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

joycitak
joycitak Posts: 7
in Introduce Yourself
:wink: 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!!!

Replies

  • dgljones
    dgljones Posts: 89
    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
    joycitak Posts: 7
    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
    sweets7664 Posts: 26
    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
    dgljones Posts: 89
    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
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    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. :)

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