ALL ABOUT ME FULL LIFE MAKEOVER at 55

mslfocused

I am approaching yet another birthday and another year of not getting the weight off (my yearly birthday resolution).
I am so tired of being tired. I have spent the past 2 weeks taking a long hard look at my life and really the bottom line is...I am not happy with where I am.
I am always last in my own life (single mom with three kids, 21, 18 and 15, all at home) and their needs and wants always seem to take priority over mine...yes I know that is my fault.
Today I took my measurements, hopped on the scale and started tracking my food. I weigh 260 at 5'8" and am going to stay focused and hopefully motivated (with a lot of help from others in the same boat who are being succesful at this challenge).
I have tried this so many times but I have to remember that the past is the past, I can't bring it back or change any of it. What I do have control over is where I go from here.
This morning I tossed all of the fatty foods from my cupboards and fridge (kids WON'T like that..too bad, you don't need it either) and I am promising myself that I will walk the dog every day rain or shine for 1 hour (he WILL like that). I put a blank monthly calendar up on the kitchen cupboards to track my daily exercise..it is going to be SO in my face, no excuses that I forgot!
I am going to eat healthy, stay away from the staff room at work on Tuesday mornings (our staff treat day and deadly for someone like me with ZERO willpower and is a mindless emotional eater), drink all of my water (difficult but do-able) and MAKE MYSELF THE PRIORITY IN MY OWN LIFE.
I know that this journey will take a year and so by my next birthday (April 2013) I will be where I want to be weight wise (down to 160-170 lbs). I will not beat myself up if I hit a plateau or don't lose s much as I want in a week. It is what it is, get back on the wagon.
That is where I am right now and I am excited to move forward. I am worth it and I want to be healthy.

confuzzledwife

Good for you! I know that you can do it... heck if I can do it.. anyone can! I have faith in you

cushygal

Welcome to MFP, you are in great company here.

What a great birthday present to yourself - Happy Birthday.

You can do this, you have the right mindset and that is half the battle :happy:

gjc50

Hey and welcome and lets do this thing called life! I loved your about me and found myself thinking as reading hey wait a second is this mine? seriously, same feeling,same motive,same ideas, and i need someone that is in my shoes and i think your wearing them or me yours!

thekarens

Good for you! I had the same epiphany. I'll be 42 April 24th and I'm finally getting my life in order. One suggestion, don't be too hard on yourself. There will be good weeks and bad weeks, when it's a bad week just keep plugging along. As a side benefit my youngest boy (who is 17) has lost 10lbs (which he needed to do) just by the fact that we don't bring junk in the house like we used to.

You can do this! Just keep that in mind. It's one day at a time.

plantgrrl

Good for you! I love this determination! I hope my mom starts to feel the same way--I need her to live forever!

Sherbog

WOW...your off to a wonderful start. Focusing on yourself is the best gift you can give your children. You picked the right place to start your journey. Welcome to MFP.

hamiltonba

Congratulations!! You are taking the right steps in order to be successful in your journey. It will be a difficult journey, but hey, you raised 3 kids so it can't be harder than that! Yes, you will hear crying from your kids because there is no junk food in the house. I went through it too! Good luck.

Jenna70

Congratulations on deciding to make these changes and improve yourself and your life! Focus on positive thinking and just keep on doing daily exercise and eating right and you will reach your goal. It will take a while, so just believe in yourself and keep going. Good luck!

spanky2425

Keep in mind this saying... " A year from now you will regret that you didn't start today". It really helped motivate me. You just took the hardest step... getting in the mindset that you need to make changes. Good luck! (I also like this saying... " I never said it would be easy.... I said it would be worth it".

PrincessLou71186

You certainly seem motivated.

Hope to see your success stories in a year.

Feel free to add me as a friend for extra support. X

Nanamo2012

Love your enthusiasm, look forward to reading how your doing and reading your posts. Good for you.

Siralex29

Thanks for sharing. I wish you all the best. It is not a bad thing to put yourself first when it comes to you being healthy! I totally agree. As parents we make sacrifices for our kids and can often neglect our health. But what happens when we die at an earlier age? I am sure our kids would not want that.

Hang in there!

C00lCountry

Welcome!

It is nice to see you are taking the steps to a healthier life. I liked that you took measurements as well as your weight. Just because you hit a plateau in weight does not mean you hit one measurement wise.

Hope to see the new you pics next year.
(make sure to get a before pic )

rrrbecca11

Welcome. :-) I sent you a friend request.

Becca

cbl40

Good for you! You CAN do it! You deserve this! Best of luck on your journey.....

dizzy1403

Good for you! I like you am approaching 55 not very happy with myself at this moment. Joined last week it has made me very aware of just how much junk I was eating! I want to lose 25 pounds. We CAN do this.

mslfocused

Congratulations on the 23 lb loss....seeing success like that will help me stay focused and successful on my own!

ineedthis4me

Welcome to MFP! Sounds like a good plan. I like the calendar idea. I do the same thing. I am a very visual person and I print out motivational pictures and quotes and post them by my calendar. I also recommend setting mini goals so you don't get overwhelmed by the big picture. Break it down by months or something. Be realistic though. Towards the end it will get harder. As you reach your goals - celebrate and be proud of yourself. You can revise them as you go. Take photos as you reach your mini goals and hang them up by your calendar as well. It will really help you on those days that the scale doesn't move and one day you can be posting your celebration here on MFP!

You can do this!!!

kimken1026

Congratulations!! WE CAN DO THIS WITH MFP!! you know what? I just started back a week ago! And I know exactly what you mean by putting yourself last! I have tried everything. talking about a roller coaster! I finally decided I needed to get to the bottom of why I wasn't successful. And it came down to...ME! I am my problem. Like you said "its our fault. we know that. we put ourselves last." We are MOMS. You know? My kids are 16, 17, 19, and 21. I know they want to see me healthier and happy as much as I do. I am sure your kids feel the same. If we just stay dedicated to MFP and our exercise regimens, we have to see results. I work with a friend who I hadn't see since christmas. I ran into her a week ago. WOW! she looked great! I emailed her to find out what she was doing, LOL! Guess what? She is doing MFP! and walking every day for 30 minutes minimum. That was a huge motivation factor for me. It opened my eyes!! I was expecting some new miracle program I guess. As usual I try to complicate things; when really if I would just keep it simple and stick to the basics, the persistance would pay off! So here's to MFP!!Good luck!

bcattoes

That's awesome!! You should print that out and hang it on your wall or fridge for motivation.

jkleon86

I said I would be at goal when I turned 40 I have started over and over. then I hit 260 at 5'2" ouch!!!
I went 2 wks on nothing but fresh fruits and veggies but start thinking I can't keep this up, Now what am I going to do. I knew I had to do something. then I heard about MFP I am down 18 since joining Jan 23 and this is the easiest thing I've found. You can do it just make sure you log every day good and bad. log it it helps more then you think. oh I'm 51 yrs now but I am going to hit goal ;:flowerforyou:

beebee0925

Great words of wisdom.

dtanya177

I am 57 and joined MFP today!! I hadn't even heard about it until my about-to-be sister-in-law introduced me. My hat is off to you, being a full-time Mom is soooooo demanding. My kids are mostly on their own so I have more time for myself. I STILL keep falling off many, many diet plans. I'm thinking this community support is going to be the difference this time! Together we can all get to where we want to be! I want to get lean and strong, gain energy and enjoy being active. The calendar motivator is a great idea, I'm going to try that!!

Pkiddy

I think you looked into my brain and wrote what i was thinking! i've done it all too, put others first, put off dieting, started, stopped, gained more, all of that. i vowed to be "thin" when my kid got married so i'd look great in my dress in their FOREVER pictures. that was 7 years ago and i didn't get thin then or when my second kid got married just last year. it wasn't until just this September that something clicked and i had had enough. That's what it took for me. Take before, during and after pics, measure frequently, make lots of supportive MFP friends, log everything and put yourself first!! and don't be afraid to ask for help, motivation and support or anything else you need, we are all here for you! That's what MFP is all about.

Your kids may be mad now, but they'll be much happier in the end with the new YOU! and so will you!