New to this group

Marilynsretired

Hi, I just came across this group and thought it would be a good one to join.

I see all the threads started are under the 'announcements' but nothing under the 'discussions' so started this one here.

I also see there are a few members but no one is participating so far - is this because of getting ready for Christmas

Would like to here more as to how this group will work, so please post here to share with me who you are and what your goals are

PrettyWhenSheSmiles

Hi there, I just stumbled upon this group too and think it’s a good fit. I hope it grows!

Some background about me: I’m about to be 32 in January and I’m sick of having terrible body image and being depressed about how I look. I’m 5’10” and around 265lbs. I know people say I carry my weight well and that I’m not THAT big, but I can’t help but feel nostalgic for my high school weight of 154lbs.

Even then my sister convinced me I was fat but I didn’t know how good I had it until 100+ pounds later.

Marilynsretired

I so agree, we don't realize how difficult life can be until we have put on the weight - all the telling us that we should take some weight off means nothing until you actually feel the damage.

My weight has damaged my kidneys - I now have an auto immune disease that recognizes the kidneys as a foreign object and it trying to kill them - life can be hard / difficult and it is much easier to make the changes before a lot of damage is done.

PrettyWhenSheSmiles

I’m sorry to hear that! Hugs to you for having to deal with a difficult diagnosis! Is there any chance you can reverse it with the weight loss?

BC_Kid

HI... Just signed up on MFP yesterday (DEC 15/22) and thought this New group would be a good place to start, being new myself... Still trying to get a handle of how things work here at MFP...

Marilynsretired

@PrettyWhenSheSmiles - the damage cannot be reversed with weight loss but a change in diet is necessary to survive. I was in the hospital for 14 days due to my body shutting down - kidney function number is 60 and mine went down to 5. Am now under the care of kidney doctors and they have just discovered the auto immune disease that I now have which thinks my kidneys are a foreign object and it trying to kill the kidneys. I go for a treatment option on Tuesday - it will not cure the auto immune disease but hopefully will slow it down from doing any more damage.

Best to take good care of your body - lots and lots of water and no salt if you want to have healthy kidneys. It is a challenge now with eating as everywhere you go salt is added so am stuck with eating at home all the time or taking my own cooked food with me when I go to a friends home - as for restaurants no longer go due to the salt in the food that is served.

But the weight is coming off - have about another 100 pounds to go and hopefully 2023 most of that will happen.

How about the rest of you - would love to hear what is up with everyone else

Marilynsretired

this group is so quiet - guess it is because of Christmas.

Hopefully all will start to participate once Christmas is over

Marilynsretired

Well Christmas is over and the New Year is just a week away - hopefully more will come and participate

momwow17

Hi Everyone,

I'm Shannon, the organizer of this group. I started it because I was looking for extra motivation and accountability to help me finally reach my fitness and weight loss goals and I thought there might be other people like me who are struggling to lose 50-100 lbs and could benefit from the camaraderie of such a group. I would like this group to be our group, meaning if you have ideas and suggestions to make this group awesome, please speak up. If anyone is interested in becoming a leader or admin in this group, just let me know and I'll make it so. I look forward to sharing my journey with you all and supporting you along yours. Thanks for joining!

momwow17

PrettyWhenSheSmiles wrote: »

Hi there, I just stumbled upon this group too and think it’s a good fit. I hope it grows!

Some background about me: I’m about to be 32 in January and I’m sick of having terrible body image and being depressed about how I look. I’m 5’10” and around 265lbs. I know people say I carry my weight well and that I’m not THAT big, but I can’t help but feel nostalgic for my high school weight of 154lbs.

Even then my sister convinced me I was fat but I didn’t know how good I had it until 100+ pounds later.

@PrettyWhenSheSmiles I can really relate to your story. I was a cheerleader in high school and weighed 119 pounds at 5'4", but because of insensitive teasing about my body from classmates and family members I grew up with a very negative self image that has undermined my confidence and self-esteem my entire life. In the last 10 years or so, I've come to accept that my value as a human is not based on my weight or looks, and I've learned to love myself no matter what. I just regret that it took so long and I wasted so much time feeling depressed and self-conscious. I still want to reach my goal weight, but it's because I want to be healthy, feel good and enjoy life to the fullest. My hope for you is that you realize sooner rather than later that no matter what you weigh, you are beautiful, deserving and enough just the way you are!

momwow17

Marilynsretired wrote: »

@PrettyWhenSheSmiles - the damage cannot be reversed with weight loss but a change in diet is necessary to survive. I was in the hospital for 14 days due to my body shutting down - kidney function number is 60 and mine went down to 5. Am now under the care of kidney doctors and they have just discovered the auto immune disease that I now have which thinks my kidneys are a foreign object and it trying to kill the kidneys. I go for a treatment option on Tuesday - it will not cure the auto immune disease but hopefully will slow it down from doing any more damage.

Best to take good care of your body - lots and lots of water and no salt if you want to have healthy kidneys. It is a challenge now with eating as everywhere you go salt is added so am stuck with eating at home all the time or taking my own cooked food with me when I go to a friends home - as for restaurants no longer go due to the salt in the food that is served.

But the weight is coming off - have about another 100 pounds to go and hopefully 2023 most of that will happen.

How about the rest of you - would love to hear what is up with everyone else

@Marilynsretired I'm so sorry to hear about the issue with your kidneys but it sounds like you are managing it pretty well. I hope you are able to continue healing and arrest any further damage. What did they say when you went for the treatment option?

I'm also looking to lose another 90 lbs in 2023. I hit my highest weight of about 260 in 2021 and I started to feel like I was really jeopardizing my health. Everything hurt and I started to feel disabled. It scared me so much that I decided to quit my job and focus on getting my weight back under control. I lost 60 lbs by the end of 2021, which was about halfway to my goal but then in 2022, I got off track and gained about 25 lbs back. In December, I saw a meme that said "What if today, I didn't quit" and it made me start thinking about if I had stuck with healthy habits, I would have already reached my goal. It made me realize that I needed to get started again, which was the impetus for this group. Its my hope that we can hold each other accountable, have a little fun and help each other reach our goals this year. I'm so glad you joined. I look forward to supporting and getting to know you and everyone on this journey we're on!

momwow17

BC_Kid wrote: »

HI... Just signed up on MFP yesterday (DEC 15/22) and thought this New group would be a good place to start, being new myself... Still trying to get a handle of how things work here at MFP...

Hi @BC_Kid Welcome to the group and welcome to MFP! I've been on here for about 10 years and while my weight has been up and down over the years, the app keeps me focused on my health and fitness. I hope you enjoy the group and find some support, motivation and friendship here. I look forward to getting to know you and working on our goals together.

Marilynsretired

@mmomwow17 = thanks for asking about how it went with the kidney doctor. They talked to me about diaylsis and explained how it all worked. Have a phone call set up with my doctor on Friday to get some info from him and then I need to get back to the kidney people as they would not talk about the auto immune disease that my doctor mentioned. So much stress and yet they tell you they don't want to cause any - but taking it one day at a time.

I have put all my things in order just in case I don't have much more time but am fighting this the best way I can.

momwow17

@marilynsretired, Hugs to you! I can't imagine how difficult that must be. i will keep you in my prayers. Keep your mind busy and stay optimistic and you'll get through this. I hope you get some more answers soon. Hang in there!

momwow17

Hi Everyone, I think we have a few new members. Welcome to everyone! Please feel free to introduce yourselves in this thread and explore the group chat threads. I hope you'll find encouragement and a place to share your progress, struggles and successes while making some new friends. I'm Shannon. I organized the group, but I'm definitely open to suggestions on how to improve it. And if anyone is interested in being an admin for the group and helping me moderate it, please let me know. I look forward to getting healthy and reaching our goals this year with the group!