Anyone else back again?

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I've been on and off of Myfitnesspal for a little over a year now and was down about 40 pounds. I wanted to lose another 10-20 but never REALLY established a solid end goal which I think was one of my main problems.

When I got married in JUL2012 I was really out of whack and up to around 255 pounds which is the absolute heaviest I have ever been. I got down to around 215 in the Spring of 2013 and maintained that for several months but was sort of on and off trying to lose more - but like I said without a solid end goal.

So, like so many other Americans I gained about 10 pounds from Thanksgiving through New Years which I SWORE I wouldn't do! I think part of my trouble was that I had never really established a goal. Which means I never really reached a goal. So it was difficult to establish a plan to maintain/lose anything during the Holidays and vacation time. I know - EXCUSES EXCUSES!

At this point I have nailed down a goal. FINALLY. This is not a new years resolution, this is my life and health. For a number of years I have gone back and forth contemplating getting close to a weight I was at 19 years old which was 190-195 (I just turned 29). I don't think it's realistic. I have decided on 205 pounds. That's what I was when I finished Army Basic Training almost 4 years ago. I believe it is attainable and reasonable. I am 6 feet tall with a large frame.

I started using Myfitnesspal strictly almost 2 weeks ago. At 226 I figured there would be an initial drop off because I started using again. There was. I am hovering around 218-220 now though and I think I am being too impatient. I am in the Active Duty Army so I exercise a lot. Though fitness is a part of my job my weight has always been an extremely personal issue to me.

My weight has honestly been all over the place the past several years because of bad habits and I am ready to take better control of my health and get this done hopefully in the next few months. It's just been a weird few days though and I am in need of any advice or similar relatable experiences?

I'm sure there are plenty of people on here with a similar story. This is the first time i've really used the community part of this website/app and it's good to put a few things out there.

Thoughts or opinions?

Replies

  • Mandilynnr
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    Hey Bassman, first off thanks for your service to our country. My sister was in the army and I know your sacrifice has been great. I think its totally doable for you to get down to your goal weight. I think using mfp is a great tool, I use it daily to keep myself on track. What are your workouts like?

    Amanda

    MFP: Mandilynnr
    Facebook: Facebook.com/AmandaRMorris
  • havocgx011
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    Hi Bassman,

    I've gone through something similar and found that it was not enough of a goal just to simply set a weight I wanted to achieve. I had to set a fitness goal which helped me stick to what I'm currently doing. Eating healthy and pushing up my activities levels / gym sessions is what is working best for me but I cannot stress enough that exercise is only the first part - eating healthy is the hardest part and equally as important.
  • Bassman3478
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    Mandilynnr - thanks for the support. Our workouts depend on who's running them. I'm a musician (bass guitar & upright bass) in one of the Army bands so my unit is smaller. Sometimes cross fit, circuits, or just plain old pushup/sit-up pyramids. On the running side we do sprints/intervals, distance runs, or sometimes just 30-40 minutes cardio of choice in the gym (if it's super cold outside).

    Havocgx011 - Thanks for the insight. I've definitely found over the past several years that it doesn't really matter how hard you're working out. If you're not careful about what you're putting into your body then you may not succeed. If I don't continue to eat healthy and pay attention after I've reached my goal then I'm going to run into problems.

    Thanks for the responses!