Hello from Scotland!

PigHerder

Hi there. So it's Day 1 and I'm weirdly excited. I'm a 40 year old Scottish lass. I weighed in this morning at 186lbs (13st 4), which is obviously way too much for my 5ft 2.5 frame. I'd like to be around 126lbs (9st), so I've got 60lbs to lose!

But I'm feeling very optimistic about it! 60lbs seems like a long haul, so I've broken it down into more manageable targets:

1. Get myself out of "Obese" territory - which means losing 17lbs, and getting under 169lbs (12st 1)
2. Get to the half way mark - losing 30lbs, and getting to 156lbs (11st 2)
3. Then get myself out of "Overweight" territory - which means losing 46lbs and getting under 141lbs (10st)
4. Then hitting my goal weight (126lbs/ 9st) - and then reassessing things from there

I'm not planning on doing anything weird diet-wise and don't have any unrealistic deadlines or expectations. Just aiming to consistently hit around 1200-1300 calories a day, and be more active - and then slowly but surely the excess fat should come off.

Might take a year. Might take two years, but *shrug* - it took 20 years to slowly creep on. So I can't realistically expect it to disappear by the Spring!

Good luck to everyone else starting out. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to having a waist again.

lbryans929

Welcome!

Nicksmom106

Hello from Boston lass! 😁

My name is Ali and it sound like we're in a similar boat, I'm also 5'2" and need to loose about 60lbs. Being short is hard enough without all the extra padding, an i right sista?!😜


Anyway I would love to be pals and help each other just send.me a.friend request and I'll be thrilled to accept!!

Hugs🌼
Ali

PHOTOCHAP

Hi. Welcome to the greatest fitness and weight loss world of MFP. Plenty of us here with advice and words of encouragement and we'll even poke you if you're not keeping up Great goals you have. Keep logging like that and you should have no problem. My diary is open to friends if you wanna add me.

manderson27

Hello from "Tropical" Somerset here in the UK.

I have been on MFP since 201. The people here have a wealth of knowledge that they are happy to share in the forums that will help you on your way.

You are right to be patient and not try any fad diets. Just hit your calorie goal each day and you will lose weight.

I have mine set for 1lb a week and eat between 1350 and 1600 per day. I eat all the foods I love just keep them within my cal goal. I am 5' 6" Started at 221lbs and have lost 30 lbs since January so halfway to may first major goal of 160 lbs by June 2019.

I don't exercise much so I am pleased with my progress

Keep going, your weight will vary on a day to day basis don't let that de-motivate you though. I use the Libra App to track my daily weight and you can see how much weight goes up and down but it shows the general downward trend and this really motivates me to keep going.

Good luck xx

dyfalbarhad

Hello from New York, ladies. I am also on a similar weight loss journey. I’m short- 5’1ish and I’ve managed to lose 14 pounds (of 49 total) so far from my all time high of 175. My weight crept up gradually over decades and childbirth but accelerated when I hit menopause and while taking care of my father through his serious illness and eventual death.

Like Pigherder, my final goal weight is 126 which would place me smack dab in a normal BMI. I just managed to get down to the edge of obesity, and if I lose another 24 pounds I will be on the edge of overweight. I’d love to reach my goal weight but would be pretty happy with anything between 130-140. Pigherder, I like the way you are thinking in stages- it makes a lot of sense.

Another important goal for me is improving my lipid profile. I had a health crisis recently which necessitated a cerebral angiogram. My cholesterol has always been normal over the years but in the last couple of years my LDLs have crept up to slightly above normal- around 115 when ideal is below 100. Anyway my angiogram showed a couple of areas of mild atherosclerosis in my vessels. Since my father died of stroke related causes, I want to stop the build up of any plaque. So I will be very curious to see the results of my next lipid profile and hopeful that it has improved with my change in diet.

Anyway would love to add some friends but need to see if I can figure out the friend request process.

margbarco

@dyfalbarhad May I ask what dietary changes you’ve made to stop the build up of plaque? My grandmother had atherosclerosis and died of stroke, so I am also trying to stick to a lifestyle which promotes healthy blood vessels.

PigHerder

Update! I've lost 13lbs in the my first 6 weeks. After the big loss in Week 1, it's been an average of 1.5lbs a week, which is exactly what I was hoping for during the first few months. I'm now 4lbs away from hitting my first big goal: No longer being obese! I'm optimistic I'll get there by Christmas.

LOVING MFP. So, so helpful... No fads, or weirdness, or deprivation. Just some much needed visibility and accountability. Thanks to my new MFP buddies for being an excellent cheering squad. I'm so enjoying seeing your progress and successes. You inspire me every day!