Losing Weight Support Group

[Alisa]

No I'm not diabetic or pre diabetic . I have been checked and have good glucose levels.  I am working on cutting out liquid calories right now.  I guess its one step at a time but i have such a st rick diet now bc of phosphors and potassium it would suck to limit carbs too.  Can't wait for a transplant .  Hopefully will fix my energy levels and then I can exercise again.

[jbeany]

No I'm not diabetic or pre diabetic . I have been checked and have good glucose levels.  I am working on cutting out liquid calories right now.  I guess its one step at a time but i have such a st rick diet now bc of phosphors and potassium it would suck to limit carbs too.  Can't wait for a transplant .  Hopefully will fix my energy levels and then I can exercise again.

Transplants do give you lots more energy to exercise - and the steroids give you lots more appetite!  Not a win-win situation either.....

[paris]

Alisa, my daughter had a tumor on her thyroid a few years ago and ever since that surgery, her weight is a battle.  The docs say her levels are in the normal range --- but I don't think their range is her normal range.  Too many people have weight problems due to the thyroid.  I think the doctors need to reevaluate their numbers.   I hope things smooth out for you.

I am so fortunate to not be on steroids.  I have lost almost 30 pounds since transplant, but I think it is because my appetite never has come back.  I am never hungry and need to be reminded to eat something.    I hope you get a transplant sometime soon.   This is the first year I have worked on my garden in years because now I can, without being drained for days.    for energy!

[paris]

8 days on the new eating plan. Feeling better on it. I cleaned out the household cupboards and fridge so no harmful foods are in the house.

Great job, Kitkatz.   

[Zach]

8 days on the new eating plan. Feeling better on it. I cleaned out the household cupboards and fridge so no harmful foods are in the house.

Excellent Kit!   

[kitkatz]

Update:   Here i am still on the eating plan and NO cheating done by me! Working out regularly too.
My work out log so far since  6/6/1.  22.5 miles so far on the Big Wheel tricycle.

Date   Miles   
6/6/11   1   
6/7/11   2.5   
6/8/11   Mike   workout
6/9/11   3   12.9-16-1
6/10/11   Mike   Workout
6/11/11   3   17.1-20.1
6/12/11   3   20.3-23.4
6/13/11   Mike work out   
   Bike ride   3   25.1-28.1
6/14/11   Bike ride 3.5   28.1-31.8
6/15/11   Mike work Out    
6/16/211   Bike Ride  4   48.8-52.9

[Cordelia]

I lost a lot of weight with the renal diet. 60 pounds since last August!!!! That's THEE ONLY good thing about the renal diet!!!! I have also incorporated a lot of walking too into my daily regiment.   

[okarol]

  Walking is good for your heart too Cordelia!
Way to go Kitkatz! 

[willowtreewren]

I downloaded an app to my iPhone that allows me (encourages?) to track all my food and exercise. So far, so good. 4.5 pounds. It has a companion app that provides recipes. 

The program is by SparkPeople.

Wish me luck. this beats posting everything I eat to FaceBook. 

I have also been spending a few minutes on the elliptical each day. Can't hurt!

Aleta

[natnnnat]

Good one Willow(Aleta):  I lost something like 15kg using a similar sort of calorie / exercise counting program (CalorieKing:  http://www.calorieking.com.au/) 
I did it for my wedding dress.  Kept the weight off for a while.
Then stopped using the program, and put 10 back on again.  Sigh.  Anyway, they work, when NOTHING ELSE worked for me.
Best of luck to all dieting and exercising people in this thread.  I should get back to my regular walking (follow Gregory) but ... I don't.

[jbeany]

Well, I'm down 27 pounds in the last month.  I'd suggest NOT being impressed.  When the post-op infection got so bad I couldn't keep water down, the weight just fell away.

I'm back on solid food again, thankfully.  With all the rearranging they did to get my guts back on the inside and pull the massive ventral hernia closed though, I still have hardly any space for normal portion sizes in my stomach.  A single cup of soup is a very filling meal right now.  Given that I've got another 20 - 25 pounds I should probably lose as well, I'm kind of hoping that doesn't change any time soon!

So - my progress runs like this - 230 pre-dialysis.  Gradual weight loss over 3 years, both pre and during D. (Terror that my BMI might keep me off the list is a grand incentive plan.) 175 when I went in for transplant.  Down as low as 155 while still on strict IV nutrition, unable to have anything by mouth for 4 months while the hole in my intestines healed.  Gained almost 20 pounds back in the last 2 weeks they kept me on IV nutrition and had me eating as much as I could hold at the same time, to make sure I could "obtain adequate nutrition orally".  Gained steadily and slowly while on high doses of prednisone for most of the next year.  Leveled off to 5 mg of prednisone and stayed at 196 for the last 6 months, thanks to giving up bread and other processed carbs from flour, in spite of not being able to exercise with the massive hernia.  Then surgery a month ago, and I'm still dropping - currently 169.

145 puts me in the upper range of my ideal BMI for my height.  I know BMI isn't a perfect measure of my ideal weight, but given my build is pretty average - it's got to be awfully close.

Now, to just build up enough stamina again to get back on the treadmill and get the rest off the right way!  Right now, just going downstairs to the mail box is a daily ordeal. 

[willowtreewren]

Jbeany, it sounds like you HAVE been on a treadmill....just the wrong kind.

I have managed 12 pounds in 6 weeks with the Spark People program. 

I'm going out to lunch with Mizar on Tuesday. I got smart and down-loaded the nutritional info from the restaurant so I would be prepared. I have a couple of items picked out already so I won't be "tempted" to slip!

Aleta

[gothiclovemonkey]

i joined curves

[rsudock]

Jbeany, it sounds like you HAVE been on a treadmill....just the wrong kind.

I have managed 12 pounds in 6 weeks with the Spark People program. 

I'm going out to lunch with Mizar on Tuesday. I got smart and down-loaded the nutritional info from the restaurant so I would be prepared. I have a couple of items picked out already so I won't be "tempted" to slip!

Aleta

I hope Mizar is doing well!! Tell her Hello!! that is great you two are getting together!!

xo,
R

[kitkatz]

17 pounds so far, 1% body fat gone.  Since June 6 of 2011

[okarol]

17 pounds so far, 1% body fat gone.  Since June 6 of 2011

  Way to go Kit!!

[captainallports]

We live by some simple rules in our house and it has helped us lose weight and have stronger bodies.
1) Get up and move around at least 30 minutes a day. You don't have to run, or jog, just get up and walk! Take a exercise class you think is interesting. Go swim or water jog. Getting into the pool is great for those just getting back into exercising!
2) No macha! Meaning it's fine to push yourself, but don't do it out of competition or ego. Exercise is just for you.
3) No injuries! Take it slow and easy in the beginning, train your body slowly, give it a chance to adapt and adjust to what you are doing. Exercise shouldn't hurt while you are doing it. You may be sore after, but that's normal.
4) Be conscientious about your food decisions. I know we all have to be aware of what we eat to begin with, but look at cutting back on your portions, eat more veggies and fruit (if you can) The freshest food for your body is the best!
These four simple easy to remember rules have helped me lose 35lbs over the last 7 months. I never consider it a "diet", it's just incremental changes I am undertaking to take care of my body, so I can be here longer with my loved ones, and have a better quality of life. And get the people around you involved. It helps ALOT. I have a trainer, my partner, and four other people I work out with. So I have a whole support team to help me get to the gym when I need it. And some days I need a good butt-kicking to get me motivated to go.
I wish you the best in achieving your weight loss goals!

[Cynna66]

Hi all. I just joined yesterday but saw this thread and thought I would comment, too! I have been working on weight loss. Joined WW a couple months ago and have been walking, light weights, stretching and floor exercises. I have lost a total of 40 lbs as of this week! It's nice to see a support group here for this sort of a thing! Nice to see all the hard work, it's encouraging!

[jbeany]

Okay, I've had enough!  My favorite jeans are too tight - and they were too loose not that long ago.  Since Friday, I've been counting both calories and carbs.  No more than 1200 calories a day, and no more than 30 carbs a day.  (Yes, I'm turning into a rabbit - there aren't many other food options with those limits!)  I've also added an extra mile a day on my treadmill, and made sure I've been doing it, not just thinking about it, so I'm now doing 2 miles consistently.

I weighed myself again this morning.  4 pounds off in 3 days!   

I know I can't keep the 1200 calorie limits up for long without going crazy, but I'm determined I'm going to do it for a week and see how close I can get to the weight I was before I slacked off my diet to remodel my new house.  After that, I'll bump it up to something closer to 1500 or 1600.  I have company coming for the weekend, so I'm not going to manage the diet well then anyhow, so it will be a good time to ease up.

[Whamo]

  I applaud the success stories I've read on this thread.     I'm going to Disneyland today to party down at the Bayou Bash.  I'm going to focus on the music and fun instead of the food. 

[geoffcamp]

I know this will sound weird but I have kind of the opposite issue. I used to work out a fair bit and was big into sports when I was younger. Since re-starting dialysis after the transplant failed I seem to be loosing all my muscle mass. I eat protein and all my labs are right on the marks but I've lost at least 10-12 kilos of muscle weight in 10 years. Now I'm flabby where I used to be tight. I got back on th gym kick until I had a big issue with my access and my doctors said no more lifting (supposed to stay under 20lbs). I can't seem to figure out a balance between gaing fat and losing muscle mass. Anyone else in my boat. Feel like I'm wasting.

[cariad]

According to the crazy scale, I've lost 3 pounds - so at 127. I am not counting calories (too many years wasted on that) just trying to cut down on carbs and overall amount of food I eat. I don't want to give up wheat because it's just too difficult to find anything at all to eat when I am already a vegetarian. I don't want to spiral back into full-force anorexia either.

I guess my short-term goal is 120, perhaps by the time I fly back to America (about a month from now). My long term goal will be 105ish.

[cariad]

The crazy scale said 124 this morning, I guess I'm down 6 pounds. My clothes seem to be fitting a bit better, so that's nice. I am avoiding sugar as much as possible and trying to make the carbs I do eat of the whole grain variety. (I know, not renal friendly.) This morning I did have half a Costco muffin with Gwyn in bed. Last night they all had Costco pizza and I had vegetable tagine and a large glass of wine. If I am going to eat starchy carbs I find I can get away with it early in the day but at night I will almost inevitably gain weight. I had a slice of the pizza for lunch, so we'll see what the scale says tomorrow. I know it did not accurately reflect my boys' weights, because it said Aidan was 50lbs, but I got a letter from the council that all yr.6 kids were weighed and measured, and Aidan's weight was around 76lbs just as we thought it was.

I have added a new food/supplement to my diet and am testing it out this week, chia seeds. They are tiny black and white seeds that absorb 10 times their size in fluid, turning into a gelatinous substance rather like tapioca in about ten minutes following immersion in liquid. Because they expand so much, people use them to bulk up foods so they eat less, but there is little evidence that they help with weight loss. However, they do supposedly help with manifold other issues like tissue repair after exercise, driving calcium to the skeleton, lowering cholesterol, and providing extra energy. They are called a superfood and came to prominence in the book Born to Run about the native Mexicans who run hundreds of miles a week through the canyons (over rocks, with no shoes) and use this as one of their favoured fuels.

They are sadly not safe for most CKD people I reckon, since one of their touted traits is having twice as much potassium as a banana. However, I only use about a teaspoon a day, so if this is by weight, it would mean that it has twice as much potassium as a bite of banana? I don't know.

[noahvale]

*

[cariad]

I have added a new food/supplement to my diet and am testing it out this week, chia seeds.

Grow your own.   http://www.drugstore.com/chia-barack-obama-determined-pose/qxp213041

It is actually the very same seeds. 
I love the copy that begins "In honoring our 44th US President...."
What an honor indeed. Words would surely fail even our exceptionally eloquent President.