A Challenge.........as we enter into the "Traditional Weight Gaining Season"

[docrobbysherry]

Yeah, I put on 3 pounds this morning! Because we had our FIRST Xmas dinner yesterday! Just as I expected!

The next Xmas dinner isn't until Sat., but I'll be staying with relatives the three day BEFORE then! So, 3 more pounds this week, and 3 more on Sat! OMG! Looks like I'm going to go OVER the 10 pounds I EXPECTED to put on! EEK!

We've still got a third Xmas dinner next week at my sisters and I USUALLY put on a couple pounds watching the games New Years day! Looks like it'll HAVE to be celery, carrot sticks, ice tea, and soup New Years, instead of chips, dip, hot dogs, and cervezas!

As it is, it'll take me over a MONTH to drop just 10 pounds! Oh well! Those tite gowns in the closet will just have to wait until Easter, I guess! SIGH!

Hope u all will do better than I!

[Andrea's Lynne]

Great thread!!! I haven't read all the posts, but am definitely interested in losing 15 - 20 lbs. Just noticed this morning that my scale scolded me at 198 .... ugh!!!!

[gwenbeth]

Well this week I have managed to weigh in at 209! And that was even after a xmas dinner at my parents. I tried to eat more of the veggies and less of the potatoes and rice. It is going to be hard the next few weeks with Christmas and a lot of traveling, but I think if I can keep away from the sweet stuff, i might be able to hold off any gain.

[CindyT]

I'm In! But... I'm not starting till Jan 1st. I'm at a whopping 233 lbs! An all time high for me! I've outgrown most all my female AND male clothes! I look like I'm in my 2nd to 3rd tri-mester!!! My plan is less alcohol and to run/walk at least 2 miles per day beginning on the 1st.. I'm here for you all!!!

[Heather_Marie]

It sounds like we have some good things going on in this thread welcome aboard Andrea's Lynne and CindyT it's great to have you in the Challenge I know we can all do it. I know it's a hard thing to get into but remember a habit is made in 30 days and once it's a habit it stays with us. Today I come in at 172.0 even so that makes 2.6 lost so far.

[insearchofme]

Weighted in today at 228 again.

It seems that I am on the dreaded "Plateau"! Some may not know the term, it's when you get to a point where you not losing even though you are still trying to. This is the most difficult part of losing weight. Intellectually I know that this happens. Your body is still adjusting to your weight loss, you are still exercising but now that you've lost some weight it takes more exercise since you're not carrying around your starting weight. Maybe the foods you're eating are causing you to retain water, maybe you're starting to develop more muscle mass (muscle weights more than fat). However, emotionally I feel like crap, all this self denial with stalled results really sucks. This is the point where a lot of folks will say ,"Screw it"(or something along those lines) and go off their weight loss strategy. I've done it before

This is definately not the time to do such a thing. You may want to review your plan and see if there is another way around it. Remeber we all lose weight differently and what works for me may not work for thousands of others. You may want to keep a food diary, record every thing you eat that day. Make some adjustments. If you are exercising definately keep an exercise diary. I do and my current diary goes back to 2003. I use this to mainly track my strength training but I do put overall exercisng in it. By doing so you migth want to change your exercise level.

One thing is you may not want to weight in each day. When I try to lose weight I usually weight in once a week. This way you most likely not to get bumbed if you gain a lb or two because of water weight or over indulgence one day. I am doing the weight in every day to see how it goes for me. Most people who have dramatic loss and not and steady weight loss are those of us who are grossly over weigth (think Biggest Loser over weight). If you're over your target weight by around 50 lbs. or more you should see your doc for help. If you do wear your prettiest bra and panty set.

So don't get discouraged if your progress stalls, it happens for every one. In fact by writing this I feel better about my self and I'll stay on plan until Thrusday; my wife's birthday (going out to dinner but will eat only half it it but it'll be fattening), then on Christmas Eve I'll cheat a bit, on Christmas I don't care I'll eat any damn thing I want and I will get some of the best alcoholic eggnog there is: Evan Williams brand. It has Burbon, Blended Burbon, Rum, Brandy and of course some egg nog!

If I can't get back here for a while please have a Very Merry Christmas!

BIG HUGS TO ALL, dana

[Madilyn A.]

Some progress dropped another 2 lbs. as of this morning. Still well off my interim goal. My desire is to wear some of my great dresses from a few years ago. Also, I wish to stay at my ideal weight of about 210 and this 6'3" frame should be healthier and more shapely......If anyone is for continuing this thread into the New Year, then I'm all for it as well. I hope all of you are just about ready for the Holidays. Wishing all of you the best !

[insearchofme]

Up a 1/2 lb (229), had lunch with a freind and ate a bit more than normal. What the heck, had a good time!

[paulaluvssz8]

As the title states. Weight loss to get a more femme look? I know I'm over weight and I can tell it in my everyday performance. I'm looking to losing some weight, around 25-30lbs. And I would like to do it without building a male frame. What kind of workouts have any of you done that will help promote a more femme look? I'm up for suggestions.

[Jill M]

Madilyn,
I am in. Lost about 25 pounds this past year. Like to lose another 10 pounds. It will be tough with all the Chistmas cookies on the table. Love them.

[Madilyn A.]

As the title states. Weight loss to get a more femme look? I know I'm over weight and I can tell it in my everyday performance. I'm looking to losing some weight, around 25-30lbs. And I would like to do it without building a male frame. What kind of workouts have any of you done that will help promote a more femme look? I'm up for suggestions.

Paula, Our resident expert, Dana can help you out here. She has given me some great advise and is well versed in body building, I'm thinking Pilades, but I'm sure Dana will be happy to give some advise......Best of luck and happy holidays !!

[makin' it real]

It seems that I am on the dreaded "Plateau"!

Yeah, Dana, I feel you. I had been plateau'ed at 173 for a week and a half. Finally broke through by increasing my walk time and drinking more water, just as you suggested. Thanks. Got down to 169 a few days ago, then had my inner rebel pig out for a day. Gained 4.5 pounds in one day! Yikes! I'm back down to 170 today and will keep moving in that direction. I'm committed to staying with good food management except on Christmas day itself.

What kind of workouts have any of you done that will help promote a more femme look?

Hi Paula. I'm no expert, but I have been reading up on ways to increase the feminine shape of my body, so I'll share some of what I've found useful.

First thing is about function rather than form. Women generally move their bodies more fluidly and freely than men do. Men tend to hold their hips, waist, torso, and arms rigidly. Doing things like yoga, stretching, and dancing can help us free up our limited movement patterns to allow more responsive and graceful movements that more closely approximate feminine movements.

Back to form, there are many things we can do to heighten feminine curves without increasing masculine musculature. The primary visual cue for perceiving "woman" rather than "man" is the waist to hip ratio, so the majority of our efforts should be focused there.

Men tend to add excess pounds in the abdomen. Losing the extra belly fat is the fastest way to change the waist-hip ratio. That's part of what we're doing on this thread through weight loss.

Next is reducing the waist through creating a "girdle." We have 4 major layers of muscles in the abdomen and they criss-cross the waist in 4 different directions, vertically, horizontally, and both diagonals. These bands of muscles also wrap around the sides and back of the waist, not just the front. Doing straight sit-ups or crunches works the rectus abdominus (the six pack) muscles almost exclusively, and will do very little to change the overall shape of the waist since these muscles are only on the front, are relatively narrow, and are most superficial. To create a waist-slimming girdle, we have to strengthen all those other abdominal muscles as well. This means doing exercises that move our waist in all directions, not just forward and back. So twisting crunches, bicycle crunches, standing side bends, standing twists, and standing pelvic circles can all help. So will laying on your back and bringing your knees toward the floor across your body, and laying on your stomach and lifting cross arm-leg combinations. All of these will help strengthen the deeper muscles and will "draw in" your waist from the sides, front, and back, giving you a more feminine hip-waist ratio.

The other element in that ratio is the hips. We want to make our hips bigger. Women carry more of their weight below the waist than do men, so increasing the size of our muscles below the waist is okay, and will help to visually feminize our weight distribution. The two places to emphasize here are the butt and the hips. Any kind of squats or lunges will do wonders for targeting the butt muscles. Bicycling is particularly good for shaping the butt too. For adding hips, you'll want to do movements that lift your legs out to the sides. You can lay on your side and lift the top leg upward, or combine a squat with a lateral leg lift as you rise. This latter has the added benefit of working those deeper abdominal muscles to help create the girdle.

Those are the primary shapers. Some secondary shapers include things like doing nothing, and I mean nothing, that exercises the muscles in your arms. Try to lift or carry as little as possible, and certainly no push-ups, pull-ups, or other upper body exercises. We want to lose muscle in the arms to slim them down. I've lost several inches in my upper arms over the past year, at least partly from consciously eliminating as much use of the arms as possible.

Another key to feminization of overall appearance has to do with posture and movement of the shoulder girdle. Men hold their shoulders and arms in a way that conveys strength, rigidity, and readiness for use. Chest up, elbows out. Women seems to carry their arms as if their arms are just along for the ride. The shoulders hang relaxed and the arms swing freely. Elbows in, wrists slightly turned out. Stretching and massage can help free up the usual locked and loaded male shoulder position. Try consciously lowering the shoulders so they move down and back, drawing them toward the middle of your spine. This has the added benefit of narrowing your ribcage and making your chest more pronounced, but still with a softer presentation than the usual male chest "thrust."

When choosing exercise plans, use programs that women use (excepting arm strengthening moves). I've started doing Zumba on occasion, and boy oh boy does it work all the right places for creating a feminine shape. Plus it makes me move in a very feminine way. There's just no getting past how femme I feel when doing those workouts.

Well, there's my two cents. Hope it helps. I'd love to hear what others do to femininize their bodies as well!

[insearchofme]

Paula

Listen to makin'it real (Rachel?)

She's spot on, and Pliaties works well also as a total body conditioner. If you need anything else message me.

Hugs, dana

[Madilyn A.]

I was down 2 more lbs. this morning, still well off my interim goal, but making progress......BTW, a tremendous amout of great information has been posted, along with some real success stories........ How are you doing in this, the weight gaining season ?

[insearchofme]

Lost that 1/2 lb I gained now back to 228.5.

[Juliemckay]

I don't think I'll post my weight here. But I am down 2 1/2 lbs from when I started. I think it's because I trimmed my eyebrows.

Last year I dropped 30 lbs, I hope to drop another 30 lbs this year... 27 1/2 lbs to go. Yeah?

[suchacutie]

I added to this thread on the 8th, and the very next day came down with a whooping cold! With all the liquids and meds, and two parties in there, I ballooned from 181 to 187....this morning my cold has ended and I'm back to 181...

Ready to start again...in Dec. 23... oh dear...this will take effort!

tina

[makin' it real]

Well, same 170 this morning as yesterday, even though I ate less, drank more water, and walked twice as much. Urg. Okay, just keep at it.

But I am down 2 1/2 lbs from when I started. I think it's because I trimmed my eyebrows.

Oh my goodness, Julie! I nearly spewed on that one! That was hilarious!

this morning my cold has ended and I'm back to 181...

Hi Tina, welcome back. I would have thought being sick ought to make us lose weight instead of gain. Seems odd to me, but I don't want to test my apparently mistaken theory! I'm glad you're feeling healthy again. Good luck, and you know it's okay to modify your target weight's timeline, right?

[Karren H]

I bumped up a pound to 179 and had a bunch of cookies today thanks to my dear wife.. But heading to the ice rink to blast some of the calories away!! Our playoffs... Have another game after Christams too!

[Salina]

I am ready to join in...I'm 5'11" 188 looking to get to 175. I was at my heaviest ever last July at 215 and my yearly physical revealed high blood pressure for the first time ever! I have taken off 27 pounds and the BP is back to normal, but man oh man those last 10-15 are the hardest to take off. I have read only a handful of the posts and will get through them all over the next few days.I wish everyone success!!

[makin' it real]

So many people have shared so many good suggestions, I thought I'd collect some of them into batches for easier reference. ~Rachel

JohannaH: Looking nice in skirts and dresses is a powerful motivator to lose weight. …I notice that my breasts are a bit more noticeable with my lower weight. I endure being teased by my wife about my "tits", "boobies", or the latest one, "chi-chi's", whenever I wear a dress with a tight fitting top.

MadilynA.: Dropping a dress size or two, getting into a particular dress that we have "outgrown", forgoing the Yo-Yo dieting which normally starts in January, and if nothing else; improve our health.......Good luck to all............Maddy

JohannaH.: I have a nice cute blue dress that is too small for me. So I need to drop another 15 lbs. My wife makes fun of me that I am losing weight so I can have a girlish figure and fit into my dresses.

Maria_1969: My SO gave me some incentive as she is at 5'8" and 145lbs and a size 8-10 that is I can lose enough weight, forget just sharing our skirts and pantyhose but I may be able to fit into her dresses.... Has me thinking that losing weight will SAVE me LOTS of money on clothing. :-)

Maddy: Simply eat more good foods and less bad foods. Drink less liquor or soft drinks, you all know the routine. Increase your daily physical exercise. Cut down on portions, etc, etc, etc.!!!

Now we have tons of (bad word) experts who can contribute whatever works for them, tell us what is working for you, tell us when you fell off the wagon, we all will at some point. Let’s talk about our goals, for me it's reducing my dress size and getting into a few dresses and jeans I just love! My extra 20 lbs. has made my face fatter!

Last year at this time I was about 275, long story, but meds had something to do with it. Last year I started to lose weight on Jan 1 and was down to 214 by March 1. So, I will keep you abreast of my progress. I have a number of suggestions such as use a teaspoon instead of a table spoon, eat as much cabbage, as possible, limit your portion sizes to nothing more than the palm of your hand.

BrandyJ: Just a thought. For those of us that can stand to lose 20 or more pounds, I think we should set our goals lower than the ultimate target goal. Example: If I need or want to lose 40 pounds total, why not set a short range goal of 5 pounds. That way when you have reached that short range goal, you will feel good about your progress and want to set a new goal of another 5 pounds and so on. But if we set the goal of 40 pounds and back slide, we might feel discouraged and give up. I used to use this method on my golf students when teaching golf. Let's say their average score was 100. Sure they'd like to shoot a par round. But that does not happen overnight. So I'd ask them to set a goal of just beating their lowest ever round. Maybe that was 95. So if they work to improve and go out and shoot a 94 or even a little better, then they are inspired to work harder. Then set a new goal, like breaking 90 for the first time. But to set a goal of shooting par, say 72 on the average course, then they become discouraged and feel like a failure in golf.

So my goal is set to just be a few pounds lighter this week over last. And then my next goal will be the same, lose a few pounds the next week, if I successfully lose that few extra pounds. If we set our goals to high, it is easy to get down for not getting there soon enough. Baby steps to the ultimate goal.

Seamed Nylons: I love my 32" waist, which means that all my 40+ years of collecting garments/slips, dresses, panties, girdles, garter belts, tops, women's jeans, leggings, expensive latex outfits, still fit and wear comfortably.

Dana: It seems that I am on the dreaded "Plateau"! Some may not know the term, it's when you get to a point where you not losing even though you are still trying to. This is the most difficult part of losing weight. Intellectually I know that this happens. Your body is still adjusting to your weight loss, you are still exercising but now that you've lost some weight it takes more exercise since you're not carrying around your starting weight. Maybe the foods you're eating are causing you to retain water, maybe you're starting to develop more muscle mass (muscle weights more than fat). However, emotionally I feel like crap, all this self denial with stalled results really sucks. This is the point where a lot of folks will say ,"Screw it"(or something along those lines) and go off their weight loss strategy. I've done it before

This is definitely not the time to do such a thing. You may want to review your plan and see if there is another way around it. Remember we all lose weight differently and what works for me may not work for thousands of others. You may want to keep a food diary, record everything you eat that day. Make some adjustments. If you are exercising definitely keep an exercise diary. I do and my current diary goes back to 2003. I use this to mainly track my strength training but I do put overall exercising in it. By doing so you might want to change your exercise level.

One thing is you may not want to weight in each day. When I try to lose weight I usually weight in once a week. This way you most likely not to get bummed if you gain a lb or two because of water weight or over indulgence one day. I am doing the weight in every day to see how it goes for me. Most people who have dramatic loss and not and steady weight loss are those of us who are grossly overweight (think Biggest Loser overweight). If you're over your target weight by around 50 lbs. or more you should see your doc for help. If you do wear your prettiest bra and panty set.

So don't get discouraged if your progress stalls, it happens for everyone. In fact by writing this I feel better about myself and I'll stay on plan until Thursday; my wife's birthday (going out to dinner but will eat only half of it, but it'll be fattening), then on Christmas Eve I'll cheat a bit, on Christmas I don't care I'll eat any damn thing I want and I will get some of the best alcoholic eggnog there is: Evan Williams brand. It has Bourbon, Blended Bourbon, Rum, Brandy and of course some egg nog!

[makin' it real]

Nicole Erin: Just do an honest assessment of what you are eating, and if it is over what you really need, just cut back. I eat the same stuff as normal but in smaller quantities. I also cut out 1 can of cola and quit buying a king size candy bar each day.

RachR: Yesterday was my rest day and I didn't realize how much I needed it; nice to have that day to allow my muscles to recover so I'm not sore every day.

Dana: Since there will be no change in my caloric expenditure, all my fat loss (yes I'm using the F word) will be from reduced portions and drinking more water. I did read recently that if you drink a pint of water before you eat you'll lose much more fat. So here goes (me going to the potty more often I'm sure).

Danni Bear: The goal was to fit in my great grandmothers wedding dress in Sept. for my remarriage to my husband. Lots of exercise and four daughters and three daughters-in-law working my butt off on a daily basis for eight months. Changing what and how much I ate along with giving up my beloved DR. PEPPERS. No sacrifice is too great is what they kept telling me. LOL.

BrandyJ: Have only a 30 minute lunch break and I usually go a mile up the road to the nearest McDonald’s. My regular lunch would consist of 2 sandwiches off the dollar menu and a large drink. That is always sweet iced tea. Well last week I decided to cut back and eat only 1 sandwich and drop to a medium sized ice tea. I also mix the sweetened tea with the non-sweetened tea. So each work day I have cut maybe 333-400 calories at lunch alone. The good part is I am saving. It used to be $3.90 for the 2 sandwiches and large drink and now it's $2.62 for the 1 sandwich and the medium drink. So that's $1.28 a day I save... times a 5 day work week, equals $6.40 times a 4 week month equals a savings of $25.60.

Tina (suchacutie): My approach has been to change my eating habits. I only use a small plate and I don't refill it. I also drink a large glass of carbonated water before and one during dinner. Dinner always is a mix of at least 5 different foods, a little bit of each. I've found that keeps me interested in the food, requires that I eat it more slowly, and am quite satisfied after the meal. I have eliminated absolutely NO foods from my diet because I want to lose weight. I am completely working with quantity control, and so far it's knocked off 30 pounds with no Yo-Yo beyond 2-3 pounds when I eat a pile of salty food.

SeamedNylons: Lot's of double fiber diet, plenty of exercise, running walking has kept me trim @ 6'2" 190. Same as my HS weight as a tight end for the football team. Double fiber cereal and bread, eating supper early and only eating 1-2 meals a day. No junk food and I don't drink any alcohol...even beer or wine...that stuff will fatten you up for sure.

Suzanne Bender: I have always watched calorie labels and lately I have started keeping track. It’s pretty funny because where I am is the center of Machoville and the guys I am here with have also picked up the habit. It’s kinda funny to watch them obsess about how many calories are in 8 saltine crackers and a package of peanut butter. I am trying to eat at least two good meals a day and a snack. Last night wasn't so good I had an entire large Domino's ham and pineapple pizza, but I left 750 calories behind in the gym so I don't feel guilty. Well maybe a little but......

Katie Ellen: The keys for me so far are:
* Fast food no more than ONCE a week, if that. And if you do, don't pig out.
* Walk at least 2 miles every day. Get as much exercise as possible. It helps curb your appetite.
* Alcohol (beer) 1 night a week at most (I bowl). I only have 3 or 4 at most.
* Eat healthier food at all meals. As much fruit and vegetables as you can. Less starch.
* Drink as much water as you can.
* Avoid snacks, but don't deny yourself a slight taste once in a while. Try eating sugar free jello.
* For me, cutting carbs works best.
My goal is to get my BMI to a healthy level (25 and under).

Dana Fleming: Speaking of beer, Ben Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy"! Maddy, just one tip on beer. Guinness (I know it's not for everyone) has fewer calories than most beers. In fact it has only 10 more calories per volume than a Lite beer. It has less alcohol per volume than a beer. It has more antioxidants than a glass of wine. It also fills you up so it's not easy to drink more than two. So now you have it, Guinness is a health food!!!

Anything I can do to help out my beer drinking sisters!

Morgan51: Portion control for me is probably the answer. I will start weighing my meals again and see what happens.

Madilyn A.: Saw Dr. Oz. today on the TODAY show, he suggested to not only record your weight daily, but what you eat.....Good Idea !!!!

Rachel (makin’ it real): My sister is a dyed in the wool diet nerd. She says if you limit your foods to just vegetables, nuts, and small portions of meat, that you can eat as much as you want and still not gain weight. Have any of you heard that as well?

LilSissyStevie: Low carb/ low cal works for me. I track my food intake and calories at http://fitday.com/.

Madilyn A.: Thanks again to Lilsissystevie for the www.fitday.com tip. I consumed fewer carbs, and calories yesterday, and knew how I was doing as a result of fitday.com. Interestingly, I was able to consume some "goodies", and still stay nourished and satisfied.

BrandyJ: I think I already posted about how I lost 13 pounds in 10 days on the Atkins diet about 7 years ago. much pro and con about the Atkins diet available to read. But I discovered something when I was doing it. Since I was not eating anything with carbs, I discovered that I was not hungry as when I ate portions of carb heavy foods. An example of what I ate is 6 eggs, and a 1/2 pound of ground beef. It broke a habit of always getting seconds for dinner. I might also have chocolate pudding (sugar free) made with half and half, topped with lots of whipped cream. For lunch (when I ate it) I'd have a whole roasted chicken sold at a local grocery store. Basically I lived on chicken, beef and eggs. If I had any vegetables it would be broccoli since it is very low in carbs as is any green leafy veggies are. It got boring, but like I said, I was never hungry. While I was doing this I saw a report on TV that said they discovered a part of the brain that reacts to carbs. Basically it said that gland or whatever it was turned on and made you want more carbs the more you ate. They said there is something to the Lays potato chip line that says " BET YOU CAN'T EAT ONE" So that explained why I never had my usual seconds and was never feeling hungry.

The only bad thing about the Atkins diet is it cost me my gall bladder. Not good. But my cholesterol was never better.

Atkins was right about some things. Carbs turn into glucose in the body, and what is not used is stored in your fat cells. Fat does not make you fat, but glucose does. He pointed out that since the grocery store shelves began lining their shelves with no fat and low fat items, the American public's average weight went up 9 pounds in a period of several years after the start of the low fat/no fat foods became available. And the rise in diabetes is also a result of the same.

White flour is one of the culprits. so if you cut out or way down on things like white bread, cake and other things made with white flour, you are doing yourself a favor.

So based on this I try to watch carbs, not calories or fat content. That is other then saturated fats, the really bad thing. Also stay away from anything made with corn syrup.

Just my two cents.

Dana: Since we are giving tips please allow me to do so also. Just so you know I know a lot about losing weight. I used to be a high school and college wrestling coach and I taught health classes including Diet and Exercise. Here is a good exercise tip for burning calories. Go out in the cold and walk, no need for heavy exercise. When you are cold the body uses up calories to produce heat. The night before tournaments we would weight in and if one of my wrestlers wasn't on weight, we'd go out in the cold and walk for about an hour, this was less hard on the body than running around in a sweat suit like so many wrestlers did. We never had any one miss weight.

Another tip is water! Most of us don't drink enough water and it is important to drink a lot of it when we are trying to lose weight. Think of it as flushing out the system. I think that most of my weight loss is because I am drinking a lot of water during the day. I read a study the other day saying that in a research project people on a diet lost 14-15 lbs more ,on average, than a control group, when they drank a pint (16 oz) of water before meals. Another tip is that if you want to speed you metabolism up (you do on a diet) drink 16 oz COLD water as soon as you get up. this will kick up the metabolism. I have a hard time with this because I don't like cold stuff when I get up in the morning. Give me HOT COFFEE!

Another thing to remember when you are getting close to your target weight. Often times your weight loss slows down, especially if you are doing any type of exercise. One of the reasons for this is that you are no longer carrying around so much extra weight. Just carrying around that weight burns calories. So when you don't have it any more your body doesn't burn as many calories as it did when you started. To counter act this you can do a bit more exercise especially resistance training. This makes your muscles bigger and that helps you burn calories even at rest.

Please forgive me if I sound like I am preaching to you. Once a coach and teacher always a coach and teacher. Except now I'm prettier!

Rachel (makin’ it real): Yeah, I kick-started my weight loss program a couple months ago using Atkins and lost 11.5 pounds in 2 weeks. I've stayed with mostly meats and veggies since then, but not exclusively. I read a couple reports about a large-scale study released recently that looked at the people's ability to keep weight off after a low-cal diet when they followed 5 different diet plans: low-cal, low-carb, veggie, etc. Far and away the most effective plan was meats and veggies, just like Atkins recommended.

Sorry you lost your gallbladder. My sister told me to try a gallbladder cleanse using an apple juice fast followed by olive oil http://www.cleansingorsurgery.com/cl...urgeryinfo.htm because I'd had about 3 decades of horrible eating habits. I tried it. Not only did I lose some weight, on the fourth day I passed a small mountain of green marbles (gallstones) without any pain whatsoever. Shocked the heck out of me. If you know anyone else with gallbladder or gallstone problems, you might suggest they give this a try first. Several days of apple juice isn't likely to hurt them.

Jonelle: So I have been attacking this goal with portion control… Making each meal just a little bit smaller than I used to eat… 3 lbs down, 19 to go.

Heather_Marie: I have been eating mostly fruits and vegetables with some chicken and meat.

Rachel: I lost another 4 pounds in the past 3 days by upping my water intake significantly, going for 2 half-hour walks a day instead of one, and slightly reducing my food intake a bit further than usual. I'm down to 169 now from 192.5 at the beginning of October.

[makin' it real]

RachR: I'm working out 6 days a week again

Dana: Since I strength train 3 days a week, I'm not going to change my workout schedule so I still will not lose weight for my muscle mass. I also do cardio 5-6 days a week.

Morgan51: I have been swimming for a half hour each weekday morning. Was walking until it got too cold and windy here. I am eating lo-carb and have gone from 288# to where I am now it seems to come off a lot more slowly now. I swear the moderate exercise has added muscle and some #'s.

Suzanne Bender: I have been hitting the gym each day. Off days are simply a core work out and some basketball. Heavy days are core work until muscle failure (flab failure in my case) and then at least an hour on the elliptical, treadmill and recumbent bike with a target heart rate of 70% of max.

Dana Fleming: To those of us who are working out with strength training and live in a cold climate, here's a tip. Shoveling snow can be a killer if you're not in shape. When the weather turns I incorporate an exercise into my workout which I call "shoveling snow". I grab a plate and go through the action of shoveling snow, bending, scooping, lifting and throwing it over my shoulder and repeating. You can do any type of rep/weight combination. I am doing 3 sets of 10 reps (10 each side) with 25 lbs. with 1 minute rest between sets. I am going to increase weight and reps next week. This is almost a total body exercise; it hit the calves, quads, some hamstring, hips, abs, tris, bis, shoulders and your grip. Today for my workout I did some chest then did the rest of the workout doing shoveling snow. I did sets of 10 increasing the weight from 10 lb. plates working up to a 45 lb. plate. Total was nine sets of 20 (10 each side) for a total of 180 reps. When I was done I was gassed.

If I keep doing this it will probably keep the snow away and I won't have to shovel, lol. Hope this helps someone.

Rachel: Hi Paula. I'm no expert, but I have been reading up on ways to increase the feminine shape of my body, so I'll share some of what I've found useful.

First thing is about function rather than form. Women generally move their bodies more fluidly and freely than men do. Men tend to hold their hips, waist, torso, and arms rigidly. Doing things like yoga, stretching, and dancing can help us free up our limited movement patterns to allow more responsive and graceful movements that more closely approximate feminine movements.

Back to form, there are many things we can do to heighten feminine curves without increasing masculine musculature. The primary visual cue for perceiving "woman" rather than "man" is the waist to hip ratio, so the majority of our efforts should be focused there.

Men tend to add excess pounds in the abdomen. Losing the extra belly fat is the fastest way to change the waist-hip ratio. That's part of what we're doing on this thread through weight loss.

Next is reducing the waist through creating a "girdle." We have 4 major layers of muscles in the abdomen and they criss-cross the waist in 4 different directions, vertically, horizontally, and both diagonals. These bands of muscles also wrap around the sides and back of the waist, not just the front. Doing straight sit-ups or crunches works the rectus abdominus (the six pack) muscles almost exclusively, and will do very little to change the overall shape of the waist since these muscles are only on the front, are relatively narrow, and are most superficial. To create a waist-slimming girdle, we have to strengthen all those other abdominal muscles as well. This means doing exercises that move our waist in all directions, not just forward and back. So twisting crunches, bicycle crunches, standing side bends, standing twists, and standing pelvic circles can all help. So will laying on your back and bringing your knees toward the floor across your body, and laying on your stomach and lifting cross arm-leg combinations. All of these will help strengthen the deeper muscles and will "draw in" your waist from the sides, front, and back, giving you a more feminine hip-waist ratio.

The other element in that ratio is the hips. We want to make our hips bigger. Women carry more of their weight below the waist than do men, so increasing the size of our muscles below the waist is okay, and will help to visually feminize our weight distribution. The two places to emphasize here are the butt and the hips. Any kind of squats or lunges will do wonders for targeting the butt muscles. Bicycling is particularly good for shaping the butt too. For adding hips, you'll want to do movements that lift your legs out to the sides. You can lie on your side and lift the top leg upward, or combine a squat with a lateral leg lift as you rise. This latter has the added benefit of working those deeper abdominal muscles to help create the girdle.

Those are the primary shapers. Some secondary shapers include things like doing nothing, and I mean nothing, that exercises the muscles in your arms. Try to lift or carry as little as possible, and certainly no push-ups, pull-ups, or other upper body exercises. We want to lose muscle in the arms to slim them down. I've lost several inches in my upper arms over the past year, at least partly from consciously eliminating as much use of the arms as possible.

Another key to feminization of overall appearance has to do with posture and movement of the shoulder girdle. Men hold their shoulders and arms in a way that conveys strength, rigidity, and readiness for use. Chest up, elbows out. Women seem to carry their arms as if their arms are just along for the ride. The shoulders hang relaxed and the arms swing freely. Elbows in, wrists slightly turned out. Stretching and massage can help free up the usual locked and loaded male shoulder position. Try consciously lowering the shoulders so they move down and back, drawing the shoulder blades downward toward the middle of your spine. This has the added benefit of narrowing your ribcage and making your chest more pronounced, but still with a softer presentation than the usual male chest "thrust."

When choosing exercise plans, use programs that women use (excepting arm strengthening moves). I've started doing Zumba on occasion, and boy oh boy does it work all the right places for creating a feminine shape. Plus it makes me move in a very feminine way. There's just no getting past how femme I feel when doing those workouts.

[Madilyn A.]

Rachael, Thank you so very much for categorizing all of our posts, no small feat indeed............... It appears we have some very dedicated persons to fitness and personal health, the side effect being weight control. Then we have me and those of you like me, lack of focus. I need to reach down into my athletic background and harkin those days when I was able to keep the focus; and drive towards the goal of being the best I can be (and the prettiest ) LOL!........ It worked earlier this year when I dropped 55 lbs. in 60 days. The "eye of the tiger", the "eye of the tiger", "the eye.....................

[Jocelyn Quivers]

Despite today being a very Merry day, it is also a scary day for me because I have to hit the scales. Regardless of what I weigh I am going to eat healthy today and not over indulge. Even though it's a holdiday for me, my body's ability to gain weight never takes a holdiday. Good luck to everyone and may you all find the strenght to resist the spice cake and stuffing.