Well, it happened...
inky16
Posts: 113 Member
I officially hit 200lbs for the first time since my freshman year of high school.
It's been coming for months... I moved across the country, moved in with the BF, and took on more work than I know how to handle. I eat out all the time in between job #1 and job #2, go on late night ice cream runs with the boy to try and insert a little fun into the craziness. I also happen to have social anxiety severe enough that just the thought of running down the sidewalk makes me want to scream. (A gym?? NO WAY.)
So, yesterday I bought an elliptical. It wasn't on a whim. I no longer have any clothes that fit, and neither does the boy. We've been planning this for weeks. Now, we've got to stick to it. Both of us lack any sort of self-control, so trying to motivate each other to make a change is hardly more productive than motivating ourselves. Even so, we're trying!
I'm not sure whether this is a victory or a defeat... I suppose I'm just trying to motivate myself. So, I guess my question here is what was that point for you that made you say, "Ok, this is it. It's time to make a change." And how did you motivate yourself to follow through?
It's been coming for months... I moved across the country, moved in with the BF, and took on more work than I know how to handle. I eat out all the time in between job #1 and job #2, go on late night ice cream runs with the boy to try and insert a little fun into the craziness. I also happen to have social anxiety severe enough that just the thought of running down the sidewalk makes me want to scream. (A gym?? NO WAY.)
So, yesterday I bought an elliptical. It wasn't on a whim. I no longer have any clothes that fit, and neither does the boy. We've been planning this for weeks. Now, we've got to stick to it. Both of us lack any sort of self-control, so trying to motivate each other to make a change is hardly more productive than motivating ourselves. Even so, we're trying!
I'm not sure whether this is a victory or a defeat... I suppose I'm just trying to motivate myself. So, I guess my question here is what was that point for you that made you say, "Ok, this is it. It's time to make a change." And how did you motivate yourself to follow through?
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Replies
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When I first started reading, I was thinking Congratulations - I've been trying to get back down to 200 lbs lol. Depends on perspective :-)0
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I was standing in the dressing room at Ross, unable to zip up a pair of work slacks that were two sizes larger than I thought I was. I texted my boyfriend "I look like a manatee!" and drove home in tears. That was 13 months ago. My motivation is largely "not looking like a manatee." :laugh:0
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Me too I almost posted a big congratulations then I reread it .....
Good job getting started !!!!
My point for getting started was
1. I couldn't buckle my airplane seatbelt and I fly every 3 weeks !
2. My sister is 4 years older than me and I could not keep up with her.
3. My 19 year old daughter is becoming overweight.
4.I was always uncomfortable, back pain - foot pain - just pain
5. I hated needing new cloths and my 24's were too tight - even my 4xl scrubs !!
Good luck !!
Amy0 -
I also thought you had just gotten down to 200lb. I have not been there since high school. Good for you taking control before you get to much above that number. Best of luck on you efforts.:flowerforyou:0
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Know what's sad? You talked about hitting 200lbs and I thought it was a success post. I would be so totally STOKED if I only weighed 200lbs.
All well, chin up! It will get better!0 -
I fell of the wagon recently, had decided to change my lifestyle in March and took it seriously for about two months, ate a clean diet , exercised in my garage when my kids were asleep, I was in a good path, my clothes fit again I was happy, then my best friend went into hospice after two years of battling cancer and I started staying with her all the time, my routine was gone, she passed away in august and since I have been so out of it, just focused on my kids and forgot about myself. I have again came to the point of this is it, my clothes no longer fit, I am so sick of looking in the mirror, so I am going to commit again so I can just be ok with myself again, I guess we are just human, we get discouraged but the point is to just get back at it again right? I am gonna do this and hope to succeed again, good luck to you! and sorry for this long reply
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I was standing in the dressing room at Ross, unable to zip up a pair of work slacks that were two sizes larger than I thought I was. I texted my boyfriend "I look like a manatee!" and drove home in tears. That was 13 months ago. My motivation is largely "not looking like a manatee." :laugh:
This made me bust out laughing... I always complain about feeling whale-ish, so I can completely relate!
To those of you who had congratulations on the tip of your tongue, thank you for being quick to encourage and helping me see things in perspective... :happy: 60 pounds seems like an impossible goal right now, and it makes me completely in awe of those of you who manage that and more!
yeiymi32, I'm sorry to hear what you've gone through... it sounds like you were able to keep the important things in life at the top of your priority list, right where they should be! Good luck to you as well!!0 -
Good for you for starting. I started about three weeks ago and it isn't nearly as bad as I thought. i lost 50 lbs. years ago by watching my fat and calories, but since then, I haven't done jack. What made me start now? My doc called and said I had a high A1C count and was pre-diabetic. My whole family is diabetic and I just don't want to have to go on meds. I'm sick of being overweight. I've been fluctuating between 200 - 220 for most of my adult years. I've never been thin. And what's hard is that I don't like many foods and I don't eat all day, which is terrible. I was dancing for exercise for a few years - I returned to it after a long time away but grew up dancing - and then I twisted my hip pretty badly and have back and hip issues (all related). I think if I lose weight, I won't have these issues and can return to dancing and other activities that currently kill my back and hips. Also, my cholesterol is high. I just want to be healthier for a change and have run out of excuses!
That's great that you bought an elliptical machine. i've been wondering if I should because I love it. I go to two gyms, and I don't feel self-conscious because there are people of all ages, sizes and shapes at both and I don't feel like people are judging me. I actually find it peaceful; I listen to good music and veg out and watch hot guys lifting weights. It's sort of fun! And there are t.v.'s on every machine, so I watch t.v. sometimes. I'm thinking of bringing a book.
I'm glad you took a step in the right direction and have great support. And I hear you about the late-night ice cream runs. You know what satisfies my ice cream / chocolate craving? Sugar free fudge pops. They're like 30 calories each and I have one per night. They're really great and it does it for me. You can find substitutes. You just have to open your mind and consider some alternatives so you don't feel deprived.0 -
Oh, that made me laugh too. Looking like a manatee is never fun! I love that that's your motivation! That's great! And I'm glad it inspired you!0
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I want to lose 80 - 90 lbs, and it is daunting. However, just set smaller goals. That's what I'm doing. Right now, my goal is to get under 200 lbs. After that, I'll worry about the rest!0
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When I first started reading, I was thinking Congratulations - I've been trying to get back down to 200 lbs lol. Depends on perspective :-)
That is also what I was thinking! XD It def depends on the perspective I have not been 200 pounds since my junior year in high school...I am now 22 and started at 267, I am now 228! I can not wait to hit that 200 mark! 0 -
Firstly, good for you for making the choice to change and even going as far as buying a wonderful machine to help you! One of my favorites I should add!
Secondly my big change moment happened about 3 months ago when I was getting a physical done for school. None of my clothes fit me either. I looked terrible in my fitted tops and skinny jeans and was starting to buy clothes that "hid," me more than just because I liked them.. it was depressing. At this physical, I got onto the scale and saw the number. I have never weighed that much in my life! I was devastated. I bought a gym membership that night. I have also totally changed my relationship with food. Stopped eating for comfort/boredom and I log everything.
so far so good.
my advice? every day is different. Some days are harder than others. You're going to want to quit. Over and over again. Don't. It is the best decision you can make again and again. Just keep remembering why you started this to begin with! Best of luck to you dear.0 -
@ MallieRose91... Sounds like you are well on your way to the 200 mark! That's so exciting!
@ jensiegel39... I hear you on the excuses front. When discussing all of this with my mom, she kept telling me not to worry about it, it's almost Thanksgiving anyway. And I realized after that is Christmas... then New Year's, then Valentine's, then St. Patty's, then my birthday... so if holiday's are an excuse, it'll always be there. I can make an excuse out of everything... but then if everything is an excuse, I guess that means nothing is!0 -
Oh, I'm the queen of excuses! But yes, I finally just stopped. It's like something in my head clicked and I thought, why the hell not? I'm just sitting here. I'm off of work for another month and a half and have nothing better to do. I might as well exercise. And once you're into it, it's not so hard. My main goal now is to find foods I like and an exercise schedule I can stick with once I return to the grind of work and grading papers all night every night (yuk!). I'm glad you thought that too about the holidays. There will always be something. I'm going to my hometown for the holidays and the one thing I miss from living in Florida is decent Chinese food. So, I will allow myself to "cheat" only on that, but within reason, because it's something I never have unless I go home to Detroit. I hate the Chinese food here and won't even eat it. I make my own. But the Chinese food in Detroit is amazing and that's the one thing I am planning to allow myself to have.
Maybe a small slice of b-day cake on my 40th b-day. We'll see. Or maybe I'll make a healthy cake - is there such a thing?
Good luck to you!0 -
Firstly, good for you for making the choice to change and even going as far as buying a wonderful machine to help you! One of my favorites I should add!
Secondly my big change moment happened about 3 months ago when I was getting a physical done for school. None of my clothes fit me either. I looked terrible in my fitted tops and skinny jeans and was starting to buy clothes that "hid," me more than just because I liked them.. it was depressing. At this physical, I got onto the scale and saw the number. I have never weighed that much in my life! I was devastated. I bought a gym membership that night. I have also totally changed my relationship with food. Stopped eating for comfort/boredom and I log everything.
so far so good.
my advice? every day is different. Some days are harder than others. You're going to want to quit. Over and over again. Don't. It is the best decision you can make again and again. Just keep remembering why you started this to begin with! Best of luck to you dear.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Boredom eating has always been an issue... so, when we brought the elliptical home and were putting it together, we decided to put it where the dining room would be in our apartment. You have to walk past it to get into the kitchen. Which means every time I walk past, I have to ask myself if I'm really hungry or just bored... That's the idea anyway...0 -
That same thing happened to me this summer - my scale hit 200 in August and that was a HUGE wake up call. I also had two closets of clothes that didn't fit, and there was no way I was going to buy more 1X stuff!
Sounds to me like you are already on your way to make some awesome changes. It sounds cliché, but it's true...a lot of small changes will add up to one really big change down the road. You've got the machine, this website, and a whole lot of support. I am clearing hurdles I never thought possible on my to a lighter, healthier me. I just came back from a cruise on Gluttony of the Seas and because of my pals here, I got back on the wagon - a few years ago, that never would have happened after starting a 'diet'. I still have a long way to go, but I am going to get there, I know it!
Congratulations for making those few small steps!! Feel free to add me! I love to give (and get!!) support.........the community here is great, can't say enough about how we are all motivating and inspiring each other.0 -
The same sort of thing happened to me. I'm a college student, and although I never gained the freshman 15 as a freshman, I did gain 20 pounds over the summer when I took on my first full-time desk job. It really hit me hard when none of my clothes fit me very well anymore. And while I thought at first "Okay, I can just start running, that seems to work for everyone else alright," I'm also terrified of running down the street or in the gym.
It's really taken a lot to motivate me, and it's taken a few months regrettably. The first thing I did was start working with MFP - absolutely awesome, because you feel guilty if you're above your calorie goal. But I forgot about it, lied on it, and just gave up on it.
I tried Fitocracy (an awesome little fitness-based social network) to motivate me, which worked for a total of maybe a week. You rack up points whenever you add in exercise and other people give you "props" for it and cheer you on, but other people are all so much better than I am, it was intimidating, plus it was a lot of work just to get to the next "level."
My boyfriend was very helpful, and he tried out FitBit with me. We both got Flexs and it's been incredible - I know how many steps I'm getting each day, how active I am, how my sleep is, etc, etc. The best part is that we made a competition out of it - if I don't manage to get at least 1,000 more steps than him a day, I owe him something. Which is a good motivator. But we frequently forget to check and keep track and there's never enough time in the day to catch up on my I-O-U's. Plus, knowing how far I walk is cool and all but how's that helping me lose weight and keep track of my exercise vs. intake?
Then I came back to MFP and found out that it syncs with FitBit - cool! So in MFP I keep track of my food and I don't eat too much because it makes me guilty to see the red, then FitBit shows me my progress throughout the day to reach my minimum amount of normal activity that I want to do. All of my food and exercise data that I put in MFP transfers to FitBit (FitBit has better graphs I believe, but MFP has way better options for recording food and exercise) and the calorie adjustments from FitBit to MFP reflect better what my calorie burn for the day has actually been.
So, the two programs together are exactly what I need to feel like I'm in control of my diet and exercise, and that's motivating to me. If I just walk more, FitBit catches that automatically and updates MFP, and MFP gives FitBit my diet and exercise data so that their both in sync and I have the best idea of what's going on possible.
For me, what's motivating is the fact that I feel like I totally understand now what's going on with my body and all of the little adjustments I need to make to make it work. I'm taking up strength training from my dorm room (easier than expected, and more satisfying that making myself hurt by exerting myself through cardio only,) and I'm way better at understanding what I should and shouldn't be eating.
So figure out what you need to do to feel in control of your diet - don't let your diet scare you! Once you have the tools necessary, you'll feel way more confident and ready to do this. And you can do this! 0 -
I had my moment back in January. My mom had just bought a new digital scale, and I decided to give it a try since I hadn't weighed myself in years. I did NOT like the number that came up on the screen (235 pounds... yikes!). I had also had the disappointment of receiving a pair of my favorite jeans for Christmas in my supposed size, only to discover that I couldn't even pull them up over my butt! And I had just gotten a copy of a photo my in-laws had taken at Christmas, and I looked like a humongous whale next to my husband. It may just be the worst picture of me that has ever existed, and that includes the half-drunk selfie I texted to my bff while attempting to make a pig face. So yeah, it was a pretty bad Christmas photo.
Those 3 things were pretty much the combined "last straw", and I haven't looked back!0 -
Well my moments were:
6yo daughter telling me I had a fat tummy
Outgrowing a size 14 (5'8 and started at 181.5 - the heaviest in my life EVER)
Sitting in my bosses office and the underwire on my bra snapped...
Yup - did something and am still working on it. I focused on "weight" like most for a while then decided I didn't give a flip about my weight, it was the composition of my body I wanted back so that is what I fixate on. I eat alot and lift weights :laugh:0 -
My motivation was my looming 50th birthday. I didn't want to be fifty and fat, I wanted to be fifty and fit and I stayed strong and motivated through the weight loss. I change the way I ate, I took up running, I calorie counted, went low-carb and low-cal AND did 5:2 fasting... SO many changes but I needed to do it so that I didn't slip back into my former habits.
I weighed myself every morning and wrote it down, along with any relevant notes. Some nights I was so excited to weigh myself the next day that I'd be awake from 2am waiting impatiently!!! The closer I got to target, the more determined I became. I've never been like that when I've dieted before.
I've been at my target weight for 6 weeks now - I have never managed to maintain, I usually hit target and start eating "normally" again, but THIS time the changes are for good. The weight isn't lost, I have no intention of ever finding it again. The weight is GONE. For good.0 -
My motivation came from within. I just wanted to look and feel good, also wear good clothes
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I got to the point where I could no longer wear jeans - only sweats or stretch pants! I started a program with the VA - I'm retired military. We use My Fitness Pal as well. I have an awesome "coach" at the VA. She sends me encouraging messages - I share my food diary with her- she keeps me on track. She's like my very own cheerleader and I love her for that! Maybe you need a pal who will do that with you! 0
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Getting to 200 was something I told my 180-190 pound self I'd never do. And then it happened and I let it keep going for 34.6 more pounds before I decided to shape up and now getting under 200 is my goal for the end of the year. You're taking positive steps and you should be proud!
Best of luck to you! 0 -
The weight isn't lost, I have no intention of ever finding it again. The weight is GONE. For good.
I love that!! I'm going to have to start saying that 0 -
My motivation was booking our 5th anniversary trip and realizing that I am about 30 lbs bigger than when we got married - and I needed to lose a few pounds then! I bought a second hand treadmill last week and love that I can jog while my toddler naps. I want to be a hot wife you know? So I have 168 days to get started losing weight. It won't all be gone by our trip, but it will be a good start and I know I will feel sexier and better than I have in years!0
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Know what's sad? You talked about hitting 200lbs and I thought it was a success post. I would be so totally STOKED if I only weighed 200lbs.
All well, chin up! It will get better!
Bahaha. Same here. Lowest I have been on here was 214lbs. That looks pretty good on my tall frame. 200lbs would be amazing!0 -
Both of us lack any sort of self-control, so trying to motivate each other to make a change is hardly more productive than motivating ourselves.
Regardless of what type of dietary plan you follow this will be the number one thing you need to fix. The bottom line is you can out eat any amount of working out.0 -
Both of us lack any sort of self-control, so trying to motivate each other to make a change is hardly more productive than motivating ourselves.
Regardless of what type of dietary plan you follow this will be the number one thing you need to fix. The bottom line is you can out eat any amount of working out.
It's so strange... there are something that are easy to have self-control over and work for... I'm not a lazy person. I'm a 50-60 hours/week on the clock, going to school full time, and trying to get a side business going sort of person. Maybe it's a matter of prioritizing what I choose to control haha...
In any case, day three of having this elliptical and it's not a laundry hanger, so I'm calling it progress! :happy:0 -
I just started cracking down on myself the beginning of November...screwed up tonight though by 400 calories. but will restart tomorrow. My reason is my mother just passed away from Liver Disease. She was diabetic and had a bad back. I don't want to follow in her footsteps healthwise I want to be healthier...I need to be. So I took a good long look at myself and said. What are you going to look like in 20 years...10 years...5.? I knew I had to make a change and stop taking care of everyone else except me. Now I am first. I make me cound and this food journal has been a huge blessing. I need to lose 130 lbs. I know I lost approx, 6-10 since the beginning of the month...my next weigh in on the doctor's scale is in December, my first small goal is to have 20 lbs off by Jan. when I see the Liver Specialist again to show him I mean business and will get my life in control. My mom found out too late...many do....I am not taking any chances. Good Luck and congratulations on your new journey as well.0
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Hi Michelle,
I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. I have a mother who has always been very sickly. I cannot tell you how many nights I have spent in the emergency room with her. And she refuses to do anything to improve her health; no exercise, won't quit smoking (even though she lies and says she has). She's diabetic, has COPD, multiple heart attacks, cancer. It's a nightmare. I don't want to end up that way. So, when my doc called me and told me I was pre-diabetic, I knew I had to turn it around. he said he's giving me four months to lose some weight and hopefully I won't have to go on meds. I really hope not. And I'm glad you also are doing whatever you can to be healthier. As I said before, I'm done with excuses. It's not that hard to be healthy. And I hate taking pills and hospitals and doctors, so I figure the healthier I am, the less of them I have to see and deal with.
Good for you and congrats for your decision!
Jen 0
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