Weight Loss/Motivation Partner

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brirandle1
brirandle1 Posts: 22 Member
Hey all:

My name is Brian and I just joined the website a few days ago. I joined because I have been unsuccessful on keeping weight off. Just looking for someone who may be going through this same thing right now, perhaps someone who has just joined and maybe would be interested in helping one another through this journey. Love to have someone to talk to to help motivate each other to stay the course. :)

Replies

  • shrinkingmichelle
    shrinkingmichelle Posts: 26 Member
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    Bump.
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    We can do this!!

    MFP says I should hit my goal by 2016. I almost cried when I saw that, it seems so far away. Then the reality of just over a year from now I could be at my ideal weight. Considering how quickly the past 20 years went by with the weight getting more and more. Now I am embracing the fact that it will only take a year to get to where I need to be!

    I'm starting my second week now so hey it's not 52 more weeks anymore it's only 50 weeks!

    Maybe once I hit my goal I'll love the treadmill. haha!

    Hope everyone has a great day! Keep up the positive thinking!
  • brirandle1
    brirandle1 Posts: 22 Member
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    Thats a great attitude 65, I think that whats great about this site support to reach our goals. Now I have to get through my cravings that hit me after work and at night. Just starting hope it gets easier. :) Take care all
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    Hello to all my new Once & Fo rAll peeps! Happy Friday. I hope everyone has some motivation today! I started doing this along with my fit-bit about a week ago and I've lost 5 lbs. Not much but better than nothing. I am doing something about it. I never used MFP before for group support just as a way of tracking food. I have found that participating in conversations and trying to motivate other people really does help me stay motivated myself!
    Thanks Brian for starting this page. I've read a lot of people have problems with the late night cravings but not many suggestions to get through them. I usually have dinner then brush my teeth, nothing tastes good with toothpaste!. I'm sure there are better suggestions out there hopefully someone in our group will share them ;)

    We have a long weekend coming up so stay strong my friends WE CAN DO THIS!
  • redzz16
    redzz16 Posts: 31 Member
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    Veggies can get you through the night munchies. If you're hungry then you'll want them....if you don't want them then it's probably a craving and you need to do something else to distract yourself and re-set your mind. Change takes effort but it's worth it!!! Hang in there!
  • twopaulines
    twopaulines Posts: 55 Member
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    Hello everyone! Great job 65, don't be discouraged. I am in a very similar boat and we can and will do it!! That year will pass whether we are reaching for the stars or not. May as well go for it and go hard! I am happy to be a part of this group and look forward to seeing all of your successes and achieving my own :)
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    Hello Once & For All Pals! Where is everyone? Holiday I suspect. Lol. I've been busy with yard work this holiday weekend. One more day and I can go back to work for a break! A family member asked if they could use our house for a graduation party two weeks ago. In my part of the world it just started to get warm! We had not started any of our summer readiness yet. I'm glad to report after two days busting our butts we have one day to go and should be done! Hope everyone is having a great weekend! thanks twopaulines for the motivation! WE ARE DOING THIS!!
  • 1f1t
    1f1t Posts: 3
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    Well, I joined Once & for All and have just totally blown it diet wise. :( I have done some extra bike riding, but it would no way help burn all the crazy calories I've consumed. I feel I want the weight to be gone, but do well eating healthy one meal and then snack and eat poorly the next. I can't get it all together. Congrats to all who are doing well. Keep it up as it is very inspiring.
  • sure2014
    sure2014 Posts: 18 Member
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    Hey, do not feel bad- think about it as yesterday was one day that you could anything. From now onwards, just watch what you consume and how much also. One day a week has to be a fat day.
  • Karren188
    Karren188 Posts: 101 Member
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    We all mess up - the most important thing is getting yourself right back on track and start from that point on. **karen
  • Karren188
    Karren188 Posts: 101 Member
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    Hello to all my new Once & Fo rAll peeps! Happy Friday. I hope everyone has some motivation today! I started doing this along with my fit-bit about a week ago and I've lost 5 lbs. Not much but better than nothing. I am doing something about it. I never used MFP before for group support just as a way of tracking food. I have found that participating in conversations and trying to motivate other people really does help me stay motivated myself!
    Thanks Brian for starting this page. I've read a lot of people have problems with the late night cravings but not many suggestions to get through them. I usually have dinner then brush my teeth, nothing tastes good with toothpaste!. I'm sure there are better suggestions out there hopefully someone in our group will share them ;)

    We have a long weekend coming up so stay strong my friends WE CAN DO THIS!

    I usually have 2-4 ounces of water - and maybe a very small snack - a little peanut better on a celery stick - something that makes me feel like I had more but not too calorie intensive, then if it's still a real problem, I go to bed if it is not too early.
  • 1f1t
    1f1t Posts: 3
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    Thanks for the encouragement! I did better today. Not perfect, but did half portions on breakfast and lunch and healthier snacking with a few strawberries. I'm not feeling "starved." If I can just do that first pound gone. Congratulations to everyone losing! Whatever you are doing, keep it up!!! It's motivating for your friends here, especially me.
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    I need some MOTIVATION. Uggg! After doing so great all weekend I hit the Wall...hard. Barely any steps for two days. I'm trying today but geez I want instant results. Is that asking too much? lol. Boy this is gonna be a looong week.
  • Karren188
    Karren188 Posts: 101 Member
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    I know what you mean about instant results. I have to keep reminding myself that slow and steady wins the race. But I sure do want this weight off fast! I have to remind myself I love the results of exercise - so even though I don't feel like exercising I do it because it can help me reach my goals faster -- and even though it might not show on the scales, I'll look better faster with more muscle and less fat.
  • twopaulines
    twopaulines Posts: 55 Member
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    Hi friends :) I see your posts for motivation and I hear myself in each of you! Let share what I've learned and hopefully you will find some of this useful info.

    1.) The honeymoon phase doesn't last long. The prepping, the hype, the self talk, the excitement over taking charge of your life, the daydreams of that fit ideal body.... This phase I've learned comes and goes. Trudge through on the days you aren't feeling it! Do it because you know it works, not because you "feel" like it. For example, I don't always feel like going to work.... But my family depends on it. So I go in day after day. With health goals and weight loss however, your LIFE depends on it. So show up every day, whether you feel like it and you'll see great things.

    2.) Gorge eating is all mental! For example, when my mentality was "Ok, here's to starting my 'I can't eat what I want ' plan!" So what did I do after a couple of meals? Gorged!! And hated myself. Gluttony and gorging is no safer than any other form of self mutilation. I didn't see it for what it was. It is destructive!!
    Remedy: start small. For example, merely track your food. Eat what you normally eat if you want, make healthy choices if you want, but log in. You will see trends and find areas for improvement. Then make those small improvements. Those things add up to big change. I once heard if you strive to be 1% better each day (that's nothing, right? ) then in 100 days you'll be 100% better. Simple, yet powerful. So take one meal, one snack, and one food and always ask yourself if you really want it and is it worth it. If the answer is yet, go for it. If no, you just made a powerful and life changing decision to walk away. And you're already 1% better. It then gets easier to feel in control and make healthy decisions.

    3.) We have mentally trained ourselves to be the people we are today. So NOW we have to mentally train ourselves to be the people of tomorrow. By showing up to the gym, logging our food, carrying water, whatever it is we are relearning. The single MOST IMPORTANT thing about our journey is learning to live differently. The single MOST DESIRED thing about our journey is weight loss. Both are critical.
    REMEDY: Sometimes the scale doesn't move nearly as much as we think it should. But in that same time frame, how much more did you learn? How much more in control did you feel when you made changes and felt all the better for it? That is success!!!! The scale gives a number... Which is a measley 2% of our overall effort. However that 2% feels like the full 98% in our mind because it's so desirable. When you focus on the 98% (life changes) over that scale, the scale will follow. It will have no choice. If we focus only on that 2% were missing the big picture so we become deflated and "give in." In those moments, stop and think about the big picture.

    This is your life, your body, your journey. You can't possibly lose the weight the same way or at the same rate as someone else. So learn the process, trust the process, make sound decisions and you'll get there.
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
    This is what I needed. A nice reality check. I'm over my super uber hyped phase and had three days that I felt like I did nothing.
    I did walk for 30 min on the treadmill but I wanted to do an hour. So I beat myself up about it and the next two days did nearly nothing again.
    I finally figured out that I get my rush after 35 minutes! I just need to make it to that point and yay me! I'm able to go anywhere from 45 min to an hour or longer. I have checked this 3 times now and I know if I can make it 35 min great...but I always want more after that.
    I'm not going to holler at myself anymore. I hate it, I have to do it. I love it when I do more. Like you said twopaulines it's like going to work but the end result is so much more satisfying!

    There is not going to be instant results, I get that. I'm in for the long haul
    .
    The biggest difference in the past 3 weeks is that for the last week I have not relied on MFP groups or friends for motivation. Wow what a difference. It really helps me.

    So I get to start my counter of logging in everyday over again. So what is a few days compared to years? Nothing. I can find the right mind set with all the encouragement and see that there are others out there that actually take the time to try and make me feel better why wouldn't I want to the same for myself!!

    Little decisions can really make big changes in the LONG RUN.

    I have the minutes it takes to do the work and I have found that if I don't do the minutes of work it really does back fire. No need to go back to the same place over and over just one day to the next.

    Small changes, a few minutes each day, remembering to check myself with my food and MYF Pals!!

    Thanks again twopaulines!! I love a reality check that makes sense!!
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank you FreshCrayons also! Slow and steady is so true. I was in such a manic phase trying to get results fast, fast, fast! I burned myself out trying too hard. Even though it's only been about a month! I need to re-read my post about waiting over a year for my goal to be met and understand that it is not overnight if I take the time to consider others as they do for me I can't lose! The battle that is! I will lose the weight!! I try to remind myself as I sit on the couch watching TV how much better I feel actually moving and accomplishing my steps for the day.
    Just get up and do it, then do it again the next day!
  • cindytabor96
    cindytabor96 Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm thrilled that I read your post this morning. I'm currently in the honeymoon stage and am struggling with the 2% number on the scale, when in fact I have made great mini changes that I'm very proud of. I found a site called Giveit100.com and it got me to thinking what could I do for 100 days? So I started small with 100 days without sugar in my coffee (I was using a lot of sugar in my coffee) and Im now at about 30 days with that. It feels good! So then I said, "self, lets try walking everyday for 30 minute"s, so far im doing well with that also, but the numbers are not showing on the scale like I would like.
    Thank you for your post cause now I am looking at the 98% that I have done and feeling better about all this.

    Oh BTW, I just joined this group, so hello all!
  • 65byJuly
    65byJuly Posts: 16 Member
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    Hey Cindy Lou, I responded on the first page and thought maybe we could get some more input if I updated this message from 2 days ago.
    I just started joining groups myself and find that once it's started there is a lot of feedback but then we forget to make posts and respond.
    So all of the ONCE and FOR ALL peeps out there.....Let's do this! Motivation from others is so important to me!!

    I am reading the post from TWOPAULINES over and over. It really makes sense to me. My honeymoon is over and I'm mad I have let myself gain the weight over and over.

    I just keep thinking that if I had started to worry when I gained the first 5lbs or the next 10,20,50,80 back I would not be here...but I am here fighting back once and for all. I'm going for the 2% changes instead of the 90% that comes back faster then it went away!

    Happy Friday to all! I hope everyone finds a little something today that will make a difference for the long haul.
  • twopaulines
    twopaulines Posts: 55 Member
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    Your sweet words made my day!!! I am so glad someone could benefit from a very hard lesson I have had to learn.

    We will always have a choice. To work out, to stay home. To tear ourselves down, to build ourselves up. To show up, to stay home. To be happy, to be miserable. To be a success, or to fail. We experience each of these. The overall goal is to create more positives than negatives. Most importantly, we are 100% IN CONTROL of all of this. It is up to us!!

    Be honest with yourself, be honest with your workout. Can you go that extra minute? 1 minute extra, just 1 minute will rejuvenate your spirit, especially when that 1 minute seems impossible. The power of 1 minute can change your entire day, and your entire life. Because those 1 minutes add to 5 mins, 10 mins, 30 mins.

    Listen to your body. If you know you physically cannot complete that extra, own that decision, allow your body that break, and reward yourself for taking sweet care of yourself. Push HARD on the days you can. Give yourself some slack on the days you can't. But before you say "no" be 100% sure you just can't. You will find there just are very few of these days.