Ready to get healthy, not skinny. Supportive friends needed.

stephdeeable
stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey guys! My names Steph, I'm 27 and live in Ontario, Canada.

I've been on MFP twice before and each time I lost about 20 pounds over 6 weeks, messed up, gave up and both times I gained back the 20 pounds, plus another 40-60. I started back this time at my absolute heaviest, 320.

I feel ready to start again, as I've approached it this time with a more positive attitude. I'm definitley the type of person who starts things by being absolutely perfect, and then when I mess up even once, I decide I can't do it and give up altogether.

This time, I want to focus more on becoming healthy then being skinny. Losing weight is definitely a big goal, but more than anything, I'm tired of being sick and tired all the time. Tired of the joint and back pain, tired of chronic heartburn, tired of worrying about my risk of diabetes tired of the depression and anxiety that comes with being morbidly obsese, tired of all of it.

So far, I've off to a good start. It's been a week and I've lost 10 pounds, although I know that will slow down very fast. I'm not following any program, just eating tons of veggies/fruits, nuts/seed, lean meat, dairy and whole grains. Slowly getting into exercise, plan to join a gym within the next couple of months, but for now am walking to and from work every day(averages about 6 hours a week). My long term goal is to lose about 150 pounds.

Also, I work at McDonalds and have for almost 8 years. This is obviously an extra challenge for me, especially since I get my food free as I'm a manager.

Anyways, this is getting long. Basically, the last two times I used this site I mainly used it to count calories, and lurk the message boards but never really took advantage of making like-minded friends or joining any groups for support. So please feel free to add me as a friend or suggest a group for me to join.

Thanks everyone, and good luck to us all. :)

Replies

  • mmmurphy585
    mmmurphy585 Posts: 36 Member
    Feel free to add me. Everyone needs support and encouragement. :)
  • cs821
    cs821 Posts: 48
    You can defo add me, am willing to help and learn as much I can. we can do this together :smile:
  • brookeketchem
    brookeketchem Posts: 13 Member
    The first step to being healthier is having a healthy mind set. You most certainly have it. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey to finding a healthier you. Add me if you like.
  • aminakhan1980
    aminakhan1980 Posts: 105 Member
    I think its great to focus on getting healthy, rather than just getting "skinny". Worry more about what you put in your mouth and what are the benefits of what you eat. Eat foods that will nourish your body, not just make you full. I have been falling off the wagon in recent weeks with my eating and I'm devestated by it. I have to really look at what I'm eating and LOG EVERYTHING so I can be held accountable. This is a life long journey; there will be ups and downs but the point is to keep going and love yourself enough to take care of your body. I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Your attitude is great, please do keep it up. And by the way, I could never work at McDonalds. Hats off to you for controling yourself while at work! Good luck!
  • castell5
    castell5 Posts: 234 Member
    Hi, Working at McDonalds for 8 years.. well, I used to work at Burger King and with the "free food" all of us who worked there, kind of got sick of it.
    So maybe working at the fast food place isn't going to be your hard issue.

    The hard issue is not seeing the results quick enough to be gratified for the deprivation you feel you are doing to yourself.
    First thing to know, you aren't depriving yourself, you are healing yourself and your esteem and your overall general feeling.

    I used to nap every day, had to have my nap, sometimes two. I was 177 lbs (my heaviest) and I felt very glum all the time.
    One day, for whatever reason, I woke up dirt early (7:30am) and said, this is it.. I'm sick and tired of being fat and I am going to do something about it starting today. That was May 6, 2012. Almost 6 months ago.

    I decided I'd be a runner. Now mind you, I have never been a runner in my life and didn't even like running. The first day out, I couldn't make one lap at the high school track. I felt like couldn't breathe, my shoulder muscles were all tight. I wanted to unzip my chest to breathe and I have to say, I was NOT enjoying myself. But I didn't quit, I ran, I used the Tony Little Gazelle, Swam, Jumped on our trampoline. Something every day for at least 30 minutes. In a short amount of time, I started to realize I wasn't looking for my nap anymore. My leg muscles were developing and I was running further. My clothes were getting loser and I was succeeding.

    My daughter just showed me this site about 2 wks ago. I LOVE it! I am 100% going to rely on this site to help me maintain the weigh loss so far and to lose that last 5 lbs cause as of today, I am now 140. 37 lbs down!

    You have taken the first step, you put yourself in the right frame of mind! Good luck and more power to you!
  • caitlyn30
    caitlyn30 Posts: 207 Member
    "Once you get tired of being sick and tired, I think that's a good thing. Because that's when you're ready to admit you have a problem, to really look for change.":smile:
  • annethomson58
    annethomson58 Posts: 1
    All the best Steph. Treat each day as a new day. Just because you slipped up last time or even 10 minutes ago doesn't mean the whole thing is a failure. Pick yourself up and carry on. Say to yourself "I have worked hard to get this far and to turn around and undo that is being cruel to myself. "
    Build in your treats and know that you can legitimately enjoy them at the end of the day and won't feel deprived.
    Will be looking out to see how you're doing. Blessings Anne
  • sherryjohnson2012
    sherryjohnson2012 Posts: 102 Member
    welcome back to being on the right tract. I love McDonalds salads, so eat away!! :) add me If you'd like, Im always on and love encourging my friends. :)
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
    Weight loss follows good health. You can get healthy by eating healthy food. I am part of an Eat to Live group here on MFP. you might want to check out www.drfuhrman.com and see if it is for you. Particularly this video link: http://www.drfuhrman.com/voiceamerica/mp3s/fuhrman011007.mp3

    It is a program centered around eating nutritious food, not junk food or "products" or some gimmick. Just plain old food. check it out and see if it is for you.

    I would also suggest a program that helped me get on track this time for good: www.fatloser.com Steve Siebold is a nationally recognized motivational speaker. he sends you a video each day for 28 days and then he is gone. Nothing to buy, you pick the "diet" and exercise. He just helps to motivate you. All free and spam free.

    Good luck to you this time. keep searching for what works for you.
  • christmasjingle
    christmasjingle Posts: 10 Member
    Feel free to add me...I too want to be healthy! We can do this even if we slip up a day or two.
  • mercymarque
    mercymarque Posts: 450
    Don't give up... U have the tools to lose you've done it before. Plan you foods... track everything you put in your mouth. Drink lots of water. If you have a bad day it's okay, tomorrow is a new day. Working at a fast food place is probably difficult, try to plan and bring you own meals. Feel free to add me. Good luck on ur weight loss journey.
  • Crosbinium
    Crosbinium Posts: 415 Member
    Feel free to add me. I am on the same journey to be healthy. Just hit my first milestone of 225. It has been a four month journey for me so far. I log daily, eat pretty clean and comment often :)
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    Wow. Thanks to everyone for all the tips/messages/friend requests so far!

    As for the McDonalds thing, I am pretty sick of the food after all these years, so far I've only been tempted when I'm stressed out at work. Also, I unfortunately work at a small McDonalds that has no salads, grilled chicken, yogurt, oatmeal or any of our "healthy" menu items. So I've been bringing my own lunch and snacks everyday. If I work a breakfast shift I just bring a whole wheat english muffin and make my own Egg Mcmuffin ( we do use real eggs, so I'm okay with it). So far it hasn't been as big of a challenge as I thought it could be.
  • WolffEarl
    WolffEarl Posts: 379 Member
    Greetings to you, fellow Ontarian. I think your new focus on getting healthy, rather than just dropping pounds is exactly the right approach. And with all the walking you do/planning to do you will get so much fitter in no time. I have up and down the fitness/weight ladder myself but find that it is certainly getting easier to stay more committed each time. At least the straying from the healthy roads are getting shorter. So be well, young lady and the best of good fortune to you.
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    Thank you! Where in Ontario are you? I'm in the Kingston area.
  • justmarried15
    justmarried15 Posts: 60 Member
    Feel free to add me! My name is also Steph, I'm also 27, and I live in Toronto :)
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    Feel free to add me! My name is also Steph, I'm also 27, and I live in Toronto :)

    I'm jealous. If I lived in Toronto, I'd never cook and just eat at Fresh everyday. I go there every time I visit Toronto. Yum.
  • katg73
    katg73 Posts: 77 Member
    Hi Steph,

    I'm Katrina, and I too recently started back on MFP. I put it on my phone 5 months ago and never logged in coz I just was not ready, even if I had the right intentions. I came back to it very easily when a friend asked me if I was on it. Here's why I was so ready so quickly after just being asked if I even had it - about 3-4 months ago, I read a quote that went something like this:

    Change the way you think about eating: Eating should not be considered an INDULGENCE, rather it should be recognized as a MEANS OF SURVIVAL.

    I live in Northern California where we have a plethora of different kinds of foods thanks to the richness of culture and diversity out here. Naturally, eating became more of an indulgence instead of what it really is at its core - something that we need to do to live. Now remember I said I read this quote 3-4 months ago? Well, you can see that it took me a couple months for that to really sink it. It was very powerful when I read it, but I had to let the idea marinate in my mind for a while for it to really become cemented as a solid thought in my mind.

    Another thing that took me a while was that my boyfriend has a metabolism that is at the speed of light!!!!!! His core is also naturally hotter, thus making it a piece of cake for him to burn off calories without EVER working out. This also was a challenge for me. I made all the excuses in the world - "eating healthy is expensive," "I don't want to have to buy us separate kinds of food," (he wants to gain weight, I want to lose weight) and "I don't want to have to cook twice each time for us" etc., etc. So as you can see, it really does take time to get in the right mind set and I can see that you are there now! CONGRATS! It takes some serious time to decide to change these things and even more time to start actually doing it and even MORE time to stick to it! I, like you, just want to be HEALTHY. That's the most important thing for me.

    Anyway, feel free to add me also :). I'm always looking for positive folks that have like-minded goals!
  • livinbb
    livinbb Posts: 84 Member
    Feel free to add me :) I'm from Ontario too. Love that you are focusing on being healthy and not "skinny".
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    I have been thinking a lot lately about my motivation to change my lifestyle, and I decided that being skinny is one of the least important things to me. For one, I have an amazing boyfriend who loves me for who i am, so I'm not worried about impressing anyone or being seen as "attractive" to men. But mostly, I've been obese for over 10 years. I'm not trying to look good in a bikini, even if I lose 150 pounds, I will always have stretch marks and loose skin. I'm never going to be a waif, I'm a big tall girl with wide shoulders, big hands and big feet. I'm okay, or semi-okay at least, knowing I most likely will never have a bangin' bikini bod.

    But, I CAN improve my health, that is something I can control. I think changing my priorities is what will give me a better chance at doing this in the long term.
  • Leahbcc
    Leahbcc Posts: 38 Member
    McD's now offers a bunch of other things that don't have as much fat...the oatmeal and salads are very nice. Keep up the good work and I will be in your corner. :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    You can add me!:)
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    McD's now offers a bunch of other things that don't have as much fat...the oatmeal and salads are very nice. Keep up the good work and I will be in your corner. :smile: :flowerforyou:
    The bad news is, I work at a tiny McDonalds, we have no salads, grilled chicken, yogurt or oatmeal. Just the bad stuff. I've just been bringing my own food.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    Kudos to you Steph an starting again...don't give up this time. You can do it! I've been on every diet known to man kind (except Atkins) and have yo-yo'd my whole life. At the age of 38 I finally decided I had to once & for all do something serious before i turned 40 and maybe I didn't have a chance.

    I did that and lost 35 lbs and kept it off for over 4 years. I did gain 12 lbs back last year due to a lot of life changes, home, state, jobs, pet death, etc. However, I am happy to report I'm now down 10 lbs and have decided to cushion that a little with 3 more pounds, so now I have 5 lbs to go.

    I love to exercise: run, walk, skate, bike, hike, dance, martial arts, you name it. I was never "sporty" as a kid but I've learned it all as an adult. I know you can do it too! I am also big on eating vegetables. :smile:

    If you want some good motivation & support ..feel free to add me. I am happy to be healthy and finally fit and enjoy helping others get to their goal as well (the healthy way)!!
  • mollz007
    mollz007 Posts: 168 Member
    Good to see you came back.. welcome! Good for you for wanting to lose weight for the right reasons... I am also concerned about health. My husband has diabetes and I am scared of getting it too. Also, my BP is high and my doctor keeps telling me to lose weight. Good for you for committing to losing again.. I know how hard it can be when you work at a food place. I used to work in a bagel shop and I think thats how I first became overweight... lol! I am going to add you.:smile: Good luck!

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