Dropping in to Say Hello - Hello

OliviaCeed

I was cat-pounced awake by my nocturnal 4-legged stealth bomber friend. Scratches also plans surprise calisthenics in stairways for me. He's most interested in my fitness goals and is very encouraging.

I have just started using MFP. It's a good tool to use because of its simplicity in keeping track of the minutia. The very minutia that contributed so largely in my ever-expanding density. Time to reign that in.

My lifestyle changes have largely been prompted by osteoarthritis. Simply put, I can't move without pain. The added weight makes everything worse. I am the size of two people for my height and bone structure. I wasn't always like this. It crept up on me a monthly 5Lbs at a time. And now I am where I am.

I don't know how long it will take me to reach the middle of my BMI range. I'm just going to do it. And it will take the time that it will take. I know I'm going to have my ups and downs. Some days are going to be hard. Some days I'm going to be encouraged by my progress. Some days, my cat won't look like a contributing member of my effort and we're going to have to have a little chat.

As long as monthly I see a trend in the right direction, then I'm not going to sweat the daily fluctuations or the weekly altercations. If my average weight loss is 1 pound a week over a 5 week period; or 5Lbs over 5 weeks; then I'm on the right track - because I'll be taking it off at about the same rate I was putting it on. And if I can do it in one direction, I bet I can do it in the other direction too.

Good luck to all.

Angelic1st

Although I do not have the osteoarthritis, I do have pain in my knee, hip, and lower back occasionally. The one constant is that the weight I gained, did not come on me overnight or in a week. I know that this will take some time. I hope to have lost 50lbs by this time next year. I have already had a backwards step yesterday, but today is a new day and I am making small efforts to keep from continually making the same binging mistakes. I have 100 lbs to lose off my 5'2" frame. You may add me to your friend list. - Joy = - )

OliviaCeed

Hello Joy! Congratulations on tackling your goals. Hiccups are bound to happen, but they always pass. I see you've lost 2lbs! Wonderful! I remember finally getting to that - it took a while. I'm also 5'3" and I have quite a bit of weight to discard. At 1lb average a week, that's 52 lbs a year - at 2lbs average a week, that's 108 lbs. I'll be happy anywhere along that curve. I'm almost 52 and I know I'm not going to see things happening fast. That's ok. As long as we are breathing, every day is a brand new beginning and brand new opportunity to get there. We will.