Women 200lb+, Let's Remember to Nurture Ourselves This November!!!

RavenStCloud

🍁Hello, ladies, and Happy November!

🍂It can be easy to give up or phone it in towards the end of the year, because we tell ourselves we can start fresh in January and that we'll have more time, more engery, and more focus next year. And while some of that might be true, let's not throw in the towel just yet!

🍁We've still got time to make a dent in our goals and to continue working hard. What do you hope to accomplish this month or before the year is out?

🍂Sometimes, we put ourselves last, especially towards the end of the year with so many holidays and family obligations to keep us busy. Let's remember that we are also important and deserve time to nuture ourselves.

🍁What are some tips and tricks you have for staying motivated and remembering to put yourself first?



🤎If you've never been here before, please know you are welcome to join at any point in the month. All you have to do is post something, and then BAM! you're one of us.

🤎In this group, we post our weekly and monthly goals and provide support and motivation to each other as we share our triumphs and our struggles. This group is all about accountability.

🤎All are welcome and, if you think you belong here, you do! No matter how much you currently weigh or how you measure (or don't measure) your weight, we'd love to hear from you.

🤎Victories, both scale and non-scale, are great to hear about, but, conversely, we know that weight loss isn't all sunshine and rainbows. If you're going through a rough patch, please feel free to be honest and vent your heart out. The struggle is real and we're all here to support each other!

🍁This November, let's remember to stay focused and to be loving and nurturing to our bodies and our minds!🍁

pamperedlinny

Happy November!!!!

Linda
40 years old
5'7"
SW: 300 lbs
Oct 21: 222.6 lb
Nov - I'm going to weigh this Saturday.

As it's a new month I'll do an introduction.
Personal recap: I have PCOS and Type 2 Diabetes (secondary diabetes as its underlying cause was the PCOS). I started my journey back in 2009 at 300 lbs. I got all the way down to 209 and then finally had my daughter in 2014. Even while 9 months pregnant I didn’t put all the weight back on so YAY! I had a bunch of ups and downs but did get myself down to 195 lbs in 2020. I let a lot of things go again for a while and blamed it on being busy….and put almost 50 lbs back on. So now I’m steadily working on fixing that but truthfully I’m more concerned with my blood sugars than my weight. I also write a blog with recipes, food finds and things I learn for the sake of accountability. I tend to share the link here when I have a new post. I know my mom and aunt read it regularly so I stay accountable by knowing if I don’t post I’ll get a call asking why and that will kick me back onto the wagon. In my life accountability is key.

I hope everyone with kids had a fabulous Halloween. I may or may not have had too much stuff over the last few days so I'm waiting until this weekend to do my weigh in for November. I most often weigh on Saturdays anyway so I'm just going to pretend I didn't see anything between my last weigh in and this weekend. LOL. Here's a photo of my daughter last night.


You know I love my food holidays so if you're interested today is:
National Calzone Day
National Cinnamon Day
National Deep Fried Clams Day
National Vinegar Day

It is also the beginning of:
National Fig Week
Banana Pudding Lovers Month
National Peanut Butter Lovers Month
National Pepper Month
National Pomegranate Month
National Raisin Bread Month

Thank you @RavenStCloud for creating this group again!
🍁What do you hope to accomplish this month or before the year is out?
I want to mostly maintain but would love to get below 220 before the end of the year.
🍂Let's remember that we are also important and deserve time to nurture ourselves.
Since working from home I’m finding it easier to manage more time for me just because 3 days a week everyone else is at school or work and I’m alone. Those lunch hours are sometimes spent with cleaning, prepping for things or exercise but every couple weeks I just take time to enjoy being alone and it’s marvelous.
🍁What are some tips and tricks you have for staying motivated and remembering to put yourself first?
Thankfully my husband is pretty amazing with taking over when I need a break. If I have book club, bible study, a chance to have dinner with friends or whatever he’s almost always fine with taking over for the evening. I also have a neighbor that walks with me most days and having that accountability to keep moving is huge!

I have my neighborhood book club tonight

Mom2Cubs

Hello I’m Tina from Florida. I have been off and on MFP for years. I started at 285, got down to 189, then back up to 226. I also had PCOS, IF, and diabetes. I no more PCOS or IF. 2 kids and a hysterectomy took care of both. Diabetes is diet controlled now. Current weight is 210 with a goal of being under 200 by the end of the year. Im back in the gym and eating right. Staying on track this time. My health and my family are too important to ignore.

sandielewis2001

Sandie
Age: 39
Height 5'10"
SW Jan 7 2021: 271.1
SW November 2022: 186.2
GW this month: 186 (maintain)
Goal for 2022: Stay the course

Thursday weigh-ins
11/3 -
11/10 -
11/17 -
11/24 -

Goals -

🍁 - Log everything as accurately as reasonably possible
🍁 - Avoid mindless snacking
🍁 - Take vitamins every day (Log in MFP for accountability)
🍁 - Gym or home workout 3X per week minimum

November is full of events with family and friends so my focus will remain on making good choices while enjoying the special events without guilt or added stress.

KacyCarpe

Kacy
51 years old
5'10"
SW 9/11/22: 253
10/1/22: 246
11/1/22: 241
Next goal: 234 (a 5% loss)
UGW: 165

Overriding Goal: Keep working the system and don't add too much too soon. Build a system that makes desired habits obvious, easy, attractive, and satisfying.
Overriding Question: Will this choice help me become the person I want to become?

October was good overall. Being sick the last two weeks really cut into my exercise routine and upset my sleep schedule, but it did not derail my overall goal to make healthy choices. It’s wise to skip going to the gym when you’re too congested to breathe! I continued to eat well and log my meals, which is the backbone of everything.

I’ve been avoiding sugar for so many months now that the Halloween chocolate bars did not tempt me in the least. Honestly, I look at stuff like that now just like I look at a cigarette. Would one sugary whatever be that harmful? No, of course not. If I really wanted something, I’d eat it and enjoy every darn mouthful. But I’ve found I DON’T enjoy it anymore because I think of it as toxic. No more allure, no more interest. That is a huge difference from last year. I think our family had already eaten two boxes’ worth of chocolate bars and had to buy another to give out on Halloween night.

Another October win was not stress eating when a very difficult blended family situation erupted. Instead, I chose walking (= exercise, sunshine, and music), and given that this situation is not going to disappear, I will need to draw on that for stress relief this month as well.

🍁What do you hope to accomplish this month or before the year is out?

Food Habits
• Daily logging on MFP; virtually no sugary or processed foods; limit alcohol
• Stay within an 8-hour eating window
• Start taking ACV at mealtimes
Exercise Habits
• Swimming biweekly
• Walking daily: keep the abs drawn in; work to increase speed to 3 mph on average
• Gym visits M-W-F. Go to establish the habit even if I don’t have it in me to work out—just do some stretching.
Sleep Habits
• Shift times earlier by one hour, to 9:30 pm–6:00 am.
Stress Reduction Habits
• Keep exercising! Huge positive effect on my mental well-being.
• Keep decluttering! Tidy spaces calm my brain to an amazing degree.
• Add meditation or deep breathing exercises: I said I would do this in October and still haven’t. Look into options and the best time of day to stack it on top of an existing habit.

🍁What are some tips and tricks you have for staying motivated and remembering to put yourself first?

Fact: NOBODY stays motivated, and our prefrontal cortexes are bad at remembering things. It is crazy for us to think otherwise. Motivation WILL wane, we WILL forget, and then we will blame ourselves for being weak and failing again. Let’s get off this crazy train once and for all. Set up your environment and your systems so that the healthy choice is the obvious choice. That’s why we hear advice such as have a water bottle beside you, clear the crap food out of the pantry, plan your meals, don’t shop when hungry, and put out your gym clothes the night before. Do those things! They work! Know thyself. Where do you tend to fall flat? What could you change to avoid or prevent that situation so that you don’t have to remember and you don’t need willpower? Where could you add friction to make a bad habit less desirable? Small changes add up to big differences. Pick one thing and start making those positive changes!

Here's to a great November, everyone. Let's go!!

delillolauren

Lauren
43
SW: 258 10/21/22
HW: 275
CW: 249
GW: 120


Goals for November:
Continue eating under 30ish grams of carbohydrates a day.
Log consistently and accurately
Drag myself to an OA meeting
Weigh daily as it keeps me on track.
Be under 240 by the end of the month.
Move this body a little more
And finally be brave enough to not chicken out on Thursday’s interview. I’m a nurse, but haven’t worked since 2019 (kids, family, etc) and I’m feeling rather worthless.
But this economy is kicking our tail and it’s time for me to do something.

delillolauren

I’ve been avoiding sugar for so many months now that the Halloween chocolate bars did not tempt me in the least. Honestly, I look at stuff like that now just like I look at a cigarette. Would one sugary whatever be that harmful? No, of course not. If I really wanted something, I’d eat it and enjoy every darn mouthful. But I’ve found I DON’T enjoy it anymore because I think of it as toxic. No more allure, no more interest. That is a huge difference from last year. I think our family had already eaten two boxes’ worth of chocolate bars and had to buy another to give out on Halloween night.




Honestly when I opened the bag of candy for the kids, the overwhelmingly sweet/chemical smell made me a bit ill. I wasn’t tempted at all.

pamperedlinny

Good morning!

Yesterday was my neighborhood book club. I hadn't eaten a lot during the day and had also skipped dinner so when I got there I did eat some of the junk that was available. However!!!!! I still had my overall calories right on track. I did not stand and eat the entire bowl of swedish fish no matter how much I wanted to do so. I tried to avoid the muffin but the girl that made them asked more than once if I needed one so I finally gave in but I still only ate about 3/4 and didn't finish it. I feel like having that self control and awareness of my eating was a HUGE win for me because I tend to over indulge once I start.

I also had a new blog post drop yesterday. I can't say it's some huge wonderful recipe. It's really just how to make cold brew coffee. https://pamperedlinny.wixsite.com/coffee-required/post/cold-brew-coffee


Tonight my daughter has her volleyball practice at the YMCA so I might see how much coughing I'm doing through the day and actually try to get back in the gym while she's at practice. I haven't hit it the past 2 weeks and I need to be moving more again. The sitting still is killing my stamina, blood sugar and diet as I eat more when I'm not busy.

@KacyCarpe That’s great about not craving the chocolate! You’re right about needing that help with motivation and habits. I tend to befriend people to do things with me so I have accountability. If I don’t show up a number of times I will start getting calls to see if I’m ok. I need the personal touch to stay engaged for sure.

@delillolauren You’ll do great on your interview. You got this!

RavenStCloud

So this month I'm working on establishing routines for myself and I made a chart because seeing my weekly progress written out (for good or ill) is something that keeps me present, motivated, and accountable. I have four different categories:



🍁Exercise: I'm going to start swimming again three times a week and either go for walks or do some youtube workouts three times as well.

🍁Nutrition: I will eat salads 5x a week. I also want to increase my vegetable consumption while decreasing prepackaged/unhealthy snacks and record my calories (both here on mfp & physically on my chart).

🍁Health: Remember to take all my medicines and do my physical therapy stretches/exercises at home.

🍁Hobbies: It's NaNoWriMo and while my writing goal isn't exactly get to a specific word count each day, I am looking to write for about 1 hour each day (or 7 hours a week if I skip a day). I also would like to start crocheting again and learning about basic sewing techniques.

In general, I'm trying to treat myself nicely this month. I want to give myself the things I know I like, even if the physical act of prepping for them is something I hate. (ex: Love salads, hate preparing them in the morning. Love swimming/hate getting ready and going to the gym.)

vbeez

40 years old
5'6"
School year starting weight 8/22: 243
11/2/22: 236.4
Next goal 12/1: 228
GW: 165


Goals for November:
Run 30 miles (started a challenge 11/1)
Log consistently and accurately-stay within daily calorie goal
Weigh myself daily
228lbs by 12/1
Exercise 5-6 days a week & at least 8,000 steps daily)
Drink 80oz or more water daily
Avoid alcohol M-F (exception Thanksgiving week Thu/Fri


Also have PCOS & hypothyroidism

I have been a yo-yo overweight person all my life. Overall my goal is to set myself up with a consistent routine/lifestyle that will get me back to 165. Last time I was there was a decade ago.

KacyCarpe

@pamperedlinny "I did eat some of the junk that was available. However!!!!! I still had my overall calories right on track. I did not stand and eat the entire bowl of swedish fish no matter how much I wanted to do so. I tried to avoid the muffin but the girl that made them asked more than once if I needed one so I finally gave in but I still only ate about 3/4 and didn't finish it. I feel like having that self control and awareness of my eating was a HUGE win for me because I tend to over indulge once I start."

Huge indeed! It's troublesome to think of foods as forbidden. I think you did the right thing in allowing yourself to indulge MINDFULLY and with self-control. Each time you do so you reinforce your identity as someone who can control herself around tempting foods. Yay you!

Also... I just bought some green beans and am going to try your recipe from last May.

KacyCarpe

delillolauren wrote: »

Honestly when I opened the bag of candy for the kids, the overwhelmingly sweet/chemical smell made me a bit ill. I wasn’t tempted at all.

Yes! What a win to have. It is hard at first to give up sugar, just as it's hard to give up any addiction. I often hear people say they could "never" do it, but once you've gone for a while without it, it's really not that enticing anymore.

pamperedlinny

Just letting you all know that if you have an Aldi nearby and skipped out on spending $4 or more for the Halloween cheese selections you should go shopping today. All the Halloween cheeses are 99¢ today. I may have bought 3 different ones to try at that price.

pamperedlinny

Good morning!!!

I'm so proud of myself today. Last night when my daughter was at her volleyball practice I went into the machine room at the YMCA. I started out on the elliptical but at 25 minutes I abandoned that for the other machines. My legs are fairly strong (though could absolutely use plenty of work) but my upper body is super weak. I did another 25 minutes rotating through machines for biceps, triceps, lower back, shoulder blades, etc. A couple minutes on each might not seem like a big deal but I haven't done any of the machines except the elliptical and treadmill in ages. I always get in my own head thinking how I look out of place. Almost like I don't deserve to use them if I'm not already in decent shape. I know this stems from other gyms and old experiences when I used to be 300 lbs and just started out. I've NEVER had anyone treat me badly or look sideways at me since joining the YMCA but those things still live in my head. So, deciding to actually hit the machines and considering the dumbells in the corner last night was a giant step for me. Also, one of the directors that we know (actually she's my daughter's literacy mentor through the YMCA so she sits with my girl every week) saw me and gave me a huge smile and thumbs up while I was pushing through a set. Sorry for the long paragraph. Just such a big thing and I'll definitely be back on them next Wednesday since it went so well.

Tonight I'll be back at the YMCA for Zumba class. I love the Thursday class even though I swear the teacher for Thursday is a gazelle who just prances along while I feel like I'm dying but she's also a lot of fun.

@RavenStCloud I love your chart! I feel you about prepping for things being the worst even if I love the fun part at the end. So often I skip things just because I hate getting ready for them.

@KacyCarpe You have to let me know what you think when you make the recipe!

Mom2Cubs

Good morning. Today is day 3 in a row at the gym. I’m sore, but sticking with it. I will get below 200 by the end of the year. Pushing through and keeping on track while dealing with enablers (are you sure you don’t want any ice cream) and derailers (you don’t need to go the gym every day). Where are my encouragers 🙁?

pamperedlinny

Mom2Cubs wrote: »

Good morning. Today is day 3 in a row at the gym. I’m sore, but sticking with it. I will get below 200 by the end of the year. Pushing through and keeping on track while dealing with enablers (are you sure you don’t want any ice cream) and derailers (you don’t need to go the gym every day). Where are my encouragers 🙁?

It's rough when you don't have someone reminding you to stick to your goals. I've been really lucky to have people in my life who will encourage. Then again, my husband will tell me I'm doing well while eating the biggest bowl of ice cream you've ever seen and living with people who aren't working on their health is HARD when trying to stay on track.

RavenStCloud

Mom2Cubs wrote: »

Where are my encouragers 🙁?

👋We're right here!!!👋

You're doing great! 🎉🎉🎉Keep strong and trust that you know what's best for you! Keep on keepin on! You got this!!! 💜💜💜

vbeez

I ran 2 miles yesterday! I did not want to run at all but once I got out there I got it done...hoping I can stay consistent!

sandielewis2001

Sandie
Age: 39
Height 5'10"
SW Jan 7 2021: 271.1
SW November 2022: 186.2
GW this month: 186 (maintain)
Goal for 2022: Stay the course

Thursday weigh-ins
11/3 - 185.8
11/10 -
11/17 -
11/24 -

Nov Change: -0.4lbs
Loss to date: -85.3lbs

Goals -

🍁 - Log everything as accurately as reasonably possible
🍁 - Avoid mindless snacking
🍁 - Take vitamins every day (Log in MFP for accountability)
🍁 - Gym or home workout 3X per week minimum

I've been doing pretty good at my goals this week with the exception of my workout goal. I think today will be the first day of doing a gym or home workout since I am finally starting to feel a bit better.

This weekend will be busy with two wine tasting events and an 80th birthday party for my neighbor. We also got the invite yesterday from a few dear friends to join them on a last minute trip to Vegas in 2 weeks. I think we are going to be able to swing the trip and I am so excited to see friends that I haven't seen in 3+ years!

KacyCarpe

@pamperedlinny The beans were AMAZING! Everyone gobbled them up! I took a photo on my phone but the app won't let me upload it.:(

We will be making them again for sure.

pamperedlinny

Good morning!

Is anyone else so happy that it's Friday? Tonight I'm supposed to go to play Bingo with friends being hosted at a local restaurant. I plan to eat at home and just have water and a small appetizer or maybe even no food but a diet coke to drink. I'm trying to not go broke but still go out with friends and be social. I'm also thinking of only playing every other round since my budget leaves a lot to be desired right now.

Last night I went to my Zumba class but my regular instructor wasn't there. There are a number of ladies that lead Zumba between the 3 nearest locations though so I didn't think anything of it.... until Karyn walked in. Ugh! She literally sometimes forgets her choreography and caters mostly to the mid-morning retiree crowd. There is nothing wrong with that at all except that the subbed the most intense Zumba class and taught it like that slower moving group. So we all were looking for a really good burn and only got about 1/3 of what we needed. It's still better than nothing though.

@vbeez Great job!!!!

@sandielewis2001 Glad you’re starting to feel better. I hope you have an amazing time in Vegas!

@KacyCarpe Yay!!!! I’m so glad they loved them.

holdthefries

Hello November!
Age: 56

I would like to lose 50 pounds and I'm giving myself a year (actually 14 months) to do this.

In the past I have set my goals too high too fast too strict and have inevitably failed to stay on track long term. This time I am taking a more gentle, gradual approach. I am adjusting daily calories up from before, giving myself more time to accomplish goals and changing eating habits. I will take my time getting back into exercise instead of aggressive plans I can't keep. I think if I break things up weekly by checking in on Sundays it may be easier to accomplish small goals that will hopefully add up to bigger goals.

So my goals for this week are to walk for 30 minutes outside for 5 days.
(this is totally doable! it's still lovely fall weather here!)

To avoid alcohol and sugary treats this week.
(only challenge here will be to account for one celebratory meal out this Sunday at a friend's house.)

Take a progress picture once a week on Sunday for one whole year
(Hopefully this will be encouraging)

To weigh in on Sunday mornings.

This month I would like to think about evening activities for the winter months that do not include too much screen time. I would like to come up with one creative hobby, one hobby to learn something new, and one hobby to engage in a new physical activity.

Here we go! See you on Sunday

KacyCarpe

@holdthefries Sounds like a great plan! Small changes really add up over time.

FLMOM22

Hi, my name is Cindy.
I had success on this app in September 2017. I stuck with it until year end of that year and lost 20-30 pounds. I did not like the process of logging food yet knew it worked. My starting weight at that time was 237 pounds.
Fast forward to 2022 my habits had not successfully changed. Just after my 54 birthday in September, I weighed in at 243.8 pounds, my heaviest weight. I had tried getting back on this app during the summer of this year yet lacked the desire to want to log my food. When I saw that number on 9/12/22 I decided to give logging and calorie counting a chance again.
On Monday I will have completed 8 weeks and am currently down 13 pounds. My goal weight is between 140-150 pounds. A healthy BMI for me is 180 pounds.
I am not giving myself goals weekly as my main focus is to cap at 1500 calories a day and no more than 1750, which is my BMR (basal metabolic rate).
Initially I was adjusting my calorie limit weekly to see how I felt and what progress I achieved. I lost continually consuming 1450-1600 average a week.
I have not resumed regular exercise at this point as I am a nanny eight hours a day and take care of my family’s needs when I come home and am often tired.
I am 5’10” tall.
I am a wife of 29 years and have three adult sons.

RavenStCloud

@FLMOM22 Hello, Cindy! Glad you've joined us! It sounds like you've got a good framework for success. Welcome!

tahitig

Guys, I'm just out of the hospital - COVID and Guillain Barré.
I think I let down my guard too soon when I traveled these last few months.

I've recently learned that your health is everything - cherish and guard it !

It'll be a long road back to full function for me, but I am just so incredibly grateful for surviving this
ordeal that I'll try to be patient and work hard each day.

I spent two weeks in the ICU, barely ate, and only lost three pounds due to the supplemental
nutrition. So back at home, it's time to make every calorie count -- for my health and recovery.

Now that I've been given another chance in life, I'm more determined than ever to reach a healthy weight.
For me, that's no more than 150 pounds, so that's now my goal.

You all helped me make that flight weight for the float plane in Alaska to see the bears, for dancing at my daughter's wedding, and for that celebrity shindig -- Thank you!

I'll keep counting on your honest messages here, sharing both your triumphs and your frustrations, to
help me during my recovery and along my path to celebrating this life we're given -- by giving my body the best chance for health.

Take good care of yourself, everyone -- you're so worth it ❣️

SW: 215
CW: 182
Nov goal: 180
Goal weight: 150

KacyCarpe

FLMOM22 wrote: »

On Monday I will have completed 8 weeks and am currently down 13 pounds. My goal weight is between 140-150 pounds. A healthy BMI for me is 180 pounds.

Cindy, that is terrific progress! I have found that I cycle through a lot of the same types of foods, so tracking gets faster and easier over time. I also recently learned that every pound of weight exerts FOUR pounds of pressure on the knees and spine. By losing 13 pounds, you have reduced the force on those bones by FIFTY-TWO POUNDS!!! Yay you!!

KacyCarpe

@tahitig So happy to hear that you are out of hospital and on the road back to health. Sometimes the most difficult times bring incredible benefits, and I hope that's the case here for you.

FLMOM22

RavenStCloud wrote: »

@FLMOM22 Hello, Cindy! Glad you've joined us! It sounds like you've got a good framework for success. Welcome!

thank you!

KacyCarpe wrote: »

FLMOM22 wrote: »

On Monday I will have completed 8 weeks and am currently down 13 pounds. My goal weight is between 140-150 pounds. A healthy BMI for me is 180 pounds.

Cindy, that is terrific progress! I have found that I cycle through a lot of the same types of foods, so tracking gets faster and easier over time. I also recently learned that every pound of weight exerts FOUR pounds of pressure on the knees and spine. By losing 13 pounds, you have reduced the force on those bones by FIFTY-TWO POUNDS!!! Yay you!!

. Thank you!

FLMOM22

Yesterday definitely brought its challenges. This past week as a whole. I’ve got to learn to be patient with the process. I did not get to this weight overnight and have not had any real set backs this far. However, yesterday my eating was out of control. There are several factors currently going on in our lives and I stress/comfort ate. I had been avoiding certain foods these past week as I struggle with over consumption on certain foods. Because I am physically and emotionally tired I believe I was looking for a fuel source today. Trying not to defeat myself in my thoughts. It’s 1 am here in Florida and I’m not asleep yet. One of the things I do on my diary is if I overeat and don’t know how many calories I ate I log that food and what I was thinking/feeling in my food notes. At least I am being honest with myself that I had some trouble that day and I can see the food I sought for comfort or energy. Thanks for reading.

CupcakeCrusoe

Good morning, everyone!

175.0 today, which I still can't quite wrap my head around. I'm firmly in the 170's. It's a little surreal, even though I've been here for a while. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up in the 180s again.

This week has been busy, what with Halloween (the kids had a great time, I didn't eat too much candy), appointments, the gym, we had a cleaning service come (! it was amazing, to have people clean my house for me, an absolute privilege, joy, and a treat to have that time back), and I'm working on reducing the clutter in my house/setting up systems where the clutter doesn't get bad in the first place, since having a clean house brings me this much delight.

Goals for this month. I feel... pretty good about where I'm at, diet-wise. My high calorie days are only 1800-2000, which is not enough to slow my progress, as long as it's not every day, and my rate of loss is slow but steady with my normal days between 1400-1600 cal.

I'm back in the gym after the whole family got sick a few weeks ago, and it really makes a difference for my mood when I make a commitment to be there.

So anyway. I was very bloated on the first day of this month, so it looks like I've lost almost three pounds since then. It was just bloat, lol. But I have made progress. So given that I'm 175 right now, I feel comfortable setting a goal of 173 for the end of this month, and we'll see where I land. That would put me in the overweight instead of obese category, which would be incredible. I won't be heartbroken if I don't make it, as long as I don't end this month higher than I started, but we're going to try.

Christina
34 years old
5'4"

SW: 220ish
Re-SW: 200.4
UGW: 150

SW 11/1: 177.8
11/5: 175

🍁 November Goals! 🍁

🍂 November GW: 173

🤎Log everything in grams ✅
🤎Do at least three pole classes a week ✅
🤎More than 100g protein every day
🤎No doomscrolling after 7PM each night ✅
🤎At least 64oz of water a day ✅

Tag party time! Geez, lots of tags to catch up on.

@RavenStCloud Tricks for putting myself first- hm. I used to struggle with this, but I would always feel kind of resentment toward my family when they were relaxing while I was working hard, so when I feel that coming on, I stop everything and go sit down and do something for myself, tell my partner what I'm stressed about, and he'll either help right then or make a plan to help later, and that usually works for me. Unless something *must* be done, there's no point in stressing yourself or feeling bad about things that don't *have* to be done. My house is not always perfectly clean this way (lol, one reason I hired a service, lol), but I am a much happier person. And if we had family around, I would reach out for help for childcare or just to hang out while I cleaned instead. Help is great, it really does take a village, and this day and age, we don't have enough community support for everyone.

I love your chart! It's so pretty, I hope you've got some digital stickers or fun emojis to fill it! I'm participating in NaNo as well, although I only ever get motivated to write on my trash novel around ovulation time, so I'm riding that wave, lol.

@pamperedlinny your daughter's costume is so cute and I'm OBSESSED with her lip gloss. I love hearing about your various get-togethers, neighborhood book club sounds so fun.

lol your muffin story. Been there! And I hear you about when I sit and don't get movement for too long, I start to feel bad physically and mentally.

RE:Aldi: I loved the transylvanian cave cheddar! I think I've still got some, actually...

Good for you, trading mental demons for dumbbells! I love that, again, community stepped in to cheer you on.

I totally get you on having favorite instructors. I sure do, for my gym, and luckily it's set up where I can sign up just for their classes, lol.

@Mom2Cubs welcome! ten pounds by the end of the year around this time of year is lofty, but you very well might make it! Just remember that progress is progress, even if it's slower than expected!

I would say, just for fairness, that depending on your workout when you go to the gym, you might benefit from rest days. If you're doing cardio or walking, it's not as important, but if you're doing resistance training, rest is important for muscle repair. But you've got this!

@sandielewis2001 you've been doing such a great job at maintenance, I've loved reading what you share about it, gives me a lot of hope for maintenance time myself.

Wine tasting! Taste some for me, lol. I had a lovely italian pilsner last night.

@KacyCarpe I love this: Overriding Question: Will this choice help me become the person I want to become? it's a great stop-the-train-let's-think question.

@delillolauren welcome! I hear a lot of negative talk in your post "drag yourself to the meeting... chicken out..." I just want you to know that these past few years have been hard, and you should remember to give yourself some grace, too. We're all doing what we can given a much-less-than-ideal situation. I look forward to hearing more, and that you went to the interview!

@vbeez 30 miles! it's a lot, but doable, and it's beautiful weather for a run, where I am. Welcome! I love getting that music pumping and pounding the pavement, as I liked to say.

@holdthefries I love your talk of hobbies! It's so important to stay busy to prevent mindless snacking, for me. I love to knit, crochet, read, play video games, all kinds of things, and if I'm not feeling one thing, I can move to the next, so important.

@FLMOM22 welcome Cindy! I know you can do this, as you have before, so welcome to the best thread on the site!

I totally get eating your feelings, and I love that you log it with the feelings you were feeling at the time. You talk about how tired you are- is there anything you can do to give yourself a little room? You say you're married, can your partner help out with anything at home that might be stressing you out? I tend to be very open with my partner about my struggles, so when I say that "there's a lot of candy around and I'm stressed out, I need x to be clean," he'll get the girls and start doing it while I'm making dinner or something. That kind of thing?

@tahitig I'm so sorry to hear about all that, oh my gosh, that must have been so scary. I'm so glad you're still here with us, and that you're motivated to make the most of your one precious life after that. You've always got a community and a cheerleading squad here. Health is important, and remember that sometimes for recovery from illness, you might need to eat a little more, toward maintenance.

Whew! Caught up! Have a great, beautiful, wonderful day, everyone. As @tahitig said, let's celebrate the life we're given- just not always with food, lol.