We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!
From lurker to poster in 1 easy step!
vadid37
Posts: 2 Member
Hello!
I've been using MFP for 60 days now, and have frequently checked in on the message board for quick inspiration and occasional fact finding. I guess, I finally decided to join this awesome community and perhaps dish out some inspiration and share some experiences of my own.
I started my journey at 335 pounds after gaining some "self pity" weight following a bad breakup. My parents had each lost a considerable amount of weight using a combination of meal replacement shakes and calorie counting. So, I decided that I should give it a shot. I setup my MFP account and installed the app on my phone, and officially took a shot at changing my life forever.
About three years ago, a dear friend of mine challenged me to run a 5K with her and her family and friends. Well North of 300 pounds, I was pretty nervous about accepting. My mom, with no malice intended, kind of scoffed at the notion of me running a 5K. That turned out to be all of the motivation I needed, and in 7 weeks I trained myself to run the race. I was probably the slowest runner out there, but I was very proud of what I had accomplished. I ran a few more 5Ks (I even finished dead last in one... which was not one of my finer moments), and shed a few more pounds, but one day my motivation ran out and I slowly went back to old habits (sodas, junk food, no exercise, etc.) .
A few years later, I found myself right where I started and maybe even a bit worse off in overall health. I was starting to experience difficulty sleeping, and I was struggling with even minor amounts of walking or physical exertion. I finally had to admit that the way I was living my life was not acceptable, and was holding me back from being happy.
So, I made the change, and MFP has been an integral part of that. My plan has been focused on counting calories, walking a few times a week, and cutting out sodas and junk food. I have been amazed at what just a little bit of awareness can do to help you eat a reasonable amount of calories a day, and have had very little issue with sticking to my goals. I have exceeded my calories twice since I started on planned celebration meals, and have lost weight (anywhere from 2lbs to 8lbs) every week. I weigh myself once a week at the same time, and refuse to do so any other time or even on a different scale. I'll probably start taking measurements every couple weeks as well, as the weight loss will probably slow to a healthy crawl and will be a less obvious change to count on.
In the end, I just want to thank all of you who honestly share your triumphs and your troubles on a daily basis. It really helps somebody like me that is just starting out and can't always see the immediate benefits or might be inundated with so much misinformation. Since I do not like to overwhelm my friends and family with weight loss talk (I'll gladly talk about it if asked, but I don't want to force it on anybody), I plan to use this forum more as an outlet for my own successes and frustrations.
-Nick
I've been using MFP for 60 days now, and have frequently checked in on the message board for quick inspiration and occasional fact finding. I guess, I finally decided to join this awesome community and perhaps dish out some inspiration and share some experiences of my own.
I started my journey at 335 pounds after gaining some "self pity" weight following a bad breakup. My parents had each lost a considerable amount of weight using a combination of meal replacement shakes and calorie counting. So, I decided that I should give it a shot. I setup my MFP account and installed the app on my phone, and officially took a shot at changing my life forever.
About three years ago, a dear friend of mine challenged me to run a 5K with her and her family and friends. Well North of 300 pounds, I was pretty nervous about accepting. My mom, with no malice intended, kind of scoffed at the notion of me running a 5K. That turned out to be all of the motivation I needed, and in 7 weeks I trained myself to run the race. I was probably the slowest runner out there, but I was very proud of what I had accomplished. I ran a few more 5Ks (I even finished dead last in one... which was not one of my finer moments), and shed a few more pounds, but one day my motivation ran out and I slowly went back to old habits (sodas, junk food, no exercise, etc.) .
A few years later, I found myself right where I started and maybe even a bit worse off in overall health. I was starting to experience difficulty sleeping, and I was struggling with even minor amounts of walking or physical exertion. I finally had to admit that the way I was living my life was not acceptable, and was holding me back from being happy.
So, I made the change, and MFP has been an integral part of that. My plan has been focused on counting calories, walking a few times a week, and cutting out sodas and junk food. I have been amazed at what just a little bit of awareness can do to help you eat a reasonable amount of calories a day, and have had very little issue with sticking to my goals. I have exceeded my calories twice since I started on planned celebration meals, and have lost weight (anywhere from 2lbs to 8lbs) every week. I weigh myself once a week at the same time, and refuse to do so any other time or even on a different scale. I'll probably start taking measurements every couple weeks as well, as the weight loss will probably slow to a healthy crawl and will be a less obvious change to count on.
In the end, I just want to thank all of you who honestly share your triumphs and your troubles on a daily basis. It really helps somebody like me that is just starting out and can't always see the immediate benefits or might be inundated with so much misinformation. Since I do not like to overwhelm my friends and family with weight loss talk (I'll gladly talk about it if asked, but I don't want to force it on anybody), I plan to use this forum more as an outlet for my own successes and frustrations.
-Nick
0
Replies
-
Great story! Feel free to add me. I've done the 5k thing and I totally get where you're coming from. I've lost 25kg in the last year, I think that's like around 56 lb or something like that.
Look forward to your journey!
0 -
Great job Nick! It sounds like you have a nice plan for success!
Awesome first post 0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.3K Introduce Yourself
- 44K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.1K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.7K Fitness and Exercise
- 440 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 16 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions