Good morning! Noob here with 150 lbs to lose

setabish66

Hello. I've just joined MFP this past Friday (3/10) after my Nautilus app suggested it to use in conjunction with the exercise bike. I was at 322 about 5 weeks ago, but changed my eating habits to eat MORE food (breakfast/snack/lunch/snack/dinner). I didn't really try to eat differently, just be mindful of the portion sizes. As of last Tuesday (3/7), I was at 312 - I forgot to weigh-in this morning.

I was fairly active and in shape through my 20's, but then started gaining weight. At 32, I was a size 24. I got a cross-country ski machine and followed the Atkins eating plan and lost 80 lbs and kept it off for two years by eating a modified Atkins - I did add healthy carbs back into my diet. Then major life changes happened. Over the course of the 16 years, I moved in with my grandmother to care for her in her home until she passed away, I left my home state of Florida and moved across the country to Montana (best decision ever!!), broke my ankle a couple of times and a bone in my foot once and met my husband. During that time, I've slowly put on weight and over the past 5 years (since I met DH), I've probably put on another 50 lbs. Oh, and I went through menopause about 4 years ago! I just turned 51 this year.

I was looking into life insurance for both myself and my husband. He got turned down due to high BP and his weight - I think he's about 375-ish (he's 6'2"). They approved me, but at a rate of almost $200/month due to my weight and the fact I take mediation for depression and high cholesterol. I decided to put off getting the insurance as I really can't afford that payment and will re-assess next year, depending on my progress with my journey to get healthier.

The physical exam that we had for the life insurance is what prompted the purchase of my exercise bike. I don't like gyms and felt that the bike was the best way to go for me. I don't do much outside while there is snow and ice on the ground - the two broken ankles have made me a bit skittish about that...lol. I used to hike quite a bit, but DH has bad knees so I haven't been doing much of that since I met him.

Now that I'm used to eating more often throughout the day, I thought it would be a good idea to log my food so that now I can get into the habit of making healthier food choices. I'm trying to incorporate small changes over time which is why I suspect I'm not losing a ton of weight right now.

I have a 9 y/o German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix (Bonita) and as a result of me not hiking, she has also put on a few pounds, so I need to get back out there for her health as well. Three weeks ago, we adopted a 9 month-old German Shepherd puppy (Porter). He definitely needs me to take him on walks...lol - the energy he has could power a small city! We start with a trainer this coming weekend for basic house/field manners, so it is my hope that by the time the weather here gets a bit nicer, he'll be trained enough to take on walks with Bonita.

I've told my husband that I'm going to start hiking again this year. He can use the time to do things around the house. Since we actually really enjoy hanging out together, I've been reluctant to go off on my own to do things (ahhh...newlyweds...lol). It is my hope that as I get more active and start to lose more weight, he will be motivated in his own way. He knows he needs to lose weight, I think he's a bit like me - he just doesn't know where to start. In addition, he's a retired mill worker, so he went from being very active at work to being extremely sedentary. He'll find his own way - I can only hope to make it easier for him if I've made my healthy changes into habits that he can adopt.

My goal weight probably sounds high - I want to get to 165-170 lbs - but when I was at my fittest in my 20s, I weighed 147 and my hip bones stuck out - I wore a size 12 then. I'm back up to a size 24 in my clothes. I'm 5'8" and have a large frame - my wrist measures 7.5". It's really not about the weight though - that's just a target for me. It's more about being healthy and feeling better - having more energy.

I look forward to sharing and talking with you during this journey.

Cheers,
Susan

Betty

Welcome to the MyFitnessPal Community Susan!

juliad277

Susan,

Welcome! I have been here for about a week and love it. We have pretty much the same goals and are starting out at the same weights, I would love to add you as a friend. Julia

dejavuohlala

Susan you can do this stick with and make good use of the logging system. I wish you good luck and hope you find the app useful. Good luck

100poundsx

Hello Noob! (;

Welcome to MFP. It's a great community of people. I have around 100 pounds to lose, but I'm just looking for healthy and happy. If I find myself there along the way, that's what matters to me. Feel free to add me if you're wanting friends.

Nora

shans34

Welcome. I started with 130lbs to lose and I now have 60 to go. Feel free to add me! We can support each other.

2_FitNFab

Hello! Welcome to you and good luck on your new journey!

setabish66

Thanks for the warm welcome all!

bensmom555

Welcome!
You will do great! For me, the only secret was to pay attention to EVERYTHING that went in my mouth. That meant some extra time on ME and weighing and logging every day, no matter what else happened. I've lost 64 pounds so far and feel great. You can do it too! YOU are worth it! Please add me as a friend

LadyLilion

Hi Susan. We sound a lot alike, except I've NEVER been slim! At the moment I'm about 305, down from 312. My goal is a simple 200. Then we'll see if I can go lower. I've not been under 200 since my very early 20's; I'm now 53. At 5'10", it's not hard to pull off a healthy 200 lbs. My husband is, sadly, much slimmer - a svelte 270 or so - and also trying to lose weight. Both of us lost about 10 years ago, using the Weight Watchers plan. I lost 100 and he lost about 60. I didn't regain 100% of what I lost then, but darn close. I can't believe I gave up and gained 28 lbs from my goal. Crazy. Both he and I have to watch the cholesterol, but I also have high BP, taking THREE pills to control it. Now we've hit high blood sugar too. He has diabetes in his family and that has been our real motivation. We neither one want to be diabetic and we've already done damage enough. Hopefully we can reverse the trend. We've started seriously walking, working out, watching the diet. We bought Fitbits to track exercise. We both have full-time jobs that complicate things, especially mine, which is SUPER sedentary. I could literally spend a whole day at work and never even stand up except to go to the printer and bathroom. Even the coffee maker is about 5 steps from my desk.

Feel free to send me a friend request! I'd love to have more folks to follow for mutual support.

dlionsmane

Welcome. One day at a time. Add me if you'd like. Its a long haul but will be worth the efforts!

beckey24

Feel free to add me. I started with 200lbs to lose and am now around 125 left. I focus of eating better, exercising more and mainly just how I feel.

setabish66

...and a small correction - the new puppy was adopted at 9 WEEKS, not months...lol - so he'll keep us busy for quite a while.

Olivetop

Hi Susan,

Welcome to MFP. If you're looking for friends with similar goals, please feel free to add me. I'm also looking to start hiking again but I think I'm going to wait until the snow melts

Julie

abundantlyme

Welcome, Susan! Feel free to add me. I'm on a mission to drop 50 pounds by my birthday in September (and probably more after that, we'll see). You can do it.

dieselgears2016

Good luck and stick with it there are some helpful people on here

FitOldMomma

Welcome!
Today is actually my 3 year anniversary of being part of MFP. I've lost 146 pounds and have been in maintenance since December.
Can't find a better app or people to encourage you along the way.

Sounds like you've got the right attitude and are ready for a real lifestyle change. Good for you!