Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !
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Friday Fitness ... it's going to be sunny all day today before it rains tonight ... and the early morning sun streaming through the windows is enticing to go out front to pick up leaves. I got the back yard finished last week and put the equipment away ... but now it looks like I will have to bring them back out of storage ...
Aw @bapcarrier .... now I must go exercise if I'm going to get any in for my exercise challenge!~ Shucks!
That pie is still in my taste buds and is standing still in my middle! My weight was up 2 pounds this morning and my mouth is as dry as if I had the 'dry-coppers' from a night of drinking (I can barely recall those days but can still recall the after-effects). It's rejuvenate and repair time.0 -
I got thru another day yesterday. I argued with myself the entire drive home from work. Turned off several times to go eat somewhere...and managed to turn myself back around and make it home!
So stayed under calories yesterday!
This morning i passed 3 fastfood chains in the parking lot! Managed not to stop...ate yogurt instead.
1 meal at a time!6 -
I need to lose 100 lbs. Currently down 24 lbs of it. Makes it easier when you set mini goals2
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Finally I can take a breath and check in here. What a whirlwind few days it's been. All of the holiday festivities are over, as is my birthday, so today life is back on track as normal. After a week of eating things I normally do not eat, from various events/parties not to mention the big TG day itself, then my birthday party, I only gained 3 so even though it was a gain, I was really happy that's all it was. Sent all the birthday foods home with people last night. I enjoyed them but don't want the celebration days to turn into a week.
Have read everyone's posts and I think I'm up to date. There were many to read since last Tuesday! I just want to say to @goinstd12 how sorry I am on the sudden passing of your husband, and for all that you are dealing with. Many hugs and prayers for you. I was saddened to hear your news.
Time to get this house, kitchen, and my desk back in order. When I had nowhere to go with something these past few days, I just threw it here on my desk. I'm lucky I found the keyboard this morning.
To be honest, I'm just going to enjoy a day of no running anywhere, no company here, no nothing other than tidying up. We got our Christmas tree up and all decorated yesterday, with the helps of kids and grandkids. I plan to enjoy it today. 
Hoping everyone has a great day today. 2 -
Sorry I'm not posting goals, I still am without computer.
I just hope everyone is hanging in there.
@GOINSTS12 my condolences. I send you my best wishes for strength in this difficult time.
You are off to a greAt start!Bottleblondegal wrote: »I need to lose 100 lbs. Currently down 24 lbs of it. Makes it easier when you set mini goals
@ cellosmiles just wow! Congratulations on your willpower.
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Saturday NSV ... I made my own Mushroom Barley Soup today and it is delicious. Better than anything I could get out of a can or at the grocery store food bar! ....
....PS ... only draw back ... for a family of 1, even a small pot of soup is a lot of soup to have on hand. I do not freeze this soup for holding over ... so it will be my lunches for the next 6 day.1 -
Niki, if I like food I enjoy eating it for days, so that's a win in my book.2
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Hi everyone!! I hope those in the US had a wonderful thanksgiving holiday. There have been 1008 posts since I was last on the thread in August; needless to say, I will NOT be going back to read through all of those! LOL! I do see a lot of familiar faces, so I will just re-acquaint myself with all of your lives going forward from here.
For those who don't know me, or need a refresher, I'm Karen from Chicago. I started MFP in March 2011 and joined this thread (in its previous incarnation) in July 2011. When I started at my highest weight, I was at 247 lbs. and over the first 2 years I got down to 182, and maintained around 185 for 2 years after that. An injury and illness led to a 10 lb weight gain which has now turned in to 15 pushing 20, so I really need to refocus.
I took a much needed break from MFP, and now I feel refreshed and ready to go at it again. I've managed to maintain my weight right around the 200 mark. I've been fluctuating between 197 and 202, so I decided to check in at the high mark and go from there. I've also reset my goal to 1200 calories/day which is where I started MFP oh so many years ago. It may sound low, but I plan to eat back my exercise calories, so most days I will be consuming more. In addition, I am going to allow myself 2 days/week at 1600 calories to accommodate social events (of which I have many upcoming). I haven't been logging at all, but I know my calorie intake has probably been between 1600-1900 most days, so I will still be below maintenance calories even on the 2 higher intake days.
My hope is that going back to this stricter level will allow me to shed some weight and start the new year with some momentum. It's so easy to give up at this point of the year and just say, "I'll wait until January 1st to restart." However, I know that plan would mean a free-for-all for the next 6 weeks and perhaps a few additional pounds that I don't want to have to re-lose.
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Monday Check-in!
Well my exercise plan will not go too far .... I pulled a back muscle and I can't hardly move
I guess I could cycle because my legs are OK, however how would I get on / off the bike that I don't know as well as how I would put the cycling shoes ... they are attached to the pedals though, so I can try to just slip my feet in and not strap them .... and just move my legs, no weird arm movements
Oh man .... this is painful!! And on top of it today is super market day, so I usually go food shopping today .... @Nikion901 I wish I had your mushroom soup, I would not mind having that everyday this week and not worry about cooking! I only have in the fridge bread, butter, milk and coffee .. I guess delivery guy will be my best friend for the next days
@skinnyjeanzbound welcome back! Seems you have a good plan laid out! I didn't start logging on MFP until mid January, but started taking better care of my meals around this time last year, so I know you can definitively lose weight even though is the holiday season
Well got t go ... I am moving realllyyyyy slooooowwwly and everything is taking forever to do!
Have a good start of the week!0 -
Monday Check-in
It's been an unproductive week with exercise thus far, only have one 30-minute session in so far. I overate big time on Thanksgiving by eating an 8-inch apple pie that day. So even though my calories, except for that day, have been in the green, with so little exercise I ended up at average calories of 1711 for the week ... close to maintenance ... plus I still haven't shed the pie excess so my weight is up 0.8 this morning over last Monday morning. ... I know if I didn't log everything on MFP it would have been even worse because it is so easy to under estimate the calories we consume unless we are weighing, measuring, logging. That 2 pounds to my mini goal has slipped to being 4 pounds.
@happygirlxxx - sorry you have pulled your muscle ... hope you used heating pads and ice packs to ease that soreness and stiffness. If you did try to exercise, and if I had been there with you I would have made soup for you ... but I think I also would have butted in and scolded you for doing so. Give yourself a day or two with the compresses for 10-20 minutes several times a day ... and do mild stretching movements. Hope you feel better soon.
@skinnyjeanzbound - Welcome back.
@newjax2017 - It's not something I like to do, but have become accustomed to it when I made anything that feeds more than 1. Most of my meals are cooked within 15-20 minutes and I rely heavily of stir-fries, small frittatas or omelettes, salad bowls. But I do cook up a pot of something like soup, stew, chili every week. I have become adapt at making smaller cooks though ... used to be a pot would be 16-20 cups, now it's 8-12. Doubt if I'll get it down to much less though, because I seem to always start with 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 ribs of celery ...:)
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Monday Check-in
@happygirlxxx Ouch! Sorry to hear about your pulled muscle. Good luck if you try the cycling. Be careful! Try ice/heat as Niki suggested and Tylenol should help ease the pain, if needed.
@Nikion901 I think you did great, overall, only up .8. MFP does work and one day of eating an 8" pie won't kill you. Eating it every day during the entire holiday season...now that's a different story. Pat yourself on the back. It could have been much worse! Enjoy your soup. Sounds yummy!
@skinnyjeanzbound Welcome back! I joined MFP in August and found this thread which has been a godsend to me. I love all the support and motivation and sharing the common journey.
@newjax2017 Hope you get your computer back soon. It's amazing how much we rely on them in our lives.
I'm doing ok. No weight related struggles. I enjoyed Thanksgiving and my birthday and then got right back on track. I am, however, dealing with some family issues that are somewhat stressful, mostly medical, some behavioral and so far have not delved back into my normal pattern, of years gone by, of going way off track and eating whatever I want, which was typical for me in the past, and when you couple that with the holidays...not a good combo. I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth as they say. I'm happy to just keep tracking and not letting others' issues drag me down. I realize that the behavioral one is due to choices that person has made for themselves and not my problem and that there is little I can do about it. The medical one will heal in time and each day gets a bit better for them. My eating poorly would not help either one of them and that is a whole new mindset for me this go around. Maybe with age comes wisdom. If that's the case, I'll be the very wise, since I just turned 71 on Thanksgiving day.
Have a great Monday everyone!2 -
Hi everyone. I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Visited my stepdaughter and her hubby and 3 kids. Weather couldn't have been better. Exercise was good -- went to a holiday parade and walked for like 4 hours. Then planted bulbs with the grandkids for about an hour the next day. I've totally stopped logging and going to the gym... still. Did I say this before? On the ride home I ate: 2 med. size bags of lays potato chips, 1 bag of black and white popcorn, 1 bag of lifesaver gummies, 1 almond joy and 1 bag of riesens. Just for the record.
I am going to get back to logging food.
@b_lisieux I appreciate the point that eating is not going to solve the problem. And happy bday!
@BarneyRubbleMD You did well with calories. I'm impressed!
@happygirlxxx Ouch!!! Hope you're making progress with the healing!
@skinnyjeanzbound You could read 1008 posts -- good way to avoid food! Hee Hee. Welcome back.
@Bottleblondegal Welcome. You're almost a quarter of the way there! Keep going!
@cellosmiles One meal at a time. That's my speed right now and I'm gonna join you with that.
@raindogmaa How's your knee?
@bapcarrier and @happygirlxxx --Me too!!! "Thursday Truth! Getting really hard to focus on good eating habits and exercising. Not sure why I have lost my focus if I want this so much ... am I depressed? Who knows, but I need to kick my butt and get myself back to losing weight."
I have not been checking in here daily either, which is a big mistake because if there ever was one place to go for insight, support and great information, it's this thread. Thank you all... thank you.
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Thank you for checking on me ... back is doing so much better!! Yesterday was so painful and I could hardly move ... today, even though the pain still there, I am not stiff anymore.
I took a short walk to a department store who is next to the Duomo and the city is starting to transform into winter wonderland and the christmas decorations are everywhere. The city is putting together this huge xmas tree just in front of the Cathedral and i am sure will look absolutely stunning when done.
Food-wise has not been great ... ice cream and bread have been my meals since yesterday
but tomorrow I should have no excuse not to go to the market to get healthy stuff.
Hope everyone is having a good week!!0 -
Hi!
@happygirlxxx --glad the back is doing better! It's so hard to stay on track when there's no healthy food in the house. I just went to the grocer after work today--stocked up on fruits and veggies and a few low cal frozen meals for lunch on the days I don't have time to prepare something healthier. You are in Italy, right?? I'm trying to recall who everyone is and where they are--my 3 month hiatus is making it difficult. LOL
@niki-- Hi there! Thanks so much for messaging to check on me when I went MIA. Has robin (ellen) checked in recently? Or have you heard from her? I think of her often and hope she's doing well.
@tdunnegan --haha! Reading all those posts would keep me on the couch for so long my fitbit would think I'd died! I also haven't been good about the gym. During my break from MFP I went occasionally, but still can't get into a regular routine. Right now I'm focused on getting my nutrition back under control though I have at least been able to walk the dog every day thanks to some wonderfully warn November weather.
@b_lisieux -- Happy birthday! And welcome to the thread (since I wasn't around to welcome you when you joined).
AFM--I missed Monday check-in yesterday, but 2 days in, I'm feeling good about my choices. It's amazing how much easier this is because I know so much about what food choices will keep me within my calorie goal vs. the first time I did this. My first real challenge will be this Friday when I 'm meeting some friends for drinks and dinner. It will be a 1600 calorie day, so that will give me a little bit of wiggle room.
This morning the scale was down 2.2 lbs. I know that it could fluctuate back up, but I'm going back to my old strategy of weighing every morning and only logging my weight here on MFP when it drops below my previous low. This worked really well for me the first time, and my whole approach right now is to go back to the tried and true methods that helped me lose 60 lbs the first time I joined MFP.
Of course another aspect of that strategy was working out regularly, so that will be the next piece of the puzzle.
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Wednesday Wishes ... more of "I wish I had" ... started sooner on cleaning the garage. I spent close to 3 hours yesterday afternoon on it ... and figure I need to spend another 30 hours to get the whole thing done... cause everything takes 2 to 3 times longer than I imagine it will ... Still ... even with all the interruptions I encounter I did a good job and was physically active the whole time.
Holiday Exercise Goal
Name: Nikion901 (Niki)
Goal: 30 minutes workouts 3 times a week
November 22 - 110 minutes, but in 2 sessions
November 29 - 180 minutes, in 2 sessions again
Neither one of these sessions was actual gym work ... but it included walks and some of the time i spent in the garage yesterday. I didn't count the time I spent sorting through things but did count the time I was picking up and moving boxes, climbing ladders, sweeping, etc.
Continuing with Weight reporting Wednesday ...
11/22/17 = 227.4
11/29/17 = 226.8
@cellosmiles ... I finished last week (Mon - Sun) with an average daily calorie of 1592 ... and that was with going overboard on Thursday. So far this week I have managed to stay in my goal both Mon and Tues. How're you doing?
@b_lisieux you are so right, a one-day overboard will not lead to true body fat gain, but it will raise the immediate scale weight due to how the body processes the different macros we consume. That pie was lots of fat in the crust and even more of sugar in the filling.
@Karen ... No, RobinsEgg has not posted to MFP since last December. Ellen and I are friends on Facebook, however she hasn't posted in the past couple weeks. Still creative as ever ... posted a poem she wrote called "Ode to Retired Life" a while back.
PS ...
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Holiday Exercise Plan!
Name: Ana
Goal: Exercise 3 x week for 45 minutes.
Nov 22: 3x10+K steps + 1x45’ spinning
Nov 29: 1x60’ + 1x30’ spinning + 1x45’ Pilates
Dec 06:
Dec 13:
Dec 20:
Dec 27:
Jan 03:
Jan 10:
Weight lost this week: Have not weigh-in myself this week
Weight lost so far: ? (Mystery for next week!)
Current Weight: ?
All the workouts were before I messed my back. I have not weigh-in yet this week but most likely weight is up due to all the crap I ate and lack of movement.
I did go to the farmers market today and bought fruits and veggies and so far today meals have been healthy I need to detox from all the carb overload!
Later I will go to the regular market to get yogurt, cheese and some other good stuff ... no chips, no cookies or ice cream for a while!
This week finally the cold weather arrived to Milano; is not that cold though (about 40F maybe) but because is the 1st week I guess you feel it more until you get used to and then only below 32F you consider cold. I love winter so I am happy is already here 0 -
Holiday Challenges
Name: Robin
Age: 51
Height: 5'3"
Exercise Challenge:
Meet my Steps goal 5x/week
1. Nov 22: 4x
2. Nov 29: 3x
3. Dec 6
4. Dec 13
5. Dec 20
6. Dec 27
7. Jan 3
Weight Challenge:
Start Weight (Nov 15th): 252.2
Goal Weight (Nov 18th): 239.9
1. Nov 22: ??
2. Nov 29: 254
3. Dec 6:
4. Dec 13:
5. Dec 20:
6. Dec 27:
7. Jan 3:
Weight -/+ this week: ??
Total weight -/+ this challenge: +1.8
Total overall weight loss: -31.8
The past 2 weeks have been crazy! I was on vacation for the week of Thanksgiving and alas, missed the Wednesday check-in. I didn't even get weighed at all! Did some Christmas cookie baking with my mom on Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Cooked Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday then mom ended up in the hospital Friday night (still there, hopefully going home today). My head has been spinning these past 10 days or so. I am happy that my gain has only been 1.8 pounds in the last 2 weeks! But NOT happy the trend continues in the wrong direction.
I am about 78 posts behind so it may take me a while to get caught up with everyone.
I hope everyone celebrating Thanksgiving had a fabulous one!
Until next time; wishing everyone Peace
, Love 
and Weight Loss !!
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I LOVE THIS!!!I now take it one meal at a time, not a day. If I have a big event at night, I am more careful during the day and choose lower calorie things. I don't blow the whole day for one event in the day, nor do I blow the entire season from now until after New Year's. I may blow it on certain meals or at a party, but not the entire season, which is a whole new mindset for me.
Congratulations!!!I went to the Dr and found out why I have been feeling terrible for about 8 weeks now!!! I'm pregnant!!! You got this! Of course, follow your doctor's orders, but know you can have a healthy pregnancy and baby with minimal weight gain. I gained 11 pounds with my son (he weighed 9lb 15oz) and only 7 pounds with my daughter (she weighed 8lbs, 12oz). I lost 50 and 30 pounds, respectively. BEST diet in the world for me!! LOL
Oh my! You have been through it! So glad you are back and I think I speak for all of us when I say, " We are here for you"!Hi y'all,
Well it's been 6 weeks of insanity since I've logged on here. I've missed you all so much!
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Hopefully things will improve rather than continue to decline. I will try to be better at checking in and logging my meals. As for exercise, well, at this point it's all I can do to get around to all the stuff I have to do, I stay active but no formal exercise.
Mind sharing the recipe?Saturday NSV ... I made my own Mushroom Barley Soup today and it is delicious. Better than anything I could get out of a can or at the grocery store food bar! ....
@skinnyjeanzbound - welcome back!
Thanks to a slow day at work, I am caught up!!
Until next time; wishing everyone Peace , Love and Weight Loss !!
Edited to add - I just took the BED test that @BarneyRubbleMD shared and scored a 19 our of 43. Moderate range. Not surprised.
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We have mentioned several times about creating healthy habits, going back to basics, etc to helps us continue on our weight loss journey. Found this article today that thought was quite appropriate for us ... some of the stuff we already know, but I think it helps to read it as well; enjoy!
https://greatist.com/live/healthy-habits-tips-that-finally-made-habits-stick1 -
RobinB0812 wrote: »
Niki's Mushroom Barley Soup
Note ... you can cook the barley in advance and strain it, reserving the liquid separately from the barley groats. Then when you go to make the soup, you bring everything back together again. I usually cook more barley than I need for soup and use it as a grain, and then make the soup with the rest of the barley. You will want about 3 cups of cooked barley for this recipe. Instructions here are for cooking the soup straight out.
3/4 cup barley groats (pearled or with hulls, either one works)
3 cups water
3 cups chicken stock, unsalted is possible or low sodium
1 cooking onion, medium about 2 1/2 inches diameter
1 large carrot, or 2 medium
2 celery stalks
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, I like the brown ones, but white will work
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound white potato
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf.
green herbs of your choice ... I used parsley and dill
To start, rinse the starch off the barley in a strainer, then place the barley into a bowl and cover it with water. Let soak for 4 hours to overnight in the fridge. This step makes the barley lose some of it's starchiness and gets it to cook up much quicker than starting from dry.
When ready to make the soup ... drain the barley. Place it in a soup pot, cover with fresh water by about 1 inch over the top of the barley. Put on the stove and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the barley simmer (at a low boil) for 30 minutes. Cook until the barley is tender but still a little 'toothy'.
While the barley cooks, you can prep the vegetables:
Peel the potato and cut it into 3/4 inch cubes. Place the potatoes into a bowl and cover with water, set aside.
Get a skillet out and heat up the 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat. Dice up the onion into a small dice and add to the skillet, saute' as you prepare the celery, and then the carrot cutting each into the same size pieces as the onion. Finally chop the mushrooms about 1/2 inch cubes and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are about 1/2 of the way cooked through and the mushrooms have released their liquid. Add to the soup pot, also add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Strain the potatoes and add them to the pot. Salt and pepper the pot, add the bay leaf. Bring back to a boil, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Once the potatoes are tender, add the green herbs and stir in. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn off the stove, let the pot sit, covered, for about 10 minutes to settle.
Note ... If you made the barley the day before, You can omit using the skillet because you can saute' all your vegetables in the soup pot, then add in the barley, reserved barley liquid, chicken stock, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Then you can add the potatoes, salt, pepper; and and when they are tender, the herbs ... and your soup is done in about 30 minutes using this second method.
Tip on green herbs ... I buy fresh bunches of parsley, dill, scallions ... and then dice and freeze them in baggies to use in cooking with fresh herbs. I always add these fresh herbs to the end of the soup cook ... but if using dried, then I add them after the water/stock has come to a boil.
One more tip ... when I make the barley the day before, and the soup the next day ... I pre-heat the chicken stock and the barley water in the microwave before I add them to the minced vegetables that are saute'ing in the soup pot.1 -
Just want you to know I am here and I am tracking exercise for those who are joining in.
There's a growing # of people participating -- @FaithIt365 , @lydiapassthedonuts @verybusybee @raindogmaa @newjax2017 @Nikion901 @RobinB0812 @happygirlxxx and @jennordhavn .. 10 including me.
I want to assure you all, I have not dropped the ball here.
Because we're all doing different things I need to figure out how best to report out. For now, I'll say that 5 people reported in (others joined after the 22nd) and some even exceeded their goals.
Wednesday Wishes: I wish everyone success in meeting their individual goals.
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@Nikion901 i fell quiet the last few days...great job on your average last week. That is approximately a 1lb loss for your average calorie intake.
My mon-sun average was 1975. Sigh. I had 2 really bad days. But then a bunch of good days.
I struggled again Mon this week. Wouldve come out "ok" but chose to have a "snack" on the drive home from church. Eeks!
Sunday turned out to be an excellent day of exercise though. I tried yoga for the 1st time which was 30min. And i did a 45 min cardio pilates workout.
Took the dogs on a 25min walk on my Mon lunchbreak and will do the same again today if the rain continues to hold off.
I have prelogged todays meals, as i know i am going out for dinner tonight. This way i could plan my lunch and breakfast. So if i dont have snacks after dinner....today is a touchdown!
Thats enough for now.0 -
cellosmiles wrote: »
I have prelogged todays meals, as i know i am going out for dinner tonight. This way i could plan my lunch and breakfast. So if i dont have snacks after dinner....today is a touchdown!
Eeks! An insurance company rep came to the office today....and brought cheesecake. I tried to say no...but its my fave and the office staff handed me a plate so we could eat while he talked....0 willpower
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@cellosmiles ...
... I would not even attempt to resist cheesecake! Love, love, love that stuff ... don't make it but my sister does and hers is really good. Hope we have some at her Christmas party for her side of the family tree ... However, I eat my piece there and no longer take any home with me for the next day because it ends up being a snack as soon as I walk into the house! 1 -
I my name is Nicole and I am new to the group. I am looking to loose over 100 lbs and I am feeling discouraged however I am hoping that I can use this thread as a support system.2
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I need a motivational/accountability buddy..anyone??1
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LatishaJacques86 wrote: »I my name is Nicole and I am new to the group. I am looking to loose over 100 lbs and I am feeling discouraged however I am hoping that I can use this thread as a support system.LatishaJacques86 wrote: »I need a motivational/accountability buddy..anyone??
Welcome @LatishaJacques86 ... If you keep coming back to the thread you might find the online support you are seeking ... however I must make a disclaimer, lest you get the idea that anyone outside yourself can hold you accountable, cause you are your own best weight-loss buddy.
We are here to cheer you on or to give you a 'me too' and share our similar story, or to say 'Don't beat yourself up over a slip-up, it happens to all of us'. We cannot do much more than that because when it comes to lifestyle and food habits and preferences, it's all US and not WE. ... But ... and this is important ... as we each work on this lonely task of getting a handle on our 'bulge battle', we persistently and repeatedly work on our underlying issues that made us get to the point of needing to lose 100 (+) pounds in the first place, and we understand how difficult it can be, and is. We strive to replace habits we want to change with those that help support where we want to be weight and health wise, in our own way ... and we rejoice and commiserate right along with you on your successes and failures.
So stop back often and join in, and I hope you get out of it what you need and want.
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Thursday Truth ... had my last-day-of-the-month weight in for my calendar today, and my weight stayed the same as yesterday ... exactly the same! Nov 1 was 229.5 and Nov 30 is 226.8 ... so I had a loss of 2.7 pounds this month.
It's depressing that, at this rate, if it continuous steadily at this rate, that it will take me nearly 2 more years to get to my final goal. I've been at this for 3 years already, and while I am down over 50 pounds from where I started, it's been much too long getting even 'here'. Still ... the upside is that I AM that much lighter, and I have learned new habits along the way.
Gone are the days of most of my food being restaurant or fast food. Gone are the days of most of my home cooked meals being frozen convenience foods or my ingredients coming from prepared boxes and cans. Gone are the days when the only fruit found in my fridge were those buried in ice cream or a pie crust, with the occasional out of hand pear, mandarin, or apple ... and those mostly to pair up with the nuts, cheese, and crackers I kept on hand for my TV-watching evening snack. (I no longer think of potato-chips as a vegetable, and french-onion dip as a dairy!)
Yesterday I was watching old-time TV on 'Get-TV' and in one scene, a woman baked a cake for her guy and when he smacked his lips in anticipation of eating it she said "Out of a box and baked with love, just like mama made" ... and it dawned on me ... that's what my own child could say about me if he used a boxed cake mix and a canned frosting mix to make a cake. My child was born in 1965 ... the boon age of convenience food ... Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes and Hamburger Helper, P&G's Duncan Hines cake mix, Swanson's TV dinners, fish and chips from Picadilly Circus take-out every Friday, or a 'restaurant dinner' at "Long John Silver'. If we wanted steak, it was dinner out at Bonanza. Chicken tasted best from Swiss Chalet. ... and my daughter-in-laws' background was much the same. No wonder we have weight problems today. Everything we ate that 'made' us was mostly highly processed, over salted, over sugared, high in total fat. But ... that was what we knew and it was modern, and we thought it was good. As a matter of fact, it did taste good, and it was easy. And it was cheap in our time and labor.
Today I eat much differently ... it was a conscious decision I made to do so. Part of it stemmed from information that might have (probably was) always available but I didn't pay attention to: information about nutrition and the benefits of avoiding relying almost completely on packaged or prepared food as a means to better health, and possible weight loss. I wish my son and his wife would develop a taste, as I have, for simply prepared whole vegetables and a reduction in consuming highly sweetened dishes, of eating a wide variety of protein and not just hotdogs, hamburgers, and steak.
I've made my slow transition to cooking the way MY mom cooked and have slowly lost excess weight while improving my health status and outlook. Too bad I waited until I was in my late 60's before I actually took it all to heart and started to apply it to my lifestyle. Good that I started. Good that I've keeping it going. Good that I haven't become complacent and continue to strive forward, switching and changing out, adding in and thinking, always thinking, about what I can do to keep myself moving forward.
Good luck to me. Good luck to you.2 -
I have also thought that, why did it take me till 47 to learn about nutrition, and to take myself in hand. Why, when I did every fad diet I heard about, did this not dawn on me?
If we are going to fess up to our weigh-ins, I am up again , for a grand total of half kilo lost all month. Since I lost nothing in October, I am going ro beat myself up a bit, and then realize I weigh over 30 kgs less than 2016. And get back to trying, again and again, until I get there.
Wishing you all the best.
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