I have some questions that I would like honest answers to from the people on this forum.....it's rather like a poll...but more sensitive than just that.....

How many of us are using the techniques here or information here to actively get our weight off?

How many of us are using the techniques here or information here to get healthy --- not necessarily to lose weight?

How amny of us are using the techniques here or information here to maintain what we have already done, lose weight or get healthy?


How many have more than 100 lbs to lose?
More than 75 lbs to lose?
More than 50 lbs to lose?
More than 25 lbs to lose
More than 10 lbs to lose?
No weight to lose?

Comments?

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When I first started watching KD on TV, I was
impressed with how she treated each of her guests, someone who had weight to lose and exercise to gain, with such respect, which she still does. I was also impressed with the idea that we could eat such good food and still lose, my idea of a great time. And once the site was up, I thought great, a place to discuss common ground. But lately as we have discussed things have gotten old and stale. Several have suggested that we need a pep-me-up...and thus my questions.

So please don't take it as an attack, but just questions to go some place different here...and still be a part of KD's wonderfulness. Okay?

thanks for your help.

Cathy J

I am new here and then again I am not.

I have been reading a long time but I don't really like "registering" for things on the internet so I have resisted joining (I am a very private person) but I just had to register in order to say that this particular conversation sounds like you are closing down.

That would be a shame. I have gotten a lot of suggestions and encouragement from all of you even though you did not know I was here.

I read some at other places also and they all have an ebb and flow and go thru slow periods when nothing much seems to be going on.

What a timely question, Cathy.

As some may have noticed, I'm not here as I once was - maybe that's part of my problem. I have more weight to loose than when I first found this wonderful site. I had lost more than 40 pounds at one point - with the encouragement of many who are still here.

I ended up finding it too easy to sit and "talk" on this computer all day. Now I don't have or allow myself that time. I do try to keep track of the pulse of the site, but don't always do that.

I would now be one who has to loose over 100 pounds. That's not easy to say. But I know it.

Linda

I like Brie's suggestion.

I also would hate to lose this Board. I also use it as a source of support . I think what has happened with the Board-- this is natural with all relationships. we get closer. we grow more distant. it cycles. it passes.

as for feeling isolated: i think this is also natural. there are certian things in our lives that make us feel different form others. i can say with honesty--my dd. she suffers from depression and has issues. she behaves in ways that i do not share with other parents. i do not feel "normal" when other talk about their kids and they are doing this and that...i do not feel i belong in that conversation. my definition of a good day with dd is so far removed from other parents definition. so honestly, i don't talk to other parents baout dd. and this makes me feel alone in my situation. i talk to my SO, that is about it.

I was pretty hesitant to jump in here and say much because I mostly do a fly-by look at what's up here and keep on plugging these days. Healthy eating/weight loss are not high on my radar but I have always loved and appreciated this community and like to hear what's up. I also think, along the lines of what Dawn said, that your voices in my head keep me on the straight and narrow more often than not.

That being said I've felt for a long time that the board has just gotten very small and insular and that many of the concerns that people are expressing could possibly be remedied with a larger membership. I myself however have been hesitant to encourage people in my 'real' life to join here because it has historically been a 'safe' place for me and having my best friend or coworker here with me might not feel so 'safe'. I don't have a good answer since KD is not getting the kind of media exposure we would all like to see and she has not been actively engaged in the board for any length of time in a number of years. We could come up with some sort of membership campaign if we wanted to but there would be risks that the people we recruit might change the environment in ways that we wouldn't like. We've been blissfully free of trolls and flamers and other sorts of folks that can really screw up an environment like this.

While I actually like the idea Brie has put out there, that is a level of granularity that I don't think we have a big enough membership to support. If we grew, I think that would be an awesome approach. The bigger weight loss/healthy eating places like 3 fat chicks and WW boards are set up similarly but they also have huge membership bases.

I know Denise reads at least one WW board. Are there other boards out there that people are using with success? I use an iVillage board for debt support that is very similar to this board in feel and support. iVillage does a good job of managing spamming, etc on their boards. I'm wondering if we could identify another board and move as a whole to that board if we could expand our membership/shared experience level while maintaining our connections to each other.

That's my 2 cents+ worth!

Peg

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Brie:
I feel like we're all at different places in our journeys and for myself, I'm finding it harder to relate to every post on the board.

/QUOTE]

I can relate. For so long, I related to most of what people posted. Now I am often struck by how much I can't relate to a certain behavior or a particular mindset.

There is a huge range in terms of members' goals and needs. I like Brie's idea. Not that it would have to be strictly limited, but it might provide a place where people in similar spots could relate more easily.

It's helpful for me to realize that people here have varying motivations related to being here. I generally assume that everyone is here because she wants to continue to make changes (or maintain changes) that will lead to weight loss/better health. I tend to post out of that assumption. I forget that many are here for social support. The different threads might help me to be more sensitive to the needs others present.

I often find it difficult to walk the line between "I can understand why you ate the donuts." and "Why the hell did you eat the donuts-?!" More and more I tend to forget questioning certain behaviors- I think that the questioning isn't welcome or effective. So...I am often not sure how or what to post.

I feel like we're all at different places in our journeys and for myself, I'm finding it harder to relate to every post on the board.

I wonder if it would be possible or helpful to have new folders up at the top that were more relevant. Some of my thoughts are:

"Cheerleading Needed" folder for folks who just need a cyber hug or some positive encouragement (no suggestions or friendly pushing allowed)

"Kick in the Pants" folder for folks who want stronger accountability and would be open to suggestions

"Maintainers" folder for folks who are at maintainence and dealing with those issues because as Sandy pointed out, there are a bunch of us who fall into this category and still feel connected and get something out of this board

"Over 50 folder" for folks who need to lose 50+ pounds (or this could be whatever increment)

"Current Challenge" folder for whatever challenge we have going

"Wellness Information" folder for links to articles on the web like Sheltie provides regularly.

"Final 10" for people who are just about at goal

Just my $.02

quote:

Originally posted by cobismom:
I didn't hear anyone say, oh, I have only a lb to loose. We all seem to have significant weight to take off, and we know that. Cathy

Actually, there are a good number of us who are in healthy weight range and are in maintaining mode. Brie, Denise, Iz and I are all in range most of the time. NBox and Dawn are both looking at just 10ish pounds.

I agree with you about wanting more talk about skills and ideas realted to loss. I see, however, that many people who resonded are at goal or close to it.

I am really only here now for a social outlet, though I do still enjoy when people share information about new products, new health/nutritional information, etc.

I have gained back most of the weight I lost in 2003--ever so slowly over the past 5+ years--I guess that one small success is that I didn't gain back the 30 pounds I lost in a few months + more, which is what I have done in the past. On the other hand, it is tremendously frustrating to be back where I am weight-wise.

What I need, to answer Cathy's question, is a place where I can feel comfortable to fail and to struggle as well as to succeed...and, for me, this hasn't been that place for a long time.

i would like to lose about 6-7 pounds of jiggle. however, i am in no hurray. for me, i need to feel balanced. not overdoing it with cutting calories or exercising. otherwise, i slip into unhappiness, stress, depression, etc.--which leads to more poor eating habits. i am fine with losing weight very slowly if it means i eat a reasonable dessert regularly without feeling guilty. this is where i am right now. perhaps this will change in the future and i will be more dogged about those 6-7 pounds of jiggle.

I really get a lot out of just reading about others ups and downs-- details of what they are dealing with. some stuff i relate to; other stuff i don't.

i tend to be goal oriented, which puts me on track. so i respond when i see others who are trying for attainable goals. for me, right now, it has been about getting proper rest. I know that proper sleep will have a great ripple effect with eating right and working out. once i get a better handle on that, i know i will aim for something else.

i also really like when people chime in about non-weight issues. because our lives are not compartmentalized. we deal with kids, our mates, our pets, our finances, our house cleaning...it all affects our quality of life and ultimately, our weight loss/gain/maintenance. So I hope people still do share what is going on with them.

So what I am hearing is that a few of us still have weight to lose. Some of us use this as a social outlet, which is wonderful, we need that sort of climate.

I have about 60 lbs let to lose to get to my goal weight. I need the support of this group, but sometimes the support isn't there, it's just the way life is.

So if you were to ask for what you need from this group or forum what would it be? I need to have support, input to know that I am NOT the only one not just maintaining and not eating non-processed foods. I need ideas on how to stay motivated and on target, not to take those every other week vacations...sticking to it for the long haul. I didn't hear anyone say, oh, I have only a lb to loose. We all seem to have significant weight to take off, and we know that. So what would you need from this group to get you moving on your ideas and stay there?
Cathy

I've lost 30 lbs and have 10 to go. I'm not in losing mode, just trying not to gain back any weight.

I'm not doing anything towards weight loss or healthy living right now, so I come here for the social conversation. I suppose this is the place I'd go to for information and support if I decided to try and really lose more weight.

All in all, I've gotten pretty lazy.

This website is huge support for me. I tend to be a lurker though. I still have 90 lbs for my ultimate goal. I have been off track quite a bit of the past year. Having the fire happen on our house. Then when that was done: My son ending up in ICU. Then thanksgiving and Christmas, My dad's surgery and unforseen complications. (emergency surgery to save his leg) It has taken me this long to feel comfortable with the idea that something else bad wasn't around the corner. My son just started kindergarten giving me the ability to work out at curves on a regular basis as well as walking. For the first time in a while I am making progress.
It has been this website and the support of a few friends here that has kept me from ballooning back up to 250. Maybe I should put some of the issues I have out there more, but as I told going skiing once (a while ago) my husband is extremely sensitive about dumping problems on other people.

Anyway that is where I am at.

Mnm

I have been with KD since the beginning of Cooking Thin on FN and on this site since it began.

I use it both for health and weight loss and also just for social conversations with all of my friends here.

I am 51 pounds smaller and still have 40 to 50 lbs to lose. I have actually lost way more than 51 lbs but a lot of it has been the same pounds over and over again. The scales go up and down 3 to 5 lbs over and over again. I guess I am really good at maintaining .

Dd monopolizes the computer a lot doing on-line homework and job hunting so I am not on much lately.

I would like to lose some weight, but mostly I use the information here to try to stay healthy. I will be honest, I don't do it religiously, and that should be obvious as I say "I still would like to lose some weight." (I should lose 10-15 lbs.)

It is with me all the time though, and I do think it keeps me from going more off course than I would if I didn't have all of your little voices inside my head.

I would like to see more activity, but I will say one of the reasons I'm not on as much is that I'm currently working two jobs. Also, I don't have a "desk job", where I have as much computer access anymore, AND, when I get home, I know often find DS using the computer much more than he did when he was younger.

Dawn

I'm technically in maintenance but I would like a bit more wiggle room so would like to lose 5 more pounds.

I've lived and breathed KD's philosophy as well as other weight loss "techniques" for almost 6 years now (I started my journey 6 years ago this month). In my experience, it works. I just need to stay consistent.

I still have 40-45 pounds to lose.

I use the site mostly as reinforcement of what I'm trying to do, as well as support. I still follow Kathleen's philosophies, I have just incorporated some new things as I have gone along, because my body no longer responds like it did when I first started.

I'm not around as much as I'd like because of school, but I still check the site almost every day.