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My journey of 98 lb lost and cruising


GUEST71919
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Hello all :)

 

Four years ago, I finished a 3 year journey to improving the likelihood I would have a healthy future - in making those changes I lost close to 100 lb. (I had prior dropped 50 lb or so from grief being widowed in my 30’s). People often ask what I did and the answer is pretty simple - weight watchers online, working out 5-7 days a week, and being both committed and realistic (like knowing that first week’s loss is mostly water and from there the loss will be pretty slow for most of us). Since that loss, my weight has bounced around a bit, at most 25 lb. up after some surgery that kept me home for 2 months (I was likely 6 or so pounds underweight at the lowest); my weight generally has bounced around within that range since. Given some metabolic and thyroid issues, and at 57, I’m proud to have achieved the loss. But it also continues to be a journey!

 

Because of the way my body works, going on a cruise for 10 days means 8-10 lb up (with water on top of that). My new joke is that I diet and cruise, diet and cruise :') But it’s not far from true! I don’t try to eat healthy while on vacation, it was the deal I made with myself early on (since I don’t do cheat days, I’m pretty faithful when I decide to do something). I also work out daily (which helps my metabolism by reducing insulin resistance).

 

So before mid October I hope to have 10 lb off and then another 10 or so off between the end of that cruise and the next on in January that will be 10 days (since I will gain weight on that first 7 day cruise that will need losing). I wanted to wish you all luck in your own journeys :D and enjoy your next cruise!

 

McBeeze

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HI all!

 

 

McBeeze ~ great weight loss & thanks for the info.

You're the 3rd person I've heard that's lost quite a bit of weight with WW. It sounds great but I just can't see paying money to do so.:o My DD actually worked at the meetings weighing people I think & a friend of mine still went to the meetings into her 80's!! Maybe it's what I need to do for success!

 

 

~ Jo ~ :)

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HI all!

 

 

 

 

 

McBeeze ~ great weight loss & thanks for the info.

 

You're the 3rd person I've heard that's lost quite a bit of weight with WW. It sounds great but I just can't see paying money to do so.:o My DD actually worked at the meetings weighing people I think & a friend of mine still went to the meetings into her 80's!! Maybe it's what I need to do for success!

 

 

 

 

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

 

 

Jo,Yes the plan works! But one had to really work, I started in 2006 got to goal then I took the scenic route. But now I’m Back on the straight and narrow path... [emoji4] Gloria

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Hello all :)

 

 

 

Four years ago, I finished a 3 year journey to improving the likelihood I would have a healthy future - in making those changes I lost close to 100 lb. (I had prior dropped 50 lb or so from grief being widowed in my 30’s). People often ask what I did and the answer is pretty simple - weight watchers online, working out 5-7 days a week, and being both committed and realistic (like knowing that first week’s loss is mostly water and from there the loss will be pretty slow for most of us). Since that loss, my weight has bounced around a bit, at most 25 lb. up after some surgery that kept me home for 2 months (I was likely 6 or so pounds underweight at the lowest); my weight generally has bounced around within that range since. Given some metabolic and thyroid issues, and at 57, I’m proud to have achieved the loss. But it also continues to be a journey!

 

 

 

Because of the way my body works, going on a cruise for 10 days means 8-10 lb up (with water on top of that). My new joke is that I diet and cruise, diet and cruise :') But it’s not far from true! I don’t try to eat healthy while on vacation, it was the deal I made with myself early on (since I don’t do cheat days, I’m pretty faithful when I decide to do something). I also work out daily (which helps my metabolism by reducing insulin resistance).

 

 

 

So before mid October I hope to have 10 lb off and then another 10 or so off between the end of that cruise and the next on in January that will be 10 days (since I will gain weight on that first 7 day cruise that will need losing). I wanted to wish you all luck in your own journeys :D and enjoy your next cruise!

 

 

 

McBeeze

 

 

 

Congrats on your weight loss [emoji106]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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HI all!

 

 

McBeeze ~ great weight loss & thanks for the info.

You're the 3rd person I've heard that's lost quite a bit of weight with WW. It sounds great but I just can't see paying money to do so.:o My DD actually worked at the meetings weighing people I think & a friend of mine still went to the meetings into her 80's!! Maybe it's what I need to do for success!

 

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

It's the meetings that are so high priced, online there is usually a 3 month intro special and then it's about $20. I would be one that wouldn't want meetings, just the way I do (or don't do LOL) things. Some people need that - it's just so individual!

 

In the end my weight loss was due to (a) lower fat (worked for me), (b) lower calories, © consistent exercise (not drastic, but exercise), (d) cooking (I have never bothered, eating out or eating from the freezer was a ton of unhealthy food and changing that was major, and (e) making rules for myself that I could live with . The rest was purely psychological (since in the end I had to make that choice of eating something I shouldn't or not, that devil/angel on your shoulder thing - it was really, in the end, what was most important! But do what works for you, what you can live with (as that is what it's about, a new approach to food vs a diet, at least IMHO :-) GOOD LUCK!

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  • 1 month later...

OP - Thanks for this thread. Congratulations. You are awesome and awe-inspiring for your hard work. Some of what worked for you also worked for me, so I just want to highlight those things - they may be universal. COOK and MAKING RULES THAT YOU CAN LIVE WITH.

 

I struggled with my weight for decades and for a few years it's been pretty stable at a weight I like. But still when I'm looking forward to a cruise I like to hang around this forum. It's empowering and validating. I picked up on your joke that you diet and cruise. For me, there is a real connection between dieting and cruising, and that connection is motivation. I took a cruise (solo) a couple of weeks ago and stopped for a photo every time one of the photographers asked. One of the fun things I did on this cruise was to search through the photo display every day to find the previous days shots of me. This got me to thinking, remembering, how much I hated to have my picture taken when my weight was up. Loved ones would have the camera out, seeing only me, the family member, the friend, who they valued. In my mind's eye I was only this blob who would ruin the picture. So happily seeing pictures of myself is a real treat on a cruise. I used to hate shopping. I hated trying on clothes that don't fit, that were so very unattractive. I still don't much enjoy shopping, but when I do need a new item of clothing, there is no dread. Things fit. I buy them. I look forward to wearing them. So if at home I still hang around in jeans and t-shirts, it's fun to be on a cruise wearing anything but jeans and t-shirts - and then to see me in my nice clothes in a professional photo.

 

So happy cruising to you, 2breeze. You have just over 2 weeks to wait! Woo hoo! Enjoy the food. You know it's an indulgence you deserve. And real life awaits at the end of the cruise anyway.

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Hello all :)

 

Four years ago, I finished a 3 year journey to improving the likelihood I would have a healthy future - in making those changes I lost close to 100 lb. (I had prior dropped 50 lb or so from grief being widowed in my 30’s). People often ask what I did and the answer is pretty simple - weight watchers online, working out 5-7 days a week, and being both committed and realistic (like knowing that first week’s loss is mostly water and from there the loss will be pretty slow for most of us). Since that loss, my weight has bounced around a bit, at most 25 lb. up after some surgery that kept me home for 2 months (I was likely 6 or so pounds underweight at the lowest); my weight generally has bounced around within that range since. Given some metabolic and thyroid issues, and at 57, I’m proud to have achieved the loss. But it also continues to be a journey!

 

Because of the way my body works, going on a cruise for 10 days means 8-10 lb up (with water on top of that). My new joke is that I diet and cruise, diet and cruise :') But it’s not far from true! I don’t try to eat healthy while on vacation, it was the deal I made with myself early on (since I don’t do cheat days, I’m pretty faithful when I decide to do something). I also work out daily (which helps my metabolism by reducing insulin resistance).

 

So before mid October I hope to have 10 lb off and then another 10 or so off between the end of that cruise and the next on in January that will be 10 days (since I will gain weight on that first 7 day cruise that will need losing). I wanted to wish you all luck in your own journeys :D and enjoy your next cruise!

 

McBeeze

Lovely story to read, thank you for sharing! I've recently begun the long weight loss journey. Have lost 16 pounds, 50 to go. I've done weight watcher's but have become disillusioned by the focus on selling in the meetings rather than truly teaching and supporting members. I've discovered that my medical insurance covers a monthly doctor visit for weight loss and the co-pay is actually cheaper than WW! So, for now that's my approach. The biggest thing that I must do is plan a lunch for work. If I don't bring it, I'll go out and end up eating fast food. And feel defeated and continue the poor choices!

I am back from an amazing 7-day Alaska cruise where I ate and drank without any dietary concern and was pleased and amazed to find I gained only 2 pounds!

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Congratulations. I've been on WW twice and lost tons of weight both times. 95 lbs the first time, kept it off for 3.5 years, 70 the second time kept it off for 3 years. It works but staying on it was a struggle. I also tried a medical weight loss diet and also lost a lot of weight but again sticking to it was difficult. I've since found a way of eating that works and is easier to stick to for me.

 

Bottom line, find something that works and stick to it.

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Lovely story to read, thank you for sharing! I've recently begun the long weight loss journey. Have lost 16 pounds, 50 to go. I've done weight watcher's but have become disillusioned by the focus on selling in the meetings rather than truly teaching and supporting members. I've discovered that my medical insurance covers a monthly doctor visit for weight loss and the co-pay is actually cheaper than WW! So, for now that's my approach. The biggest thing that I must do is plan a lunch for work. If I don't bring it, I'll go out and end up eating fast food. And feel defeated and continue the poor choices!

I am back from an amazing 7-day Alaska cruise where I ate and drank without any dietary concern and was pleased and amazed to find I gained only 2 pounds!

 

That’s great. It is so hard I know, I struggle still. I didn’t attend meetings, but that would have annoyed me. I may actually try the WW again (either the online or the “free” version on app that I found where I could use,the points plus version vs. the three they have had since because the points plus worked for me). That app also has the new programs for a small fee so let me know and I can send it to you by PM.

 

I gained 9 in Alaska and Canada for 2 weeks so you did great (actually I have no clue how I manage to do that, I’m going to blame it on the gummy bears from the Haven :'):'):')).

 

Lynn

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Congratulations. I've been on WW twice and lost tons of weight both times. 95 lbs the first time, kept it off for 3.5 years, 70 the second time kept it off for 3 years. It works but staying on it was a struggle. I also tried a medical weight loss diet and also lost a lot of weight but again sticking to it was difficult. I've since found a way of eating that works and is easier to stick to for me.

 

Bottom line, find something that works and stick to it.

 

Hi :D

It is a process - not a simple matter of calories in and out for sure. Hormonal issues after menopause make it very difficult, dieting effects the thyroid functions - the end result per my Endo who is one of the top rated is that after a weight loss that significant you can only eat around 70% of what someone like you that never was overweight can eat. That’s major. After menopause almost daily exercise is required to maintain weight and few do that. All of that can be so disheartening - just trying isn’t enough, forces effect us. Science has made progress, but much more is needed. So we just all have to do our best as often as we can. I wish you all the best :)

 

@dcwalker - absolutely :D

 

Lynn

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Amazing journey! Congratulations. As with anything you do, you will be successful if you are determined to embrace the change. I have been a WW since 1988. I have gone from 178lbs-128lbs-238lbs! I am now committed to this being my lifestyle, not my diet. I like the meetings, because it is my time to hold myself accountable. I have currently lost 56 lbs (took 2 years), not sure how much I want to lose. But I do know that I am in charge of myself and I look at everyday as a challenge to be the best that I can be! 25 days to our cruise!

Laurie

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Amazing journey! Congratulations. As with anything you do, you will be successful if you are determined to embrace the change. I have been a WW since 1988. I have gone from 178lbs-128lbs-238lbs! I am now committed to this being my lifestyle, not my diet. I like the meetings, because it is my time to hold myself accountable. I have currently lost 56 lbs (took 2 years), not sure how much I want to lose. But I do know that I am in charge of myself and I look at everyday as a challenge to be the best that I can be! 25 days to our cruise!

Laurie

 

hi Laurie - you are so right, diet isn’t the answer but the change. That can be a bit daunting when as we age our body changes (or for some people illness,like someone required to be on steroids.. must make it so very hard). The good thing at WW is It really does allow you to do things you would like – like the meetings were important for you, but would hate them. It may seem an odd comparison but in in graduate school I was lucky enough to have a major professor who let me work independently and we met when I requested a meeting. Other students preferred those regular meetings and felt that kept them on track. Karina the key is knowing what works for you, knowing yourself well enough to go that route.

 

As a behavioral scientist, I know so well how hard it is from a emotional point of view. But there are also so many physiological aspects that make it far harder than many people without those issues realize (ther was actually a really good article about that in Huffington Post last week, if you get a chance it’s worth the read!). When I saw the results from some testing I ran last year on my DNA I realized that obesity is so complicated - I had 2 copies of the “fatso gene” so named a few years ago, and tons of genes increasing inflammation, metabolic issues, insulin resistance/diabetes, etc. Actually I’m at glad I didn’t know that earlier in my life. But I remember when I first met my new endocrinologist, she was actually rather shocked I have been able to accomplish the weight loss I have with PCOS, a thyroid disorder and in menopause. I have been bouncing around in maintenance, badly in the last 1.5 years... I’m a work in progress.

 

But never say never. It’s a fight and I will fight on and I know you will too!!!

Lynn

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