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  • Poobah1972
    Poobah1972 Posts: 943 Member
    edited April 2021
    Good morning again Becca!

    Feel free to send me friend request, I'll be happy to add a smile to every day! :)

    That offer is out there for anyone on this group! *Good feelings everyone*
  • rieraclaelin
    rieraclaelin Posts: 115 Member
    I'm not sure how to send friend requests on here, or else I'd send you one, @Poobah1972 !

    Welcome, Becca!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,611 Member
    edited April 2021
    Welcome, @joeblackwell75!

    What great progress you has already made. That initial drop feels so good and can give us such a great surge of determination. I think you will love this group. Great people - lots of support - and the day to day experience of being a big loser can get tedious. It is hard to share the experience with someone who needs to lose 20 pounds and is over and done with it in a few months. People here know how to work it long term. And have such a wealth of experience to share. I'm relatively new to the group but, wow, I am so thankful for all I have learned here.

    It is really worth digging through the archives. So much to learn, so great a sense of "ah - this is the place I need to be right now."

    I'm lucky. I'm getting close to goal, only had about 125 pounds to lose in total - about 25 more to go. So I'm experiencing some of those things you list and it feels amazing. I know "maintenance" is going to be crazy - and I'm learning about that process as I get down to that point. My best learning about that challenge is happening in this group too.

    In several places on MFP I've read words along these lines...they are so very true and have gotten me through a few trickier times:

    Losing weight is hard. Being obese is hard. Choose your hard.
  • Joeblackwell75
    Joeblackwell75 Posts: 13 Member
    @lauriekallis Thank you for sharing and your encouragement! I have a long road ahead, but it will be worth it. I plan on digging through the archives to learn as much as I can. How exciting it is for you to be so close to reaching your goal! You've put in a lot of hard work. Over and over I've read that weight loss happens in the kitchen so I'm working on making my biggest changes here. Here's to continued success on your journey and moving to a maintenance phase. Keep up the great work!
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Joeblackwell75 wrote: »
    @lauriekallis Thank you for sharing and your encouragement! I have a long road ahead, but it will be worth it. I plan on digging through the archives to learn as much as I can. How exciting it is for you to be so close to reaching your goal! You've put in a lot of hard work. Over and over I've read that weight loss happens in the kitchen so I'm working on making my biggest changes here. Here's to continued success on your journey and moving to a maintenance phase. Keep up the great work!

    Laurie motivates so many of us to stay on track!...she is a terrific person...we can all take some lessons from her!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,611 Member
    conniewilkins56 wrote: »
    Joeblackwell75 wrote: »
    @lauriekallis Thank you for sharing and your encouragement! I have a long road ahead, but it will be worth it. I plan on digging through the archives to learn as much as I can. How exciting it is for you to be so close to reaching your goal! You've put in a lot of hard work. Over and over I've read that weight loss happens in the kitchen so I'm working on making my biggest changes here. Here's to continued success on your journey and moving to a maintenance phase. Keep up the great work!

    Laurie motivates so many of us to stay on track!...she is a terrific person...we can all take some lessons from her!

    Oh my, Connie - you've jut about made me tear up! <3
  • Joeblackwell75
    Joeblackwell75 Posts: 13 Member
    @Athijade Welcome and thanks for sharing. You're in good company here as we're all on a similar journey. We are all struggling with health problems in some ways. Like you, I have issues with my knees from time to time and the pain comes and goes. I know the weight I'm at is not healthy and I need a change. I joined this group a couple of weeks ago to get connected with other people looking to make changes in their lives.

    I've heard this said many times, but I didn't really grasp this concept until recenlty. "Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not the gym". This is so important to understand that small changes in our daily food intake can make big changes in the long term. Keep up the great work and you'll get to where you want to be. This group will keep you motivated and remember "your why". Why are you doing this? Keep that motivation front and center and don't lose sight of that goal or dream. You can do this!
  • Joeblackwell75
    Joeblackwell75 Posts: 13 Member
    @Poobah1972 Thanks for the motivation and encouragement. I believe we are friends now. It took me forever to learn how to send a friend request. I'm just trying to focus on one day at a time and keep moving in the right direction. I'm focusing on eating my calories with MFP and staying on track that way. I log my food intake everyday and I enjoy having the control to have something if I want it. One of the things I like the most is peanut butter. I use a food scale so that also helps me to keep my PB habit in check by weighing it out. Right now, I'm enjoying the freedom of not weighing myself until the first Saturday of the month and trusting that my food tracking is working. I can feel a difference in the way that certain clothes are fitting, so that keeps me going.

    I think the hardest part is understanding this is a long process and not a sprint to the finish line. It has taken me a long time to gain this weight and it will take me a long time to get rid of it. Staying patient and focused may be a problem for me, but I'm determined to focus on my "why" and know this is going to result in a healthier me for myself and my family. Have a great week and keep up the great work!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,585 Member
    Have a read at the many posts Novus wrote. Especially given your past "repeat" history. He may not, currently, be around but this far from invalidates the points he made!
  • Hsvaquita
    Hsvaquita Posts: 24 Member
    @PAV8888 thank you for that tip. His posts are indeed very insightful and inspirational. Thank you!
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Hsvaquita wrote: »
    @PAV8888 thank you for that tip. His posts are indeed very insightful and inspirational. Thank you!

    Welcome to Larger Losers....Novus is missed very much but a few of us dedicated members are trying to keep the group together...please feel free to comment and join in any post...we never criticize or shame anyone!...we are all here to become healthier and slimmer...some of us have lost a lot or we are starting on our journey....losing over 75 lbs has different issues and problems than smaller less to lose pounds individuals have...so you are very welcome to be a part of our group!
  • Joeblackwell75
    Joeblackwell75 Posts: 13 Member
    moonbeams896 wrote: »
    Hi all. I've just rejoined MFP after a 6 year hiatus. I put all the weight back on that I lost, plus 10. But, I'm back. I have a little over 100 pounds to lose. Last time I was on here, I lost 25. I got completely derailed when my husband got ill and couldn't focus on getting back into it. I've been so bored during the pandemic, but I haven't found the motivation to kick my butt into gear until yesterday. I'm not sure what triggered it, I just decided it's time. I still have about 5 months before I start working in person again, and it would be nice to have a better look and have built up my stamina (my job consists of all standing and lots of walking). I did my first workout today. I couldn't finish it, but it's a start. Add me as your friend, I'd love to get some new ones! And thanks for having this group :)

    Glad you’ve come back! I think we are all on a similar journey here. It’s great that we can encourage each other on this journey. We just have to take it one day at a time. I have to remind myself this is a long process and to take it slowly. Welcome back and keep going on the workouts. Even though you didn’t finish, you started. Way to go!
  • moonbeams896
    moonbeams896 Posts: 191 Member
    Joeblackwell75 wrote: »

    Glad you’ve come back! I think we are all on a similar journey here. It’s great that we can encourage each other on this journey. We just have to take it one day at a time. I have to remind myself this is a long process and to take it slowly. Welcome back and keep going on the workouts. Even though you didn’t finish, you started. Way to go!

    Thanks! I'm really glad I came back, too. I wish I did it at the start of the pandemic, but my mind just wasn't ready. This is a time I feel here and ready to make the commitment! it's been a long time since I've felt that way. I'm happy and I'm looking forward to seeing the changes :)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    moonbeams896 wrote: »
    Joeblackwell75 wrote: »

    Glad you’ve come back! I think we are all on a similar journey here. It’s great that we can encourage each other on this journey. We just have to take it one day at a time. I have to remind myself this is a long process and to take it slowly. Welcome back and keep going on the workouts. Even though you didn’t finish, you started. Way to go!

    Thanks! I'm really glad I came back, too. I wish I did it at the start of the pandemic, but my mind just wasn't ready. This is a time I feel here and ready to make the commitment! it's been a long time since I've felt that way. I'm happy and I'm looking forward to seeing the changes :)

    @moonbeams896

    Hi and welcome. I haven't written a welcome message in a few months so I might be a bit rusty but I always try and look for the one thing that the person has said that might indicate an area that needs refining a bit.

    When people mention they feel like making a commitment it makes me pause. When we say it to ourselves we may be excited but consider that there may be an inherent fail point... feelings. We will feel lots of different ways depending on life circumstance because life doesn't stop when we choose to lose weight.

    We have to live in our bodies and so our health should never be optional. I say that while fully admitting that I treated it as optional for a very long time. By the same token saying that I will be committed to weight management for the rest of my life somehow makes it a little overwhelming even though that is exactly what I hope to do.

    I have a 5 year contract with myself that will auto-renew with or without changes. The contract requires that I spend most of my time in a process of eating the right amount of food. Some of that time the "right amount" is for weight loss, the rest will be for weight maintenance. If I hit a bump in the road, as I have recently, I am required to navigate the bump with as little setback as possible but I never leave the contract.

    Making it a contract of time instead of a contract of goal also reminds me this is not just about weight loss it is about long term sustainability. The process is more important than the goal because the process drives the goal. It has to be easy enough for the hard days that will come in the next 5 years. It has to adapt to the things I learn about myself. It has to be refined when gaps are identified.

    Whether or not that idea may work for you I encourage you at least give it some thought. Think about some of your other commitments in life and decide how to rank your health commitment as high as some of them. For a long time I treated my health commitment like a 5th grader with a girlfriend. Anytime things stopped going smooth or if I didn't feel like it anymore, it was nothing to break up. It is a little different when you get into a serious relationship. A lot of my issues dealt with blind spots of immaturity which is kind of sad considering how old I am.

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