleven, then. His reason was "so you can get it over with". Well?? Doesn't really make much sense to me. Besides, will I ever have it over with? My thought is that I'll do the six and then contemplate. HOPEFULLY, will not be stooging around with this six for more than another month.

Sudaoing, where are you?

[hawaiiwhatnot]

Dutch,

I'm feelin for ya. It's gotta be excrutiating looking for the scale to go down when you're SO compliant and diligent with exercise. When I was in my plateau, I did cut down on the amount of sugarless things - I was having as much as 5 sodas a day - working on my bathroom - ALONG with my 100+oz of water. Don't know if having only 2 or 3 now makes a difference. I thought I'd better stop drinking so much to save my teeth or something. Maybe cutting down on the exercise every other day would help? I know you are very religious about exercising - but that's something I would try (you can tell I'm not as easily faithful to it as you are - but I'm doin it)

Your body is your temple so you should decide when it's time to go on maintenance. Men - they have never and will never know what to say when responding to women's questions about our weight, hair, clothes, etc. Caveat: this doesn't apply to all men - just most. I feel for them - it's a virtual mine field.

Hang in there pal, - don't worry - be happy...
Camille

[sudaoning]

Hi Dutch
Haven't had a day off in 3-4 weeks and been too busy for much talkin here..

This weekend Dr Anderson and his wife Lori from TSFL were in town and I got to hear them speak. As a bonus, I had an opportunity to ask the doc about my recent slowdown. His advice: switch to 70 shakes, no bars and add a little gentle exercise, slowly and call him in a week. I have a box full of 55 shakes and bars that just came. Guess they will wait for maintenance.

It sounds to me ( and whaddo I know, huh?) that you are exercising a huge amount for the very small calorie intake that you are having. Maybe signaling your body to cling to those last pounds for self protection from the famine. From personal experience, it seems that when I have added serious exercise to my weight loss efforts in the past the loss came to a screeching HALT.

Note the signature. FINALLY made it under 190!

[DutchChoc]

Thanks for the feedback. More on that in a second.

I suspect both of you are right about things - about all of it. Regarding exercise, I have certainly gotten carried away before, and not in a particularly good way. What I DO like about this, though, is that I'm not overeating to compensate for exercising like I usually do. My little joke that really wasn't a joke in the past was that I NEEDED to be gung-ho with my aerobics, etc, because I ate too much to do otherwise. Well, I will go once or twice more before Saturday, and refuse to let myself go more. I do know that there's something very true about the idea of the starvation mode. It's ruined many of my attempts before this.

Also about the overabundance of the sugar-free stuff. I'm taking in enough stuff like that that I do consider that it can't be that healthy. I'd be embarrassed to tell you how many blue packets I use each day in my decaf and in my shakes. I really don't drink any fluids that aren't artificially sweetened -- shame on me. Good thing Nancy is away.

I'm having a kind of brain cramp where, now that this is day 70, I really want to keep going until day 100. In my mind, I tell myself that it's because I want to be able to say I did 100 days. On the flip side of that, I kind of worry about why I'd want to do that in the likely event that I make my goal before then. Is this fun, or what? Well, is it that much fun, lol??? I occassionally do feel sorry for myself that I'm turning down food, and now I "think" I want to keep doing it another month? But, maybe it will take that long to lose these "deep six" anyway.

Sudaoing, congratulations on finally getting a reading and busting through that 190 barrier!! Cool that you could see the TSFL and get some recommendations on what you can try. Glad you had a day off and I don't blame you for not being here, either.

I'll be glad to go to work tomorrow. Seems easier and have less time around the kitchen that way. Maybe it wouldn't hurt me to stay off the scale a few days, too. Just tow the line and see where it takes me. Good seeing you guys here and thanks for that. We are all doing the best we can, so let's keep in moving.

[DutchChoc]

Day #71. Hummm --- another hard day. Maybe a guy at work who has a poor opinion of my continuance is seeding doubt about the logic behind doing this -- or else it's a coincidence that we talked.

Kind of questioning the not eating I'm doing today. Had 8 shakes today just to keep from eating -- I suspect I was "that close". Just ANOTHER FREAKIN' MINUTE of being hungry and it might've been "Just give me the ------------ (insert any food here)".

I hope that this passes and my normal feeling returns, at least for a while!

Why can't I be satisfied at this weight, or can I? Why am I turning this into a superhuman feat when most people would've just stopped much sooner? I think I'm a vain, vain person and I'm paying the price of quite a bit of added frustration.

So, the cogs are turning, turning, and not all in the same direction.

[hawaiiwhatnot]

Dutch,

Sounds like you've had a tough day. Would it be bad if you had a lean and green meal tomorrow? You're so close to your goal, I would think personally it would be totally compliant to have a lean and green because you're going to have to start eating food soon once you're on maintenance. Maybe that would satisfy that hunger. Also, the other supplements could help too. I know you considered oatmeal from reading a post of yours the other day. Have you tried it yet? Hang in there sister, you're NOT vain, vain, vain. You've got high standards for yourself I think. You want to look the best you can, that's all. Don't be so hard on yourself. You've got tremendous resolve that maybe some don't understand at all. Of course, there's ALWAYS the freebie pickles, my favorites! Keep us posted - we care a whole lot about ya.

Camille

[Sylvia]

Just a few thoughts to add...

DC - first, you're doing great! Second, you are so close to where you need to be that your body is probably holding on to those last couple of pounds. You may actually need more of something different to move things along.

I have noticed that when I hit a stall, changing things up a bit always seems to help. That doesn't mean going off the program but rather mixing up the tools at my disposal differently.

I can also tell you from personal experience that my weight loss did not stall a bnit when I moved from the full fast to the modified plan and that I feel better and have more energy now than I did on the full fast. Since I am also exercising more now, I can't imagine not doing the modified plan. Also, since I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of being done with the weight loss phase, it is really important to me that I start establishing a plan I can live with longer term. The MP at least gets me into more of an eating routine that is somewhat normal and I am finding it is helping me to "visualize" how I will eat going forward.

Second point - as I get closer to goal, I find myself beginning to be irritated by those who comment on my weight loss rather than feeling good about it. I went to our "supper club" last weekend. This is a group of 5 couples who get together every couple of months and either go out to dinner or do more of a potluck type of thing at someone's house. The theme this month was Italian and the host was making lasagna, etc. I signed up to bring the salad so I know there would be something for me to eat.

Of course, people I hadn't seem for a while wanted to know all about what I was doing, etc., and for the first time I can remeber, people were really scrutinizing my food choices, commenting on them, and suggesting that I go offf my program just for the evening. Needless to say, I stuck to my program, at my salad and a few veggies and truly didn't miss the other food at all. Everyone then started talking about my willpower, etc. Honestly, it was no big deal. On other diets I've been on, I would have been drooling over all of the things I couldn't have, but not with this one. I was perfectly happy with what I had.

I was, however, most annoyed to (1) talk about my plan ALL NIGHT, (2) to address my food choices at all (after all, I wasn't telling people they were really too fat to have another piece of lasagna), (3) and to have my program analyzed all night. I have this feeling that when I reach my goal, these same people will be looking to see how much/what I'm eating and staring at me to see if they think I've gained any weight.

Anyway, most annoying.

S