Tough year, trying to learn to treat myself the way I should. Need Friends!

Our stories are not exactly similar; however, I too am struggling with my weight. I am a working mommy of three who hasn't treated myself very nicely for the last few years. I vowed that this year, I would treat myself better...and be kinder! I'm so used to beating myself up about everything (not doing things well enough, being "fat", not feeling worthy of simple things like manicures or miniature shopping trips, etc.) - I just make sure my family is pampered all the time and put myself on the backburner!

Now, things are -a- changin'!! Part of taking better care of myself is weight loss. I am very excited to have my hubby on board with me as well (he's great and super supportive). Let's follow each other's journey and motivate each other. We can do this!

If ever you become discouraged, just think of how great you'll feel in a few weeks/months that you didn't give up!! (That's my current motivation.)

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Here's my Fitbit profile. https://www.fitbit.com/user/2CQTGN

Sending you a friend request. I have a fitbit too and find it great for increasing my motivation to exercise. I find that I over-eat if I am stressed or tired. Logging on MFP has helped me to control that somewhat. Good luck.

Other ideas for protein instead of meat are beans, nuts and legumes. Nuts tend to have a higher fat content, however, they are high in monounsaturated fats which are healthy for your heart. Typically what we recommend as dietitians is to make half of your plate fruits and vegetable at every meal, 25% meat or meat substitute and 25% carbohydrates. If you go to www.eatright.org and click under public, there are many great articles about eating this way as well as good vegetable options to add to your diet. I love Whole Foods grocery store because you can find vegetables that other stores will not carry. Feel free to try things you never had before... a good example is kale which is high in iron and vitamin c and super low in calories. You do need some carbohydrate in your diet. The reason for this is because carbs are most easily broken down by your body to give it energy. It requires more energy for your body to break down fats and proteins. However, decreasing your overall carb intake on a daily basis is not a bad idea. The bottom line for carbs is your body needs about 120 grams per day to do basic functions such as breathing and keeping your heart beating. The cool thing about your body is that it can always adjust. I used to skip breakfast as a teenager and was always a zombie at school in the morning. Once I learned how important breakfast is to starting your metabolism off in the morning, I started to eat it. At first I was not hungry and had to force myself to eat something small, however, my body adjusted and any time thereafter that I missed out on breakfast, I found that I was starving. In terms of protein intake, the typical recommendation for a healthy (meaning illness free) individual is 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per kg of body weight. At your current weight of 223# which is 101.4 kg, you would require about 81-101 grams of protein per day. This is just an estimate, and I know MFP has probably calculated something different based on what options you chose when you created your profile but this should help to at least maintain your muscle mass that you currently have. Now that I've rambled on a big, does this help at all?

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My story is very similar to yours. I'm 29 years old 5'4 and weigh 231lbs. This last year has been nothing very hard full of family issues and health problems. I am here to offer any support and am too looking for support because I can easily "fall off the wagon", so you can count on me and hopefully me on you too

I let myself go long ago and now I'm taking my health back! I know that this is going to be a long journey but i am prepared for the ups and downs! Good luck to us all as we go through this journey!