Weight Loss Discussion Thread

[Butterfly]

Damn!  Caught.

I went across the road to get the bits for my lunch (pitta, houmous, cheese, yoghurt etc), and someone forced me to buy a chocolate bar!

OK, no one forced me.  I was weak and stupid and made a mistake based on habit.

No one forced me to eat it either.  Idiot.

Don't worry!  You'll burn it off riding home into the wind.

Exactly. I'm helping dispose of the gingerbread house at work which probably isn't going to help the diet.

[Wowbagger]

I've actually been hungry a couple of times in the past two days and I can feel the trousers slackening. However, there is still a lot of post-Christas cheese to get through, although we put quite a big dent in it just now at lunch time. The biggest bit left is about half a kilo of Stilton: the brie has now gone, as has the Jarlsberg and there's some organic Glastonbury cheddar left to go. IN addition, we have hardly started the nuts, but they are not quite so viciously fattening as is cheese. We have two more large meals to eat with P & W but when they depart on Friday I'l probably be fighting the dog for his kibble.

[mcshroom]

Hmm, the works canteen doesn't help with the points thingy I'm trying to follow.

[Auntie Helen]

I'm DrMekon on myfitnesspal if anyone else is joining up.

A few years ago I used a site called MyFoodDiary which I paid 6 dollars per month for.

I stopped the payments to that a year ago and had a look around for other sites. I downloaded an app by FatSecret but, as usual, the measurements were too USAian (what's a 'cup' of mushrooms, I deal in grams). I stumbled across MyFitnessPal and it works really well for me as although it has the 'cup' measurements (and also '1 serving' - how big is a serving?) it tends to also have grams. So far it works brilliantly!

I'm Auntie_Helen on there.

[L CC]

However, there is still a lot of post-Christas cheese to get through, although we put quite a big dent in it just now at lunch time. The biggest bit left is about half a kilo of Stilton: the brie has now gone, as has the Jarlsberg and there's some organic Glastonbury cheddar left to go. IN addition, we have hardly started the nuts, but they are not quite so viciously fattening as is cheese. We have two more large meals to eat with P & W but when they depart on Friday I'l probably be fighting the dog for his kibble.

This is a real parents excuse.

Food is just as wasted in you as it is in the bin, if you don't actually need it.

(Although much more enjoyable, obviously)

[Chris S]

I've signed up with myfitnesspal.com this time around. Livestrong never did get their Android app together, and the former seems to "know" all the foods I eat, and now I don't have a gym at home, a portable app is rather more important.

Well - I'm hungrier than a hungry thing, yet have blown today's calorie budget by 200 - so on that miserable note, it looks like myfitnesspal is right on the money .

[dasmi]

Hi'
 
none of us have a problem..........watching 74 stone woman on telly

jesus........pass the mince pies

dave

[mike]

I'm still 2 stone over where I shoudl be, so not exactly a poster child for weight loss, so take this with a big pinch of condiment, but...

what I learned from the 'primal blueprint' is if you swap n calories worth of carbs with the same of protein or [shockingly] fat, you wont feel as hungry as quickly.  Dont eat grains like bread, cereal or pasta, have nuts, some meat or a boiled egg instead. 

[L CC]

I'm still 2 stone over where I shoudl be, so not exactly a poster child for weight loss, so take this with a big pinch of condiment, but...

what I learned from the 'primal blueprint' is if you swap n calories worth of carbs with the same of protein or [shockingly] fat, you wont feel as hungry as quickly.  Dont eat grains like bread, cereal or pasta, have nuts, some meat or a boiled egg instead.

Weight Watchers latest thing also sings from this hymn sheet. Their ProPoints plan is based on lots of fresh fruit & veg and more calories from protein.
I'll tell you how well it works in June.
Sigh.
I have a huge longing for some of that Christmas Cake I left at Mr Smith's.

[Chris S]

I have a huge longing for some of that Christmas Cake I left at Mr Smith's.

(burp)

Um... sorry? Christmas cake? Nah... it's all gone m'dear...

[DrMekon]

@mike - there is a whole literature on satiety. Eggs are a good 'un

http://www.nutritionandeggs.co.uk/page/eggs_satiety

I used oats last year, and they worked for me. There's a diet based on low-calorie density, satiety promoting foods called the volumetric diet. I've read some papers by the researcher who wrote it, but never the book. I should get around to reading it.

@chris - unless you are 23 and from Idaho, I can't find you on there - what's your myfitnesspal name?

@Auntie Helen - cheers for the add.

[clarion]

Oats are wonderful!  I love porridge, oatcakes, haverbread, oat bars, oaty cereals etc.

[simonp]

Right now I’m working on the graphing stuff a bit. I’m hoping to make the graphs roll over from 2011 to 2012 therefore showing the Christmas period rather than just the post-Christmas loss, I need to make it process 2011’s logs and 2012’s also.

Might be ready for the first weigh-in of 2012, certainly should be done this week.

[Marmitegeoff]

Oats are wonderful!  I love porridge, oatcakes, haverbread, oat bars, oaty cereals etc.

I like the oat bran, it seems to reduce the cravings for longer.  There are still 3 tins of chocs in the office, but I have so far resisted,   

Geoff

[citoyen]

I've signed up with myfitnesspal.com this time around. Livestrong never did get their Android app together, and the former seems to "know" all the foods I eat, and now I don't have a gym at home, a portable app is rather more important.

I'm using mynetdiary.com, which has a good iphone app. I might have a go with myfitnesspal.com to see how they compare.

Does anyone here use Fitbit? My wife is keen to try it.

d.

[clarion]

...There are still 3 tins of chocs in the office, but I have so far resisted,   

Geoff

Hey - well done!  We normally get lots of chocs & biscuits from grateful patients, which we tend to share out at the Christmas Dinner, but they came much later this year.  We thought that hard times (hitting very hard in Southwark) meant that we wouldn't have much, but we got loads at the last minute!

It means we will probably have chocolates and biscuits to share on the side in the kitchen for months.

On top of the cakes people bring in when its their birthday.

And the occasional cakes from the patient who is a brilliant baker.

Oh shit

[spenceey]

I've signed up with myfitnesspal.com this time around. Livestrong never did get their Android app together, and the former seems to "know" all the foods I eat, and now I don't have a gym at home, a portable app is rather more important.

I'm using mynetdiary.com, which has a good iphone app. I might have a go with myfitnesspal.com to see how they compare.

Does anyone here use Fitbit? My wife is keen to try it.

d.

I'm really enjoying myfitnesspal you can invite friends and make things easier too. It also seems to know all the foods I eat.

[Andrij]

Surprisingly, just under 85kg this morning.  I'll be picking up a digital scale today for more detailed readings and ease of reading as well.

I've just set up a simple graph for myself based on the weekly weights recorded here, setting a target line of 80kg and an upper limit line of 85kg.  If all goes well I should never cross the upper limit line this year.

[DrMekon]

I've signed up with myfitnesspal.com this time around. Livestrong never did get their Android app together, and the former seems to "know" all the foods I eat, and now I don't have a gym at home, a portable app is rather more important.

I'm using mynetdiary.com, which has a good iphone app. I might have a go with myfitnesspal.com to see how they compare.

Does anyone here use Fitbit? My wife is keen to try it.

d.

It's been evaluated by some people here at work. I think its value is dependent on how much you like the numbers you get from self-monitoring, and the extent to which you benefit from the social side. A pedometer or accelerometer might do the same thing (ie give numbers) for a tenth of the price if she's not going to get caught up with the analysis and social stuff. I would really like one, but I'm resistant to paying all the extra over a normal triaxial accelerometer just for the web stuff.  EG here's one for £35. The waterproof ones we use at work are £180!

[DrMekon]

I'm really enjoying myfitnesspal you can invite friends and make things easier too. It also seems to know all the foods I eat.

I really like the food database they have. I find it's better than livestrong. The app is great for android too, whereas livestrong never got its act together. The cpommunity stuff is good too. Feel free to add me on there - username is Drmekon.

[citoyen]

Does anyone here use Fitbit? My wife is keen to try it.

It's been evaluated by some people here at work. I think its value is dependent on how much you like the numbers you get from self-monitoring, and the extent to which you benefit from the social side. A pedometer or accelerometer might do the same thing (ie give numbers) for a tenth of the price if she's not going to get caught up with the analysis and social stuff. I would really like one, but I'm resistant to paying all the extra over a normal triaxial accelerometer just for the web stuff.  EG here's one for £35. The waterproof ones we use at work are £180!

Thanks for the info. She already uses a pedometer, albeit not a particularly fancy one, but she's also keen on the sleep monitoring functions of the Fitbit. And the wireless uploading of data. She hasn't said whether or not she'd be into the social aspects of it but I have a feeling she would.

The question for me is not so much the cost of the monitor but whether it would be worth signing up for membership - £40 a year seems on the pricey side.

d.

[DrMekon]

Bloody hell, I hadn't noticed that.

FWIW, I know some of the big health/pharma companies are rolling out similar packages, and I strongly suspect they'll be heavily subsidised. You may find small players like fitbit fall by the wayside.

If you want to look into this stuff more, the Quantified Self blog is a great place to start.

http://quantifiedself.com/

[citoyen]

If you want to look into this stuff more, the Quantified Self blog is a great place to start.

http://quantifiedself.com/

Excellent, thanks! I've forwarded the link to my wife. I expect she'll be very interested in that.

The latest post about Amelia Greenhall is interesting - tracking a moving ten-day average weight is more or less exactly what I've been doing for the past five months (only difference is that it's a seven-day average for me) and I've found it quite helpful/encouraging.

d.

[citoyen]

I signed up for myfitnesspal.com with the username widdersbel. I also added DrMekon and Auntie_Helen as friends. Then I realised I'd accidentally signed myself up as a female. Unfortunately, it seems to be impossible to change your sex once you've signed up, so I've deleted that account and started again. 

I'm now signed up as a male with the username citoyen.

d.

[simonp]

Just to be awkward I'll use a space-saving slimmed-down chart. 

If you’re being awkward then I’ll have to put in a work-around to the graphing programme to make sure it still works for everyone else who isn’t being awkward. Thanks.