2009 Weight Loss Afghan

[happy stitcher]

Hi all!

I got away from WW and gained some weight (of course) but I was just so frustrated with logging every morsel and not losing for ever and ever.....

 

The Dr finally told DH that he HAS to make some changes, so he and I worked out a diet together. This is the first time we've actually dieted together. I'm so glad to have him on board! I know we can do well if we support each other.

 

This is what we worked out:

 

Breakfast: fruit and non-fat yogurt, coffee for DH

 

Lunch: a reasonable amount of whatever we want, just don’t go crazy – cut back portion sizes from what we’re used to eating. We don’t have to give up anything, just cut back to a reasonable amount.

 

Optional 100 calorie afternoon snack: could be fruit, a snack pack, vegetables, a small soda, etc.

 

Dinner: salad with lean meat and low cal dressing – no croutons, only a little cheese (if any)

 

Drinks: only one at a time, and only twice a week.

 

I’ve read in several places that after 40 we shouldn’t have carbs any later than 5:00, except as a special treat. If we follow this plan, we’ll lose weight, I’m sure. Dinner salads can be different. I’ll look up some different recipes. I’ll still cook, but it’ll be for lunch. Or I’ll cook the lean meat to put on the salads. It doesn’t all have to be canned meat – it can be grilled fish, grilled chicken, etc.

 

DH often has working lunches at restaurants, or catered in meals. When he doesn't, he tends to grab a burger or call me to meet him for Mexican food. So lunch was the reasonable choice for our regular meal. It's also healthier to eat the larger meal in the middle of the day. I'm not saying we'll stuff ourselves at lunch - just eat a reasonable meal of whatever we're wanting. Then have a dinner salad later.

 

We start on Thursday, which is my usual weigh-day. I'll let you all know how it works out!

 

Oh - suggestions are welcome!

 

Edited to add: we'll also drink lots of water!

Edited June 2, 2009 by happy stitcher

[Tia]

It sounds like you all are on the right track! Don't forget about nuts. A few nuts, and I mean a FEW, make a great snack or crunchy topping for your yogurt, salad or cereal. Yes, they contain fats, but they are the GOOD fats -- right up there with olive oil and the fats from fish.

 

Also never forget to consider the quality of foods you are eating. I believe that's just as important as watching fats, carbs, calories, etc. I try to stay away from foods that are highly processed and contain ingredients I can't pronounce or identify -- the fewer the list of ingredients the better. Fresh or frozen is usually better shelf items.

 

Here are the things I try to avoid the most:

 

Anything canned

White flour (enriched wheat flour)

High fructose corn syrup and other sugars

Sodium nitrites (nitrates), found in almost all processed meats

msg (monosodium glutamate) and other preservatives

 

Avoiding msg is the hardest, it's hidden in ingredients like autolyzed yeast extract, soy protein isolate, natural flavors, broth, and many more.

 

I heard once that the best way to grocery shop was to stay on the outer perimeter of the store -- start in produce, move onto the back of the store for fresh meats, then frozen foods and lastly the dairy section -- try to stay away from the aisles of shelf items.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Tia

[happy stitcher]

Thanks for the tips, Tia!

 

I weighed and started the new diet this morning. I had my yogurt and fruit, and now I'm sipping some tea with splenda. I joined sparkpeople and I've been looking around that site. The food tracking is very similar to the WW online system. I don't know if I'll track my food, though - this diet we've worked up should be pretty easy to follow without tracking every bite. Maybe when I get closer to my goal I'll feel differently and start tracking. It's nice to know I have the option if I decide to use it.

 

Everybody have a great day! Drink your water!

[sunshine9807]

wow this is a really really cool idea! I'd like to join in with you all if you don't mind I decided to make a blanket for my guest room out of the daisy charity square from http://krochetkrystal.blogspot.com/. I think I'll make a square for each pound I loose. thing is, I already lost 23 pounds so I'll have to get busy to make up for lost time!

[happy stitcher]

Welcome, Sunshine!

 

I'm sure Teresa will be here to welcome you personally soon, but I thought I'd jump right in!

 

I love Krystal's daisy square. I'm making an afghan out of it for my niece. I'll look forward to seeing yours!

[Tia]

Welcome sunshine! And a big congrats on losing 23 lbs. :cheer:yay I added you to the list and put a link to your pattern choice there as well. I really like that square! I'll have to send off for the pattern myself.

 

wow this is a really really cool idea! I'd like to join in with you all if you don't mind I decided to make a blanket for my guest room out of the daisy charity square from http://krochetkrystal.blogspot.com/. I think I'll make a square for each pound I loose. thing is, I already lost 23 pounds so I'll have to get busy to make up for lost time!

[Gardener]

I have finally lost some weight again. (1 pound) I was beginning to think I was stuck here forever!!!

[sunshine9807]

thanks for the warm welcome! I've finished 6 squares since I started working on them a little before I found you guys. I picked out rainbow colors with a black background but now that I've made a few I'm not loving my color choices anymore. I think they are too dark. trying to decide if I want to keep going with them or send these 6 off as charity and buy some new colors. what do you all think? (I've never added an image on here so I hope I do this right.)

 

ETA: you cant even tell the difference between the orange and the red in this pictures. and It's not that I don't like the squares but I think they are just a little dark for what I want to use them for.

Edited June 7, 2009 by sunshine9807

[Tia]

Congrats on losing a lb. Cindy! :cheer

 

Sunshine - your squares look fabulous! But you have to be happy with the colors. A deep purple would look great with gold daisies.

[happy stitcher]

Sunshine, I agree with Teresa....I think they look great, but it doesn't matter what I think! It only matters that you're happy with it. I took some pictures of my squares in progress right after I started my niece's afghan. I'm only posting them here as a reference to you so that you can see what I'm doing. Maybe it'll help you decide what you want to do. There are lots of possibilities with the color schemes!

 

Since this picture was taken, I've added an orange daisy to the mix.

Edited June 13, 2009 by happy stitcher
spelling

[sunshine9807]

I think I'm going to put the squares I already made with the yarn in the closet for now to finish later and get some new bright colors for my weight loss afghan. I want my weight loss one to be in colors I really really love since it's such a special project! my family has a place in GA we visit a few times a year and I think those darker colors will be great to make a blanket for my bed down there. I think I'm going to take the bag with me when I go there again to leave there so I'll have a project to work on just when I'm there!

 

I'm from Louisiana by the way. I've been on weight watchers for roughly 4 months though I haven't been very strict for the last month or so. I had set a goal to hit 15% weight loss by July 18th... that's 6 weeks and about 12 pounds away. I hope I can do it. I just can't be strict with myself lately. I don't have any friends or family here to help keep me going and my husband is no help haha. I think this project will help though.

[sunshine9807]

I took some pictures of my squares in progress right after I started my niece's afghan. I'm only posting them here as a reference to you so that you can see what I'm doing. Maybe it'll help you decide what you want to do. There are lots of possibilities with the color schemes!

 

I really like the colors you are using on your squares! I keep going back and forth on black vs white backgrounds. would you mind sharing what kind/colors of yarn you are using?

[happy stitcher]

I really like the colors you are using on your squares! I keep going back and forth on black vs white backgrounds. would you mind sharing what kind/colors of yarn you are using?

 

I'm using Caron Simply Soft Brites in Lemonade, Limelight, Watermelon,

Blue Mint, Grape, Mango, and Coconut. The Mango is much more orangey than the Caron site shows. I wasn't going to use it until I saw it in Hobby Lobby. The Lemonade is too light to use right up next to the Coconut - there isn't enough color definition....so I decided to use it for all the centers. That leaves five colors for the petals.

 

I think your idea of leaving the project in Georgia is a good idea - you won't have to carry it back and forth! Be sure you include all the instructions, though. You don't want to be there with your yarn and not remember what to do!

 

Judy

[sunshine9807]

thanks for that. I just pulled out my caron brights last night to make a test square out of it (I was working in a giant granny square with that yarn for my sister) and I really like the look of it. that' what I suspected you had used! I haven't see the coconut color at my hobby lobby but they have a nice grey color that I think I"d like better than the black. Looks like I get to take another trip to the yarn store... I mean I can't use what I already have since it's for a different project right?! I'm going to have to start hiding my yarn in the trunk of my car haha

 

Well Monday is the start of my new week thank goodness. i was doing so well til we went out for mexican last night and then ice cream after that. ugh. treadmill here I come!

[Tia]

I've had a rough couple days. Our sick cat Shadow, who was diagnosed with kidney failure a few weeks ago, took a turn for the worse yesterday. Today we decided it was best to have him put to sleep.

 

He was 13 yrs old. I had him from a kitten. He will be greatly missed.

[happy stitcher]

I've had a rough couple days..... I had him from a kitten. He will be greatly missed.

 

:hug Teresa :hug

 

I'm so sorry for you! I lost a 13 yo cat to kidney failure a few years ago. It's very difficult, I know....

[neselv]

Sunshine, I also like your color choices, but agree that you have to be happy them. It's no use in finishing the entire thing and not liking it.

 

Congrats on you ladies for your weight loss! It's not easy, but it's so worth it!

 

Tia, I'm so sorry about your cat. Pets are family and I know it hurt so badly to have to make that decision.

 

I'm really liking this 2009 Afghan and I think I want to try it too. First I need to pick out my colors

[Tia]

Thank you happy stitcher and neselv for your encouraging words.

 

Welcome neselev! And welcome to the 'ville. I have added you to the list. I look forward to seeing which pattern you choose.

[Gardener]

Tia, I'm sorry about the loss of your cat.

[Tia]

Thank you Cindy.

 

Shadow had such soft fur, he felt more like an Angora bunny. I saved some of it and yesterday I spun it into about 2 yds. of yarn, washed it and set the twist. I don't know yet what I'll make with it, maybe something to go with his ashes, but I don't know what the container will look like.

[Tia]

Happy Saturday! Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

 

It's been so long since I lost any weight. It's been a rough year with dh getting laid off and then the cat getting sick. I had managed to lose 40 lbs. and then I gained 5 back. I really need to get exercising again.

 

One problem is I have almost no desire to work on the afghans that I had started -- either the weight loss or the exercise 'ghans. So I'm thinking now of what patterns I want to switch to and just start over fresh. I need a fresh start now -- maybe the second half of this year will go better. Yeah, I'll start fresh on July 1st with new patterns.

[Gardener]

I don't like my afghan choice either. The pictured 63 squares afghan looks great, but its almost impossible to get the squares to come out the same size. Apparently each square must have been tested by a different person, with a different gauge. I naively assumed that once I made the first square, every other square would come out to that same size, since my gauge would stay relatively the same. However the squares, which are all supposed to be 8 inches have ranged from about 5.5 inches to about 10 inches as written. Each one requires a lot of reworking to come out to the right size.

 

I have also been contemplating switching to a different pattern.

[Tia]

Ack! I hate it when squares don't come out the same size. Here is a website where someone worked that afghan and they list the hook size they used for each pattern. Maybe that'll help you out if you decide you really want to stick with that 'ghan.

 

I don't like my afghan choice either. The pictured 63 squares afghan looks great, but its almost impossible to get the squares to come out the same size. Apparently each square must have been tested by a different person, with a different gauge. I naively assumed that once I made the first square, every other square would come out to that same size, since my gauge would stay relatively the same. However the squares, which are all supposed to be 8 inches have ranged from about 5.5 inches to about 10 inches as written. Each one requires a lot of reworking to come out to the right size.

 

I have also been contemplating switching to a different pattern.

[Gardener]

Thanks for the link to the site. Mine is the 63 more squares, although I also have the 62 squares pattern. I'm sick of that afghan though, and have been looking around for something else to make. The squares won't go to waste, I'll make a few more and make a lapghan to donate.

[keeperofthehome4]

I'm here still. I manged to lose a 1lb this week. Not been doing great need to kick the weight loss in more.