want to loose weight by 40th birthday

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hrmom26
hrmom26 Posts: 53 Member
in Introduce Yourself
My name is Heather i have 2 kids 17 and 14 both in high school. i have been busting my *** trying to loose weight for over a year and now i am turning 39 in march and i realized if i don't do this now i will be entering my 40's 100 pounds over weight. , my issues to date are obsessing on food for this, I mean all day i am thinking "is it time to eat?" "what will i eat" ... "da** I'm hungry" lol or i loose the first 10 pounds easy but then i start to slow down and then i start to cheat and then one cheat leads to two then next thing i know i gained back the 10 i lost and i am back feeling bad and wanting to loose again.

i have tried everything , weightwatchers {i lost 30 on that but i couldn't keep it up long term and then gained it all back} i have tried about every fad diet i have tried the drink diets have a shake for lunch a sensible dinner, those never last a week lol

what i like about myfitnesspal is its making me more aware of what i eat and how many calories. i think this is a major thing for me i tend to slip off my diets by making excuses as to well, i bet this is only a couple calories lol and then from there its a slippery slop but with this app its in black and white no way for me to fudge it so its easier to stay focused if that makes sense

one thing that has helped my obsessing on food all day was kind of a ah-ha moment as Oprah would say i was watching my son and thinking how can the boy forget to eat? {he does it all the time i constantly say Jason have you eaten lunch} anyway it dawned on me that to him eating is just something he has to do but for me it was ... essential or rather eating for me was a major thing i did everyday , a pleasure thing. so if i am going to get myself healthy i have to switch my thought process from thinking eating is a major part of my day to just something i have to do. now i remind myself all the time when i start thinking to much to stop do something else that food was not everything it was just something and so far its helping.
I'm looking for weightloss buddy's anyone that is willing to help keep me on track and i will help you as well i am very hopeful this time i will succeed i try to visualize myself thinner when i start to obsess on eating to keep me on track as well

Replies

  • dawn_eichert
    dawn_eichert Posts: 487 Member
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    Hello Heather

    I am turning 40 in just over a month now (march as well) with 2 kids (10 and 14). I have decided that while I can't get close to my goal before 40, I am going to make a good start before then. Previously I had lost 35 using MFP and then quit logging daily and it slowly came back on over the past two years. Now I know that this needs to be part of my lifestyle and not just some sort of short term thing. One thing I recommend if to take a look at your BMR and TDEE. I found that the 1200 cals that MFP was giving me was just not enough and I couldn't sustain it. Then I started reading posts about TDEE and it made alot more sense to me. I have been at 1520 a day now for about two weeks and what a difference. I am still seeing the weight coming off but I am not starving. Here is a link if you want to take a look. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Friend request coming. We can do this and you are in an even better place as you have the next year before you turn 40.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    Good luck on your journey! Read around the forums and educate yourself on all of the amazing science parts of weight loss - you'll find that food can still be pleasurable and delicious if you do things right.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Welcome to the 'want to be fit and 40' club!

    When I was 39, I decided that the time was now, joined MFP and lost 66 pounds. I've been maintaining my weight loss for eight months now. For me... the key to finally losing and keeping it off was the simplest thing ever. For years, I had been making it harder for myself than I needed to - following specific diets, cutting foods out of my diet completely, going on very low calorie plans, etc.

    In the end, it was a small daily cut of 250 calories and focusing on being more active in every day life. I ate whatever I liked (in moderation), did a few real workouts a week and stayed within my calorie goal. Once my activity was added in, most days I ate 2000-2400 calories. Over the year, my extra weight melted away, slowly but effortlessly.

    I'm 5'9" and now weigh 135 lbs.

    You can do this! :smile:
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
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    Part of having an "ah-ha" moment is being receptive, and it sounds like you are ready to receive them! You can do this! Just remember, little mess ups (going over on calories this day or that, not getting to exercise this morning, having that donut, et) are not failures - as long as you are trying you are not failing. You do not fail unless you quit!
  • lsegatti
    lsegatti Posts: 77 Member
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    I think you have had a great "AAAH HA" moment already. Some people eat to live and others live to eat! Knowing that you have identified your category will help you rethink what and when you eat. You are correct that the calories and portion size sneaks up on us when we do reach for something.

    Work on "thinking" through some of the planning of meals and your foods for the day, write them down if you have to and then move on to other things to do. When you reach for the cracker box or think about the refrigerator calling your name, focus your energies on even just getting up and walking around the house, drink a glass of water and then move on back the productive part of your day. You need to address the thoughts with actions that are positive, slowly over time your behaviors and thoughts should adjust to easier and better outcomes.

    None of us got heavier overnight and none of us will fix the problem overnight! Best of luck for today and......tomorrow!
  • meganlynn0103
    meganlynn0103 Posts: 251
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    I am about 65lbs away from my goal. I said i will get it off and keep it by the time i am 30 because after that it will be way to hard. I have always been the one that wants the quick fix diet and stuff of that nature. I will take the magic pill and lose weight but then i what made me finally change it was that i hit 260lbs and my bad eating habits and lazyness was affecting my 11 year old daughter. So i had to do something. I am totally here for you as long as you really want it. MFP is an awesome site and i am not sure where i would be with out it. I am also planning on getting Dr. Ian Smith's new book "Shred" to see if that will help with more results. I lost weight so easy at first and no matter how hard i tried it got to the point where i couldnt lose anything. I stopped really trying in Sept. But i am back at it and watch my food and get in some kind of workout in everyday.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    Yeah, re: your son; the "eat to live" vs "live to eat" thing. My husband is eat to live, I was live to eat.
    You can do it. When is your 40th?
    Just log everything you eat. Try to make healthy choices and be aware of portion sizes. Use a food scale if necessary. Find what works for you and stick to it. Read labels.
    Best of luck to you
  • Gerald_King
    Gerald_King Posts: 2,031 Member
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    I will help you and encourage you if you like :flowerforyou: :happy:
  • melast74
    melast74 Posts: 2
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    Hello! I turn 39 next month....while I only have about 20# to lose....I still need to lose.......and I am very down on myself.:frown:
  • boopbabs
    boopbabs Posts: 28 Member
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    Hi Heather! My name is Barbara and I am turning 40 in December. I am a wife and a mother of a 20-year old son and a 2-1/2 year old daughter. I work full-time outside of the home and am active in my church's ministries. I am a buy mama. I recently joined the gym and hired a personal trainer. I also started using MFP at the same time - Jan. 1st!

    I started this journey weighing in at 261 lbs. and my goal is 130 lbs. or a healthy size 7.

    It seems we struggle with the same things. I am still astonished at the amount of calories seemingly "good" things have. Foods can still be healthy but heavy on the calories. I'm getting used to this new way of thinking, as I am Diabetic (Type 2) so I have never counted calories, just carbs and sugars.

    MFP surely does keep me in check and I like learning everyday foods I can have, foods that keep me full longer - because like you, I am always "hungry!" - and how much excercise will it take to burn this and that snack.

    Good luck on your journey. My goal is to lose 1-2 lbs. each week and I am trying not to weight myself too much.
  • Miss_Tina_Marie
    Miss_Tina_Marie Posts: 5
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    I have the same problem, I eat food for pleasure not to fuel my body and stay healthy.

    My first step was to go through the pantry and move everything "unhealthy" (aka processed, sugary, salty or fatty foods) to what I call the old me shelf. I've only recently started MFP, but I intend to put a picture up that is unflattering. This will be my visual reminder that I don't need that food and I don't want to stay unhealthy and overweight. It hopefully will be a good visual for my boyfriend, and he will start to taper down his cravings for these foods too.

    Next, I browsed online for fun recipes to try - everyone said start with foods you love, but make a healthy version of them. This is going surprisingly well! Now, I no longer want noodles with sauce - I make spaghetti squash with sauce! My next step for that recipe is to create my own homemade sauce... looking forward to that since I'm kind of a picky eater too... choosing what goes into my foods will help tremendously!

    I also have my rewards - dessert used to be a trip to the DQ and a huge blizzard. Now, I stock up on fruit popcicles and lowfat fudge bars... I never realized how awesome these are and there is NO GUILT!!
    I turn 30 in a couple years and hope to be in the best shape of my life... but not only that I want to live a long and healthy life too. MFP is the best tool I've come across so far - I never realized where all my calories were going! And now that I've lost some weight I've got my friends on board too, so we have dinner dates. I will admit I have days where I fall off the wagon (beer is too good to resist sometimes) but I don't beat myself up anymore... I just wake up and start a new day.

    Feel free to friend me, I love giving and receiving support for hard work!
    Good luck on your journey! :wink:
  • sixpacking
    sixpacking Posts: 148 Member
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    I'm 40 with tons of muscles and 2 kids, last one is just 3 yrs old. This weight loss and fitness thing is all about commitment., its tough because food is very addicting to some people, so its a constant battle. But, it comes down to what you want to commit to, and must be done little by little. If it took you 10 yrs to be overweight, then don't expect to shed it in a couple of days or two weeks. Most poeple quit because they start too aggresive and when starved, they binge, that's the downfall. You have to do it gradually, workout and eat things you enjoy but will take you for the next 3-4 hrs without feeling hungry. Some people think, well I have enough calories to eat a pizza, so I'm gonna have pizza. Problem is, pizza will fit into the calories budget but it wont take you 3-4 hrs before you're hungry again, and the problem witht that are the bottom numbers in pizza. Anyhow, i'm not a weightloss guru and a workout expert, I just love working out my butt off, its the feel-so-good-pain that drives me everyday, aside from looking in the mirror and feeling awesome naked!!
  • laurie571
    laurie571 Posts: 152 Member
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    My name is Laurie. Im turning 39 next month and would love to be a lot healthier when I turn 40 in just over a year. Feel free to add me.Any of you ladies.
  • Jyahya07
    Jyahya07 Posts: 1 Member
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    Heather,
    I know the feeling! I have 3 kids (13, 7, 6 months) and will be turning 40 next year as well. I like to say part of my weight is post pregnancy but I am already down to the pre pregnancy weight so I can't say that is the problem. The problem is my obsession with food. I am just trying to take it day by day. Some days are better than others. I agree that it helps to have friends to encourage you and understand what it's like. I have been on and off MFP since I joined last year but I am hopeful this is the year that I stick to it and see results! Good luck to you :)
  • hrmom26
    hrmom26 Posts: 53 Member
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    i loved everyone's posts and thanks to all that have friend-ed me you all are great and so so right the "live to eat" eat to live" thing was a big big step forward for me , and i will be posting often i need the support to keep me going

    my birthday is march 14th i turn 39 this year so i have a year and two months to loose the 100 pounds i need

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