NEED TO LOSE 100 LBS OR MORE !

I have to share this......

Top 10 things I've learned along the way


1. The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday - I borrowed this saying from my MFP pal Brutesquad (who borrowed it from the Navy Seals), but it sums it all up better than anything else I can think of. If you became obese, you will fight the “battle of the bulge” for the rest of your life. Apparently the most recent science from Yale and Cornell supports this phenomena - - one that most of us have experienced first-hand. Even if you reach your “ideal” weight after much effort, and hold it there for years; your body remembers that it was once heavy and wants to get back to that nice comfy place where they serve jelly doughnuts. You will always need to consume less calories than someone who is the same size as you, but who spent their entire life at the “ideal weight.” So, as many have said before, this must be a lifestyle change, not a temporary change. Diets are great to get you started, but no “diet tricks” will ever work for maintaining your weight. If you “diet” and then go back to your old method of eating, then you will just gain it all right back. You have to keep hammering away at the fat enemy every day for the rest of your life. You can whine about how unfair this all is, or you can accept it and get to work.

2. Eat Less and Move More - That is the only answer to the weight problem. Now, tomorrow and 50 years from now, if you want to weigh less you have to do both of these things. I don’t care whether you go paleo, Atkins, low calorie, low fat, vegan, or whatever floats your boat. I don't care if you run, swim, lift, bike, or zumba. If it means you eat less than you burn every day, go with it. One approach may work better for you than another, and you can adjust things up and down as needed for your body situation, goals and metabolism, but this unforgiving rule of physics is one you cannot escape. You have to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. And, you have to burn just as many calories as you take in to stay at that weight; every week from now until you are pushing up daisies. Anybody who tells you different and promises a “miracle” fix is lying.

3. Do Something You Like - You need to, for the most part, enjoy your fitness journey, or at least not hate it. If you hate your exercise routine, and it feels like torture every day, you will fail. Willpower alone can only take you so far. Once you figure out what you have to do (to meet Rule #2) and find exercises you enjoy (or at least can tolerate), you can go on cruise control and just go out and get it done every day. I know; you don’t like exercise, right? So find the ones you hate the least and do them until you learn to like them! You will enjoy them more than the diabetes/stroke/heart attack which are behind Door #2.

4. Do The (Hard) Work - I hate to break it to you, but you have got to work hard to make body changes. There is no fitness system, pill, or gizmo that will ever give you a flat stomach, a firm butt, or the physique you want. If you think there is, you will be continually disappointed and poorer for it. What “hard” means will vary from person to person, but you have to challenge your body and fitness level if you want them to change. Depending on your fitness level, a 5 minute brisk walk may be “hard.” Do it anyway if you want results. If you don’t want results, why are you reading this?

5. Eat some damn breakfast - I know its early - just do it. Your body will thank you.

6. Drink a bunch of water - Seriously! Keep drinking it every day. Drink ½ your body weight in ounces or as much as you can stand, whichever comes first. It helps. It also keeps you away from soda and sugared drinks which is HUGE for cutting calories.

7. Don't allow yourself to get HUNGRY - Eat something (preferably something healthy) at least every four hours unless you are sleeping. That “I could eat a horse” feeling will lead to trouble – metabolically speaking.

8. Eat Stuff That Used to Be Alive - I am not an “All Natural Organic Everything” type of guy, but I get the argument. If all you eat is a bunch of chemicals, why are you surprised that you feel lousy? I never read a food label before this year, but when I started doing it – wow, what an eye opener (both from a calorie and an ingredient standpoint). I don’t care what the carb/protein/fat mix is as long as you are hitting your nutrient and calorie goals, and you feel good, but the stuff that used to be a part of nature had better be the foundation of each meal. Everybody eats processed foods from time to time, but try to keep them to a minimum. They tend to offer less fiber, less nutritional value, and are less satiating. Thus, you eat more which is how we all got here. Most of the natural stuff is packed with fiber. Fiber's effect is the opposite of snack foods’. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady. You stay sane and your body works efficiently to burn calories - it's win-win.

9. Make a Plan - If you haven’t thought about how you will get your workouts in, or how you will meet, but not exceed, your calorie goals, don’t be surprised when you fail. Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. How you do it is up to you, but you better make a plan and stick to it. Figure out your BMR, your TDEE, and adjust your Plan as needed. Find a goal and make your plan to reach it. I don't care if its a target weight, a little pink bikini, or a marathon finish. Write it down, and work at reaching that goal. Wing it, and you might as well say “Goodbye diet - hello diabetes.”

10. Don’t Quit - If you fall off the horse, you get back on. It’s as simple as that. Life will put obstacles in your path, and you will fail from time to time. Just don’t quit. You, and your loved ones, are worth the effort. Mine certainly are. Yours are too, aren't they?

Remember, the only easy day was yesterday. (Sorry, I don't make the rules - I've just gotta live with them the same as everyone else.) I didn't think any of this stuff up, I just learned it the hard way.

Got it? Great, now go get to work! You got this!

Wow - Joe, GREAT stuff. Thank you for posting it.......

I'm sorry but haven't got much to offer this morning. I am totally dragging today---just could not sleep last night. Fitbit tells me I woke up 20 times. I believe it.........so tired, have a headache, and my butt is dragging (probably both literally and figuratively). Don't know what was eating at me last night. I'd like to be a little kid again----anyone else remember taking a mat to school and having nap time? Oh and that was after a carton of milk (and I usually selected chocolate). Misty memories..........

Okay, snapping back to it. Truth is I know I've gotta consistently move it. And my Fitbit says I'm not doing enough and who can argue with an electronic device. I'm aiming for the 10,000 steps a day that seemingly every expert recommends. This really is not easy for me. I started with my Fitbit in May at 1,100 steps a day. (She hears a collective intake of breath from the crowd----) Yes, very, very sedentary. I'm going to do my best. This will likely always be my rock to push up the hill.......

Wishing everyone well. Off for another glass of water. :drinker:

Oh and Morgori, no dragonfruit at the grocery store so I had a Kiwi yesterday. :laugh: I heard that when they get dragonfruit they sell out quickly. They must be MAGIC. :laugh:

Lin (exiting slowly)

Hello everyone, happy Tuesday to you.

I am thrilled to have found some support/encouragement on here from some other guys who have succeeded in weight loss goals similar to mine. MFP is such a blessing to me.

GOALS (I guess I'll post up how I'm doing on these next Tuesday):

1. We're headed to the beach on September 15. My goal is to reach 25lbs lost by then. That's only 4.5 weeks away, so that's a bit faster than 2lbs a week, but it's target to shoot for.

2. Conquer the temptation to splurge when we eat out anytime in the next week. If I can begin the habit of ordering healthy food and stopping before I'm full now, it will be easier to continue.

3. Go walking in our neighborhood for 30 minutes at least three times this week.

Good Morning Everyone-

Tuesday's goal-
Fitness related- check out the new gym my job just built and possibly sign up it's $10.00 a month can't beat that.

non fitness related-- buy new work pants I have gained most of my weight lost back over the last 2 months or so. None of my clothes fit.

@Tina- Congrats on the school stuff! The Coach purse is a awesome reward.

@bellawares- God Bless you for being such a good person to help out your family in their time of need. I would state like someone else did make time to take care of you. Also the personal trainer thing does suck but why waste more money on person who says they can't help you. Could be your blessing in disguise.

@Skinny- Thanks for the house wishes!

Tuesday Goal:::: This has been my goal for the past few weeks/months? I have kind of fallen off and just haven't quite found my way back. I'm not totally gone. Just sometimes. Like yesterday I made horrible food decisions and didn't get any exercise in. This week is going to be very hectic for me. My daughter starts pre-k Thursday and right after she gets out of school Thursday and I get off work at 12pm we are heading to Tennessee to be with my best friend after her hip surgery. To help her out and such. And today is pre-k registration and tomorrow is pre-k orientation. And then Thursday she starts and we'll be gone Thursday and be home Sunday. And so eating is going to be hard while I'm at her house. I'm going to do my best. I need to figure out what I'm doing SO differently than when I was consistently losing. I keep yo-yoing and it's driving me crazy. My lowest was 214, yesterday I was 220. I WILL get this figured out. I am SO close to "onederland" and to my new coach purse COME ON what more motivation do I need?!?!?!? I'm still at least tracking the best I can and really working on it.

I'll get there.

Have a Terrific Tuesday everyone

Tina

Wow, you're so far along! And so close!

You might do well to try and plan ahead for meals/snacks so you don't fall off the wagon in your busy schedule. I'm in the same boat and that's what i'm trying to do.

A friend said something to this effect yesterday that really resonated with me....

Just because you had a bad meal doesn't mean you have to have a bad day.
Just because you had a bad day doesn't mean you have to have a bad week.
Just because you had a bad week doesn't mean you have to have a bad month.
Just because you had a bad month doesn't mean you have to have a bad year.
Just because you had a bad year/years doesn't mean you have to have a bad life.

I'm trying to plan as far as this trip goes. She might have me make dinner. She's having hip surgery so wont be up and moving a lot.
Those words are SO true. For so long thats why I never succeeded. I would have a bad day and be like oh well screw it. But this is my life style now. I just sometimes struggle with it. And I understand that will happen from time to time. I'm prepared for it. Just having a rough patch and doing the best I can.
Hopefully I get time for a nice walk/jog tonight...if not I have my lovely elliptical that is waiting for me at home

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support during the past week. I have been trying to read the thread but have been neglecting in the support area big time:blushing: . I apologize for not responding to posts.

Tuesday Goals :flowerforyou:

1. Right now my main goal is to get some sort of order back. I need to work on getting everyone back on schedule so I can function properly and keep my sanity :laugh: .

2. Find someone to clean my mother's house. I just do not have enough time in my day to take care of my condo and clean her 5 bedroom home. My ultimate goal would be to sell the house and move her into her favorite retirement home but that will not be an easy task. She will not give up that house with out a fight so I'm definitely going to have to take baby steps with that plan :bigsmile: .

3. Get back to my exercise schedule at the gym and back to walking my trails. I refuse to let all that has happened derail my weight loss progress. I have worked too hard the past 2 years to lose 86 lbs and get my knees back in motion to quit now.

Tuesday goals - I posted this on my profile earlier, "Today is my first day... again. I've been entirely frustrated by my reduction lately, or lack thereof. Whatever I am doing I am doing it very very wrong. So today I am starting over. It's obvious that I cannot eat back exercise calories and expect to reduce. Nightly binges aren't doing me any favors either, even if they are covered by exercise calories (which I no longer have). I bought a food scale, now I need to use it, a lot. I am actually proud of myself about my exercise habits, just HAVING exercise habits feels pretty awesome. The values that MFP gives for calories burned is way the hell off though, so I am just going to reduce my calories burned by half. I am announcing this to you all so that it is real, something that I need to be doing everyday. aug" That's my goals then. Better food choices, less junk, more exercise, and less fibbing.

@Bella - You have a tough row to hoe, I'm pulling for ya. Here's prayin.

@Skinnyjeanzbound - I think your husband is alright, we BBQ snobs are very close that way.

aug

Tuesday Goals: I haven't really thought about it to be honest. I'm just taking it one meal at a time and one day at a time. I was at the gym this AM at 6:00 and upped my work out. It was tough at first, but I really pushed through. I was sweating like crazy!! I did lock my keys in my car, but no bigge. Thank goodness for AAA. Work should be fine. I plan to swim tonight for 20-30 minutes. I'm looking forward to the rest of my day. I'm going to make it a good one!!!

I have to share this......

Top 10 things I've learned along the way


1. The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday - I borrowed this saying from my MFP pal Brutesquad (who borrowed it from the Navy Seals), but it sums it all up better than anything else I can think of. If you became obese, you will fight the “battle of the bulge” for the rest of your life. Apparently the most recent science from Yale and Cornell supports this phenomena - - one that most of us have experienced first-hand. Even if you reach your “ideal” weight after much effort, and hold it there for years; your body remembers that it was once heavy and wants to get back to that nice comfy place where they serve jelly doughnuts. You will always need to consume less calories than someone who is the same size as you, but who spent their entire life at the “ideal weight.” So, as many have said before, this must be a lifestyle change, not a temporary change. Diets are great to get you started, but no “diet tricks” will ever work for maintaining your weight. If you “diet” and then go back to your old method of eating, then you will just gain it all right back. You have to keep hammering away at the fat enemy every day for the rest of your life. You can whine about how unfair this all is, or you can accept it and get to work.

2. Eat Less and Move More - That is the only answer to the weight problem. Now, tomorrow and 50 years from now, if you want to weigh less you have to do both of these things. I don’t care whether you go paleo, Atkins, low calorie, low fat, vegan, or whatever floats your boat. I don't care if you run, swim, lift, bike, or zumba. If it means you eat less than you burn every day, go with it. One approach may work better for you than another, and you can adjust things up and down as needed for your body situation, goals and metabolism, but this unforgiving rule of physics is one you cannot escape. You have to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. And, you have to burn just as many calories as you take in to stay at that weight; every week from now until you are pushing up daisies. Anybody who tells you different and promises a “miracle” fix is lying.

3. Do Something You Like - You need to, for the most part, enjoy your fitness journey, or at least not hate it. If you hate your exercise routine, and it feels like torture every day, you will fail. Willpower alone can only take you so far. Once you figure out what you have to do (to meet Rule #2) and find exercises you enjoy (or at least can tolerate), you can go on cruise control and just go out and get it done every day. I know; you don’t like exercise, right? So find the ones you hate the least and do them until you learn to like them! You will enjoy them more than the diabetes/stroke/heart attack which are behind Door #2.

4. Do The (Hard) Work - I hate to break it to you, but you have got to work hard to make body changes. There is no fitness system, pill, or gizmo that will ever give you a flat stomach, a firm butt, or the physique you want. If you think there is, you will be continually disappointed and poorer for it. What “hard” means will vary from person to person, but you have to challenge your body and fitness level if you want them to change. Depending on your fitness level, a 5 minute brisk walk may be “hard.” Do it anyway if you want results. If you don’t want results, why are you reading this?

5. Eat some damn breakfast - I know its early - just do it. Your body will thank you.

6. Drink a bunch of water - Seriously! Keep drinking it every day. Drink ½ your body weight in ounces or as much as you can stand, whichever comes first. It helps. It also keeps you away from soda and sugared drinks which is HUGE for cutting calories.

7. Don't allow yourself to get HUNGRY - Eat something (preferably something healthy) at least every four hours unless you are sleeping. That “I could eat a horse” feeling will lead to trouble – metabolically speaking.

8. Eat Stuff That Used to Be Alive - I am not an “All Natural Organic Everything” type of guy, but I get the argument. If all you eat is a bunch of chemicals, why are you surprised that you feel lousy? I never read a food label before this year, but when I started doing it – wow, what an eye opener (both from a calorie and an ingredient standpoint). I don’t care what the carb/protein/fat mix is as long as you are hitting your nutrient and calorie goals, and you feel good, but the stuff that used to be a part of nature had better be the foundation of each meal. Everybody eats processed foods from time to time, but try to keep them to a minimum. They tend to offer less fiber, less nutritional value, and are less satiating. Thus, you eat more which is how we all got here. Most of the natural stuff is packed with fiber. Fiber's effect is the opposite of snack foods’. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady. You stay sane and your body works efficiently to burn calories - it's win-win.

9. Make a Plan - If you haven’t thought about how you will get your workouts in, or how you will meet, but not exceed, your calorie goals, don’t be surprised when you fail. Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. How you do it is up to you, but you better make a plan and stick to it. Figure out your BMR, your TDEE, and adjust your Plan as needed. Find a goal and make your plan to reach it. I don't care if its a target weight, a little pink bikini, or a marathon finish. Write it down, and work at reaching that goal. Wing it, and you might as well say “Goodbye diet - hello diabetes.”

10. Don’t Quit - If you fall off the horse, you get back on. It’s as simple as that. Life will put obstacles in your path, and you will fail from time to time. Just don’t quit. You, and your loved ones, are worth the effort. Mine certainly are. Yours are too, aren't they?

Remember, the only easy day was yesterday. (Sorry, I don't make the rules - I've just gotta live with them the same as everyone else.) I didn't think any of this stuff up, I just learned it the hard way.

Got it? Great, now go get to work! You got this!

WOW Words to live by. Thanks

Tuesday goal-- Well my food goal for this month is where I want it, but my exercise goal isn't. Just a little sit back. My som and I both go back to school Monday. I'll be able to get into a routine then.