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Author Topic: Weight Watchers ? first meeting  (Read 11038 times)

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Offline zachysmom

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  • Posts: 112
Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« on: August 12, 2007, 12:02:34 am »
Hi everyone,
I just had a great idea after reading and posting on another thread about weight loss and such, that it would be a great idea to have something similiar to weight watchers or ediets.com on this forum, just for positive folk, like you and me.

So, If anyone would like to lose some weight, in an healthy way, by dieting and excerising, please feel free to post any reciepes, and tips, or excerising routines. Maybe we can work out weekly meal plans and routines for people.

Well it's absolutely free, no cost to join... what do you say?

I'll start first.
Hello MY name is Nicole Smith I'm 5'5 and 180lbs, I would like to lose 40lbs. what would you suggest I might need to start off which? what meal plan? How much exercising?

******A little desclaimer***********
I know that any advice we give people on the forum is purely advice, and in noway is it taking the place of a real doc's advice.

I just thought it might be fun to swap info, like having a minny support group in a support group.........

feedback please..
Nicole
From Russia with love,
Nicole

Offline nottsnicola

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  • Posts: 12
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2007, 05:28:00 pm »
Hi Nicole,

Thanks for your post, like your idea and would love to share diet and exercise tips. Being on HIV meds can help us all live long lives, but we all need to do a bit more than just down the tablets every day.

My name's Nicola, I'm living in the UK and been diagnosed with HIV and on meds since 2002. I've only recently joined this forum but have been "lurking" for some time getting up courage to join in, although this really is a great forum.

Anyway, when I was diagnosed, I'd lost loads of weight due to various illnesses but since then, just piled on the pounds on the grounds that it was "best to have some to spare" plus total inactivity and lack of energy/motivation to get into cooking decent meals or exercising. This January, at my routine clinic appointment, I got hauled in by our HIV dietician, who told me my BMI was on the point of putting me in the "obese" category - I was 160 lbs, 5'2. Apart from the lecture, the dietician didn't give me much help but I decided to start taking a few small steps to do something about my weight, diet and fitness.
I decided on eating for health as a priority - yeah, I love food and tend to comfort eat rubbish, especially chesee, pepperoni pizza, ice cream and potato chips! But I went to a bookstore and bought this great little book called "Top 100 Immume Boosting Foods" - some great recipes in there using stuff like watercress, artichoke, beetroot, avocado, shiitake mushrooms (sounds awful I know, but some of the recipes are really great). So I started on aiming to eat healthy, immune-boosting food, not worrying too much about counting calories and stuff - getting into spending time preparing healthy, nutritious meals. And lo and behold - my weight started to drop. All very gradual - which is what any medical professional would recommend (remember - 2 lbs per week is the absolute maximum recommended weight loss). I cut down on fat and snacks as well and started to walk more - at that point I was too self conscious to join a gym. So for me, it just seemed to work for me in terms of weight loss to just start slowly, make some fundamental changes to my basic diet by aiming to eat healthily and the weight started to fall off.

Finally last month, my weight got down to about 140 lbs and I felt confident enough to approach my local health club/gym about membership - I got a real welcome there from the staff, who stressed that nobody was going to force me into doing anything I didn't want to do and they have such a range of exercise activities available, I can do things at my own pace. I  decided to join but was terrified at my induction session - thought the trainer would write me a programme that involved circuits and running miles on a treadmill - not at all, they said do what you like, start off with small steps, just get the feel of the place, do a bit of swimming, join one of our group classes like Tai Chi or Yoga. I still have a major inner battle with myself to get myself down to the club - my motivation is variable to say the least. Once I get there, it's fine....sometimes I just need a push from someone to get me there. At the moment I'm just setting myself small targets, like 15/20 lengths of the pool (25m pool) twice per week, maybe have a bit of a stroll on the treadmill (not more than 1/2 mile), maybe one Tai Chi class. You gotta be realistic with targets and not set them too high. Meanwhile, with food, I started with making small changes and took it from there - in my case for example, instead of having a pepperoni pizza (which is loaded with fat) I have a Margherita doused with rocket and topped with a bit of parma ham.

What we all need to appreciate is that it can actually be expensive to both eat healthily and join a gym/health club - I'm not sure how it is in the USA, but with a lot of people living with HIV in the UK on welfare benefits, healthy stuff like fuit and veg is actually quite pricey, while if you go to the local frozen food store, you can buy stuff like micro meals and chicken nuggets for what seems a lower price. Add into that if you're living with HIV and the meds are causing fatigue, it's such a drag to start peeling carrots etc ....As for the gym membership - it's expensive, and I had to make a deal with myself to give up smoking and spend the money I saved on cigarretes on the gym instead, but it isn't easy for everyone to do that.

So, anything we can do as a community to motivate each other to lose weight, eat heathily and exercise, so much the better. At the same time, for anyone wanting to lose weight, it's a hard slog - sometimes when you're living with HIV and life feels like shit, last thing you want to do is start depriving yourself of food that makes you feel good. It's all about finding what works for you - for some people, the actual weightwatchers thing works great - with that programme, at least you can still have treats. We all need to find that balance between feeling good and happy while living with HIV but not going too far down the road of "no pain no gain".

Happy to share some recipes with you - let me know what kind of food you like. And happy to support you or anyone else out there in any way I can.

Here's my first motivational statement for anyone out there reading this: after 6 months of taking small steps to eat a bit better and take a bit of exercise, I lost over 20 lbs. And what is more, my CD4 went up from around 220, 12%,  6 months ago - still having to take dapsone as a PCP prophylaxis - to a CD4 of 320 and 20% last week , highest it's ever been. Whether that's down a bit of diet and exercise, who knows.....

Good luck to anyone reading this.

Nicola x

Offline zachysmom

  • Member
  • Posts: 112
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2007, 10:24:19 pm »
Awesome Nicola,
It's super hard to type your name since my name is Nicole and I just want to type the 'e'. lol

I am really proud of you for taking the effort, and not only losing the 20 lbs but giving up smoking. I to have stoped smoking and that's part of my problem with the weight.
I have had a real problem with will power, and not being able to say no to the donuts in the office, which seem to be there every morning.

However, I will be taking extra steps as well by walking more and using the stairs, and I have started to bring in my own healthy lunch now as well..
It's a start, so far no results, but I just started......

wishing all happy fat shedding...
Nicole
From Russia with love,
Nicole

Offline nottsnicola

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  • Posts: 12
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2007, 08:45:53 pm »
Hi Nicole,

How's it going? Remember - with any weight loss program, it's all about small steps.

I have to admit - I gave up smoking a few months ago and it was all going great - but then the HIV charity I worked for in the UK went bankrupt last month, I lost my job and I got depressed - so I started smoking again and eating...... So if you find it hard to say no to donuts, don't blame yourself = we're all human!

Anyway, sounds like you're making good first steps, like using stairs and bringing in healthy lunch - keep it up and good luck.

Nicola x

Offline zachysmom

  • Member
  • Posts: 112
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2007, 12:13:23 am »
Hey Nicola,
I'm not doing so well myself, your right too many donuts at work,and  the stress of work and high fat food just go hand in hand.
I have started  to bring healthier foods in for lunch and need to start drinking more water. When the weather lets up, i will start taking my son and myself for 30 mins walks around the neighborhod, that should start something in motivation.

I guess you and I are the only one's focused on losing weight, and cleaning up our lives....
If you'd like to email me personally you are more than welcome to,

lufthbyrd@yahoo.com........it would be nice to have a penpal support group on this losing weight and getting better aspect....

take care, keep hanging in there,
Nicole
From Russia with love,
Nicole

Offline noahsark

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  • Posts: 19
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2007, 01:17:34 am »
hi, I do alot of exercising.  I have neuropathy and arthritis so I exercise the most in the pool where I don'tsweat or get weak feeling.  I also have that active leg thing when I'm trying to sleep, so in the bed I'll be doing leg lifts of all kinds, I get up and march or do squats.  I'm usually on my meds and so over tired and wanting to sleep there have actually times where I'll be walking around trying to get the kinks out and I'll fall asleep and wake myself up when I walk into a wall.  I alco have hand weights that I fool around with.  I have a big, fat cylander type punching bag and I can go to the gym when I get motivated or have the gas to do so.  Housework can do wonders if you put alot into it and so does weeding a garden or hoeing or whatever. My appetite is small-thankyou God-so I eat what is good for me and I am usually satisfied.  Tonight I had rice and chinese vegitables.  Iwasn't hungry so that was all I ate today.  Most days I eat 2 times.  I am still overweight-between 200-220, haven't been on a scale but my clothes are fitting better.  I just can't seem to get into a 16 very comfortably, yet.  Oh and I am about 5'10 I guess'  My legs and arms are pretty tight but my middle is awful.  Exercise is also supposed to be good for depression.  Igot used to drinking skim whenn I was on crixivan and I love milk and no fat is really good.  I also take vitamins.  My brother is a body builder an d so I can get info on all this stuff about resistance training cardio stuff, etc.  I think this thread is really good and support thru natural, healthy things is what we all could use a good dose of.  Don't give up on others joining and if they don', we could encourage eachother.  Later, Lisa

Offline zachysmom

  • Member
  • Posts: 112
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2007, 10:58:49 pm »
Hi,
Well, I have started to emplement good, healthy eating habits, and have lost 2 lbs to date....small, but none the less some kind of an accomplishment.
What I'm lacking in is exercise, which I will be starting next week, I just have to really plan it out, because spontaneous just doesn't work for me ( I can't give myself a choice, or I'll choose not to).
But I thought I'd share this on the thread, I was watching Oprah the other day, and this doctor was giving advice on healthy eating (more info can be found on Discovery health channel website), and he said the foods to avoid are: anything with fructose, or high fructose corn syrup, which can age you, and your immune system, white bread or processed foods that say enriched....because that means they took all the good stuff out and added alittle bit back...so eat whole grains instead...eat more fruit and veggies, and less fat.....and natural is always better.

it's a good start....
good luck, keep us posted...and share reciepes as well.

much love,
Nicole
From Russia with love,
Nicole

Offline Seven

  • Member
  • Posts: 108
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2007, 01:26:30 pm »
Nicole,

Great thread!! Well...lets see...I am 5'2 and...ready for this...I am now 235lbs I almost had a heart attck when I stepped on the scale last. I was in SHOCK. Canuse last time I weighed myself before that I was 220. So thats 15 lbs more. Lets just say I have never been over 200 lbs in my life, until after I got on meds. My story was same as one of the others...I had pcp too, was in the hospital...lost SOOOOOOOO much weight and muscle. Then when i got out, just packed on the pounds! The doc did say I would gain weight but, common!! And bigger breasts, like I needed that. I was a G now I am a J or JJ and only 5'2  I hacve always had a hour glass shape body, and I too was into bodybuilding, I loved it and packed on the pounds, so I think alot of my depression was wehn I lost all of my leg muscle in the hospital for 3 weeks lying in a bed. The first day I came home all I wanted to do was come up to my room, but little did I know that you need muscle to make the steps. I just dropped to the floor in tears. I couldn't walk up the stairs. My bf had to carry me. I think I hit the lowest part of my life. Now I am just a big ballon. I have a huge belly due to lipo and love handles....UGH. I miss my old body. I do need help and advice. I think this borad is awesome. I started eating healthy wednesday this week. So it's only day four. My bf and I had a long chat on tuesday night about how we both gained weight and how it wasnt healthy and stuff so we decided together to start changing. Now my whole thing is I have to start excersizing again. The gym is so out of the question right now, cause there is now way I can go back to my same gym and see everyone and they see me and only see Fat me and wonder where the fit and muscular me went. Other gyms are out of the question as well, because I am too embarrassed to train like this. I do have an $1200 ellipitical downstairs, and I really need to find my way back to getting on there and starting my legs to work again. My legs feel like jello...well so does my whole body. :(

Sorry for the long and boring and sometimes off topic story. My journey starting weds and I am gonna stick to it.

Wish me luck!  UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Water time!!!

Offline noahsark

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  • Posts: 19
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2007, 04:28:26 pm »
Well good luck!!!!!!!!  Don't worry about writing too long-it's therapeutic.  Your lucky to have support from your bf.  Keep us informed about your progress.  Later, Lisa

Offline Seven

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  • Posts: 108
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2007, 09:24:47 pm »
Thanks Lisa, I will...

:)

Offline Seven

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  • Posts: 108
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2007, 03:38:59 pm »
well I lost 12lbs already

Offline Seven

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  • Posts: 108
Re: Weight Watchers ? first meeting
« Reply #11 on: October 20, 2007, 03:09:31 pm »
i'm at 20 lbs and counting... ;)

 


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