Lots to lose, seeking connections

logisticsjoe

Hi all,
Long story short. Lost a wife to a terminal disease 5 years ago. Took out my anger in the gym while running errands/ the damn chemo she underwent. It was a whirlwind and I lost 115 lbs in 7 months. She passed and I stopped "gymin it" as it went. Gained it back, and finally got disgusted about 2 weeks ago.
I can tell you I really like the MyFitness app so far, and my gym uses LifeFitness equipment.
I use an Ipod to connect to the elliptical. I did this for about 3 weeks last time to get used to moving again, it worked well, then incorporated free weights and machines.
I am a week in and have not even tried weighing myself yet, but clolthes are already looser.
Cut out all soda, lots of water, and I really like the Macro nutrient chart.
I would really enjoy connecting with people to share our victories and help keep each other accountable.
I will get a pic up soon.

LoobyJLou

Oh bless you x life is so crap sometimes but we try to cope and if your like me it’s the damned food that helps ( not) get us through . Keep going you can do it , you’ve been through so much and this is another challenge in life’s wonderful roller coaster .

Momepro

Welcome
Don't worry, it's surprisingly simple once you start gaining good habits and dropping a few less healtht ones. Not neccesarily easy, cravings and temptations don't go away, but they do become easier to deal with. You've got this.

Break things down into individual behaviors and habits. Instead of looking at this as an all at once, or all or nothing proposition, find ways to break things down into smaller and more sustainable habits. That makes it much easier to pinpoint where something is not working, and fix it, rather than staring at the whole jumbled mess of NOT WORKING. Plus, when you do backslide, you are less likely to drop everything, just one or two habits, that can then be fixed again. Otherwise, trying to everything at once, means that you are likely to leave out something important (like weighing food), and pay excessive attention to things that aren't. (Like fiber drinks and vinegar)
Don't demonize foods that don't actually make you feel bad. Obviously if you have food sensitivities avoid those things, but don't cut out all your favorite goodies because they are not "healthy". Think of your calories as a type of currency. You should purchase the nutrient rich stuff first, budget for regular treats, and don't waste any calories on stuff you hate, even if it is theoretically good for you.
Log EVERYTHING.
Don't JUST weigh (with a scale is best) everything you eat, also write why you are eating it (i.e, lunchtime, hungry, kind of bored, out with friends, watching tv) and how you are feeling right before, right after and an hour after (hungry, comfortable, normal, full, very full bloated, drowsy, OMG I am so damn sick of this crap I want to throw the whole plate out a window, etc).
This gives you a baseline pattern for your normal habits and routine. From there, it's just a matter of experimenting. Are you very full after dinner? Cut back on a few things. Does lunch leave you bloated and gassy after an hour, try less or no mayo, and see if there's something you don't mind dropping each meal (fries, or cheese, or maybe only 2 tacos instead of 3).Are you starving an hour after dinner?Maybe more fats during.
It's amazing how quickly these small and easily sustainable changes will add up to big calorie cuts. Only cut one or two things at a time, until they become habit instead if trying to do everything at once. That way they become individual habits instead of one big "diet".

logisticsjoe

Thank you for the words of encouragement. I know a big part of this was to get up and get moving which I am making a real effort on now. I am logging it all, and am actually running a calorie deficit almost all the days. Staying hydrated.
The last time I did this I dedicated the first 3 weeks to accountability and getting into the habit of making the appointments with myself. That was without use of apps!
This is really helpful.
Also the MFP app works with the iHealth app on my Ipod, so I take it everywhere to capture steps.