New here and would like friends

michelemorrill1

Hi, I'm new here and would like friends so we can help and encourage each other on this weight loss journey. I'm Michele, just turned 49 on 1/20/22 and decided to make some changes in my life. I'm a Mom of 4 (ages 31, 22, 21, and 6) that has put everyone else's needs above my own for a long time, and as a result, I don't have any friends. It would be nice to take this journey with others who understand the challenges of parenting while trying to lose 50+lbs.

lmgoff232

Hi and welcome! I am a 44 year old mom to 4 kids (24, 12, 10, & 7). I realized I had some gained some weight over the years but didn't give it a lot of thought and never really did anything about it. I am 5'10" so the weight kinda spread itself all over.

Flash forward to July 2021 and went in for my first physical in who knows how many years. My weight was 293, which was higher than I would like, but when the Dr asked me if I would like to discuss bariatric surgery, that is when the alarm bells went off and I knew I needed to do something. MFP was on the list of resources she gave me. I signed up the next day, and have been chugging along ever since. I am now 60 lbs down, with another 60ish to go. I log in daily, and track everything (including those glasses of wine after the kids are asleep on occassion). Will send you a friend request!

1harleymama1

Congratulations on losing 60 pounds in 6 months. That is an awesome accomplishment. Especially, with how much more time we are spending at home due to Covid. I'm not sure where you are located but chances are you had your kids at home for schooling on the computer for a year. That would cause me some definite stress eating. I hope you recognize how fabulous your weight loss is. Do you do a little something special for yourself to celebrate each 10 pounds you lose or something? Not necessarily, going out to eat but maybe a manicure or pedicure, or a new pair of jeans.

lmgoff232

@1harleymama1 Thanks! My kids were home schooled from Mar 2020 - June 2021. I actually didn't put on too much weight during that period, luckily, since it was easier to cook meals when working from home. We were eating out a whole lot before that and I paid absolutely zero attention to the calories at that point, lol. I didn't actually start my weight loss until their summer break, and was able to get into a good routine before they started back up for school. I am still working from home, so that definitely makes it easier to track and log what I am eating.

Right now I am not doing much to celebrate the little weight milestones. I do invest in more gear to support the journey once I feel I have successfully built in a new healthy habit, such as new workout clothes when I did my cardio as planned for a month & some strenth equipment when I felt my cardio was now a habit. I have only went down 1 size in jeans so it doesn't feel like a big amount even though I know it is, haha. When I reach the anticipated 100 lbs down, I will probably do something to reward myself but not sure with what yet. Maybe a mini vacation? 😀

1harleymama1

I can't believe with a 60 lb. weight loss that you are only down 1 size in pants. It seems you should be down 3 sizes to me. I hate that I can wear anywhere from a 10, 12 or 14 in pants just depending on the brand and the style.
I prefer to shop online now since covid, but it is so hard to pick out clothing without trying it on first and I hate having to make returns. aaaahhhh a mini vacation sounds wonderful. for the most part I have done a cruise or traveled to a foreign destination yearly. I was a live in care provider for and autistic man age 41 years. I worked approx. 120 hours per week counting the overnight hours for the past 14 years. So, I very much looked forward to my vacations. I've been unable to work since Oct 2020 due to health issues. But as of recent I am feeling so much better, finally. I definitely will not go back to working that many hours ever again. I think that did play a part in me getting so sick. You have a great attitude about being able to cook healthy food at home. So many people I know say it is much harder working at home just because they have unlimited access to the kitchen 24/7. I have recently started to have more meatless meals. I used to have bacon or sausage every morning, lunch meat or ground beef every lunch and more meat at dinner. Now, I very seldom have meat with breakfast. I usually have instant oatmeal with a cup of berries for breakfast. 75% of the time I have meat for lunch, 75% of the time I have meat with dinner. I am switching to more beans, lentils and meatless meat products. I feel I have a long way to go regarding getting my meat consumption down even further. Yesterday, I was reading the recipes available in the discussion board here on MFP. I got pretty excited about the Mediterranean diet link I stumbled across. I am looking forward to new recipes for meals that are meatless. I've bought tofu a couple times in the past but ended up throwing it away because I never knew how to cook it or what to do with it. I'm not a picky eater and I love food and all kinds of vegetables. Now, I have lots of time since I'm still out on disability to experiment with different recipes.

lmgoff232

Crazy, right? Sizes are horrible, lol. @1harleymama1 - I just sent you a friend request if you want to connect :-) Good luck on the meat consumption & sugar reduction efforts. I have a big weakness for bacon, but otherwise could probably happily go without eating meat 90% of the time. I do eat it in order to get some protein in, but tend to eat more fish than beef or chicken (I am notoriously bad at meeting my protein goals); I just need to figure out how to cook some of those alternative protein sources in a way that my kids will eat. I have a great cookbook that is veg heavy (the recipes I have tried have been great, but I have barely scratched the surface). I think I need to get it back out & start experimenting too. And sending you big hugs - my 12yo son is on the spectrum (very high functioning) & he is a handful; I can only imagine the physical and mental toll working 120 hours a week would take! Sending well wishes for a strong recovery!

Benjag0_Cr0we

41 year old dad looking to loose about 100 lbs. Could use some more support along the way myself. I'll add ya.

michaeldaily4927

54 year old Dad. 6' 2" and 270 lbs to start the year. I've lost about 20 lbs with 60 more to go. Nice to meet all of you in this thread, and if you need friends please add me.