Everyday Systems

I found this yesterday:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28449267/

It's sad -- they lose so much weight, but they can't sustain that after the show; it's not something that works well in daily life.

I think the nature of the show drives these people to do what they do in a competitive manner. When the competition is over, the motivation can likely lapse as well. I've never watched the show, but if they are not driving the point home that this is the beginning of a long journey that will need to continue well after the show is over and they're no longer competing with anyone else, then NBC is doing it wrong.

Egg white only omelet? Chicken breast with no sauce? Constantly feeling hungry?

This would be a very grim way to live, I think.

Blithe Morning wrote:Egg white only omelet? Chicken breast with no sauce? Constantly feeling hungry?

This would be a very grim way to live, I think.

I agree.

I went to this link (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28239000/), too, and I gotta tell ya, I was surprised by how many of them have kept most of the weight off. I do believe it would have been better if they had never lost more than they could maintain, but the first female winner is within a few pounds of her winning weight. That said, I know I'm not going to go the route of strict diet and working out hours a day, so I'll just live in No S Diet world and keep striving to take care of the N days (I don't think I've had two in a row since the week after Thanksgiving.) I did join a Biggest Loser group at work, but I don't plan on trying to win--just get some motivation to stick with my own plan. Speed is not the goal; habit that I can sustain is the goal.

Let's start a "Longest Loser" here.

Scoring formula is %weight lost * years maintained.

Or better yet annual habitcal compliance score * years maintained.

Premier in 2055.

Reinhard

Ha. ha. Reinhard. The problem with your diet is that it takes so darn long to lose weight. Personally, I am sick and tired of focusing on my weight and eating instead of my family, so I'm willing to settle for a slow weight loss that requires little effort or attention. On Tuesday, everyone in my company got very nice jackets. I took the large instead of the extra large. I'm confident I'll fit into it some day!
Kathleen

I knew Reinhard would come up with a sane version of what a biggest loser would be, but I don't know if anyone but us would watch that show...

It would be a REALLY boring show (but a great way to live).

It's like the reverse of that ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."

Reinhard

I've got the Biggest Loser on in the background. Boy, I don't mean to be mean, but those people are really big. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the body can be so plastic. You'd think it would just make someone feel too sick to keep eating. Everyone reaches a point of satiation. It's just amazing how high it can be.

I also think people should be able to go without having to look in a mirror for awhile. I know a lot of people avoid it before they try to lose weight, but it seems to me that if you are quite large and you are actually trying to lose weight, it's going to take awhile before it starts to show, so why torture yourself?

uh-oh, rambling. But we do have the best measure: N days, pure and simple.

oolala53 wrote:I've got the Biggest Loser on in the background. Boy, I don't mean to be mean, but those people are really big. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the body can be so plastic. You'd think it would just make someone feel too sick to keep eating. Everyone reaches a point of satiation. It's just amazing how high it can be.

I also think people should be able to go without having to look in a mirror for awhile. I know a lot of people avoid it before they try to lose weight, but it seems to me that if you are quite large and you are actually trying to lose weight, it's going to take awhile before it starts to show, so why torture yourself?

I feel differently about the mirror.
Even at my largest weights.
I have always had a full-length mirror at the end of my hall,
in my bathrooms, and many other large mirrors placed throughout the house.

It has always been important for me to dress well, and be as well groomed as possible.
I've always liked looking at myself in the mirror,
however I probably didn't always see myself as I really was,
because many times I was shocked to see my reflection in a photo.

On year in my past, I even put mirror tiles on my refrigerator.
I thought it might keep me from overeating...it didn't.
When I replaced the refrigerator, I didn't replace the mirrors.

This fall I watched the Biggest Loser for the first time,
and I am ashamed to say that I felt disgusted by how big the contestants were.
I compared the weights and heights of those women to me.
I am 5 ft 0 inches, and yet my highest weight was 271 lbs. (15 yrs ago)
so I looked as bad and worse as any female contestant,
but I just never dressed in that manner and exposed my naked fat.

Now, for the past three years, I've been maintaining a 75 lb weight loss
from 190 to 115 lbs, which I lost in about a 16 -17 month dieting period.
That previous 80 lbs came off 15 years ago after a Gastric Bypass.
I've lost a net total of over 155 lbs--about 57% of my high bodyweight.

I haven't had any plastic surgery, and in clothes I look great.
Without clothes I find my body very acceptable for a formerly-fat-older-woman.
Today I am very happy with the way I look,
and I really love seeing myself in my full-length mirror as I walk down the hall.
If anyone is interested in checking out my appearance,
my April 25, 2008 post inside my Daily Check In thread has some current pictures...
......with clothes, of course.

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3009

I know what you mean, Bright Angel. Even as I wrote about the mirror, I was thinking the opposite. Curse of the Libra? I worked a long time on acceptance as well. There is only one time in my life I can remember consciously avoiding something because I thought I was too fat. I wore my swimsuit at the beach, walked in my shorts (still do, even though now it's more of an issue of age--sagging skin--but, whaddya gonna do? It's not a character flaw!). And even now, I think I look good, though I'm 20 pounds heavier than I was 20 years ago when I wanted to lose 15 pounds! But, I do know that some people are devastated by the mirror or the scale, etc. maybe they shouldn't avoid them at all. However, I worked in a beauty salon for years and I noticed that when I changed careers and wasn't around mirrors all the time, I forgot about the whole issue a lot more. I guess there's no one way to do it.

Hi Oooh lala.. Just read your post
I read a great book years ago.. A bit new agey, but I go for that stuff
It's not really a classic of literature, but the story is good and the lessons are great and I recommend finding it.. It's called Mutant Message from Down Under, by Marlo Morgan.

It's a woman's Spiritual journey while on walkabout with an Aboriginal tribe in Australia.
At one point, she is out there in the desert wondering how she must look, after weeks of not seeing a mirror.. So she asked people in the tribe to be her mirror.. They would put flowers in her hair, and smile at her...
She was seeing her own inner beauty reflected back in their eyes and faces.
I often think and have heard from mentors whom I respect greatly, that mirrors actually tend to reflect all the negative stuff.
I think they are definitely best avoided at times when a person is having serious issues, and depression etc.. it seems to only reinforce and make those negative messages ("I look horrible", "I look drained" "I'm fat" etc..) worse..

There is one exercise I do love with mirrors. Use them to re program those old messages which are harmful to ourselves, with positive affirmations.
Whenever I catch myself beating my myself up after looking in the mirror, I stop and try to say something positive.
I'm even beginning to start each day with some loving comment to myself in the morning, no matter how I look.. Bags under my eyes, hair flying all over, puffy face etc. Even then, I say "You are a beautiful person and I love you"

As to the Biggest Loser topic again,,, My prediction is that eventually, people will tire, as a society, of the fad diets and stuff, and more and more people will "come out", as many of those previous weight loss winners have done recently, a few years later, to say how harmful, that kind of program really is.. It's just setting them up for future failure and doesn't address their real issues which got them fat to begin with.

Then there will be a NOS revolution!!!
It's already a formidable force here as a somewhat underground movement, but I still say it's the Holy Grail of Diets and will find it's way to Oprah and help save the rest of the world

gratefuldeb67 wrote:Thanks Bright Angel!
I came to your thread to find your pictures and couldn't see where they are.
Debs

My pictures are in a post I made on April 25, which is in the middle of page one of my Daily Check In thread.
For convenience, here is a copy of those pictures.

As an introduction to those who might be interested in my progress,
below are links to some pictures and graphs of my History.

• 115 lbs 1/2006 http://pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/DP-Jeans.gif
  115 lbs 1/2006 http://pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/DP-Gaucho.gif
  105 lbs 7/2007 http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal2 ... 7-3-07.gif
  105 lbs 8/2007 http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal2/DP-Goal2/pc.gif
  Weight Loss History Graph http://pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/1-weightGraph-1.gif
  Weight Loss Calorie History Graph http://pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/1-calorieGraph-1.gif
  Weight Maintenance-1 year http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/ ... intain.gif
  Maintenance Calories-1 year http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/ ... intain.gif
  Weight Maintenance-2 years http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/ ... in-Lrg.gif
  Maintenance Calories-2 years http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/ ... in-Lrg.gif
  2006 Maintenance Averages http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal/2006--11.gif
  2007 Maintenance Averages http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal2/2007-12mo.gif
  2008 Maintenance Averages http://www.pcollins.com/upload/DP-Goal2/2008-3mo.gif

Those are all very nice!! You look terrific!!!
Debs x