Weight loss and passing

[linda.wai]

For me, I have a 36" waist and rather fat legs. That has prevented me fro really enjoying myself when I go around town en femme. The corsets and the extra clothes to camouflage my belly has made it a pain to go out CD in public.

I'm committed to a diet for 2 months so that when I go out again in Xmas, I'll have a smaller waist. I aim at losing 10 pounds from 170. It will require a 1500 kcal diet and that's a sacrifice too hard to bear. After 1 week of food deprivation, I am having a hard time really.

Could anyone share their experience ?
is there a less painful way for me?

[PretzelGirl]

Losing weight is a sacrifice and in my mind, you have to really be ready to do it. Give yourself a goal (maybe a particular dress). Keep snacks out of site. If you aren't eathing with other family members, spead parts of your meal out so there is less opportunity to snack. You can get there, you just have to figure out what will work for you as it is different for each of us. Good luck!

[Babeba]

Another big part of it is exercise - make sure you get out a little bit every day and do more physical activity than you're used to! It doesn't really matter what it is, but it'll help.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you have to be careful to make sure you get enough calories that your body doesn't just go into a low metabolic rate - it's a really good idea to visit the doctor before you get too far into your weight loss, to make sure it's as healthy as possible for your individual body.

I lost about 40 lbs. on Weight Watchers, and it was fantastic to have the support group (and the super accurate scale every week to keep me honest!)

[SANDRA MICHELLE]

I have lost 42 pounds in the last 5 months by eating strictly vegetarian, no meat at all, no dairy. I eat fruits, vegetables and beans and grains. I eat 50% of my intake for breakfast,30% for lunch and a small dinner. I have not been hungry at all and actually eat more now than I did before. My blood pressure and cholesterol have gone down as well and are now in near perfect ranges. I have more energy than ever before and am now able to easily fit into size 10 jeans and size 12 dresses. my shoes even fit me better and I am looking pretty good en fem. I am tring to lose another 15-20 pounds and then I will really be in super fem shape. In spite of all the weight loss I have not really noticed any loss in my breast, they are still a wonderful 38C.

[GirlieAmanda]

In May of this year I was 190 pounds and 5'10". My pics were OK but I always looked heavy. This being my girlie explosion year I decided to start losing weight. I freaking love to eat too. So I started with a goal of July. In July I had a week off and wanted to lose some weight for my time being girlie all day for 5 days while my wife was at work. I like to take pics as we all do and wanted to look better. All I have done is first cut out almost all desserts. No seconds or very little at each meal. Slightly reduce any food at any meal or try to go without a meal and just eat a light snack. Eat earlier in the night if possible. I ate anything I wanted though which helps. The key I think was the excersize. I was on the treadmill or eliptical 5 days a week for a half hour. I did lots of crunches and other ab work. In July I reached 167. Now as I sit here I am at 161 with a low of 158 and have decent abs showing. (A first) I still have a little softness for girlieness. I am kind of a soft guy/girl anyway. Too soft as of last May. Now I have toned up really well and look the best I ever have. I used being Amanda as a MAJOR motivation. I would picture how great it would be if I could be thin. It worked. I feel so femmy and so sexy now. It has enhanced my girlieness tremendously. I never want to go back! Good Luck!

[Helen_Highwater]

Linda, I'm with Amanda on this. Earlier this year I was 217 Ibs and at 5' 10" that's too heavy. I've lost just over 20 Ibs and for me the old adage works; "if you feel hungry, tighten your belt" Why does this work, because it compresses your stomach and so you don't feel as empty. Once you get used to going without so much food as before you naturally start to eat less. Also keep the snacks out of the house. If it ain't there you can't eat it.
I'm working now to get down to 195Ibs but my ultimate target is to get below 180. I know I can do it because as a fit 35 year old (I'm a little oder now) I weighed about 170Ibs. And who knows, one day?!!!

[Christy_M]

About a year and a half ago (Feb 2009), I was pushing 275. I started a 1500 calorie per day diet and excercised every other day buring about 500 calories each time (35 minutes cardio and limited weights for toning the "puffier" parts. I am now at 195 and maintaining. It is a commitment and unless you change your lifestyle, you won't maintain it. I found that the hardest thing to do is stop eating stuff that I had in the house. My fix for that was to stop buying "crap" and stick with healthier things in the pantry/fridge. In order to maintain, I stick around 2000 calories per day (give or take) and still excercise 3 to 4 times per week. It's just like they alwasy told us in school. Much to my dismay, there isn't a mgic pill that sheds pounds.

My original motivation was having my second knee surgery but once I got around 230, I started fitting into some of my dresses and then it became somewhat of an obsession. I am still too plump around the tummy but my ab workouts seem to be too painful to push any harder than I already do so in time, I am sure that will work itself out. The last thing I will say is "patience." losing weight is a marathon and not a sprint. It takes time to get big and at least twice as long to get rid of it. Once you hit your maintenance weight, you will notice the fluxuation by 4 and 5 pouind increments and those little indulgences (for me it is fried chicken and chocolate chip cookies) take forever to get rid of.

[Dharma]

If you would like a weight loss diet where you can eat all you wish and not gain weight,there is a way assuming you have a normal metabolism.Now I have never had a weight problem,I have weighed in at 135 + or - a pound or two all my life.However I did change my eating habits 3 years ago to support an over weight friend.We did alot of research and formulated a plan.You can create more problems starving yourself is its can be medically harmful to some.Other diets recommend basic "rabbit food" and how can one stay on a bland diet and be happy?

First hurdle to jump is,this has to be a life long lifestyle change,or else as we all know the weight is coming right back.Second hurdle,is exercise is a absolute,you cannot get around it.After that the rest is easy.

Tackling the exercise obstacle first.Don't make it a chore make it fun.Buy a Wii and play the sports games(The olympic one is best) with vigor and break a sweat,increase the time spent on it each month(or 2 weeks).If that is not to your liking,get a exercise machine of your choice and use it while you watch the TV or listen to music or what ever will remove your mind from doing a chore to getting it done.

Food,yes there are some sacrifices.First say bye to pork,beef and other fatty foods.I love to cook and I cook mostly gormet meals.My eating lifestyle is 90% vegitarian.Vegitarian is not a dirty word.I allow myself a greasy burger or a good steak 2 or 3 times a month.I listen to my body not my cravings.Your body will tell you when it needs fat or sweets.The major problem with most diet food is no one makes it sexy!Give that meal some sex appeal(sorry could not resist).Want a pizza?I have a delicious pizza recipe.The key is give the food flavour to your liking,fresh herbs are always it.I eat many of the standard meals anyone else eats each week.Chili,spagetti,etc. are all good meals most enjoy.Just kick out the meat and substitute with mushrooms,peppers or any vegetables.Want cheese?Sprinkle just a touch of fresh parmisan on your food of choice.Want a sweet snack?Eat Yogurt or yogurt ice cream.I have given you an overview of what its about,if you would like some recipes or an indepth view of the diet just ask me,I would be happy to share it.My friend above lost an average of 20 lbs a month.

CC

[Karen7cd]

I'm 5'9 185 with a 33 inch waist. You may be fight genetics, but with proper diet you can loose. Run, situps, take a jazz dance class, (I would love to do it enfemme). I have been working on my ever disappearing butt. It use to have a nice round "bubble" now with all my sitting in front of a computer it is gone. So I started doing some slow one legged squats.
I'm starting to feel it again.

[Ann Thomas]

I worked in the weight loss industry for about 8 years (Weight Watchers). The first thing to make sure is that you keep a positive attitude about weight loss. Without that you could get discouraged quit trying before before you find what works for you. Each person is different in what will work for them, but it is all a variation of regulating diet and appropriate exercise. What works for one person may not work for another person.

First, on the food side. 1500 kcal may be too low for you, hence your problems with it. For your weight, around 2550 is considered normal, and it's not safe to be on less than 1200, so you're near the bottom end at 1500. What happens is that when you eat too little, your body thinks it's being starved to death and will convert a higher than normal percentage of your food intake to fat, which is very frustrating. You might do better at 1800, and experience more weight loss. I know that doesn't make sense, but our bodies are built to preserve themselves - a survival mode - allow for that in your planning.

Another thing to make sure of is that when you wake up in the morning, be sure and eat your first meal within the first hour. If you cannot eat a full meal, at least have a healthy snack allowed on your diet. That could be a piece of fruit or preferably some vegetables. If you wait too long to begin eating after you wake up, your metabolism does not start up normally for the day, and here again goes into a survival mode, and a much higher percentage of what you eat after that one hour window will be converted to fat, because the body thinks it's being starved.

What to eat: Here again, people vary a lot on this. What works for one person may not work for another. On Weight Watchers, all types of food have maximum limits, but only one has a minimum, and that's vegetables. Make sure you get plenty of vegetables each day. Study up on which ones are best for you, as some are no help in weight loss. This subject is extensive, and although we can all share our insights, it might be best for you to find an online group that is just focused on weight loss and diet that can be more helpful.

Exercise: Here again this varies quite a bit. Some people (like myself) work in physical jobs - I can maintain an average weight for my height and build just from work activities (and I get paid for it!) Others need varying degrees of workout, and the body parts to work on vary with the person's body type, fitness level, and current daily activities. Don't work out so hard you injure yourself, but also don't neglect it. You need to use the energy you consume in food, and tracking the energy consumed from exercise that is a good thing. Here again there's lots of internet resources on how to exercise.

Hope all that helps a little - there's sooo much to this subject!


Hugs,
Ann

[Kathryn Martin]

I started dieting in July. I am 6'4" tall, had a 38" waist and weighed 222lb. Since then I have eaten no carbs after 2:00pm, have only eaten as much as I need to feel not hungry anymore, and have otherwise eaten exactly the same way as before. This has led to having more meals (5-6) but smaller ones.

I have dropped 20 lb sustainably and will continue to 195lb which is my ideal weight.

Kathryn

[Tasha McIntyre]

Weight loss almost always involves some pain and sacrifice. When I made the decision to move Tash out the front door it was on the condition that 10kg (about 22 pounds) had to go. What worked for me was a high protein, very low carb diet in conjunction with moderate aerobic exercise.

This worked like a treat, I went from 90 to 80 kg in a little over 5 weeks. The anticipation of getting out and about, and the incentive of fitting into an aussie size 12 skirt easily overpowered the pain of losing weight.

Good luck

Tash :)

[KateSpade83]

I lost 65 lbs in 2 years by simply burning off the fat doing 30 to 56 mile road bike workouts - about 5060 miles in 2 years. Went from a size 16 to a size 4. Also made me very passable and because I fit into size 4 to 8 clothes, the clothes selection shopping was just tremendous. So now I have a great big wardrobe size 4 to 8 mostly and I can't afford to get fat again or else I would not fit these clothes.

[Persephone]

Another big part of it is exercise - make sure you get out a little bit every day and do more physical activity than you're used to! It doesn't really matter what it is, but it'll help.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you have to be careful to make sure you get enough calories that your body doesn't just go into a low metabolic rate - it's a really good idea to visit the doctor before you get too far into your weight loss, to make sure it's as healthy as possible for your individual body.

I lost about 40 lbs. on Weight Watchers, and it was fantastic to have the support group (and the super accurate scale every week to keep me honest!)

Babeba is totally on the money -- I lost 40 pounds (18 kg) with Weight Watchers and am a current Lifetime member, my spouse lost over double that. I can't say enough good things about the program. We feel better and look better -- we were both wearing "double digit" U.S. sizes -- I was starting to be too big for 16's -- and now, I can't tell you what it feels like to now zip up my size 6-8 jeans! Both of us are completely different women.

There is a guy in our Weight Watcher's group who lost 100 pounds! And a month or so ago he turned his dream into reality when he climbed to the top of Mt. Whitney (14,505 feet high [4420 meters]).

Exercise and learning to eat right trumps fasting and denial every time. We've learned what to eat and how to eat and we never feel "starved."

"Suffering" is what you do when you are overweight and unhappy with the way you feel and the way you look. "Sacrifice" is having to pass up all of the pretty styles and cute dresses because you are overweight.

I urge you to check it out. I believe there is a Weight Watchers center in Shanghai at 300号 淮海中路 Luwan.

[Ann Thomas]

One other thing I forgot to mention is that when losing weight, a normal amount of weight loss is about one pound per week. Disregard the first 3 or so weeks, as a person can lose weight quickly at first. After that try for the one pound per week. Anything more than 2 pounds per week, and you should be under doctor's supervision. Always weigh in the same day and same time each day, once per week. Don't check your weight daily. Always determine your weekly weight loss as an average, like over at least a month's time.

Way to go on making lifetime, Persephone!

Hugs,
Ann

[Karren H]

Well there are three things I check daily... My pulse, my stocks, and my weight... To see if I can eat that day. Lol

Here's my spin. Do not think of it as a diet. Change your eating and exercise habits for the better and you will loose weight... And unlike diets where when the diet is over your revert to your old ways and the weight comes back on... A life style change won't let that happen

I lost 50 pounds in 9 months not to become more girly... Though that was a big secondary benefit... It was to save my life. If I hadn't I know I would have died. Now at 5, 9" I'm in the 170's have a 31 inch waist (28 with a corset), bp is 110/80 and my heart rate is 42 at rest.. I eat better (mostly) and exercise daily and play ice hockey once a week.. And I feel fantastic!!!

So if you want to loose weight do it for your health going forward... The girlieness will come along for the ride!

[busker]

Karren has the right idea too. It is also what I have done--a change of life stlyle and eating habits to match. I too like to eat--especially desserts, but...
Stay active, have a little fat every day, otherwise your system will rebel, and that is where the taste in foood is--in the fat. A litle butter, fresh made chicken soup with the fat,--you know what I mean.

Also, before you eat, have a glass of COLD water--it will help shorten your appetite for food. When we eat, it takes a bit for our system to say _FULL, and by then we have OVEREATEN. So, the cold water helps fill you up and then when you eat your inteake is less, and you are satisfied--more of less.
My breakfast consists of a 16 oz glass of:
2 scoops of soy powder
1 6 oz yogurt
and enough juice to fill the glass. That's about 400 calories and should last you until noon and you won't feel hungry.
Cantelope is great because it burns more calories than you get from eating it, but in Shanghai it may not be in season or reasonalby priced but most fruits will do similar exchanges.. Eat raisins, dates and things with magnesium, potassium (necessary for the heart, skin, muscle etc to work) because your body needs them and there is not enough in regular food to fill the daily requirement of 3500 milligrams--35 grams--about 1 ounce per day.
You can google the Loma Linda diet if you want something--it is like a minnestrone soup and after a week of it you are really tired of soup but you do loose weight. you should have no problem loosing 10-15 pound in 3 months, at 1 or 2 pound per week.
good luck. I have lost 30 pounds since jan.

[SusanCACD]

I was going to mention the water also, many people mistake thirst for hunger. I don't recall the recommended daily requirement and it seems to be quite a lot more than I drink but most do not drink enough water.

[Tommie Rae]

In order to lose one pound per week you need to burn 3500 calories per week over and above your normal weight. That means burning 500 calories per day, and you can do that by a combination of diet and exercise. Find 250 calories per day that you can live without (soda, dessert, fried food) and step up your exercise by an extra 250 calories per day (walk a couple of miles briskly-maybe one mile in the morning and one mile in the evening). I went from 220 pounds to 170 pounds doing just that.

[jessica renee]

As others have said, I reccomend the Weight Watchers program. There's really no foods that are forbidden, moderation is the key. Also, watch portion sizes. I know from personal experience that the "portions" I had been eating were in reality like 2-4 reccomended servings. Don't just go about it saying things like "I'm not going to eat any sweets" or "I'm only going to eat salad" because you will just set yourself up to fail.