Women 200lb+, Let's Keep our Focus in February!!!

I want to thank @RavenStCloud for this thread. I am mostly copying her format.

Keri, 72, 5’6”

11/6: 239.2

12/3/2025: 241

Jan/2/2026 243.2 have to get off that Holiday gain soon.

1/12: 241

2/2/2026: 239.8 finally in the 230s barely

⭐January summary

I achieved many of my resolutions. I got back to eating healthy again. I really lowered sugar intake. I have exercised more. I have increased my stamina, strength. However I have a long way to go to get back to where I was before I had my statin muscle issues diagnosed. I could do better with exercise and PT. In terms of weight loss I got off my holiday weight. However I didn't get into the 230s.

⭐Pat on the back and February focus?

I basically set up the year in terms of health by eating better and moving better. I got some other non-health tasks done but have more to do this month. My focus this month is to be diligent with my PT and make better progress getting back my strength and stamina. I am going to focus on sticking to my exercise routine. Some weeks were better than others in January. I need to make it habit driven not motivation driven. I am going to focus on Mondays in that this is when I meal plan and shop. I am going to also update our dairy and farm deliveries. We have fruits and vegetables delivered from local organic farmers each week. I plan to not exercise except for PT and going grocery shopping on Mondays. I have some retirement finances work to continue on and plan to do it on Monday and/or Tuesday.

Here is my exercise plan to get back to my previous schedule.

💗2 session a week of Aquafit (50+ minutes)

💗1 sessions a week strength training included into 3-4 sessions of PT

💗work back up to 30 minutes of Japanese walking at least 2 times a week ( I am doing the walking but not the higher intensity intervals yet)

💗after I have achieved other goals I hope to have 1 session per week - long walk (45-60 minutes)

💗1 day of rest (as I get better Saturdays will often involve fun activities that often include longer walks).

February Goals:

💗keep my weight in the 230s and stay there making progress losing the lbs. I have been hovering in the low 240s all last year.

💗drink more water

💗 keep sugar intake very low

💗get back to making healthy meals at home with only 1 day a week meal (take) out if needed.

💗see exercise plan above

💗 increase general activity level (NEAT) with cooking, cleaning, gardening and taking the stairs to the basement once a day.

Focused_Forward

Hi! As my grandmother used to say, "begin again, Finnegan!" And so I am trying again to lose weight and be healthier.

50 years old

Highest weight: 235

1/1/26: 230

2/1/26: 223

I am trying to focus on drinking enough water and walking for 10 minutes after each meal. This seems more doable than 1 long workout. I don't know if it is as beneficial, but I have been able to stick with it, so it is more beneficial than giving up!

I am in the throes of perimenopause. I think my blood pressure has been too high. I see my doctor at the end of the month.

Anyone have any tips on remembering or being motivated to drink enough water?

rorymason

💕How did January treat you and how have you been treating yourself? Are there any new goals you've added to the list or any that you've set aside because they just weren't working?

I think January went well. I have added daily walking, and have been doing it- only missing one day as I was ill. ( still not 100 percent, but I did walk today, which I am proud of). I have been trying to do more self care, getting adequate rest and eating better.

💕What are the things you'll be specifically focused on in February? And what's one way you've already made yourself proud in 2026?

In February I am going to continue to track and walk. I will also continue to work on my mental health ie) reducing my stress level.

I am proud that in 2026 I have started to do some type of daily exercise, and have stuck with it.

The last time I weighed myself I was around 209 ish, having gained some holiday weight from my lowest of 204. Again, no scale access until March, so we will see where things stand then.

Have a great week everyone!

nebslp

Hi! I'm excited to be back here. It took about an hour and several chat messages with no success to get in on my computer, but I finally found my password that works. I could get on mfp on my phone and ipad but I hate writing long messages on those. So yay! I'm ready to rock and roll with you in February!!

Rita Highest weight: not sure, but 240's quite a few years ago. January 1: 232.1 February - no weigh in yet (I keep forgetting), but I have been consistently between 232-234 for a long time with a few holiday flareups.

I've found that my body definitely has a set point and it stays at one weight unless I eat more than I need for 4-5 days, then goes up a pound or two. Eating less than I need and it takes about that long to lose a pound. Guess that's OK. I just need to increase my calorie burn or string the lower days together for longer time periods to get the scale moving in the right direction.

Thank you for keeping this group up and running, @KeriA! I felt bad about being missing for so long, but I'm back and thankful to see some familiar names:) and some new ones!

💕How did January treat you and how have you been treating yourself? Are there any new goals you've added to the list or any that you've set aside because they just weren't working?

January has been a whirlwind. We made an offer on a house in November and closed on Jan. 26th. In between and ongoing there has been a crazy purge of all the stored memories and stuff of the past 29 years since we've lived here. There are also letters and treasures from the '70's so that's been amazingly fun. But it takes SO long to read every letter and card and decide what to keep and what to say thank you for serving me, but your job here is done, and let it go. I'm trying to find a good home for everything that has value and that takes a lot of time, too. I want to learn to sell on FB Marketplace (eeks)! I haven't been weighing food but trying to eat healthfully and not overdo on my nemesis…also known as chips at 11:00PM when I should be going to bed instead. When I have weighed, it's been steady at 232ish.

My goals are to keep doing what I've been doing for the next few weeks. I have lots of activity goals once we get moved and settled but that will take all month. Then we need to sell our acreage and that will be incredibly gut-wrenching, but necessary, so I hope I manage my emotions during that time and not turn to food for comfort.

💕What are the things you'll be specifically focused on in February? And what's one way you've already made yourself proud in 2026?

February is just house moving month. There will be lots of active opportunities once I get moved so I'm looking forward to that. I will join the Civic Center (gym) within a few weeks and be able to work out any time without having to spend 30 minutes driving one way to get there. There are also lots of hiking trails and I'll be a 5 minute drive from a lake with prime birding area so that will get me outside and moving more.

I'm proud that I've been handling all the changes and possible stressors very well. I know it's the right time to move and we found the right place, and that makes everything more manageable. My whole life is revolving around this huge life change, so bear with me until I get settled and can focus on other things again.

Wishing us all a fabulous February!

WanderingRaven

Really grateful to have motivating community threads like this!

💕How did January treat you and how have you been treating yourself? Are there any new goals you've added to the list or any that you've set aside because they just weren't working?

January was wonderful, I joined MFP, walked every single day, and lost 3.4 lbs! I had initially been planning to use a Diet Score tracker for this year but I set that aside as it was just not measurable enough to really lose weight. Starting MFP has been a gamechanger so far.

💕What are the things you'll be specifically focused on in February? And what's one way you've already made yourself proud in 2026?

February I will be focusing on trying to keep the momentum of walking every day again! Along with trying to narrow in and focus on protein and fiber in my diet. I made myself proud mostly by walking every day in Jan. I also hope to reach the 270's in Feb!

SW: 291

CW: 283.3

Feb GW: 273.4

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48928242#Comment_48928242

Are there any new goals you've added to the list, or any that you've set aside because they just weren't working?

I think the biggest goal is a mindshift change when I weigh myself. I am going to focus on what positive action steps I have taken, specifically what I am proud of…so whatever the number is, I won't feel defeated. The scale can be not so funny in the weight loss battle; it is a mind boggler at times, but when you are in it for the long haul I don't have a choice. I want to focus on the effort I made and not let the scale ruin my day anymore.

In February I want to keep moving and increase daily movement, slightly pushing myself inch by inch.

WanderingRaven-I am proud of you too. That is awesome. Keep up the great work. Go you!

Good luck everyone.

WanderingRaven

Thank you so much! 😄

@focused _forward you did make great progress in January. I am not the best with water either. My son always has a water bottle for him and his son around and remembers to take a few sips every few minutes. I guess we need to make it more of a habit that we concentrate on for a couple of weeks.

@rorymason I am impressed with your walking .

@nebslp I am glad you got back into MFP . Yes we need to make use of our bodys set points. They make it harder to lose but if we pay attention to our bodies they make it easier to maintain once we lose and establish a new set point. I am tired of my January set point and want to establish a new lower one. I think moving can be a time to lose weight because we are more active. It sounds like you have found a place that will help you keep active after the move too.

@WanderingRaven what a great start to the year . I am proud of you too.

@kiteflyer105 I agree that it is key to having a healthy relationship to the scale . I am a daily weigher and my weight varies a lot so I have learned to have patience in seeing progress from my efforts on the scale. If I can survive raising 2 teenagers I can take an onery scale. We often need a thick skin and tell the scale that you know you are making progress and it just needs to get with the program. It finds it much easier to go up than to go down. But there are times when it will go down every day.

KeriA, I have to weigh myself daily too, according to my cardiologist. Otherwise, I'd weigh myself once a month. I have to view everything as data, and that has zero bearing on my self-worth.

rorymason, phenomenal job on walking. Your consistency is impressive.

It is interesting how many rituals I need to turn around revolving around food. Things that healthy people do not do. It is happening slowly one at a time.

Today I sort of had a scale victory. I usually weigh myself each morning nude before my shower and breakfast. Today I had an early Drs appointment and of course I weigh a lot more at the Drs since I am dressed with or without shoes, after a meal or 2 etc. Today there was no time to weigh myself before I left and I had breakfast. They weighed me with shoes, clothes and breakfast and I was the same weight as yesterday which means I would have been 2-5 lbs lighter if I had weighed before going. I was 5 lbs less than when I was weighed at the Drs last week later in the day. I am definitely in the 230s but I will see tomorrow morning where I am at.

Good morning and happy February, everyone!

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Christina
37 years old
5'4"
SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2026 goal weight: 160

SW 2026: 186.1 (183 average)

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal weight: 179

2/1: 184.5 (184.3 avg)
2/7:
2/14:
2/21:
2/28:

The stress has only increased this week, which sucks, but it is what it is. I can either find other ways of coping (no better way than while it's happening), or I can accept that I'm going to be back to 190 before very long.

So even though it's a short month, we're shooting for me to be back in the 170's this month.

As a way to start coping, I've decided to try reducing the length of my eating window. So not starting eating until 9-10, to avoid the mindless snacking at work I do before I'm even fully awake, and then stopping eating by 6, to avoid mindless snacking after dinner. That way I can eat something on the hour for 8 hours and still hit my calories and macro targets.

This morning already presented a challenge in that my boss brought donuts. Luckily for me, I had planned a sweet treat after dinner (the viral japanese cheesecake hack- greek yogurt & cottage cheese, I mix some 0 cal coffee syrup in, I put some marshmallow fluff in, layer jam, cottage cheese mixture, and put biscoff biscuits in standing up, let set overnight- delicious) that I just took the biscoff cookies out of, so I'll have some sweet yogurt fluff after dinner tonight and I get my french crueller.

I'm also back at the gym tonight, and I'm looking forward to it.

Time for tags!

@KeriA thanks again for hosting! I'm so happy to see you're making progress! I hate weighing at the doctor for that very reason, haha- I know I'm lower than this number!

@Focused_Forward I hear you on drinking enough water! I find the simplest way for me to do it is, when I sit down for a stretch of time, having a big jug or bottle next to me encourages me to drink. If it's there, I will drink it. If it's not there, I might not get up to drink it, haha.

@rorymason walking daily really does great things, both for weight loss and, I find, just for my mental health as well.

@nebslp So good to see you again Rita! House moving can be stressful, and I find myself craving chips more often right now, too. But I'm glad you'll be joining the civic center, always fun to have that new gym energy!

@WanderingRaven tell me more about this diet score! I'd love to give myself letter grades, lol, I'm very motivated that way.

@kiteflyer105 the scale can be a mind spinner for sure, so glad you're still here and still working at it. :)

Time to get to it, it's food time and I've gotten about a quarter of my steps in today. See you all tomorrow for my weigh in!

Keri, 72, 5’6”

11/6: 239.2

12/3/2025: 241

Jan/2/2026 243.2 have to get off that Holiday gain soon.

1/12: 241

2/2/2026: 239.8 finally in the 230s barely

2/6: 239.4 I think I was a bit lower yesterday

Here is my exercise plan to get back to my previous schedule.

💗2 session a week of Aquafit (50+ minutes) Yes except for last week when they closed the pool one of out days.

💗1 sessions a week strength training included into 3-4 sessions of PT I have been better at PT

💗work back up to 30 minutes of Japanese walking at least 2 times a week ( I am doing the walking but not the higher intensity intervals yet) need to do more walking

💗after I have achieved other goals I hope to have 1 session per week - long walk (45-60 minutes)

💗1 day of rest (as I get better Saturdays will often involve fun activities that often include longer walks).

February Goals:

💗keep my weight in the 230s and stay there making progress losing the lbs. I have been hovering in the low 240s all last year. I was in the 230s most of the week

💗drink more water I was better yesterday so I hope to keep it up

💗 keep sugar intake very low Doing well with this. I have 2 squares of dark chocolate sweetened with dates after dinner.

💗get back to making healthy meals at home with only 1 day a week meal (take) out if needed. Doing better this week.

💗see exercise plan above Doing better

💗 increase general activity level (NEAT) with cooking, cleaning, gardening and taking the stairs to the basement once a day. A little better but need to get more neat.

I started the week in the low 240s and except for another day there I have been in the 239s. My low since retiring is 238.2 so I am hoping to get down to that next week.

@CupcakeCrusoe Stress isn't helpful for weight loss but I think you will find a way to keep making progress. Last month you did well.

I get the feeling that my body is finally ready to start to lose the next 20 lbs. Everytime I was able to get in the 230s before I would jump back up to the 240s but this week I was able to mostly stay around 239. I had a lot of appointments this week and I hope that next week I will have more time to progress with exercise and get to some of the other tasks that need to done while planning/cooking/eating nutritiously.

Have a great weekend all!

kellibee2000

Happy February! I'm new and jumping in 🏊

I recently had a birthday (hello fellow Aquarians) and some bad news about my knee, so I've fully launched into weight loss mode. I avoid weight loss culture so this is generally an uncomfortable space for me. However, this particular thread seems like a supportive and positive place to be. 💗 Getting weight off of the knee joint is just physics. So less calories in than out and building strength around the area over time should help a lot.

I'm proud last year I moved my body more in ways I enjoyed or directly enjoyed the way it made me feel (strong, capable, adventurous). And I want to do more of that while learning more about nutrition and taking that more seriously.

This month I'd like to log meals 4-5x per week to get a better understanding of where I am starting from and have a benchmark to implement a plan (less carbs, sugar, more fiber, protein). With the use of medical AI and hopefully a dang doctor I'd like to establish a strength and cardio program that supports recovery with this stupid patella tracking issue and resulting cartilage loss. I plan to start walking/cycling/rowing 3-4x per week and strength training 2-3x per week. Sustaining this will be tough, but I need to have a single-minded focus on it right now to get a good start.

I have lost 20lbs over the last two years, very slow and steady. Recently I set a 5 lb. mini goal and that seemed to help me feel like I have something specific to shoot for. Losing 100 lbs. or whatever my healthy body set-point turns out to be just feels way too daunting, so I think I'll stick with the mini-goals until I get really in the swing of things.

Kelli, 42, 5'5", CW: 252 lbs.

@KeriA- Japanese walking sounds like a great way to get in movement that's heart healthy, which is important to me. I should make a playlist of 3min songs for inspo!

@nebslp- Good luck on your move! It sounds cool finding all those treasures in the house while you prepare.

Like @WanderingRaven, I'm also grateful for this thread.

@kiteflyer105- Yes! It's all data in the experiment.

@CupcakeCrusoe- OH MY GOSH I've heard of this biscoff thing and I'm intrigued. What's been your experience with IF, pros & cons? I'm thinking a 12 hr window probably should be part of my nutrition plan, late night snacks really get me, and I know the body needs to rest not digest that late.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all working on this project together 💗

Good evening!

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Christina
37 years old
5'4"
SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2026 goal weight: 160

SW 2026: 186.1 (183 average)

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal weight: 179

2/1: 184.5 (184.3 avg)
2/7: 186.0 (185.1)
2/14:
2/21:
2/28:

Well, today's weigh in was actually lower than Friday's, haha. Yesterday's was actually 187.something.

The gym last night was great- had a good workout with my girls, all the things I go to the gym for.

@KeriA I like the idea of interval walking rather than running. Not very hard on the joints, which is always my complaint about running. :)

@kellibee2000 Welcome to the best thread on MFP! The biscoff thing is truly my new favorite high-protein dessert. Here's a more detailed recipe I've come up with (this is two servings):

In a short, squareish container, like these:
spread 30 g jam on the bottom

Blend (I like using a stick blender in a wide jar for this, because I hate cleaning a blender for such a small thing)
50 g cottage cheese
85 g greek yogurt
12 g marshmallow fluff
a couple pumps of sugar free syrup, I like toasted marshmallow (and I truly have too many of these, but I add them to everything- my coffee, tea, yogurt, zero-sugar sodas, everything)

pour/spread the cottage cheese mixture on top of the jam

stick biscoff biscuits in the cottage cheese mixture like fence posts, chill a few hours at least. I like making this in the morning for a dessert that night and the next.

331 cal, 16 g protein, 7 g fat, 52 g carbs for each serving

this is a highly unaesthetic picture, haha:

This morning was a clownshow. I got up at 4:30, somehow, even though I didn't need to. I decided I wasn't going to eat until after I ran errands, and in between errands I got my steps in (in 20 degree weather!)

By the time I got home, it was 9:30, I'd only had coffee, I'd been very active, and I felt lightheaded and out of it. I made my breakfast (200 g of egg whites, a carb balance tortilla, and kirkland crunchy chicken) and ate it at 10:30ish, prepped dinner, ate lunch at 12 (a can of tuna in olive oil and red pepper scooped up with seaweed snack), and ate a very early dinner at about 3. I ate my nice dessert at about 4.

Wouldn't recommend a 6 hour eating window, haha. I was really pushing it this morning just because I was away from home. I think 9-5 should work fine for me as an eating window, we'll test that theory tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow! The super bowl! The best part is the snacks, so I'll be sure while doing my meal plan for the day to give myself a couple snacks. And maybe make another of my "cheesecakes," lol.

On Monday at the gym, we're doing a special dance routine to Beyonce's "Naughty Girl," and I cannot wait.

If I don't check in tomorrow, have a great week, everyone!

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48930957#Comment_48930957

Lol, @kellibee2000 I was making my recipe this morning and realized I didn't double some things properly.

THIS is two servings, haha

spread 30 g jam on the bottom of a square container

Blend (I like using a stick blender in a wide jar for this, because I hate cleaning a blender for such a small thing)
100 g cottage cheese
170 g greek yogurt
24 g marshmallow fluff
a couple pumps of sugar free syrup, I like toasted marshmallow (and I truly have too many of these, but I add them to everything- my coffee, tea, yogurt, zero-sugar sodas, everything)

pour/spread the cottage cheese mixture on top of the jam

stick 6-8 biscoff biscuits in the cottage cheese mixture like fence posts, chill a few hours at least. I like making this in the morning for a dessert that night and the next.

331 cal, 16 g protein, 7 g fat, 52 g carbs for each serving for 8 biscoff, or
294 cal, 15 g protein, 6 g fat, 47 g carbs for each serving if you made it with 6 biscoff

Also, weighed in at 185.6 this morning, so we're coming back down from the high weight on Friday. I'm pre-logging my food for the week! Have a great day everyone!

WanderingRaven

@CupcakeCrusoe The Diet Score App I was using was called DQS Mobile and as far as I know, it is available for IOS and Android. It was made for Matt Fitzgerald, an author of a running book for His diet quality system. I never actually read the book - but I like the app how it scores the nutrition of food and you can aim for a certain amount of "points"

I like the idea but found it did not work for me for weight loss, I will probably switch back to it for maintaining though once I'm at my goal. I also like scoring myself and knowing how I'm doing in the quality of my food choices, not just the calories!

kellibee2000

@CupcakeCrusoe I instantly screenshot the recipe, thank you!! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who refers to crazy situations as a circus. When things are so bad or disorganized it's ridiculous, it's the best kind of metaphor because it makes me laugh. I hope your dance routine is fun! I had to stop dance class in the fall when my knee got worse, but I love to dance along to KPop videos with my daughter, who is the REAL dancer of the family. 🩰💗 I just go easy on the jumping 🤭

@WanderingRaven that sounds like a really helpful app!

I'm planning on doing strength tonight, but if I bail out bc I'm not sure what to do, I'm going to put in the rest of the time on the stationary bike. As you can see I'm kind of stuck on the planning part.

Have a great week! 💪

Good morning and happy Valentine's day, ladies!

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Christina
37 years old
5'4"
SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2026 goal weight: 160

SW 2026: 186.1 (183 average)

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal weight: 179

2/1: 184.5 (184.3 avg)
2/7: 186.0 (185.1)
2/14: 186.2 (185.7)
2/21:
2/28:

Ooooof, you all. Oof. I don't know what happened with that weigh in yesterday, but oof.

intermittent fasting was not working well this week, so I've decided to get rid of it. I was starving by 9ish, and I took that eating window as permission to snack more than I should've.

I've been feeling the desire for more volume in my food this week, so I'm following this guide I found online for some ideas on what whole days with more roughage look like. I've got every day through next Sunday pre-logged to follow the guide, with some extra protein thrown in.

This week is going to be mile a minute, since N is getting surgery Wednesday if we can keep her well in this flu environment. So I'll be prepping food this weekend and trying to get all the laundry done and keep the house clean as well as keep my husband quarantined, since he felt under the weather last night 😶

I even have room today for a sliver of cheesecake that my husband got us for valentine's day, which is great. Dinner tonight is a burger platter, with 2 oz of lean ground beef, about 150 g air fried potatoes, and salad with pickles, ketchup, and mustard.

Time to go get some laundry done! Have a great day, everyone!

Prepped Tuesday and Wednesday's food that I need to take to work to stop thinking about worst case scenarios, lol

(these are missing 4oz of chicken in the empty compartment on Tuesday's and on the salad on Wednesday's, because the chicken is still cooking in the crock pot)

Tuesday / Wednesday

Tuesday:

Breakfast: blueberry oats with slivered almonds and 1 c protein fortified milk

Lunch: (not pictured soup packet) + salad + 4 oz chicken + 2 slices 647 bread

Snack: club crackers + 1 TBSP cream cheese + neufchatel

Wednesday:

Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 c spinach, 1/2 c mushrooms, 1 multigrain sandwich thin, 1 TBSP butter, 1 TBSP sugar free jelly

Lunch: 1 c spinach, 1/2 c cucumber, 4 oz chicken, 1 c berries

Snack: 1 c green beans, 2 TBSP reduced fat ranch, 1 peach

shaumom

Hi, this is my first time posting, so…nice to meet you all. :)

Right now, I am trying to get my ducks in a row to start weight loss. I was really all getting geared up to start weight loss this month, and then came down with a really nasty flu which is still going, and I have a cough that doc thinks may take a few weeks to fully resolve (complications). It is hard for me to move around, do any housework, let alone cook or exercise.

But the thought of being so ready, and then this hitting and being barely able to do anything has been really hard, emotionally.

So I was trying to think of something I could actually do, just anything, and realized I'm going to need come up with some easy meals I can make as I slowly improve, and thought this might be a good time to look at meals that work with the weight loss goals, and they will just be super easy by the time i can actually move around more, you know?

So, that's where I'm at right now, coming up with meals and meal plans. Not a lot, but it still makes me feel like I'm at least doing something that helps me.

Look forward to getting to know you all. :)

Good morning everyone!

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Christina
37 years old
5'4"
SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2026 goal weight: 160

SW 2026: 186.1 (183 average)

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal weight: 179

2/1: 184.5 (184.3 avg)
2/7: 186.0 (185.1)
2/14: 186.2 (185.7)
2/21: 183.1 (185)
2/28:

That's what I'm talking about!! We are turning it around over here.

And on more calories than I thought. Today's calories are pre-logged ones, they might go a little higher than this. The line is 1500, and the upper bars are just about at 2000. Now, this does not mean I'm going to start planning on eating 1700, because the last time I did that, I took it as permission to eat even more than the planned 1700, and that backfired. I'm going to stick with my 1500 calorie meal plans, they're working, and then add to them for protein or fun reasons. Within reason.

Here's what I packed for Friday at work:

Breakfast: grits, egg white and 1 egg omlette with lots of spinach and bell pepper, blueberries with splenda, and grits with butter and cheese powder (I ended up switching the grits and some of the rice from dinner at work for a donut my boss brought in)

Lunch: turkey taco meat with chickpeas, more bell pepper and spinach, and an ole extreme wellness wrap (those things are the best)

Snack: 1 can tuna in olive oil with red peppers and 1 stalk celery and unpictured, a protein bar

The meal plan this week was good and very doable, I was able to cook everything I needed for the next day while I was cooking dinner the night before.

Speaking of meal plans, this week I'm doing their Southern American meal plan, which has fewer snacks and bigger meals. We'll see how that one goes. There are so many more than even I thought when I just googled it: North Indian, Chinese, Vegetarian, Filipino, Haitian, Vegan… plus the ones I knew about: Hispanic, Arabic, Southern American, and American. I made up a little binder with the ones I knew about, and I'm so excited to add to it. I'm going to get so much variety while someone else tells me what to eat, I can't wait. Meal planning is harder than actually cooking, some weeks. They all come up when you google "strive health 1500 calorie meal plans."

So anyway! Dang, I would have wanted a different one this week had I known there were this many, but I'm doing Southern American this week, already pre-logged it and tweaked for protein numbers. It's going to be good- Monday's breakfast is a modified biscuits and gravy. Very excited.

My cat Chico is supervising my meal planning.

No gym today, we're all helping N heal up, so I'm going to make sure I get my steps in, drink plenty of water, and do plenty of chores today, gotta keep it moving.

@shaumom welcome to the best thread on MFP! I love that you're doing what you can while you're raring to go! That's the best way to do it- ride the lightning of your best impulses!

Have a great day, everyone!

shaumom

Well, I'm doing more sleeping than meal planning, but i'm on here, so progress is still happening, darn it.

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Shauna
54 years old
5'7"
SW 2/18: 271.4
2026 goal weight:227

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal - come up with a workable meal plan

2/21: 269.4 (so I guess the flu has decided to start me off on the dweight loss already. :P )
2/28:

CupcakeCrusoe I am so glad you posted those meal plans. I didn't even know those existed!

Finally I met my goal. So I had some blood tests this week and my A1C came out well. I am in the 5's !!!! I am super excited. I think it is attributed to not bingeing as much, decrease drinking real pop, and furthering my weight loss— I see my doctor next week. Finally, some good results. Woo Hoo!

I usually check in when the scale goes down but I wanted to see how all were doing. I have realized that February has some not so well known holidays for me. There is Valentine’s day and Chinese New Year (my husband's parents were from China but he was born in Hawaii) and then add girl scout cookies (I was a girl scout as was my daughter so we have to buy a minimum amount of cookies) and I had a period when I wasn’t making progress. However up till this month I was only getting into the high 230s one day once in a while while staying in the 242-240 range. This month I have gotten to 239 several times and have stayed in the 240s mostly otherwise so that I am convinced that I am very slowly starting to lose again. So I have lost 22-23 lbs instead of just 20 since I retired. I am hoping to make some progress by losing more and staying under 240.

6/2024: 262

11/6: 239.2

12/3/2025: 241

Jan/2/2026 243.2 have to get off that Holiday gain soon.

1/12: 241

2/2/2026: 239.8 finally in the 230s barely

2/6: 239.4 I think I was a bit lower yesterday

2/26: 239.8

@kellibee I have knee issues too . I am doing PT for another statin related leg injury and I think it is helping strengthen my leg muscles so that my knee seems better. I focus on health more than weight loss but know it would be better to lose. I log more than calories. Logging helps me see how much protein I am getting. I too lost 20 lbs over the last 2 years but most was in the 1st half of that period and have stalled for most of the last year but I have kept it off. This month I seem to be slowly losing again.

@CupcakeCrusoe . I used to do interval running and walking and was told to stop by a DR due to arthritis in my knee. Now they say running helps arthritis and I wish I hadn’t stopped. I don’t do interval fasting but I do make sure I have a healthy overnight fast and only eat between breakfast and dinner when I am hungry. Hope N is doing well. Glad you have been able to turn the scale around. I often lose after eating more calories. My body decides it is safe to let go and I am not starving.

@shaumon Sorry you got that bad flu . Hope the planning is going well.

@kiteflyer105 glad to hear you met your goal and that you had good blood tests .

Good morning everyone!

Real roller coaster of a week over here.

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Christina
37 years old
5'4"
SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2026 goal weight: 160

SW 2026: 186.1 (183 average)

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal weight: 179

2/1: 184.5 (184.3 avg)
2/7: 186.0 (185.1)
2/14: 186.2 (185.7)
2/21: 183.1 (185)
2/28: 186.1 (185.2)

N went to the ER Thursday night for an infection. No fever, she feels fine, just a lot of gross. Needledss to say, sleep between Thursday and Friday was a foregone conclusion, and food Thursday/Friday was absolutely awful. N is discharged now, and we have meds and special bathing instructions to get through it. Other than that, the surgeon said it wasn't worth doing another surgery right now, when it might heal up with just this.

I was so stressed. But ya know, life and living. Also, shark week- yesterday/today is my heaviest flow. Also, the southern american meal plan I was on: the food was good, but I think the lack of planned snacks was less good for me than the other plan was.

bleh (I would put these in a spoiler to save space, but I can't actually put pictures in a spoiler, what the heck MFP)

bleh

Today is a new day, though. Same weight on the scale as I was at the beginning of this month.

Earlier this week, before The Events, I put more into my meal prep binder, under the ideal that I just keep chasing every good impulse:

She thickkkk. There are so many fun and free little printable trackers online.

So this week's meal plan is copied and pasted from… somewhere, haha. The baseline plan has plenty of room for me to add protein and snacks to it while staying under 1600, so I think this is going to work. I'm going to focus on prepping it today and tomorrow so that I can make this as frictionless as possible this week. I got through prepping while cooking dinner this past week, but it was a little rough.

Alright, time to start drinking water and get it going. Tag party!

@shaumom sickness weight loss is a nice little consolation prize for being sick, haha

@kiteflyer105 so happy for you! Love to see it!

@KeriA Progress! That's how averages work, you are going down, I love it! We also bought a lot of girl scout cookies, haha.

Have a great day, everyone!

Keri, 72, 5’6” ( I have to change this next week)

11/6: 239.2

12/3/2025: 241

Jan/2/2026 243.2 have to get off that Holiday gain soon.

1/12: 241

2/2/2026: 239.8 finally in the 230s barely

2/6: 239.4 I think I was a bit lower yesterday

2/26: 239.8

2/28: 238.4 This is my low on MFP and for years. Now to establish a new low. Last August I got down to this weight for 1 day.

Here is my exercise plan to get back to my previous schedule.

💗2 session a week of Aquafit (50+ minutes) Yes

💗1 sessions a week strength training included into 3-4 sessions of PT On and off on this

💗work back up to 30 minutes of Japanese walking at least 2 times a week ( I am doing the walking but not the higher intensity intervals yet) need to do more walking

💗after I have achieved other goals I hope to have 1 session per week - long walk (45-60 minutes)

💗1 day of rest (as I get better Saturdays will often involve fun activities that often include longer walks).

February Goals:

💗keep my weight in the 230s and stay there making progress losing the lbs. I have been hovering in the low 240s all last year.

💗drink more water

💗 keep sugar intake very low Doing well with this. I have 2 squares of dark chocolate sweetened with dates after dinner.

💗get back to making healthy meals at home with only 1 day a week meal (take) out if needed. Doing better this week.

💗see exercise plan above

💗 increase general activity level (NEAT) with cooking, cleaning, gardening and taking the stairs to the basement once a day. A little better but need to get more neat.

I was in the very low 240s in the middle of the month but seem to be coming down now. I made a vegetable soup last week and I think it helped. I will be posting the new months thread soon. I have my birthday next week and am hoping it will be just enough to keep my body guessing and feeling it can let go of weight on the days I eat less calories. I want to focus on getting more vegetables this next month. I want to do better with exercise this week and start the month out right.

I was looking at a list of factors for longevity. I thought obesity would be high up there but it wasn't that high. It is now my main health issue. What I need to improve is exercise. I have really dealt with eating healthy. Sleep is good too. Water intake could go up though. I think my focus will remain on health and I suspect the weight issue resolve over time.

@CupcakeCrusoe You make me not feel so bad having long posts. Thank you, yours are always informative. I hope N is doing better now. I have only planned my birthday meals next week. I need to plan for Mon-Thursday.

shaumom

So, still sick, holy cow this flu is bad - just hit with the biggest 'you are too exhausted to move' wave for days now, ouch. But I've found lots of great food ideas, so I'm feeling pretty hyped about that, at least!

I'm seeing all the trackers now and want to go fill them out like a little worksheet gremlin, LOL.

No weight loss, but within range for just…staying the same, so I'm okay with that, consideirng walking 5 minutes about wiped me out today. :)

⭐Saturday weigh in days⭐

Shauna
54 years old
5'7"
SW 2/18: 271.4
2026 goal weight:227

💕February Goals!💕
💗Goal - come up with a workable meal plan

2/21: 269.4
2/28: 270.0

February was a good mileage month for me. I walked up to 4 miles; I am pleased about that. I weigh 236 lbs. I have a 5.7 A1C. I am out of the 8 range, for that I am thankful. See my doctor this week. Onward towards March.