Community Profile

Community Information

This is a community for those of us who want to lose weight in a safe, and healthy way.

Some of us have 10 pounds to lose, and some of us have a 100 lbs or more to lose. It can be a real struggle, but you're not alone. With a good support system, anything is possible.

We do not condone eating disorders or posts related to ED behavior. Any entries involving the promotion of an unhealthy behavior will be deleted with possible banning (especially for repeat offenders). However, you will not be penalized for other communities you belong to or other posts you make in other communities. We are here to support you, not judge you.

Please also take the time to read our FAQ at the bottom of this page for more information.

*We are a healthy weight loss support group and are not professionals. Therefore, if you are looking into beginning an excerise and/or diet regimen, you may want to consider discussing your options with a doctor.

Theme Days

-Monday will be Positivity Day. Every week, you can post what you are thankful or happy for. It can be something as simple as drinking more water, or feeling good about exercising.

-Tuesday will be designated as personal challenge day once a month. You can post about a personal challenge you've created for yourself, and update about it during the week.

-Thursday is the monthly "Food Day!" day where you can take pictures of your recent hauls from the grocery store or discuss what you plan to buy on your next trip to the grocery store! This is also the post to take a picture of the items in your fridge or describe them to the group. This may give suggestions to other members what foods they may want to buy on their next shopping trip!

-Friday is designated as music sharing & workout play list day at the beginning of every month. A post will be set up in order for all of us to share our favorite songs and playlists that we workout to. If you're looking for new songs because you're sick of your playlist, this is the day to ask. We can all recommend songs, bands, and singers to each other if someone is looking for a specific type of music to workout to. A fun day to discuss workout music!

We also have a "Community Weigh in Day" weekly for month long challenges. The day on which the post varies based on when the 1st of each month lands.


Also, feel free to promote the community. If you think someone would be interested, by all means, do whatever it takes, as long as it doesn't break any rules.


Community Rules

1. No thinspiration or posting of starved models. This also includes wanting a BMI of underweight, or any eating disordered behavior.

2. No bashing of other members. Remember, we are all human and would like to be treated as such. Please be courteous and respectful :)

3. Absolutely no discussion about diet pills. They do not work and are dangerous. Posts about diet pills will be deleted. The same goes for fad diets, cleanses, or anything else that promises quick weight loss.

4. Pictures should be behind a cut if they are more than 400 pixels wide and 400 pixels long. Not everyone has super fast internet.



Contact Information

If you must contact a mod, then message:

sevilla Private message


Helpful Links

1. The following websites are food diaries that may help keep you accountable in your weight loss journey:

Sparkpeople

MyFitnessPal

The Daily Plate

FitDay

2. The following are nutritional websites to help you build a healthy diet:

Nutrient Data Laboratory
Information on the composition of common foods.

Americans: My Pyramid - the USDA Food Guide

Canadians: Canada Food Guide

Both of these websites discuss the four food groups and serving sizes for them.

3. The following websites are to help you build a workout routine:

The Couch-to-5k Running Plan
Not a runner? Want to be one? This gets you from being a couch potato to slowly being able to eventually running 5k/3miles. Good for cardio health.

One Hundred Push ups Challenge
Want to be able to do 100 push ups? This site will not only show you how it's possible, but give you the schedule in order to do so based on your individual fitness level.

Stumptuous
A site geared to those who want to work with the free weights in the gym and ditch the machines. This site is especially geared towards women as the site owner is a woman and shows you some great moves if you're interested in strength training.

Exercise Prescription on the Net
Another site geared to weight training. Really great for beginners in building a routine. Also has section on cardio exercise as well.

4. The following websites are to calculate your BMR & fun websites:

BMR Calculator
See how many calories you burn, just by being alive.

Calorie Maintenance Calculator
A chart that might estimate your weight loss progress for you.

Weight Loss Ticker
Keep track of your progress!


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the purpose of this community?

This community is a support community, meaning snark is not encouraged. However, we are one of the more active and diverse weight loss communities out there, so there might be a lot of criticism and disagreement.

Please keep in mind the basic rule of any LJ community, which is that if you are posting in one, you are effectively asking for comments. You may not agree with those comments. However, once you post, the comments and content no longer belong to you, but to the community, so please do not delete comments or delete your post.

The one thing most members have in common is that we don't want to see this community become one of the dozens (if not hundreds) of other weight loss community that supports unhealthy behaviors. So we are often fiercely protective of our community.

Of course, health is completely individual. We are not health nazis, and what is healthy for one person might not be healthy for others. You may or may not like or take our advice, but be prepared to hear it.

"Unhealthy" generally refers to crash dieting, bulimia, other forms of purging (excessive laxative use), overexercising, and starvation. If you're not repeatedly posting about one of these things, chances are you'll be welcomed into the community with open arms. If you are, do some research, read and consider what we have to say, and try to find answers for yourself from informed/unbiased sources.

We’re not looking to jump on you so we can feel superior or healthier-than-thou. We all fuck up, and most us would not need to lose weight if we were paragons of health. We are trying to ensure that this community remains one of the only places on LJ that is committed to a sensible approach to weight loss. The reality is that there are hundreds of other communities where you can get encouragement and support for disordered eating. We're not judging you; we're just saying this is not one of them, and we intend to keep it that way.

What kinds of people are in this community?

All kinds. People recovering from eating disorders. People who have 100+ pounds to lose or just a few vanity pounds. People who need to gain weight. People who want to maintain their weight. Anyone is welcome as long as you follow the guidelines.

What are some good resources to learn about healthy weight loss, or track my diet and exercise?

sparkpeople.com/ - an all-encompassing fitness site
www.fitday.com - another one-stop shop for weight tracking, exercising logging, etc.
mapmyrun.com - to map running routes
mapmyride.com - to map biking routes
hundredpushups.com - a progressive pushup program that builds up to doing 100 pushups
coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml - a progressive running/jogging program that lets you gradually build up to running 5k
thedailyplate.com/ - calorie counter, diet tracking, nutrition information
www.mercola.com - natural health information articles and health newsletter
bodyrecomposition.com – scientific information about fat loss, muscle gain, and fitness
nutritiondata.com – know what you eat; a nutrition data blog
stumptuous.com – all about weight lifting for women
t-nation.com – how to build muscle
fatfreevegan.com – fat-free vegan recipes
freetrainers.com a list of different strength workouts based on your ability, goals, equipment and other preferences
The New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler

What about websites for finding recipes (that actually have nutritional info listed)?

cookinglight.com
eatbetteramerica.com
hungry-girl.com
allrecipes.com
recipezaar.com
sparkrecipes.com

How many calories should I be eating a day?

This depends on how much you weigh and your activity level. It takes a caloric deficit of 3500 to lose a pound of fat. If you calculate your BMR (here is a good link: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator ), you can use that number to find out your daily calorie needs. Your BMR, or basal metabolic rate (metabolism), is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions. Your daily calorie needs is that number multiplied to account for exercise and every day movement. To lose one pound a week, you will have to consume 500 calories less than that total number. To lose two pounds a week, you will have to consume 1000 less. It is not recommended to go below 1200 calories for women, or 1500 calories for men, but this number is a guideline and not a rule. Many people need far more. Sparkpeople and Fitday have good calculators to figure this out.

How long will it take me to get to my goal weight the healthy way?

Your body will generally not lose more than 1-2 pounds of fat a week. Additional weight loss is usually water (and other waste) or muscle tissue. At higher weights, you will lose more. If you are already within a healthy weight range, you may lose less. A good target is around 1% of your weight/week.

What kind of exercise should I do?

That depends entirely on what your goals are. Ask us! Some workouts are more effective than others, but in the end, what you enjoy most will be what you adopt over the course of your lifetime. Try to find movement you enjoy, and you will be more likely to see it as a chore, and thus more likely to stick to it. The "best" workout is generally one you will be able to do without injury.

I’m confused about weight lifting. Help?

1) All you need is 2-3 workouts a week, with compound moves. Bicep curls are not going to build a lot of muscle. Think squats, deadlifts, lunges, pullups, lat pull down, pushups, bench press, dips, and rows.

2) The weights need to be challenging, the reps need to be low. Strength gains are maxed at 1-3 reps. Both strength and size gains will be good at 5-8 reps. Size gains are maximized at 8-12 reps. This is a good way to keep from getting "too big" You want to aim for 20-25 total reps, so choose your number of sets accordingly (5 reps for 5 sets, 8 reps for 3 sets, etc). The weight should be challenging for you, meaning by the end of all your sets, you could probably only do 0-2 more reps. Over time, you should increase weight so it stays challenging.

3) Don't believe that hundreds of reps at a light weight will get you "toned". It will burn calories, but it is not an effective way to build muscle. To get toned, you need to increase your muscle mass relative to your fat mass. Building muscle is the way to go.

4) Stay away from the scale. Use your tape measure. Increasing muscle mass may increase your scale weight. That's good! If you weigh more, you can eat more!

5) Speaking of eating, you will need to do it. If you are at a healthy weight, you should be eating at minimum, enough for maintanence, if not a bit more. Yes girls, that means that you eat enough to cover your basal metabolic rate AND all your activity, if not 200-300 calories more. It takes fuel to build muscle! If your tape measurements start getting larger again in bad places (waist, hips, bust) then you can decrease calories again. If not, keep going!

But, ew, I don’t want to get all bulky or look like a man. What do I do?

No one turns into a bodybuilder overnight. Most female bodybuilders 1) use steroids, 2) are genetically gifted, and 3) have levels of body fat that are difficult to achieve and impossible to maintain. It is possible you will not like the way you look after strength training. It is also possible if you are already lean, that you get a little larger in which case you can back off a little. Or suck it up, because muscle is good: it stokes your metabolism, it makes you strong, and helps you STAY strong as you get older, which means you will be healthier and mobile longer.

Why don’t crash diets work?

Crash diets, be it extreme calorie restriction or odd fad diets like only eating 3 apples a day or a tub of cottage cheese, work on the surface but in the long run are ineffective and even damaging to your body. If you restrict calories below a certain point (Average ~1100 calories, but this varies by person.) your body begins to think it is starving and slows down your metabolism and will start burning lean muscle mass as fuel. As a result, when your crash diet is over and you return to eating as normal your metabolism is slower, meaning you will actually gain weight eating what you used to be able to sustain your weight on. A common problem resulting from this is yo-yo dieting, losing some weight, then quitting the diet and yo-yoing back up to the same weight before or often a higher weight and you've lost muscle mass and endurance to boot!

In short, crash diets may get you into a bikini tomorrow but you'll be in sweat pants in a month. :)

Has anyone tried the Master Cleanse/Grapefruit/Sacred heart diet?

Lots of us have. They do not work for long-term, sustainable weight loss. They generally make you feel miserable. In most cases, you will gain the weight back very soon after stopping. You will also lose muscle, which will make it even more difficult to lose weight, as muscle uses more calories.

What is starvation mode?

Starvation mode is the tendency for your body to start using muscle mass for fuel when it isn't getting enough calories. This is damaging because muscle burns more calories than fat. It will cause your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to reduce, and you will find it more and more difficult to lose weight, and easier to gain it.

Are carbs bad for me?

NO. Carbs are an essential part of a healthy diet. It's true that eliminating carbs CAN help you kick-start a diet (such as Phase I of the South Beach Diet), but even in those cases the complete elimination of carbs is usually temporary. Healthy carbohydrates, such as fruit, beans, and whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, corn, etc) help you feel full, provide lasting energy for exercise, and are a necessary part of a balanced diet. That said, carbs should only make up about a quarter of your entire intake. The "perfect plate" is 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 protein (such as meat or tofu) and 1/4 carbohydrates.

Which diet pills work?

None, really. Some will make you feel so nauseous that you won’t be able to eat. These aren’t healthy. Many are downright dangerous and will eventually be recalled by the FDA. It has been shown that caffeine in pill form can help you workout more effectively, but a good diet, lots of rest, and proper hydration will give you the same energy in a healthier manner, without the side effects. And unless you’re extremely active, it’s unlikely that you’ll be doing the kind of intense exercise that would require supplements to sustain you.

I’ve been exercising, so why am I not losing weight?

To lose weight, you must generally also adjust your diet. Some people think that if they exercise a little, they can eat extra. However, to lose one pound of fat, you must burn 3500 calories. That's equivalent to about an hour of high-intensity cardio every single day of one week.

How did I gain 2lbs overnight?

Rapid weight loss or gain is almost always attributable to waste (either water weight or shit). If you are crash dieting, it could also be muscle that you're losing.

How do I get rid of water weight?

Drinking more water will help get rid of bloating. Sodium promotes water retention, so cutting back on your salt intake will help.

I’ve gained a few pounds in the past couple of weeks while exercising. It’s muscle, right?

It takes women a long time and a lot of effort to gain muscle. Rapid weight gain is not attributable to muscle gain.

Is daily weighing bad?

It depends. Studies have shown that keeping track of your weight daily leads to longterm success. However, your weight fluctuates from day to day, so it's not recommended to do this if you cannot deal with those fluctuations. Additionally, you should not weigh yourself daily if you are prone to disordered tendencies. Otherwise, it's a personal decision.

I am thinking about going on a fast or detox diet just to cleanse myself. What do you guys think?

Eating a well-balanced diet with lots of fiber and staying well hydrated is the best way to cleanse your system. Your body is perfectly capable of cleansing itself, unless you have dysfunctional kidneys or livers.

Can I lose weight without exercising?

It's absolutely possible to lose weight without exercising. If you take in fewer calories than you burn, over time you will lose weight. If you choose to lose weight through diet alone, you'll have to eat fewer calories and you'll need to make sure that you're following a very nutritious diet. When quantity is restricted, quality becomes more important.

However, weight loss is not the only reason to exercise. Regular exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, helps prevent against bone loss, increases insulin sensitivity (which reduces your risk of diabetes), decreases stress levels, lowers the risk of getting cancer, and increases the chances of beating it. So the question is, if you are healthy enough to exercise why not do it? One of the reasons you are trying to lose weight is to be healthy and exercising will make you even healthier. So while it is technically possible to lose weight with no exercise, it is impractical and hard to achieve.

Why should I lift weights?

Proper weight training builds muscle. Muscle burns calories. Muscle is slimmer than fat, so you look better at a higher weight. Maintaining a higher weight is easier on your body. Muscle adds definition, so you look "toned".

Do negative calorie foods exist?

Snopes (a website dedicated to dispelling myths) says celery actually is one, not due to the chewing of it, but due to digestion, (read article I gave the link to below) but it’s such a negligible effect that it wouldn’t be worth it to eat tons of celery to try to lose weight.
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/celery.asp.

Will cutting out certain food groups or types of foods help me to lose weight (like carbs, etc)?

No. Losing weight is about calories in vs. calories out. You could theoretically eat nothing but crap like pizza and candy and lose weight (if you were burning more calories than you were eating), but doing that is unhealthy, and you will probably feel like shit.

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