Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

trinati2001

I've had a hard time binge eating the last couple of days. Not sure why. I did so great last week but this week at lunch I'm just wanting to eat and not stop. I feel like I'm craving something but I can't figure out what it is. It was definitely not the first 5 things I ate on Tuesday or the other 6 things I ate on Wednesday.

My plan for today is to chug 16oz of water before I eat lunch and see if that helps.

My goals for this week have been to fast 16:8 (eat between 11-7) and drink 100oz of water. Both I've been able to do, barely, and I think those goals are the only thing keeping me from gaining to much over these days. But I can tell I'm struggling because it's hard to drink the 100oz this week when it was easy last week.

JNettie73

@trinati2001 I was active in 2014-2015 but then my daughter came along and I didn't have time to keep up. I miss the thread. I often wonder how they are doing now.

JNettie73

Name: Jeanette
Age: 48
Height: 5' 1"
SW: 270
GW: TBD
April GW: Out of the 250 range or close to being out of it.

Weight tracking:
Start Apr 1: 257 (Last weigh-in was 3/28. I am using that weight for this number)
WK 1 Apr 4: 255.4
WK 2 Apr 11: 254.8
WK 3 Apr 18
WK 4 Apr 25:
Finish Apr 30:

Weigh ins: Every Sunday.
Measurements: 1st of every month. Since starting in March every measurement has gone down 1/2-1 inch.

Just a little bit about me. I used to be part of this group a while ago in 2014-2015 but then my daughter came along and well... life happened. I had a lot of success using MFP. Sadly over the years I gained back all the weight that I lost and then some. March 5th was a day that changed my life forever. I was standing in the kitchen talking to my husband and felt as if I couldn't catch my breath. I sat down, which helped a bit but I felt winded again as soon as I stood up. I laid down in bed for a bit but my heart began racing. I was scared, very scared, and asked my husband to call 911. Once at the hospital they did a lot of different tests; ekg, chest xray, cat scan, blood work, iv, covid test, steriod shots and I was hooked up to monitors. Several hours later it was determined that I had an infection in my chest. I was given antibiotics, an inhaler and was instructed to follow up with my primary within a few days. When I met with my doctor I gave her the results from the doctor. She diagnosed me as diabetic. That very same day I sat in bed as my beloved cat, Harvest Moon, took her last breaths. I was devastated. The next day was a complete blur, I was depressed. Friday I woke up and knew I had to make a change. I started logging foods on MFP but this time around I am not focused on calories. My focus is healthy eating (whole food, plant based - I have been vegetarian since my early 20s), reducing fats and watching carbs. I know, a bit ironic because vegetables are filled with carbs. I will explain more later. A few days later I added in exercise. Since restarting MFP I have lost 15 pounds. My energy is up. My muscles ache from all the exercise I've been doing. But best of all I went from blood glucose levels in the 200s (hospital tests), a fasting BGL of 168 to new lows of 111. I have a long way to go but I am extremely proud of the progress I have made so far.

After my diagnosis I didn't know what to do. Watching carbs and increasing fruits and veggies as instructed by my doctor doesn't work for me and my lifestyle. I know this from my round of gestational diabetes I had when pregnant with my daughter. I felt completely frustrated and didn't know how I was going to proceed. I searched and found a group on Facebook for vegetarians with diabetes. A lot of members recommend a book called Mastering Diabetes. I immediately purchased the book and am currently reading it. The plan of this book is to eat whole food plant based low fat. Right now I am doing a variation of this plan. I love cheese and cheese based dishes, I don't know if I can completely give it up. The first few days, adjusting to my new plan, were very challenging. I was HUNGRY all the time. By day 3 or 4 I began to get into a groove. I've cut down on rice, breads and pasta. (GASP!!! I am Italian and look forward to my Sunday pasta meal with the family.) I still eat these things but in moderation. I've been adding a salad in with most meals which helps a lot. I used to fill up on rice, breads and pasta. Relearning how to cook is my most challenging. I've been experimenting with new recipes and foods. Right now it is a trial and error of foods to determine what does and does not work with my body. I have blood work and a follow up appointment scheduled for later on this month. I am actually looking forward to it. I think my doctor will be pleased with my progress so far.

So far my NSVs:
1) My fasting BGL went from 168 to 111.
2) I have been exercising regularly and absolutely love it. I miss it on days I don't have time to fit in a workout.
3) I have been sleeping much better. My Fitbit sleep score is evidence of this.
4) I wake up feeling rested and ready to start my day.
5) I have cut out caffeine and honestly I don't miss it. (I used to need 2 cups of coffee to get my day started)
6) I have restored excitement for life.
7) My lazy days have become less frequent.
8) I have been reaching 10K steps most days. (Fitbit) My lazy days have been averaging 7-8K rather than 3-5K.

trinati2001

@JNettie73 i also wonder how everyone is doing. I saw skinnyjeans on here a couple of months ago but it seems like a short return to the thred.

My friend is also a vegetarian who has found most weight loss progams difficult. We affectionately call her a carbetarian. She ate carbs and cheese and did not like vegetables. She ended up doing an elemation diet and found that she had a gluten intolerance but really could not stand to eat the chicken that was required by that diet. Recently she did a keto diet and has started to learn to like vegetables and has learned a couple of tricks to replace carbs with veggies substitutes but overall she has yet to find something that is substainable for the long hall. Do you think I should recommend that book to her?

JNettie73

@trinati2001 That is me - carbs and cheese! Though I do love vegetables too. So far I have only read the prologue, chapter 1 and part of chapter 2. I like it but it is hard to say if I would recommend it yet because I am not far in. It is geared towards people with diabetes, gestational diabetes or at risk for it. It does push for a plant based diet whole food diet which is low fat.

JNettie73

@skinnyjeanzbound Hi Karen! How are you doing?!!!

neffyworld

Friday - Fitness (what are you doing to get fit? How are you preparing for weekend eating?

I'm thinking of going for one long walk and one short walk. I binged big time yesterday and have a lot of calories to count! Hopefully this weekend will be under control. Having fish and chips tonight, should be interesting.

trinati2001

well it's Friday Eve....so I'll count that as Friday fitness. While waiting for my daughter's tap class my 7 year old and I took a walk we had a nice 30 minute walk just the two of us. I got to here all about Troom Troom, Scooby Doo, school and the reason why we should use your ears to hear if cars are coming instead of your eyes.

aimeemarie150

JNettie73 wrote: »

@trinati2001 I was active in 2014-2015 but then my daughter came along and I didn't have time to keep up. I miss the thread. I often wonder how they are doing now.

I was also active here around that time, but under a different name I cannot recall now. Skinnyjeanz and I are still friends on here and she's still active and logging.

I hate the community component of the app, which is why I am guessing lots of people gave up as smart phones took over (oh that sounds weird to say). Its very clunky and not at all mobile friendly.

trinati2001

aimeemarie150 wrote: »

JNettie73 wrote: »

@trinati2001 I was active in 2014-2015 but then my daughter came along and I didn't have time to keep up. I miss the thread. I often wonder how they are doing now.

I was also active here around that time, but under a different name I cannot recall now. Skinnyjeanz and I are still friends on here and she's still active and logging.

I hate the community component of the app, which is why I am guessing lots of people gave up as smart phones took over (oh that sounds weird to say). Its very clunky and not at all mobile friendly.

I agree it is not mobile friendly but when I was on Noom I realized that I missed the community from MFP so much. Their groups were just not the same and you didn't have any options.

But I do have to say that the "spinning loading circle" in the middle of Mt screen whenever I'm in the community section is really annoying.

bapcarrier

I'm back too! Been off MFP for over a year now. Only good thing I can say is that when updating my stats I realized that I weigh exactly the same as I did in March of 2020...way too much but thankfully no gain. I've never felt my age (74 in 6 months) until I got this heavy (250 awful pounds). I hope by the time I actually turn 74 to have lost a good amount of weight, even if it's just a steady but very slow lost it will be better. I'm very lucky not to have any major health problems but I'm afraid if I keep this weight on I won't be able to say that in the future. It's nice to see people I recognize on here. I've been reading back a bit. Karen @skinnyjeanzbound I never saw what you found out about Gunner's breed. @mnwalkingqueen I hope your job is secure, you don't need that stress added to everything else. Hope everyone has a good day!

JNettie73

@aimeemarie150 Glad to hear Skinnyjeanz is doing well! Have you seen any activity from Robin or Susan? There was another woman who I used to chat with a lot in this thread. I cannot remember her name. Skinny was friends with her too, I believe.

@trinati2001 If you don't mind me asking what didn't you like about Noom? My cousin encouraged me to join that with her but I didn't like that I had to pay. I decided to come back to MFP because I have had a lot of success with it and really loved it.

@bapcarrier Welcome back! I know exactly what you mean about feeling your age. I was feeling my age a lot lately. Since making a few changes I have so much more eneergy. It amazes me what a difference making some changes makes!

trinati2001

@JNettie73 I think I’ve been spoiled by what the FREE MFP has to offer. There are multiple things about Noom that didn’t work for me. Overall I’ve dieted forever and have done a million different things: south beach, lean for life, weight watchers, MFP and Noom. So let’s just say tracking and dieting isn’t new to me. Here are some of my gripes with the last one being the straw that broke the camels back:

1.pricing structure is stupid- you have to say how much you want to lose and how quickly. They figure out how long that will take and then give you a price for that, all paid at once.
2. Tracking is horrible- lots of food have incorrect calories. Can not copy meals from one date or meal to another. A lot of foods are missing from their database. Can not build recipes for meals you make at home.
3. Goal coach- you pay to have a one on one goal coach. But it isn’t like a meeting with her. It is a once a week “email” with that person. They are supposed to hold you accountable to your weekly goal that you set with them but mine never followed up.
4. Group- the group coach is actually very good but there is just your one group. Very little discussion off subject. If you stop tracking and reading for a couple of weeks they pull you out of your group and you are supposed to get a new group once you start again...but that didn’t happen for me.
5. Too many goals- they would give you ideas and ask you to try out the goal. But I never had enough time to spend with one goal before they added in another one. Sometimes 2-4/week.
6. Updates to the app- when I first joined they had no way to track water. I asked if that was in the works and they said yes (currently in beta testing). Then my mom joined Noom and guess what...her app was way different than mine and had water tracking. I followed up with my goal coach and she said “we know change is hard for people so once you join we don’t make any changes to your app, just bug fixes” so I would never get new features. I reached out to their help desk and they were supposed to push the update to me but it never happened.

There are good things about Noom. I did think that their daily articles were overall informative.

Overall their strategy is helping you understand behaviors that leads to over eating (but not solutions for that behavior) and that you should eat more foods that have lower calorie density (weight divided by calories). Let me know if you want to hear more about that.

trinati2001

Whoa that was a long post. I guess I’m still miffed about how much I paid and how little I got out of it.

JNettie73

@trinati2001 Wow. I would not have liked any of that at all. My cousin encouraged me to join with her. I had asked what it was like and her response was "It's not like anything else out there." When I probed for more specific all she would give me is "They hit on the psychological aspect of weight loss and over eating." She was always reluctant to give me additional details about things like pricing, logging, community and wasn't very selling. I told my bestie about it and she joined. She gave me more information about it and seems to really enjoy it. It wasn't enough for me though to be convinced to pay for it.

JNettie73

Name: Jeanette
Age: 48
Height: 5' 1"
SW: 270
GW: TBD
April GW: Out of the 250 range or close to being out of it.

Weight tracking:
Start Apr 1: 257 (Last weigh-in was 3/28. I am using that weight for this number)
WK 1 Apr 4: 255.4
WK 2 Apr 11: 254.8
WK 3 Apr 18: 251.8
WK 4 Apr 25:
Finish Apr 30:

Today is weigh in day for me. 251.8. I had a big loss for the week and am really proud of myself. I have been working so hard. My blood sugar has been up and down this week but most of it has been in the 120s or lower. I had two higher numbers (148 and 134). I am trying not to let those numbers get me down because 1) I am trying my best 2) they are still lower than my highest numbers which is an accomplishment.

I had a NSV yesterday. I was teasing my husband yesterday because he had taken off his wedding band and left it on his end table and I saw it while walking past. I was more concerned my cat would discover it and use it as a toy - she is always stealing things of mine off my endtable. Jokingly I examined his hand and made sad faces. He replied "I forgot to put it back on after I showered" then laughed and added "you never wear yours." It's true, I don't because they no longer fit my fat fingers. I decided to go get them and put them on. To my surprise they fit me!!! They were a bit snug but not terribly uncomfortable and left a slight mark on my finger but I could get them on! Wahoo!!!

Last night we had a bbq with my neighbors that live on both sides of me. We all have children the same age who play together. While I was giving food out to the children my neighbor's 3 year old poked me in the stomach repeatedly and said "Jeanette, why your belly so big?" This was a blow to my ego as I have been working so hard to take my life back. I ignored him and continued to hand out food then walked away. He followed me and did it again. I didn't know how to respond so I redirected him to go sit back down and start to eat then took out my phone to text my other neighbor with a request her daughter had. He sat down then began to yell across the yard to me "Jeanette. Jeanette. Why you belly so big? Why it so big?" His mother decided to step in and began to scold him, also yelling across the yard telling him he doesn't say things like that. He naturally asked why. She began yelling "Because it is rude that is why." I. Was. Mortified. While he definitely needed to be corrected, her yelling across the yard made it a million times worse and brought a lot of unnecessary attention to the situation. I know he is just a child. Children see things as they are. They are naturally curious about things that are different and question them. His question was incredibly hurtful though, especially since I have been devoting all my time and energy to make changes to improve my life.

While talking about it with my bestie I realized the impact his question made on me. His words hurt to the core. It was just a reminder that no matter what I do or how hard I work there will always be someone somewhere who will criticize or judge me. I know I need to toughen up and learn to let things like this not effect me but it does. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with situations like this? How do you respond when people say rude things about your weight or weight loss? Thanks so much.

trinati2001

JNettie73 wrote: »

@trinati2001 Wow. I would not have liked any of that at all. My cousin encouraged me to join with her. I had asked what it was like and her response was "It's not like anything else out there." When I probed for more specific all she would give me is "They hit on the psychological aspect of weight loss and over eating." She was always reluctant to give me additional details about things like pricing, logging, community and wasn't very selling. I told my bestie about it and she joined. She gave me more information about it and seems to really enjoy it. It wasn't enough for me though to be convinced to pay for it.

There was some really good information that I learned from them but I wished that their pricing was more forthcoming and that I stopped faster. It just never felt worth the money. But for someone new to dieting I could see it being helpful.

trinati2001

@JNettie73 this is tough and I wouldn't be able to think about this spure of the moment. But this is how I would handle it. I would try to make it into a teachable moment. I would just answer his question and say "in the past I used to eat too much desserts and fatty foods, like McDonald's. Now I eat a balanced amount of sweets and healthy foods so that my big stumach goes away. But it is hard work. I wish that I ate in a ballanced way when I was younger and didn't eat as many desserts or as much fast food."

Depending on the kid it may not work. But that is a way to turn it from an embarrassing event into a learning experience for the kid as well.

trinati2001

Going back to Robin's original ideas for th8s thread (below) I'll post my Tuesday update.

GOALS and IDEAS for daily posts (Not mandatory)

Monday - Check In (how are you doing? Had any successes or struggles this week-end?)

Tuesday - Goals (do you have any Goals you want to update us?)

Wednesday - Wishes (what do you wish? It can be weight related or not, can be realistic or not)

Thursday - Truth (got anything you need to fess up to or get off your chest?)

Friday - Fitness (what are you doing to get fit? How are you preparing for weekend eating?

Saturday - Success (what have you accomplished; focus on the positive of the week, NSV=non scale victories)

Sunday - Sharing (tell us a little about yourself....update your personal life)



Goals - this week I've added in a new goal...track before I eat. This one has always been a hard one for me but I feel like it is a really good habit to have.

I've started to use an app on my phone to help me track goals, Strides. So far I really like it. I'm still looking for an app that help me match goals to rewards but so far I've been telling myself if I get all my goals for a week I get a reward and that has helped.

Does anyone else have an app they use?

trinati2001

Wednesday wish - I wish that when I go on a trip that I can find the motivation for weight loss that I had before I left.

I seem to fall off so many diets or eating healthy once I go on a trip or have a free weekend. It seems like once I "fall off the diet wagon" it is almost impossible to get back on unless I switch to another platform. I really wish that I'll be able to do something different this time

JNettie73

Wednesday Wish - I have many wishes. My top three are
I wish I can get my health condition under control.
I wish I can be a good example for my daughter.
I wish my husband would get on board and get healthy with me.

JNettie73

@trinati2001 Yes. I have the same issue. I find coming back from a holiday or vacation is extremely hard. I always have difficulty trying to get back on track with eating and exercise. Then I become filled with guilt for poor choices I made during the holiday or vacation which sends me into an eating my feelings away.

A random share for today. I was contacted this morning inquiring if I could interview for a job (my job, I have to reinterview every year for it even though I have had my position several years). Due to covid I have been working completely virtual, the interview was also virtual. My administrator saw me and commented that she has not seen me in so long and how I look wonderful! I have to say that made my day!

trinati2001

@JNettie73 it is always wonderful to get random comments like that!! That is crazy that you have to interview for your job each year. Where do you work (what type of job if you don't want to share the company name). I haven't run into that before but I've only worked in retail before collage and in Biotech afterwards.

trinati2001

Thursday truth - I have a harder time controlling my eating impluses when I'm alone.

JNettie73

@trinati2001 - I work part time for a local school district but I am employed in the extended school day program. I've been teaching in my program for about 8 years. The interview is more of a formality with administration.

Thursday Truth: The temperatures went from mid to upper 60s to mid 30s, it got so cold and super windy which made it worse! We live at the end of a dead end street. Every morning I have to bring my daughter to the end of the block to get the bus. In inclement weather we take the car, when it is nice we walk. My daughter and I walked out of the house that morning all bundled up. My daughter saw me walking to the car and said "Uhm, I would rather walk and get exercise." When I told her it was cold and I was planning to take the car she responded with "I would rather get exercise. Exercise makes you healthy." How could I argue with that? We walked to the end of the block and stood in the cold waiting for the bus. While I waited I jumped up and down and kept moving to keep warm. After she got on the bus I walked briskly down the block to my house, went inside and made peppermint tea (no sugar) to warm up. While in the moment I didn't like my daughter's choice I came home and thought about it. I am glad she suggested we walk that day. I am also very proud of her for making that choice too! My husband and I also walked down to get her off the bus later that afternoon.

Friday Fitness: I had to take a few days rest from my workout. The back of my calves were on fire from my bike and step aerobics. On my rest days, I focused on working outside in the gardens preparing everything for the season. (I'm a gardener and vegetarian - I grow my own food in the warmer months.) I started up again yesterday with my bike and will continue to do so. I really enjoy it. I have also added in some core exercises and light weights for upper body. I am not doing anything special to prepare for weekend eating, I treat every day the same.

trinati2001

Saturday success - this week my goal was to track before eating. This has always been a hard one for me. A couple of times I've remembered while taking my first bite so I went and tracked at that moment. Otherwise I've tracked before eating!! A huge victory for me. As a reward I'm going to try a new Japanese restaurant where they have grilled squid (a friend said it's really tender).

@JNettie73 great job walking to the bus stop. My kids will do this to me as well. My oldest 10 years old just started to ride her bike on the streets. She loves it and always wants me to go with her. I say yes because it is good exercise and I enjoy it while we are riding but...ugh I never actually want to go.

JNettie73

Thursday Truth: It's challenging staying on track and not falling into old habits. Last night my husband cooked dinner because I was working outside of the home. I didn't get home until 6;30 and was ravenous by the time I got home. We usually eat between 5:30-6. My husband made tacos. Meat for himself and beans for my daughter and I. Plus chips and guac. We didn't sit down to eat until 6:45. I was so hungry I shoveled the food in my mouth then ate chips and extra guac. I don't know how much I ate. My fasting glucose number was high this morning as a result. That number was a quick reminder that I cannot do things like that anymore and I have to stay on track.

escobarkarla33

New to the chat! I’m Karla and I just got from vacation and proud to report that I made good choices, first time I’ve had to really think about on vacay about what went into my mouth. I found myself thinking about it instead of instantly saying yes to anything offered to me and putting it in my mouth! 🙏

JNettie73

Sunday Share:
Hi I’m Jeanette. I am 48, 5'1". I am newly diagnosed with diabetes. (March) I have been vegetarian since my early 20s. I am in the process of transitioning from a vegetarian lifestyle to a plant based one. I have used MFP before and had a lot of success with it. This time around I am using it to focus and control my blood glucose levels rather than focus on caloric intake. I have a lot to learn and far to go. I am very pleased with my progress so far.

Starting weight: 270 March 2021

May Start Weight: 248.6
May Goal Weight: 239/240
Ultimate Goal Weight: TBD

Sunday weigh ins:

May 2: 248.6
May 9:
May 16:
May 23:
May 29:
May 30:

Goals for May:
-To get my fasting blood sugars down into a good range
- Have my blood work done
- Schedule a follow up with my doctor.
- Continue to work on determining my trigger foods.
- Aim for at least 10k steps every day.
- Strength training exercises at least 3 times a week.
- Experiment with more plant based recipes. (It's so hard for me to give up cheese.)

JNettie73

@escobarkarla33 Welcome to the group! Congrats on the good vacation choices. Where did you go on your vacation?