first day of the rest of my life is today!!!

joycitak

Today is where I begin and hopefully I get to where I want to be. I have tried to lose wieght on many occassions without much success... any and all suggestions will be much appreciated. I am 40 and work overnight shift so its pretty hard to keep a normal schedule... HELP!!!

dgljones

Hi,
I am new to MyFitnessPal (got an ipad for Christmas and was looking for fitness apps) but not new to weight loss.
Back in 2009 I weighed 343lbs (I am a 6 foot male by the way) and decided enough was enough and set myself the goal of getting to 199lbs, which would have been a 144lbs loss.
Three and a bit years later and I am getting pretty close. I was 215lbs when I weighed last Friday. I still eye that 199, but I know I will keep going after that to get to the 180-185 range if I can.
I was randomly reading through some posts here and yours really struck me.
I am 39 now, so we are similar ages. I have always worked late shifts (no longer overnight but I did for years, now I work until midnight) and understand the challenges it creates.
I also battled for many, many years with weight loss, but I truly believe I have it licked for good now. I have been on a slow and steady weight loss for years and have totally turned my eating and exercising habits around.
If I can be of any help then I would love to. I remember how hopeless it felt for me and how I wish the me from now could have been around to give the me from then a pep talk or three.
Not fully sure how the community aspect works, but if there is anyway I can help I would be glad to.

joycitak

thank you so much .. I can use any help I can get. :happy: I am set to be on a mission.. I just hope I can keep my eye on the prize. its so easy to see that cookie in the cabinet and just decide to pick and up and start chomping... ugggg I am at work and I am going to look up recipes now... if you have any pointers plz share... foods, excercise, motivation tips.. anything appreciated. thank you

sweets7664

First off, welcome! I'm new here as well and have found great support from others already!

I can completely relate to your post and could have wrote it myself. I am 36 and also work night shift...it definitely puts a different spin on things. In my profession, it is go, go, go (you would think weight would drop from that alone), and I don't always get a break to sit down and eat something...a lot of times it's a quick shove of something in my mouth, (literally, like 30 seconds and that's it), then it's back on the floor. It's really hard to break into healthier eating habits when a lifestyle is as such. Nevermind sometimes only getting in two meals a day, sometimes one, since sleep has to fit in there as well.

I have been trying to bring more fruit to work....that way if I have to shove, at least it's something healthier than chips or whatever high calorie, high sodium item left for the staff. I also quit bringing in change or dollar bills..if I don't have it on me, I can't spend it in the vending machine...and slow nights tend to harbor snacking, that's for sure!

You can do anything you set your mind to.

dgljones

Number 1 thing for me is I prepare my own meals and make enough for a few containers and put them in the fridge ready to grab on my way to work. When I go to work I take a small prepared salad, a prepared main meal and a piece of fruit for desert. I also take something for a snack (usually a trail mix bar or the like). I take a break about 2 and a half hours in go for a walk around the parking lot where I work, eat my snack and call my wife to say hi.
A couple of hours later I go to the breakroom, use the microwave and eat my meal.
I never carry cash so no vending machine, I don't leave work so no fastfood restaurants.
I stick to eating at the same times and I control what I am eating and how it is prepared.
People claim it takes too long to make their own food, but I usually spend 20 minutes or so making food for 2 or 3 days.
Work is going to get hectic and stressful, but if you have your food done there is no reason to use that as an excuse to be bad.

spamantha57

Congrats & welcome! I'm not sure what a normal schedule is, but I'm pretty sure it's for other people haha. The best thing I can say to get started is find out what works best for YOU - what works for others or even for most may not be the best way for you. I have my food & eating down good, just have to focus on being very active again since I wasn't able to at all for a couple years. Good luck & have fun! Yes - eating healthy & exercising can actually be fun.