I had an 'oh #$%^' moment; here I am...

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mbaer325
mbaer325 Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Just joined the site. I am a 44 y/o man, living in MN. Married with 3 daughters.

I have always been on the heavier side. I weighed in this morning at 325.4 lbs. 44 pants. 3XL shirts. 18.5 neck. 6' tall.

Last week, I was in South Dakota bird hunting with some friends. This is a yearly event, and something I love. It's important to me. This year, I couldn't fit into my hunting pants. I could barely keep up with my friends, some of whom are 10-15 years older. Very much like when i quit smoking (after 25 years) in February, the lightning bolt hit me. If I don't change, I'm going to die.

I've been working my entire life to build a life for my family and myself. If I don't change now, I'm a time bomb. Dead at 45 is not the way to care for my wife and kids. I travel a lot. I have a high-stress career.

This is where I start.

Replies

  • kealey1318
    kealey1318 Posts: 290 Member
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    Welcome to MFP!!! I am 36 y/o female, married with 3 children as well and live in OH. I'm 5'4" and 248 pounds and wile I don't have the perfect 'oh #$%^' moment to share, it's about improving my health, being able to keep up with the kids and husband. I am doing this for myself, but also for my family since, to your point, dying is not taking good care of them.

    I look forward to seeing you around the boards. Feel free to add me as a friend if you like.

    Kindest regards!
  • lisadae24
    lisadae24 Posts: 3
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    Good luck to you both!!! You can DO IT!!!
  • westoweighless
    westoweighless Posts: 52
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    Those moments are the best

    good luck
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
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    Welcome to MFP.

    Some quick advice.

    1.) Stick to your calorie goal (do not be tempted to under eat), if you exercise, log and eat them. Some exercises on MFP tend to over estimate calories burned, such as the elliptical machine, so eat 80% of those calories. A lot of new people tend to believe that eating under their calorie goal will help them obtain results faster, but this can result in loss of lean muscle mass as well as increase stress hormones that can cause a lot of health issues.

    2.) You don't have to cut out any type of specific food group to lose weight. There are certain items you may want to refrain from keeping in the house if you have difficulty controlling yourself around them. But low carb, low fat, ect do not result in weight loss, only a calorie deficit does. That being said, eating more protein in place of carbs can result in you feeling fuller, longer, and therefore make losing weight and sticking to your goals easier.

    3.) No pills or detoxes help you lose weight and do not "jump start" your metabolism.

    Good luck! =)
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
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    As much as it sucks - those oh #$%^ moments are the ones that most of us need to get that kick in the pants. I can clearly remember mine. Wihtout those it's so hard to keep the motivation and drive to get it done.

    Good luck. Just remember especially how proud of you your kids will be. They truly pick up on everything. No matter how old. I was 25 when I finally picked up on things my mom did and my daughter started picking up my healthy values when she was 4...

    It starts now :)
  • niricava
    niricava Posts: 89 Member
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    Good luck to you! This is a great place to start. I started in June with my own *&^% moment realizing I had let myself go and had little energy to go anywhere or do anything.

    MFP helps teach you my logging in your calories - I learned that my portion sizes were WAAAYYY off and that I was putting on a ton of weight with Coffeemate alone! I haven't completely removed that from my diet, even though some say you should. I have learned what a reasonable amount is to have... :tongue:
  • kjimmie4848
    kjimmie4848 Posts: 123 Member
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    Great start! I am married with 2 kids and recently quit smoking (9-15-13). Had a bit of an "ah ha" moment myself lol. Add me if you like. I have learned the more friends, the more fun. :)
  • racheal_b
    racheal_b Posts: 3
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    Had one today and joined.. Tried on a new work uniform(nurse) and a size 20 and 5'2. Really upset. Getting my as@ in gear x good luckx:noway:
  • mbaer325
    mbaer325 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for the support everyone.

    I'm already off to a bad start. My company always caters lunch on Friday's, and I did what I always do. Too much, and too much WRONG food. I'm already failing.

    Oh well, I logged the food into my diary, and I will do better this weekend. Thanks for all of the friend requests; I obviously need some accountability here.
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
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    Are you exercising? How much over your calories are you? Don't worry. Every day is a chance to start over.
  • mbaer325
    mbaer325 Posts: 6 Member
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    Hi bekahlou, I'm 172 calories over my limit of 2000. Haven't exercised today, but plan to tonight; We have a well-equipped home gym with club-grade treadmill, Bowflex, and a big TV...
  • puff2tuff
    puff2tuff Posts: 6
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    Hey! Don't beat yourself up over it. Just exercise tonight and don't let a few bad decisions derail you. If you're like me, you'll look for any excuse to fall off the wagon. I have this little voice that goes "Well, you already messed up, may as well just throw out the healthy eating idea for today," or, "Well, it's the weekend, you deserve to have a few extra treats," or "You've had a stressful day, you just need to eat a little snack to relax and feel better." And that leads to years of weight gain. What we should do instead is log it, exercise, and do better tomorrow.

    I had an ah-ha moment the other day when my coworker/friend commented on my unhealthy choices (in a very kind way) because she had made very similar bad choices when she was on the same infertility medication I'm on now, and she eventually had to get gastric bypass because she ended up so overweight. I realized that I was letting my infertility be an excuse to eat whatever I liked, and that I deserve (and the child I'm trying to conceive deserves) to be as healthy as possible, and I won't get there by always letting myself make choices I know are bad for me. I can't control my fertility, but I can control my food and exercise choices.

    Good luck, and keep going! Don't let today's bad choices make you give up.
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