How Making CHOICES Has Helped Me Lose Over 80 pounds.

GYATagain · April 2016

Brava!!! Very insightful and well written! I needed encouragement this Monday morning.... so Thank You!!

AmandaLawter · April 2016

What a wonderful, well thought out and well written post! I got on the scale this morning to see that I am up 3lbs after having not lost any weight over the past 3 weeks. This part......."Or you can choose to feel better. To do well. To succeed. You can embrace those jiggling wiggly bits. You can be proud and stand up straight. You can reach the top of the stairs without dying for breath. You can wear a blazer inside without sweating. You can turn sideways and look at yourself in the mirror." seriously made me tear up a little. I WILL be proud and stand up straight today for all that I have accomplished so far!

Thank you so much for writing this. I especially needed this today.

Gemini61454 · April 2016

Great! We just need to keep on keeping on

Thanks for sharing a successful experience. I too continue to get back on the horse by daily logging the good and the bad days. The best of what works for you all!

LillysMomma09 · April 2016

Wow.. I really needed to read this today... Thank you for sharing your journey with us.

sjmorgan153 · April 2016

This is one of the best stories I've ever read - I didn't want it to end ! Absolutely brilliantly written. Just awesome. Thank you for sharing x

Cannonfury · April 2016

Nice post, I have struggled with food a lot...I am an emotional eater too.

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

cariduttry wrote: »

you're an inspiration and posted exactly what i needed to hear today. it's like you wrote about me, everything from the scale games (which tile on my bathroom floor yields the lowest reading?) to trying not to think of food/exercise as punitive. it really is simple - i make choices every day about what i'm going to eat and how much i'm going to move. i am in control today and i'm showing up!! thank you for posting!

I'm so glad you relate. And I will say that thinking in terms of choices has not come easily for me. Nor has weight loss. Realizing that I'm in control has taken me years to accept and I will be working on it for a long long time. So be patient with yourself.

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

jenovatrix wrote: »

You. Are. Brilliant.

The scale will go down. The scale will go up. I just need to show up.

Well, thank you!

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

benjaminD02 wrote: »

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

benjaminD02 wrote: »

Wow this is a really awesome post and just sums up my experience with MFP and weight loss! Cheers

Have you posted a success story?

I haven't yet as I am back at the top end of the scale - sigh. I might once I get back to it. I am currently doing mindfulness and I find it helps with what goes in my mouth.

I'm sorry that you're not where you want to be. Just hang in there.

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

vwright78 wrote: »

Thank you...this was a very encouraging & inspiring post. Congratulations on your success and thank you for sharing not just your weight loss success, but also HOW you got there! I think it's just what I needed today as I "get back up on the horse".

Yeah. Just get back up there! The good thing is that you already KNOW you can do it!

CarolynB38 · April 2016

Just what I needed! I pretty much made the decision last night that today I would log everything regardless of what sort of day I've had. If I go over, I go over but I'll never know until I log it! I'm going through a very stressful and extremely busy year but I feel just in control enough to start again today. I will do this. It's been a very busy day as usual and tomorrow will be even busier but I'm still logging. I have about 80lb to lose so one step at a time.

Thanks for the incredibly sensible perspective and congratulations on your fantastic success!

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

CarolynB38 wrote: »

Just what I needed! I pretty much made the decision last night that today I would log everything regardless of what sort of day I've had. If I go over, I go over but I'll never know until I log it! I'm going through a very stressful and extremely busy year but I feel just in control enough to start again today. I will do this. It's been a very busy day as usual and tomorrow will be even busier but I'm still logging. I have about 80lb to lose so one step at a time.

Thanks for the incredibly sensible perspective and congratulations on your fantastic success!

Yes. Logging, no matter what. No matter how you feel, how ashamed or upset.... Logging no matter what! Don't hide from the truth of things. And as I said, I often think I've gone over by so much when I haven't at all!

seomra · April 2016

Re read your post this morning- it really struck a chord with me. Should be read by every MFPer!!

jmorrisof2 · April 2016

Thank you for this. Just what I needed to hear. Thank you for your honesty. It felt like you were describing me perfectly. I realize there is no magic food or pill to help me get the weight off, just good ole tracking. For some reason, I've had an aversion to tracking, but I realize I just need to do it.

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

jmorrisof2 wrote: »

Thank you for this. Just what I needed to hear. Thank you for your honesty. It felt like you were describing me perfectly. I realize there is no magic food or pill to help me get the weight off, just good ole tracking. For some reason, I've had an aversion to tracking, but I realize I just need to do it.

I resisted tracking for, well, for forever. I used to do Weight Watchers--it worked great. I'd lose 20 pounds and then stop. Just stop. I guess because I was so angry or bored. Whatever. I think I've lost weight this time around (I once lost around 50 lbs one summer, about fifteen years ago), because it's just time, the right time. For me. I am willing and eager and I was lucky enough to have success right away.

If I hadn't lost in the beginning, I might have given up. I know some people don't lose at first and I can't fathom how frustrating that would be. But frankly, it's never been hard for me to lose weight. Or gain weight. Boy, does my body LOVE to pack the weight on! In any case, I am fortunate enough to have a body that was ready to lose. I SHED these pounds.

But in the beginning, as someone else in this thread has said, I realized just how MUCH I was eating. I would sit down with friends for dinner and easily eat almost 3,000 calories. This was normal for me. I think knowing how much you eat, taking the time to figure it out, can be the eyeopening moment. And back then I was DRINKING. I've stopped drinking altogether. That's a significant calorie reduction right there.

But I can't stress enough that I was ready. If someone knows, deep down, that their heart isn't in it, then I think it's best to wait and work on the things that keep you from really doing what you want to do. Like my mother-in-law. She knows that she will just gain it all back, and then some. I feel really bad for her. She's so used to punishing herself that she doesn't know of another way to treat herself.

I spent years in therapy and learned to love myself as I WAS. That was hard and it had to do with so much more than food. That's why I don't want to post before and after pictures. It would somehow send the message that I wasn't lovely and deserving before I lost weight. I was the same person I am now, just larger. And out of breath.

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

efrensgirl2015 wrote: »

Awesome post....hate to sound shallow but will you be posting before and after pics?

I wanted to explain my reticence about posting photos. I just wrote this in a reply to someone else--

I spent years in therapy and learned to love myself as I WAS. That was hard and it had to do with so much more than food. That's why I don't want to post before and after pictures. It would somehow send the message that I wasn't lovely and deserving before I lost weight. I was the same person then that I am now, just larger. And out of breath.

magicsd · April 2016

Thank you, this is a great post! Well Said.

woznube7 · April 2016

Love this! THANK YOU! I totally needed to read this today, and tomorrow, and yesterday, and every day. I'll come back to this often, because this is most of how I feel. Now to be successful! THANK YOU! @godlikepoetyes

dljenk · April 2016

Great post and tips. Thank you for sharing your journey.

Laurarunnergirl · April 2016

Thanks for the post - one of the best I've read! As I was reading it, I kept thinking "yes, yes, yes!!" Once I finished, I realized that it pretty much relates to any aspect of life - the choices we make on where to work/live, etc. Just show up every day and make the best choices for you at the time, and be kind to yourself it the choice doesn't work out.

godlikepoetyes · April 2016

Laurarunnergirl wrote: »

Thanks for the post - one of the best I've read! As I was reading it, I kept thinking "yes, yes, yes!!" Once I finished, I realized that it pretty much relates to any aspect of life - the choices we make on where to work/live, etc. Just show up every day and make the best choices for you at the time, and be kind to yourself it the choice doesn't work out.

Yes! I am learning that it applies to everything in my life. But it is often a difficult lesson, too. Taking responsibility is especially hard when you are so used to punishing yourself instead of holding yourself accountable. That is a distinction I have to keep in mind every day. Being accountable for something doesn't mean I should blame myself, or feel guilty.