Now I guess there is no way back...

[Arkteia]

I have tried to lose weight so many times, and it has been up and down but since the birth of my son it has been consistenly increasing. Hormones are not to be blamed; it is all stress and lack of discipline.
I decided to do a radical thing. I took my James Meyer ring from my ring finger and pushed it on my middle finger. it is small, thin and slightly larger than other rings; it slid through the knuckles.
Now it sits snugly. So there are two choices: either to lose weight and be able to take it off or risk cutting it to take it off my finger. It once happened to another ring, but I cherish James Meyer's work! So far I have been counting calories for 2 days. I am going to post a current photo and later the net result.

I am posting it on the CS because I know your feelings if I ruin the ring.

It is not a joke. I can not make a bigger commitment.

 

[baby nurse]

Stress is the worst for causing weight gain. I really feel for you, crasru! We ALL have our vices. Stay strong and keep to your plan. Don't cut the ring

 

[m00sie]

Hehe you sound like me! except I don't have kids to blame for the weight gain.

I don't wear any of my rings at the moment because they need to be sized and I'm going to wait until I am thin again before doing that (my fingers gain 1-2 sizes whenever I put on a substantial amount of weight).

Goodluck with your weightloss!

I am sure your idea will work well - the thought of wearing my pretties usually stops me from pigging out but I am quite stressed at the moment due to study and work committments so have been eating more than I should

Would love to see the before and after pics.

 

[jstarfireb]

Use the ring as a motivator to lose the extra pounds! I've been very fortunate with weight so far (never really had a problem except in my own head as a teenager), but I've gathered a few tips over the years that have been very helpful:

-Never underestimate the power of strength training - muscle burns more calories than fat even at rest, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn on a daily basis, even when you're not exercising.

-Interval training is a pretty fast way to boost your metabolism. My old cardio workout used to be 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer at 6 mph. These days, I do it in half the time, but I do intervals, and I use the treadmill instead of the elliptical. I do a 15-minute treadmill workout, starting at 5.5 mph (an 11-min mile) for 2 minutes, then 8 mph (a 7-min mile) for 1 min, 5.5 mph for 1 min, and repeat until I get to 13 min. Then I do 2 min of 5.5 mph and I'm done. So basically it ends up being 6 cycles of 5.5/8 mph, with 2 minutes of 5.5 on each end. It's pretty tiring...despite it being only 15 minutes, I'm panting hard and sweating buckets by the end. Anyway, intervals have been shown to work better than running at an even pace for a longer period of time, with the added bonus that you get to do a shorter workout.

-Don't think of eating right as a "diet" - think of it as a lifestyle change that you're making in order to make yourself healthier. Diets don't work. You have to ingrain healthy habits into your routine rather than go "on a diet." It may help to join a program like Weight Watchers that combines supportive group meetings with point systems so you can estimate how much you should be eating in a day without having to count every single calorie. My friend who had a weight problem all through her childhood and teen years lost a huge amount of weight when she joined Weight Watchers, and she looks really fantastic now.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

 

[Lovinggems]

I'm having weight issues and I too have no kids to blame for my dilemma. Problem is my limbs gets really fat, could hardly fit into my jeans anymore.
Does losing/gaining weight makes much difference to finger size? Do you think it's a good indicator? Good luck with your new diet!

 

[MAC-W]

I'm having weight issues and I too have no kids to blame for my dilemma. Problem is my limbs gets really fat, could hardly fit into my jeans anymore.
Does losing/gaining weight makes much difference to finger size? Do you think it's a good indicator? Good luck with your new diet!

Having been skinny to the point of being hospitalised cos the doctors thought I had anorexia (I didnt, I had a perforated appendix that was basically poisoning my body) to being an australian size 16,I think ring size is a fairly good indicator of weight.

I'm 5'7" and classed as "medium boned".

At my skinniest I was 94lb (eek) and at my heaviest I was 191lb (oops), so yes, my experience is that (very roughly) every 10lb equals about a 0.2 size increase in finger.





Good luck Crasru - I hope this plan works for you and keeps you motivated. It would be a shame to cut that lovely ring.

 

[Treenbean]

Jillian Michael's 30 day shred workout tape 27 minutes 3 different levels 14 pounds lost in 7 weeks. Good luck to you! Facts about yo-yo dieting and why it doesn't work. When you lose weight fat cells shrink, when you gain weight fat cells double. The more you gain and lose the more fat cells you have in your body leaving you with the tendency to gain more weight. Hence 10lbs overweight after the first baby and 25lbs overweight after the second baby.
My tip exercise in the morning and make sure you eat breakfast within 45 minutes after exercising it mega boosts the metabolism. Also eat sprouted grain bread or sprouted grain anything (pretzels, cereal etc) it digests as a vegetable not a simple carb, so you get the satisfaction of eating bread without the blood sugar spikes that lead to cravings.....
You can do it!!! If I can, you can...

 

[chrono]

Crasru,
I cringed when I read about your JM ring being used as the motivator. The goal of losing 1 lb a week is generally doable and realistic. I hope you’ll succeed as I’d hate to think about the possibility of your blood circulation being affected by a tight ring.

 

[Aoife]

Crasru, I'm really concerned about this because so many things could cause your finger to swell around the ring in a way that's dangerous to the circulation. Exercise, a hot and humid day, water retention, etc. Please keep a very careful eye on your finger!

I'll also offer a slightly different perspective: weight is less important than being healthy. If you have a small child or children, chances are you are not taking time to take care of yourself. If you set aside 30-45 minutes every day to exercise, you'll feel better mentally and physically. And if wearing your rings is something that makes you happy, get them resized so you can enjoy them now, instead of waiting for the magic day when you're the perfect weight. I think women tend to put way too much importance on the numbers they see on the scale, and far too little importance on being happy right now. Just a slightly different perpective, YMMV.

And I love your James Meyer ring!

 

[lavatea]

Good luck!!

I'm needing to shed a good 25 lbs myself. My husband has gotten so slim over the past year, and his single best tip is to exercise in the morning. He says it not only gets it out of the way, but it also gets him motivated in other areas throughout his day.

I just can't bear to get up early!

 

[movie zombie]

well, Crasu, that certainly is a creative motivator!

but i worry about your swollen finger.....and damage to the ring just from doing household chores!

good luck with the weight loss........

MoZo, another short round women who messed up her metabolizm by yo-yo'ing with her weight when younger.

ps

what is an australian size 16?

 

[platinumrock]

Crasru, thank you for your post. I thought I was the only one who struggled with her weight and ring size. Even in my slimmer teenage years, my smallest ring size was a 7. I didn't feel like a freak until I joined PS, which is swimming with size 3's and 5's. Then I started to see a correlation between ring size and coverage: the smaller the finger, the larger the rock looks.

I am a size 9 now. I have accepted that for my right hand. So all of my RHR's have been sized appropriately. Unfortunately, I am still in denial about my left hand, especially the ER finger. My ER and wedding band are size 8. I literally had to force them to fit my ring finger with soap (I know, pathetic right? lol). It was swollen for a few days, but it went back to normal after that. I always have this "pudge" on my ring finger. To this day, I cannot get my rings out. The only way to get them to come off is to lose weight or cut them off like you just said. I promised myself that if I lost enough weight to get my ER/WB off comfortably, I will upgrade them to match.

I just started a work-out regimen this month. 5x a week for at least 30 mins. I've also been trying to eat more healthy and cut back on the junk food. It's not easy. Even when I don't want to, I have to push myself to get off my butt, get dressed and get on the treadmill. It's like work...you don't alwasy want to go, but you make yourself get up and get dressed. And once you're on the road, it doesn't seem so bad.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling. But I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone.

 

[platinumrock]

well, Crasu, that certainly is a creative motivator!

but i worry about your swollen finger.....and damage to the ring just from doing household chores!

good luck with the weight loss........

MoZo, another short round women who messed up her metabolizm by yo-yo'ing with her weight when younger.

what is an australian size 16?

MZ, add me to that list.

 

[Fly Girl]

Good luck, crasru. I hope this works for you, but I too worry about having your finger swell unexpectedly. A bump and an insect bite have caused problems for me in the past.

My new mantra, thanks to Michael Pollan--Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not too Much. Food is defined as real food, as unprocessed as possible. Summer is a great time, what with all the fresh veggies available. No Nutrition Facts labels on them, which is a good sign.

Best of luck with your diet, and really hoping your beautiful ring survives, along with you.

 

[LD]

Blinking 'eck Crasu - please take the ring off. Don't risk serious damage to your digit.

Ok, so you're serious about losing weight. How about having a goal that each Sunday (for example) you try to put it on. One day it's going to slide on!

Another tip is to keep it taped to the front of your fridge (or wherever you keep your naughty stuff)! That'll remind you that not only should you not be naughty but that your fellow PS'ers are watching you!

Speaking as somebody who has been 238lbs and also 112lbs (thankfully nearer the lower end now) I KNOW what an addiction to food is like.

So Mrs, get that ring off and do some healthy eating. It's NOT a diet. It's gotta be sustainable. Have a treat night once a week so you're not deprived and remember that your whole meal should just be a little bigger than a clenched fist to fill you up (and I bet every one of us has just looked at our fist and gone "oooops no way")!

Good luck xxx

 

[cemrn]

I am needing to get motivated as well. I am a bit scared for your finger. I am going to try this. I weighed in today. I must lose something every week. If I lose I have earned the right to wear my jewelry. If I gain, I am wearing only my plain plat wedding band until next week's weigh in. No earrings, necklace, nothing but the band. I need to fit into my clothes for an upcoming trip. Plus I just feel gross and sluggish right now. It is hard to motivate to exercise when it is 95+ degrees everyday but enough of the excuses for me. I am going to bed early tonight so I can get up tomorrow.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Blinking 'eck Crasu - please take the ring off. Don't risk serious damage to your digit.

Ok, so you're serious about losing weight. How about having a goal that each Sunday (for example) you try to put it on. One day it's going to slide on!

Another tip is to keep it taped to the front of your fridge (or wherever you keep your naughty stuff)! That'll remind you that not only should you not be naughty but that your fellow PS'ers are watching you!

Speaking as somebody who has been 238lbs and also 112lbs (thankfully nearer the lower end now) I KNOW what an addiction to food is like.

So Mrs, get that ring off and do some healthy eating. It's NOT a diet. It's gotta be sustainable. Have a treat night once a week so you're not deprived and remember that your whole meal should just be a little bigger than a clenched fist to fill you up (and I bet every one of us has just looked at our fist and gone "oooops no way")!

Good luck xxx

My fist never seemed so small

But I must agree with LD. Instead of risking your finger in the heat/exercise/monthly bloat, I would suggest taking it off or even taking off all rings. Then, set goals and "earn" them back one at a time with that lovely James Meyer as your final reward (and the first to go if your weight creeps back up).

I am in the middle of a rather unhealthy relationship with food right now. I eat pretty well (I love a healthy salad or good veggie soup) but I am seriously binging on chocolate. If you want to, we can do this together (I will take off my jewelry and "earn" it back each week that I eat chocolate responsabily, which doesn't mean a whole slab at a time).

 

[chrono]

Can I do the opposite of a fist lipo since I have very small hands?

 

[platinumrock]

Can I do the opposite of a fist lipo since I have very small hands?

What size do you wear Chrono? I bet you're a 4!

 

[purplemelody]

Just want to let you know you're not alone.
I gained 40 lbs through years of stress and hormone imbalance and yo-yoing weight. I've lost 20 so far within these 2 years. I can lose the weight faster if I were more disciplined and could maintain a balanced life. After lots of trial & error, I found these tips from my friend who's a trainer are very useful: relax and rest well to keep metabolism working because fat will acculate at the waist when stressed, especially for women; some people, like me, can't break down sugar fast enough before it's stored as fat so I eat grapefruits which contains enzymes that can help break down sugar from carbs; rotate cardio and weight lifting exercise to train both your heart and muscles; exercise can really relieve stress once you go past the stage of wanting to slack off and get into it; give yourself a pat on the shoulder everyday for exercising or resisting devilish food.
Don't be too hard on yourself, and maybe after a few months when you've adopted the new lifestyle, you'll have a pleasant surprise when you weigh yourself. Good luck! xoxo

 

[velouriaL]

Can I just share my own little related cautionary tale?

I have a small build (thin wrists, elbows, etc) and big/wide feet (size 8.5) and I've always had fat, fleshy fingers (size 7.25), no matter my weight. I'm 5'4" and have weighed between 100 - 120 lbs in my adult life, and the feet and fingers always stay the same.

Anyway, I once managed to jam my mother's size 6.5 ruby ring-- a gift from her grandmother, with a message engraved on the inside-- onto my finger and couldn't get it off! The more I tugged, the more it swelled, and soon my finger looked like a kielbasa! We tried icing it, greasing it, everything. No avail. I tried leaving it on, but it started turning blue! Eventually, we wound up going to the ER (it was late at night by this point) and getting the ring cut off. The engraving was lost and I don't think my mom's ever totally forgiven me... :-/

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Can I just share my own little related cautionary tale?

I have a small build (thin wrists, elbows, etc) and big/wide feet (size 8.5) and I've always had fat, fleshy fingers (size 7.25), no matter my weight. I'm 5'4" and have weighed between 100 - 120 lbs in my adult life, and the feet and fingers always stay the same.

Anyway, I once managed to jam my mother's size 6.5 ruby ring-- a gift from her grandmother, with a message engraved on the inside-- onto my finger and couldn't get it off! The more I tugged, the more it swelled, and soon my finger looked like a kielbasa! We tried icing it, greasing it, everything. No avail. I tried leaving it on, but it started turning blue! Eventually, we wound up going to the ER (it was late at night by this point) and getting the ring cut off. The engraving was lost and I don't think my mom's ever totally forgiven me... :-/

Oh, NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do some of my work in operating rooms, and occasionally someone will have to have their ring
taken off, there are lots of ingenious ways, but I have seen them cut off before
In other news, good for you, for being inspired to get healthy!
I found that changing one small eating habit at a time, worked beautifully!
Don't be in a hurry to lose, try to go for the healthy loss, you will then HAVE
a diet that you can actually LIVE WITH!
I liked the suggestion of taping the ring to the fridge!
Genius!!!!

 

[Arcadian]

I seriously hope you're not going to force that ring on your finger (you already did it didn't you?)

1-2lbs a week is good for consistent weight loss. Losing more than that can screw up your metabolism. On here, maybe 2 people know what I look like. Freke is one of them..lol

I won't go into what I weigh, because some of y'all would gasp...lol Just know I can't use BMI.

My current bodyfat is somewhere around the 15% range. It may be lower now considering I'm training harder these days. In my adult life, my ring finger on either hand has never been below a 7 and they both currently an 8 .

The best thing I can say is if you want to lose some fat; set some goals for yourself. Say you want to lose, um...I dunno, 8lbs between now and October, then go about setting the plan in motion to do just that.

Change how you eat. It happens to many of us as we age; we eat like we're 20 and next thing you know, we're 20+lbs over what we need to be. If you tend to eat a lot, cut your portion sizes in half. And if you don't eat enough, then EAT! Food is fuel.

Get rid of white food. That means white rice, white potatoes, white bread, white pasta, white sugar... you can see the pattern here right?

Limit your exposure to processed foods and sugary juices and soda.

Omega 3's are your friend.

Wine is also good for you, just not a whole bottle!

4-6 small meals a day is ideal for weight loss. If it helps, make 2 of those meals an 8oz protien smoothie (it works for me)

Eat protien and fats first. They make you feel fuller longer and Never EVER skip breakfast. I make a bowel of organic oats when I'm at home. If Im traveling, I get whatever oats they have without sugar or fruit. I tend to eat 4oz of broiled salmon with breakfast no matter where I am. I know that may gross some folk out, but I do it for a reason.

Reserve a day a week where you can have what you want for exactly 1 hour. But, if you screw up during the week, you don't get your hour. You have to learn to be honest with yourself and earn your cheat hour. So I dosen't have to be food, it could be wearing a ring or a pendant! Make it whatever you want really!

The other part is exercise. You have to have some way to burn calories right?

So mark off 30 minutes a day to just get some exercise. It can be anything, walk, run, jump rope, hula hoop, whatever. Just get your heart rate up and keep it up for 30 minutes. Even when I travel I exercise.


Small life changes can go a long way. None of what I'm saying will work overnight, but with a little effort its a good foundation.


-A

 

[jstarfireb]

Oh, some of the other ladies' replies got me thinking. I actually think ring size has far more to do with your bone structure than your weight/body fat. I have thick bones and big knuckles, so I'm a 6.75, whereas I know people who have higher body fat percentages than I have, but smaller ring sizes. BUT it sounds like in your case, your ring size and weight are related, since yours went up when you gained weight. Maybe there's more of a correlation within an individual with weight gain/loss than between different individuals...who knows?

 

[chrono]

Let’s not forget age either. My mother is a lot shorter and smaller (and small framed too) than I am, yet my fingers are smaller (size 7 versus size 4).