Wedding Blog
Is not working for me! Considering that I have 8 months until my September wedding, motivation and sense of urgency are not all that high right now. I wish I didn’t love food so much, particularly sugar and dark chocolate. I have an addiction where I need to have something sweet after every meal, and this obviously is not helping me.
Ideally I’d like to be 10 pounds lighter by April, when we want to take our engagement pictures. 10 pounds in 3 months should be a piece of cake (yum, I want some cake). But I 
dessert, so I always tell myself, “Oh, eating this cupcake is ok because I don’t have cupcakes that often!” This also applies whenever I see tiramisu, cheesecake, the flan I had last night… you get the idea. 
I am a firm believer of the “everything in moderation” philosophy. I hate dieting but in the past, I was able to eat everything I wanted, only in small portions. That used to satisfy me… but my stomach is not as small as it used to be - I need to shrink it! Any ideas? I also like fruit, but generally fruit is less accessible in a workplace setting. For example, it’s easier to reach for the pile of cookies sitting in the breakroom, than it is to go downstairs and spend $3 on some mediocre fruit from the cafeteria. I should be better about packing. *sigh*
Soooo… GOAL: 10 pounds in 3 months. Gotta get crackin’! I want to look hot for our engagement pictures. Help!
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Share this post: This Losing Weight Thing…
if you drink a lot of fluids, you’ll trick your body into feeling more full than you are. drinking some caffeine also helps me– teas and coffee, not sodas.
also when it comes to dessert i will eat until it stops tasting as good it did on the first bite. the diminishing return theory? once the yumminess drops off it’s not really worth the calories.
also i try to get more sleep. when i’m well rested i don’t have to eat just to feel like i have energy.
thats exactly what i was going to say - drink a lot of agua. 
but i don’t drink caffeine at all (makes me too jittery) and replace soda with sparkling water. sodas and fruit juices are where empty calories can really add up.
maybe you can also satisfy your sweet cravings with sweet veggies like carrots, corn, etc.
you can do it!
I wholeheartlidly agree with g when she says to drink lots of fluid. I feel that when I drink lots of water, I don’t eat as much. One side effect is having to go to the bathroom all the time, but that’s only for the first week or so. I’d recommend starting to drink tons of water over the weekend so you aren’t taking numerous bathroom breaks while at work.
Another tip I learned is to not pay attention to the number on the scale. When you start working out, you are building muscle, and the number on the scale might not change much, but your body is beginning to look different and your clothes will get looser.
I actually recommend drinking lots of water, and if all else fails, visiting a diet doctor or nutritionist!
bring fruit to work. i always bring a couple clementines to leave on my desk or an apple or banana and snack on that during the day. plus i have keep granola and a few peanut butter cracker sandwiches [i LOVE peanut butter] at my desk. and mini bags of microwave popcorn. and oatmeal for those days i don’t have time for breakfast at home.
i always eat breakfast. that’s important. and i tend to eat at regular intervals [3 meals and 2 snacks]. have lots of protein in each meal since that makes you feel fuller longer and you don’t have to eat as much at each sitting. i’ve cut soda from my diet [only temporary though but when i do drink it, its only like half a can if that].
i also walk as much as possible and take the stairs to my floor [granted, my office building is only 3 floors but it helps]. i started doing yoga too once a week, so i’m active which helps since it’s too cold to go and walk during lunch like i do during the summer.
of course i indulge too. i’d eat pizza 3 times a day if i could [this coming from the girl who used to eat a large pizza by herself at college...yum. sundays were awesome. lol]. i don’t restrict what i eat, i just keep my portions smaller [you know, 3 slices of pizza instead of 5]. that way i don’t have to worry about overindulging in a moment of weakness.
i’m no health nut by any means. i don’t eat diet anything. but these are things that help me keep my weight under control. hope this helps and good luck!
i’ve lost 13 pounds in just under 2 months, so i’ll let you know what i’ve done. it’s somewhat drastic but does produce good results. i went down to one snack and one meal a day (dinner.) this is hard at first, but as your stomach shrinks, gets easier and easier. for dinner i usually have soup and bread or a salad with protein and a lite dressing. i cut out all drinks except diet coke and water. every once in awhile i will still eat something sweet (i am with you on that sweet tooth) or what i want for dinner, like chinese food or pasta. the huge deficit in calories really helps those nights not hit you so hard. i stay around or under 1,000 calories a day, which dieticians say not to do, but it works. on top of that, i run 2 miles every night. this does WONDERS and really helps the weight melt off. i started at 123 right before thanksgiving and have managed to lose 13 pounds even THROUGH the holidays by doing this.
you have to make the effort to plan your meals every day. i lost the first 10 lbs pretty easily by doing this.
it’s easy to go to the market and buy fruit like apples or bananas that you can eat on the go or keep at your desk in case you get hungry.
PACK YOUR LUNCH!!!
buy lean cuisines and eat them for lunch. yes, high sodium but super small portions (at least they were for me!) and you’ll learn to eat smaller lunches.
or pack salads with lots of fresh chopped veggies sunday night in tupperware for the week. just grab and go each morning.
tuna + cracker kits at costco are your friend.
or make half a smoked salmon sandwich on 1 slice of whole wheat w/alfalfa sprouts, LF cream cheese and cucumber slices.
have a cup of high fiber cereal w/soy milk in the mornings. or cottage cheese w/a tsp of jam + chopped walnuts.
boil half a dozen eggs sunday evening, peel them and put them in tupperware. eat one or two for breakfast through out the week.
if you need something sweet. pack a few chocolate chips in a zip lock and eat them one by one. or have fat free yogurt after your meals instead. or SF jello.
for dinner make something healthy + easy like shabu shabu (minus the rice). you buy the presliced meat, you can chop the veggies the day before, buy the ponzu + goma sauce premade, heat water in a hotpot and voila…a super healthy dinner!
i only drink unsweetened green tea, water, soymilk or diet coke. no juice, no sodas!
On the other hand, I don’t think that you should lose more weight than you need to. I don’t think being drastic is at all necessary. I’m not trying to criticize the previous post, but speaking from experience, that is not healthy for you. My sister was anorexic, and was doing the same thing as you. She’s 5′7” and got down to 85 pounds. It’s scary. Your health can deterioate fast. I think you need to eat at lesat 1500-2000 calories a day or else its just not healthy for you. I don’t liek seeing anyone be at the level my sister was at. The healthy way to lose weight is exercising and eating healthy. Not eating a lot less.
I’m a vegetarian, so I’m predisposed to soy anyway, but it’s a great, lower calorie meat substitute that you might not even notice. Boca burgers on whole grain English muffins (look for the kind with high fiber and some protein) with 2% American cheese slices are an amazing McDonald’s burger replacement.
I second the frozen dinner idea. Amy’s Organic meals are a little pricey, though you can stock up on sale, and they don’t have that “frozen dinner” taste at all. The Indian ones I’ve had have all been good, as have been the enchiladas. Having your portion size automatically controlled is really helpful.
And yeah–you probably want to get at least 1500 calories a day, or your weight loss will slow down because your metabolism has slowed. I know that for me, having a healthy relationship with food has been my most important goal (no guilt, no binging, etc), and so I advise against any diet techniques that don’t encourage a lifetime of healthy eating. Food is meant to be enjoyed!
My secret for those after-dinner dessert cravings…popsicles and creamsicles! My favorite, no sugar added creamsicles, only 25 calories each. Yum!
2 words baby- Weight Watchers. Follow the plan for 3 months. It really works.
i just wanted to second what jenchen and jeni said in response to jessica (#6).
essentially, you were starving yourself in order to lose weight. it is your own choice to choose to eat very little and i am definitely not trying to judge you for that, but i think it’s HIGHLY irresponsible of you to recommend to others to do something so unhealthy and so prone to leading to things like anorexia or bulimia.
you’re trying to be helpful, which i think everyone appreciates, but if someone follows what you did for an extended period of time, they could get into a lot of trouble. please be aware of that.
anyway, here’s my tips for eating well:
1)bring a week’s worth of fruit into work on mondays so you only have to remember to bring it once a week.
2)buy pre-cut and washed broccoli florets (or cut and wash your own, or buy frozen) and microwave it at work for part of your lunch. eat as much steamed veggies as you want.
3) Eat a piece of rye crispbread (like Ryvita) with a reasonable snack. It tastes like salty cardboard, but it has lots of fiber so it keeps you full. You have to chew it well, so it fulfills the need for chewing part of thinking you are hungry. Eat only one or two pieces in a sitting, though, because lots and lots of fiber means gas! Also, be sure to drink lots of water to keep the fiber moving in your intestines.
seriously, what’s up the entries recently about being skinny to look “hot”????
Just a tip about the “stomach shrinking” - most dieticians will tell you that your stomach can stretch/shrink as fast as one day. You may have heard that “you’re only as hungry for as much as you ate the day before” - it’s true!! (Think of the big meals you have and how you ate the days following - it’s real!)
While a lot of people on SUPER controlled food intake (diets) will tell you they are never full, you’ll find that after the first 2-3 days of less food overall you’re not hungry for nearly as much as you were before. As others have said, limit the portions available to you. If you don’t want to eat the whole meal at a restaurant, don’t have it all brought out to you!! Almost everywhere will bring you a box with your meal if you ask for one and many will box up half for you before bringing you your meal. I’ve had waitresses tell me before “oh that’s a great idea! I should start doing that!” and people love the leftovers that aren’t scraps. 
GOOD LUCK!
South Beach Diet! My mom went from size 16 to size 8 in about a year, cholesterol plummeted, she gets all her nutrients, never goes hungry, doctor very pleased. Soon you stop craving the empty carbs that turn straight to sugar and mess with blood sugar and trigger cravings for more sugars. Emphasis is on lean proteins and variety of colorful veggies. (I read Renee Zellweger ate fish, chicken, turkey, and vegetables to slim down for some movies, and packed on the carbs to bulk up for other movies.)
Me — I like Splenda, green tea, and the least drastic stage of South Beach Diet (includes fruits and whole grains like brown rice and whole grain bread). It’s more gradual but zero deprivation. Also, my rule is that if I’m not in the mood for anything special (just hungry or need fuel), then I eat as healthy as possible; save the “splurge” for those times I am REALLY craving something and nothing else will satisfy. Even two weeks of avoiding white starches — processed sugar, white bread, potatoes (fries!), white rice — made my old jeans fit. Also I try to get to bed before I get hungry and can’t get to sleep without a snack (often a big glass of water is enough to fill the stomach so I can fall sleep); sleeping through mild hunger is the easiest calorie burning ever.
As far as slimming down your stomach, I just ordered Dr. Oz’s new book “You: On a Diet” then the rest of the title says something about “waist managment.” The intro (I found it online) says that if you follow what he says, you can lose 2 inches in 2 weeks. Sounds great, and I’m excited for my book to get here!
And talk about a sweet tooth, I’ve never met anyone who can out-eat me in ice cream. And I crave chocolate or something else sweet about every night. I buy 3 Muskateer bars in the little tiny mini-bites. They are by no means ‘healthy’ but I could certainly eat worse. Someone who was doing weight watchers once told me that 3 of those little bites equals 1 point. I don’t know how the point system works, but 1 sounds pretty small! Good luck!!
You ladies are so knowledgable in the weight loss department! I love it =) well, I’m sorta on the right track (most of the time). I drink TONS of water and unsweetended green tea at work, although I treat myself to a daily cup of coffee w/fat free french vanilla creamer. I always eat breakfast cuz its the most important meal of the day! I also attempt to work out 3-4x a week. Its just my sweet tooth that gives me away!!!
Hi JenChen, I’m pretty sure I know you! =)
im doing the eating for life diet, where you eat 6 small meals a day, helps to shrink ur stomach, but at the same time, since u are eating 6x a day, you are not starving yourself. it is hard to find time and eat 6x a day, but i have started packing my lunch and snacks, which helps to control what i eat and leave less room for temptation.
OK, I do NOT AGREE with the 1 snack, 1 meal a day trick under 1000 plus running 2 miles.. that is unhealthy and it shouldn’t be something to advise for other girls.. furthermore, eating less than 1000 calories a day - you are depriving yourself of nutrients that your body needs..
No offense, but Girls need to find a HEALTHIER diet than starving yourself or “shrinking your stomach”.
I second the Weight Watchers comment. It is a livable plan with great accountability through weighing yourself every week. Also, their recipes are great! I have successfully lost the ten lbs I wanted to lose before my wedding (155 to 145) and I think I will stay on for a while longer to improve my eating habits overall. Also, watch how much sodium you are taking in — I dismissed this for the longest time, but cutting my sodium has made a dramatic difference. Eveyone has things that work for them — rather than trying a diet, get on a healthy eating plan for life!!
I also highly recommend Weight Watchers. I’ve lost 12 pounds in about 2 months (and that includes the holidays!), and I actually have more energy and feel really healthy.
I’ve noticed that my complexion is better now too… probably because I’m eating so many more vegetables and drinking a ton of water. I wasn’t very big to begin with (about 5′7, 140 lbs) so I don’t plan on loosing too much more, but I can’t believe how fast I lost weight! And I think I am probably healthier than I’ve ever been on top of it. You should really try it.
I just finished reading “You: On A Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management” by Mehmet C. Oz & Michael F. Roizen. I found it VERY helpful in understanding how my body works and how to work with it. I’m so grossed out by what excess sugar does to my body I’ve found it a lot easier to avoid sweets.
Wow! Thank you! I always wanted to write in my site something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog?
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Mrs. Emerald, Chicago
Age and Occupation: 26, Wedding Planner
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Paralegal
Engagement Date: October 8, 2006
Wedding Date: September 2007
Blogging Since: November 29, 2006
Venue: Hyatt Lodge, Oak Brook IL
About Me: I have been dreaming about my wedding forever, and flipping through bridal magazines since high school, so I am in my element! I am calling our theme "Vintage Inspired French/Asian Fusion." Mr. Emerald is very involved in the planning process, but of course he generally defers to me cuz I have a strong opinion of how I want everything to be :-).
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