200+ Pound Twenties (New Group)

yogadiva

Great job Spikess! New numbers are always exciting

Steffi- sometimes I think it just takes a bit for your body to adjust. I know when I started, my first week wasn't that spectacular, but the second week, I lost a lot. I think everyone's different, so hang in there. You're doing great!

I'm going to try to not graze while at work today. I think I eat better on days when I have class instead of work because at work, people always decided to offer me junk. It's so hard to resist, but I know I'll feel way better if I do. Be strong.....

MelindaCruz

I'll join! I'm 23 and 274... was 307 but much much more to go....

MelindaCruz

i dont understand how to join? can someone help please?

PIXIESTYX85

I'd love to join this group. I'm 25 and 223 lbs. My goal weight is 160 although I'd ideally like to weigh 130.

MysterriGal

Monday weigh in: 238, down from 240. 2lbs weight loss! Pretty good I guess. Probably could have been better, but I may have snuck a snack from work once or twice (I work at McDonalds... sooo hard not to eat it when your giving it to other people for 8 hoursa day!!!) And I really need some nice weather so I can go walking!

tennisref

Down to 224, so a pound and a half. I love everyone's upbeat attitude- even if their week didn't goal as well as they hoped! :happy:

NewfieMrsG- I work at a hotel with a restaurant and part of our compensation was free lunch...they took that away though about a year ago and miraculously I stopped gaining weight! I can only imagine how much harder it is at McDonald's- Keep up the good work!!

steffi1686

I weighed myself earlier (last week Thursday I think) and was at 141.2 which was a 1.6lbs loss for me. YAY!
I started my period on Sunday so I am not sure how that will affect me this week. I have been staying within my goals though.
As of this Monday I still weigh 141.2 so no change from when I weighed in on Thursday.

jocelynk084

Hey everyone! I'm 25 and weigh 208 lbs. I've dealt with yo-yoing with my weight for years now. In the past, I lost weight doing Weight Watchers. But this site seems a little easier, so I'm curious to see how it works for me. It's crazy how much less you eat when you're actually keeping track of every little thing It's also been hard to find motivation, so crossing my fingers that this will do it!

blueeyeddragon2115

Up this week sorry i'm late for the weigh in,

LW: 216.0 lbs
CW: 219.0 lbs
GW on April 30th: 200 lbs

I am trying to skate myself to a new me. An hour yesterday and another hour and 10 min today. Doing good the past couple of days. The weather isprires me to get out there and do something about my weight. Having a hard time with stress this past week but this is a new week and i am determined to make the best of it, now that my body is healed (no more torn tendons), i have challenged myself for this week to exercise an hour everyday, no matter what. As a back up plan if i miss an hour i can complete it the next day, therefore a total of 5 hours of exercise this week. Two hours already down, it can't be that hard, right? Anyone else want to join my challenge?

xecila

Heyyyy, is it too late to join? I'm 23 and a whopping 364lbs. Already lost a little (was 370 when I started- that was an eye opener!) now I'm just trying to get down to my suggested weight - 150lbs.

NOLA_Meg

Sorry to post late but I'm at or around where I was last time I weighed in at 196. My scale at home said 192ish but I went to the doctor and it said 196ish, so I'll go with the latter. I haven't been able to work out the past few days from some mystery pain in my back but hopefully I can start back up with work-outs this week.

Way to go everyone!

Also, I just want to write a little something based on posts I've seen on the "community" section. Most of us here can say we not only want to lose weight, a specific amount in a certain time period, but we want to keep it off. Well I just want to encourage everyone to make choices during this period of "dieting"/"restricting"/"change"/etc that are sustainable. Don't have a mindset of "when I am ____ pounds, then I can do___ / eat ____." For example, I was reading a post from someone about how she only eats grilled chicken and carrots or something. Well, certain restrictive, almost punishing behavior like that can very well lead to binges, weight gain, extensive work-outs to "burn it off" when really you are just fighting guilt that you are beating yourself up with. This can also lead to an eating disorder. Obviously we all make goals and for some of us we create strict guidlines to stem behavior, but you have to leave a little room for "mistakes," because otherwise the more we punish ourselves the more likely we are to give up for good instead of just moving on. Personally, I love ice cream and chocolate. Who doesn't, right? Well, I've decided that those are two things that I will always want to eat, no matter what weight I am. Not everyday. Not huge amounts. But if I can learn to incorporate a healthy amount into a week/month now, and still lose weight, then when I reach my goal weight I will have trained myself to know how much I can have in my diet to feel satisfied without losing control. I am not saying to not be strict, because you know how hard you need to be on yourself personally, but I just get sad when I read some people's profiles and comments on other topics because I feel that so many people are on a vicious cycle of guilt and unhealthy coping mechanisms and set very restrictive goals that can backfire. In fact, I really only read this thread now because, personally, I get overwhelmed with hearing so many opinions about healthy choices that I start second-guessing everything I do when really we as individuals need to understand how we work emotional, physically, spiritually, etc and make choices that we can live by since adopting someone else's way of life will eventually unravel if we haven't tailored it to fit our lives.
On another note, I am concerned about the website and some user's emphasis on "exercise calories." I am not an expert, but I feel that this can be a dangerous mindset. For one, the relationship between the calories we consume and those we burn off in exercise/daily life, are not exactly mathematical. If I burn 100 calories on a walk, it doesn't necessarily mean I can go eat 100 calories of ice cream or carrots or whatever. It has to do with your basal metabolic rate... for most people, you have to work out consistently (at an increased level than what you are at now) to raise your BMR and then you can increase your caloric intake. Obviously if you work out you need to be mindful of your intake of calories so that you don't mess up your blood sugar levels, etc, but really take into account your BMR, your calorie intake goal, and your exercise calorie burn goal to figure out if you really need to add calories every day that you work out. Another reason I worry about this emphasis is that it can lead to punishing behavior like I talked about above. We freak out, right? We eat a whole Papa John's pizza and then decide to spend three hours on the treadmill. Food isn't bad. Eating isn't bad. Even eating a whole pizza isn't bad, not good, but not bad. We don't need to be punished or sit alone and cry, otherwise we will never gain a healthy perspective on food. We just need to learn to make better choices, and when we don't, we make a better decision next time. I feel that this is one (of many reasons) that people plateau at a wt for so long because they condition their bodies to the same amt of calories, the same work-outs, the same food; afraid to eat this and afraid not to work out. Well, in the first days and weeks of losing weight you need a routine. You cut calories, eat more vegetables, decrease soda/sweets/etc, and you exercise, then you start seeing results... after several weeks maybe months of this you won't maybe see results because you've made changes and your body is adjusted to all the changes you made. Well sometimes it is as simple as taking a weekend off from exercising or adding a little (just a little) more fat in your diet to wake up your metabolism. Anyway... these are just a few things I wanted to say. Please feel free to comment or debate, everything is only my opinion and based on personal experience. I just want to prevent self-deprecating habits because behavior changes and sustained healthy behaviors have to be connected with uplifting motivation and positive attitudes, and not through fear or guilt, otherwise, to be blunt, you will be skinny and still hate yourself.

hodakhon

im hoda...27 and 220 lbs now
is it to late to join your group....
caz i need some one to encorage me in my way ...
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

steffi1686

To everyone who is new and wants to join...welcome! We all weigh in on Mondays and share our insights, problems, ect throughout the week. There isn't really a formal structure for joining.

@NOLA: I agree with you about making sustainable choices. That is what I am aiming for. I am trying out different foods, recipes, ect to see if I like them. I hope to have a nice collection of healthy recipes that will become a part of my life. However, I don't force myself to eat things I dislike just to lose weight. Nor do I deprive myself of things like chocolate. I just eat less of it and fit it into my daily goals.

I think a lot of people on the forum overreact when they eat a "forbidden" food. A few days ago someone was angry at themselves for eating a Milky Way bar even though it didn't cause them to go over their goals. In my mind there is nothing to be angry about...making yourself feel guilty over a piece of chocolate isn't healthy behavior. Saying you are never going to eat one of your favorite foods again because of the calories is not sustainable. And like you mentioned it leads to binge eating or being unable to keep your weight down once you have reached your goal. To me this isn't really a diet, it is a tool to help me learn how to eat better.

tennisref

Thanks Nola for the insights. It's nice to get a reminder that our bodies aren't calculators or machines, but living, organic things. I have taken several yoga classes over the years, and the thing that always keeps me coming back for more is the respect that you learn for your body. If you are open to it, your body tells you what it needs.

Not that this anecdote relates very much, but I thought I'd share it.

At work today I was offered some Indian food- I have no idea what it was and therefore can not log it- but I figured it might be something I like and most Indian food is vegetarian and healthy right? One meal is not going to make much of a difference especially since I didn't "pig out". Then after lunch I find out the my manager has just been fired. Well there goes my stress level right through the roof! Now, if this had been a couple months ago, I'd have gone to the refrigerator right after work for some comfort food. To justify my raid I thought, well I'm already off track for the day, so if I splurge tonight, I'll just start fresh tomorrow. Now comes the really cool part. After listening to my body I couldn't even find something that sounded good to eat, and I really wasn't hungry either! So I found something else to do, then made my dinner (almost) as planned and took the dog for walk. And while I'm still quite stressed out and have the urge to eat, it's more like an annoyance than a compulsion. In the end today may not have been a good day for my "diet", but I feel like it's a success for reprogramming my eating habits!

MysterriGal

Tennisref thats awesome! Its days like that, it lets you know that a healthy life is sustainable, because you don't need to be hugely strict to keep on track! Cravings for less than healthy things never really come from our bodies, it comes from society, habits and emotions. Now, I've just got to drill that into my own head!
The big quest really is health, but it goes beyond how much you weigh, your BMI how you look in clothes or whatever, its also about feeling good physically , having healthier outlets (for those of us with an emotional food addiction) and healthier relationship with food, exercise and our bodies as a whole.
I agree these numbers aren't the be all end all, and nor should they be. And even if our bodies were that mathematical, everyones numbers would be different. I think the numbers are a really good teaching tool, since I've been doing this I've found its put alot into perspective. There isn't much I didn't know before, it just makes you think about nutrition more closely and consider portions what foods are more positive for your health. I like being able to see what I've been eating, and it helps me make healthier choices for the rest of the day or reconsider food choices I've been making. I admit I allow "bad" foods in there sometimes, but thats life and no one should beat themselves up over that sort of thing. The problem is were human, were stubborn, we take things too far, and are prone to an all or nothing mentality. Getting past that I think is half the battle, especially since its not something you really think about. It all boils down to moderation in all things. Do not restrict yourself to a point where its not sustainable, but don't over do those less than healthy foods. Exercise and be active, challenge yourself but let yourself be human, and keep that future healthy you in your mind and it should happen.
Thats my perspective, and I guess the way I'm aiming to be. Easier said then done really, but when I get there I think I'll be a whole lot healthier and happier.

valmedellin

I like that that those unhealthy eating habits come from bad habits, society, and emotions. Its so true. Hi all its been awhile since I posted last time I weighed I was 184 but really went off track due to emotional eating. I am trying to get back on track. I'm planning to drive 45 minutes to my gym which is in another town to find out what I weigh. Im actually pretty scared but I've gotta face reality. I was 205 about a year ago but I know I weighed more than that, that is when I actually started eatign right and exercising and could face the scale. I am looking forward to this lifelong journey! : )

jennmcpherson

Hello, so I'm planning on doing my first official weigh in for this group on Monday, I hope it's not to late to join back in!

PIXIESTYX85

Goal Weight: 125
Current Weight: 229



So I'm up about 6 pounds this week. I think some of that is my body reacting to working out and some is easter chocolate. I'm not really discouraged by the gain though because I've always had a hard time finding the right balance between diet and exercise. I'm so motivated this time and as summer approaches and I have beaches awaiting me I will not let myself fail. I went walking with a friend for four hours yesterday through the city and that seems the be the best way for me to exercise without realizing that I'm exercising. Hopefully I can push myself to rollerblade, bike and swim regularly. That's my goal for this week. Good luck everyone else. Keep up the good work




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blueeyeddragon2115

Weighing in again, its been a few weeks and on the rise but hopefully changing that soon.

CW: 219.5 lbs

jennmcpherson

CW 208.3

My goal is to be under the 200 mark in 6 weeks! I can do it!