Introduce Yourself
Replies
-
Thank you, @conniewilkins56 !1
-
Welcome @jenniferelizabethwiseman. Great work! I look forward to seeing you in the forums!2
-
@lauriekallis, Thank you, I DO feel very welcomed and am already starting to do some reading in the forums, which have been very inspiring!1
-
I was within 40 pounds of my personal goal and then I got lost somewhere along the way….I bounced back and forth within ten pounds for months until the holidays….now I have gained back 40 and I have 80 pounds to go to get to my goal…you have inspired me to get in gear in the morning….unless I do this myself, no one can lose it for me….I am done playing around….my breathing is hard again, I am snoring again and I have felt like crap for weeks….I am going to do this!4
-
@conniewilkins56, you can do it! You are worth the effort and deserve to feel better!3
-
Come on @conniewilkins56, you can do it! There's a hot momma inside you just itching to get out and strut her stuff! At the rate you're able to shed weight, half of that 80lbs will be gone in a flash, and then you can knuckle down and lose the remaining forty. You owe it to yourself to make better choices that will propel you to better health, and you can absolutely do this!4
-
I agree 100% with all of you…3 years ago when I could barely walk I vowed, “ Never again”…..and yet I have played around and let myself slide backwards for months….I could attribute some of it on stress, Covid, my husbands health, my grandsons upcoming heart surgery, etc. etc….but eating didn’t solve a thing except make me fat!….well, I am done making excuses…..as of this morning I am giving my health priority again…I can’t control what anyone else does or what they eat….it is time to put my health needs first again…..back to square one and in the drivers seat!3
-
Amazing changes. How did I miss all the great posts???🤷🏻♂️1
-
I think MFP is playing hard to get with posts lately.3
-
Hello, I just joined today. Looking for help to stay motivated. A number of years ago (11 to be exact) I reached my heaviest weight, did low carb and lost 55lbs in 1 year. It was the hardest thing I had ever done and I discovered (after some soul searching) it created an unhealthy relationship with/toward food for me. Since then, I haven’t really focused on food logging. I tried a few times and could not stick with it. I felt too restricted and felt the old unhealthy thoughts trickling back in. It wasn’t the low carb diet that did it, it was my obsession with it that did. I did W30/paleo for a while after (not counting cals/carbs but focusing on food quality versus quantity). I felt wonderful, but life got in the way and I couldn’t afford to continue spending the amount of money on groceries I was. I was still trying to eat healthy, but since the C word hit, stress of that and my SO’s loss of job and Illnesses, and my having to work 7 days at week at 2 jobs, have taken a toll on my health, physically and mentally. I am still approx 25lbs down from my heaviest, but I am nearing a milestone birthday later this year and I am realizing that the older I get, the worse my body feels carrying this weight. I have been lucky to not struggle with any major health issues myself, but I worry about it as I age. So I have set a goal for myself to lose some weight by my birthday. 40lbs is my goal. (In reality, my doctor would like me to lose around 90-100lbs but that’s a long term goal!) If I get there, awesome!!! If not, then I continue to press forward and reset a goal for myself!
Incorporating more movement in to my life, and more fruits and veggies is what I am doing. Still allowing myself the “treats” but focusing on working them in to my day around the healthy stuff, rather than binging and allowing myself to let it ruin my whole day, which in the past would set forward a chain reaction of “f-it!” Moments.
Thanks for reading!6 -
@mrsjenfrank welcome to the group!
You'll discover here that elements of your experience have been shared by most of the group members - we've all struggled with managing our weight for years/decades, and we've discovered some things that work for us, and some things that don't...
Of course some things that previously worked may stop working,...and things that didn't work back in the day might be worth a try again at some future point.
That's the beauty of this group. It's a safe space to discuss experimentation - successes - failures - the highs and lows of falling off the wagon and hauling yourself back on again.
I wish you every success - setting a 40lb interim goal sounds eminently sensible! Come meet us over in the other chat threads too, and I'd encourage you to take the time to read some of the archived threads, because there is a treasure trove of good advice in there!4 -
Welcome to the group Mrsjen. We’re all in various stages of weight loss and dealing with life. This is a good place to vent and share your experiences. We all need support!2
-
conniewilkins56 wrote: »I agree 100% with all of you…3 years ago when I could barely walk I vowed, “ Never again”…..and yet I have played around and let myself slide backwards for months….I could attribute some of it on stress, Covid, my husbands health, my grandsons upcoming heart surgery, etc. etc….but eating didn’t solve a thing except make me fat!….well, I am done making excuses…..as of this morning I am giving my health priority again…I can’t control what anyone else does or what they eat….it is time to put my health needs first again…..back to square one and in the drivers seat!
Well, tomorrow is my NEW week and new way of eating for my health….this time it has to be serious!2 -
Well Connie, stress doesn't help, does it. But eating the stress doesn't help either. 🥺
Hello @mrsjenfrank 👋
Did you say veggies and fruits? I just started a bunny thread a couple of days ago!
Look for the 🐰🐰🐰🐇s and come post there!
I've gravitated here because many of Novus' posts articulate my own beliefs about what has a better chance of working. They're definitely worth a read to see if some of the ideas resonate with you.
2 -
Hi Everybody.
I'm Andy or Bullfrog if you prefer. 37 years old from New Zealand, married with a 4 year old, a 1 year old and a spoiled dog. 12 years ago, I lost around 100lbs. Since then I have been on the roller coaster gaining and loosing, gaining and loosing. I've probably lost over 300lbs in total but unfortunately, today I'm back where I started, weighing in at 133kg (293kg) and over 100lbs away from a 'healthy' weight.
I've done various things over the years to loose, when I first lost the 100lbs I was on the 'South beach diet' I've tried calorie counting books, Intermittent fasting, the SBD again with mixed success... But my more successful periods have been when I eat very boringly (same few things day after day), plan my days foods and count it all with MFP, and stay under that damn target. Unfortunately that hasn't happened anywhere nearly enough over the last few years, hence the position I find myself in now. But I know if I follow through it does work.
I've exercised a lot over the years, even completing 2 full distance Ironman triathlons (at a far higher weight than I'd care to admit). I've gained weight in full blown Ironman training, and lost weight doing no exercise at all. I'm living proof you can't out run your diet.
My goals/plans are simple.
1. Plan my daily meals and log them into MFP and stay under, or at least close to that calorie goal.
2. Actually stick to what I planned.
3. Make good choices more often than bad ones. Every day I need to make the choice to do the right thing, not the easy one and order that take out. With 2 small kids I know I won't be 100% good. But I really need to minimize those bad choices.
4. Exercise a sensible amount, enough frequency and duration to improve my fitness again. But not enough to build up a massive hunger and blow my calorie goals by over eating exercise calories.
Lets do it.6 -
Sounds like a good plan. Your 293 number is in lbs based on the overall discussion.
How fast/slow do you tend to lose your weight when you're losing?
Do you stop tracking when you reach goal?
I like the sounds of your exercise strategy!
One "trick" to remember re: exercise calories is that all day tracking watches and MFP generated exercises do their math differently.
Tracking watches show extra calories you could THEORETICALLY eat at 100% subject to verification. But MFP generated exercises show "gross" calories, not net. You have to deduct the amount of calories MFP has already assigned to the time slot to get the theoretical net value.1 -
Welcome Bullfrognz! Most of us here have lost and gained and lost again in our lives. The trick is finding a lifestyle that will help you maintain the loss. For me it’s been planning and logging every day. I don’t make great choices every day - just more days than not.
Please feel free to join in the discussions. Read some of the older posts about finding a way to control weight in a manner that’s sustainable for you. Lots of wisdom there.2 -
Hello! Been AWOL… for absolutely, no good reasons looking back, so please forgive…!
Hope you are all doing well and I can see a lot of you are here still and plodding on with great stuff…Fab!
I have had many stern talks with myself… and from my long suffering Consultant and GP and …. I resolve NO… I PROMISE to stay the course this time….no matter how bumpy, pot holey or even sink holey this bloomin’ road to sexy smaller small’ish pants gets!
Edited - to make some sense! Possibly 🥴2 -
Yay, welcome back stranger! So glad you've hauled yourself back on the wagon and are ready to give it another shot! We've all been there.....2
-
Welcome!….love seeing all the new and returning members!….join in any conversation and scroll through past posts!1
-
What wagon you guys talking about? There's only a somewhat meandering trail around here!0
-
I think it’s the Gravy Train lol1
-
That meandering trail sounds just the ticket! Need no wagon & horses…. too much bounce!3
-
Sounds like a good plan. Your 293 number is in lbs based on the overall discussion.
How fast/slow do you tend to lose your weight when you're losing?
Do you stop tracking when you reach goal?
I like the sounds of your exercise strategy!
One "trick" to remember re: exercise calories is that all day tracking watches and MFP generated exercises do their math differently.
Tracking watches show extra calories you could THEORETICALLY eat at 100% subject to verification. But MFP generated exercises show "gross" calories, not net. You have to deduct the amount of calories MFP has already assigned to the time slot to get the theoretical net value.
Yes, sorry for the typo, 293lbs,
Previously I've been able to lose weight at around 2kg/week. However as I'm getting older it has become harder/slower.
You've got it, when I used MFP and got down to my goal I stopped tracking shortly after. Since then, when I've been in the yo-yo between 260-300lbs (still 50-60 above goal) I have stopped when it gets too hard, or I get too discouraged. Yet another habit I need to break.
2 -
Yes, sorry for the typo, 293lbs,
Previously I've been able to lose weight at around 2kg/week. However as I'm getting older it has become harder/slower.
You've got it, when I used MFP and got down to my goal I stopped tracking shortly after. Since then, when I've been in the yo-yo between 260-300lbs (still 50-60 above goal) I have stopped when it gets too hard, or I get too discouraged. Yet another habit I need to break.
You may REALLY want to read some of Novus' early posts about being process motivated as opposed to results motivated and about making things easy. And looking at the long term. (Not sure whether Novus wrote specifically about that as I was just watching the group tangentially when Novus started it as I was already at maintenance)
Of course everyone wants results.
But being solely guided by results tends to get people to overdo things. I sometimes feel that I am sitting here telling people that both need and want to lose weight not to do so(!)... which is **far** from the case. But, basically actions have reactions. 2kg = 4.4lbs a week... I can guarantee you a reaction at the end of it. Maybe suitable for a very short while at above 400lbs. But even at 300 do that for a couple of months and you're building up a reaction. To me sustainability of effort and long term compliance is what it is all about. If what is taking place leads to that... all good. If it isn't... modify.
My story is that I got to MFP BECAUSE I was doing eating as little as I could while exercising as much as I could... losing a good half lb a day... and was sure that I wouldn't have been able to keep it up! As had happened many times before. So I set out to find a "different" way. And ended up increasing my woefully inadequate at the time conscious knowledge of how things work! Conscious knowledge? I already knew what a calorie was. I already knew how many calories I roughly needed to eat to maintain at 270-280lbs. I even knew how many calories were in olive oil. But olive oil was healthy, right? So I would sprinkle four or five "tablespoons" on my "healthy" salad... because, healthy, right?
Anyway. Losing at 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week (or limiting deficits to 25% of actual current TDEE with the smaller of the two being the limit) = (hopefully) less hormonal and mental reaction = (hopefully) being able to keep at it indefinitely = being here many years down the road helping MFP make a penny or two from ads they get to push at us!
So target a good sized, but ultimately REASONABLE deficit for your CURRENT starting point. And be (relatively) ruthless at evaluating what works and what doesn't work for you in terms of things you can see yourself doing long into the future...3 -
Yes, sorry for the typo, 293lbs,
Previously I've been able to lose weight at around 2kg/week. However as I'm getting older it has become harder/slower.
You've got it, when I used MFP and got down to my goal I stopped tracking shortly after. Since then, when I've been in the yo-yo between 260-300lbs (still 50-60 above goal) I have stopped when it gets too hard, or I get too discouraged. Yet another habit I need to break.
You may REALLY want to read some of Novus' early posts about being process motivated as opposed to results motivated and about making things easy. And looking at the long term. (Not sure whether Novus wrote specifically about that as I was just watching the group tangentially when Novus started it as I was already at maintenance)
Of course everyone wants results.
But being solely guided by results tends to get people to overdo things. I sometimes feel that I am sitting here telling people that both need and want to lose weight not to do so(!)... which is **far** from the case. But, basically actions have reactions. 2kg = 4.4lbs a week... I can guarantee you a reaction at the end of it. Maybe suitable for a very short while at above 400lbs. But even at 300 do that for a couple of months and you're building up a reaction. To me sustainability of effort and long term compliance is what it is all about. If what is taking place leads to that... all good. If it isn't... modify.
My story is that I got to MFP BECAUSE I was doing eating as little as I could while exercising as much as I could... losing a good half lb a day... and was sure that I wouldn't have been able to keep it up! As had happened many times before. So I set out to find a "different" way. And ended up increasing my woefully inadequate at the time conscious knowledge of how things work! Conscious knowledge? I already knew what a calorie was. I already knew how many calories I roughly needed to eat to maintain at 270-280lbs. I even knew how many calories were in olive oil. But olive oil was healthy, right? So I would sprinkle four or five "tablespoons" on my "healthy" salad... because, healthy, right?
Anyway. Losing at 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week (or limiting deficits to 25% of actual current TDEE with the smaller of the two being the limit) = (hopefully) less hormonal and mental reaction = (hopefully) being able to keep at it indefinitely = being here many years down the road helping MFP make a penny or two from ads they get to push at us!
So target a good sized, but ultimately REASONABLE deficit for your CURRENT starting point. And be (relatively) ruthless at evaluating what works and what doesn't work for you in terms of things you can see yourself doing long into the future...
Oh Cr*p, I did it again. Bloody kilograms and pounds. Why can't we all just use the metric system.
That should say 2 pounds a week. (around 1kg)
That said, I will have a look for Novus posts about process vs result motivated. Because when it comes to weight loss, I am definitely more results motivated. But I can totally understand how that might not be the best way.
Thanks 3 -
Bullfrogz - this is a posting from Novus that I found very helpful ——
NovusDies wrote: »
My idea of success-forward thinking as it relates to weight loss is to get rid of anything unnecessary. Most of this is popular misinformation about what a person needs to do to lose weight.
What it means to ONLY need a calorie deficit to lose weight:
1) You can eat what you want - no need to cut carbs or avoid tasty food. They type of calories don't matter only the total.
2) You can eat when you want - Since only the calorie totals matter how you distribute them makes no difference. Some people want to graze all day and others like me enjoy really big meals so we eat less often.
3) You don't need exercise - exercise IS a good idea but being miserable doing it is not. Misery is a bad bedfellow for weight loss so until you find something you might enjoy doing keep experimenting.
4) You can be as boring as you need - you don't need a diet/method with a popular name unless it helps you.
5) You don't need perfection - If you are just starting off on this journey you have about 1000 calorie deficit each day. This means if you go over your calories by 250 on a day you are still losing weight you are just losing slightly less.
6) You don't have to lose weight everyday you just have to lose weight most days - If you want to celebrate a special event or go on vacation and eat your maintenance calories it doesn't mean you have stopped you just slowed down for a moment.
What it means to NEVER stop:
1) Weight management not just weight loss - If you think of things in terms of forever (or for a very long time) you have a better chance of doing things you can live with.
2) There is no blowing your diet - Even if you eat way too many calories on any given day that is no reason to keep eating the next day and day after.
3) Life is messy - it is very likely you will have messy periods in your life. You may find yourself needing to switch to maintenance mode for awhile while you deal with a situation.
What if you looked at success a different way?
People lose weight all the time but they seldom lose all the weight they want. They stop for many different reasons. I think success shouldn't be measured by losing the next pound. It should be measured by how easy it is to stay on the path to lose the next pound. Easy means that we are feeling happy(ish) and somewhat normal. If we focus on sustainability the pounds will take care of themselves. You only need a calorie deficit to lose weight so how can you make the rest easy on yourself? How can you be happy now?
The overall point here is that you shouldn't burden yourself with anything you don't absolutely need. If "eating healthier" makes it harder to sustain your weight loss you don't need it. If you do need to balance your nutrition better make that a secondary goal and try to implement small changes over time to accomplish it. If going to the gym for cardio makes you miserable you don't need it. Look for alternative methods of getting your heart pumping that you enjoy more.
Think of weight loss as walking up a really steep hill. Take only what you need and don't stuff bricks in your backpack.4 -
Great advice!….now to heed it!3
-
It *IS* great advice Connie, and well articulated. Echo chamber music to my own ears... as you already know!
Making choices that are sustainable = being able to clock in with continued OVERALL compliance with caloric goals = heading in the correct direction.
And correct direction multiplied by time wins over any result, no matter how good, if it only lasts for a short term.4 -
Thanks Yoolypr.
That is a good read. Lots of sensible points in there, which often need reiterating.
Cheers,
BF.4
