Back again... Need to vent and all the suport I can get!

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623Hernandez
623Hernandez Posts: 458
in Motivation and Support
I joined MPF 5/18/10 and lost 25 pounds. I have since gained all but 8 back. I wasn't strong enough to handle going to school full-time, working part-time, time for studying & homework, and the all the commute time. I felt I didn't have the time to measure and count everything I was eating and didn't have the time to cook. Fast food has been huge part of my busy schedule.

I graduated from CCC Dental Assisting Program and now have time for myself. I know measuring everything, counting calorie, and searching/logging in food works. I unfortunately am not looking forward to it this time. WHY!? I am not sure. Maybe because counting calories and logging in my food is tedious. Maybe because for a year I have tried to get back on track and have been unsuccessful. Maybe because even though I lost 25 pounds no one seemed to notice, not even those closest to me. Maybe because I see now how easy it is to gain it all back. Maybe because I don't want to fail.

I know I love MFP. I love everyone on MFP! I love all the support and inspiration at MFP. The recourses and the accountability MFP provides are awesome. I learned a lot from measuring and logging in calories. I learned that a cup and a tablespoon are actually a lot bigger than I ever thought. I also learned that I consume a hell of a lot of calories a day when I am making poor choices.

I want to lose weight and be healthy. I want to be proud of myself, my choices, and my body. I want to feel sexy and be able to buy cute clothes. I want to be healthy and incorporate exercise into my life. I am not sure yet how to make this all come true but being here at MPF is a great first step.

I am going to try a few different things this time at MFP. Instead of focusing on the fact that I want to lose 70 pounds I am going to focus on losing 5 pounds a month. So I am going to change my goal and my ticker to lose 5 pounds at a time. I hope this way I will feel less overwhelmed. Trying to lose as much as possible as fast as possible is stressful. I am also going to allow myself more than 1200 calories. It was all most impossible to stay at 1200 calories and going over everyday was very discouraging. I am also going to take pictures of myself to conical my success. Seeing everyone's before and after pictures is very inspirational. I would love to inspire myself!

I would also like to make other life changes. I have quit smoking for just a little over a month now and I hope to give up fast food and diet soda next. I would love to only drink water and never go through a drive through again! I have an elliptical and would like to use it at least 4 days a week. Exercise is so hard for me because I HATE IT. lol Sad but true. I am going to try starting with 5 minutes a day and increase it by 5 minutes every week until I get to 30 on the elliptical. I would love to make my elliptical a part of my everyday routine. I would love to sleep at least 8 hours a night, go to sleep before midnight, and wake up before 11. Sometimes my current job prevents me from sleeping "normal" hours. That is why I did the dental assisting program so, I would have a normalish work schedule and I could make my desired life changes easier. These are just a few of the changes I would like to make. I hope to accomplish them one by one!

I have never rambled on like this at MPF before but it just feels good to get it out.... I don't know...

Replies

  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
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    I think you have an awesome plan laid out for yourself. Of course it's still intimidating, and frustrating when all the effort and sweat and hungry moments come around and you can poke yourself and still jiggle - I know most on MFP feel this same way.

    But! You have goals, and reasonable ones at that. Keep it low pressure, and know that no matter how small the steps, they are still STEPS. You'll still be getting somewhere and doing something worthwhile for yourself.

    Don't be discouraged, stick with this! You've gotten a taste of the success already with those 25lbs from your first round - just imagine what will happen if you keep it up!

    Feel free to add me if you want support. I'm not always the greatest role model, but I do log on every day at least :) I'll be here!!
  • Missevanston
    Missevanston Posts: 361 Member
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    Well WELCOME BACK! Sounds like you have some great goals and a plan to get there. Friend me for support and motivation...:flowerforyou:
  • meganwolsker
    meganwolsker Posts: 47
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    Good Luck!!!!
  • korygilliam
    korygilliam Posts: 594 Member
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    Welcome back! I just got back on MFP a couple of weeks ago. It took me forever (it seemed) to get up the gumption to get back on, now it feels like part of my day again. I do elliptical as well for my main portion of exercise and I love it.

    I do think it is like riding a bike...you fall off, but you get back on. After doing it a few times, it becomes natural. I am very happy to have started back up on MFP and I think it is great that you have too!

    On a positive note, if you were like most dieters, you would've quit doing your diet and gained ALL of your weight back +10% extra (maybe 20% since you quit smoking). This just helps affirm that losing weight the MFP way really does work and doesn't cause the yo-yo affect. In a year of stopping MFP and quitting smoking, I had only gained 10 pounds back! Now time for us to get back on board and get to our goal weight! wahoo!!
  • chris6515
    chris6515 Posts: 131 Member
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    Hey, you gave up SMOKING! Do you know that nicotine is the most addictive substance there is? If you can do that, you can make the healthy changes you wrote about. Good plan to focus on just five pounds a month being your goal. Don't worry about who else notices, YOU will notice. You will feel better, have more energy, your clothes won't be so tight...and as you know, it just gets better. Try to recall how great you felt losing those 70 pounds.
  • FatUncleRob
    FatUncleRob Posts: 341
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    Sounds like you know what you need to do and you have set your goals! Well done! :smile:

    Now, just take it one day at a time. You don't have to be perfect every day. You just have to have more good days than bad ones.

    As for exercise. If you build it up gradually, you will notice that it gets easier - but it will take time and commitment. You may even get to enjoy it. (I know, it may be hard to believe. I didn't believe it at first, but now I thoroughly enjoy my workouts.)

    I'm sorry that you didn't get much positive feedback when you lost the 25 pounds. Sometimes it takes a (long) while for people to notice. At least friends here on MFP will be supportive. :smile:

    I KNOW that you can do this if you set your mind to it.

    Good luck and welcome back! :flowerforyou:
  • flimflamfloz
    flimflamfloz Posts: 1,980 Member
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    I am also going to allow myself more than 1200 calories. It was all most impossible to stay at 1200 calories and going over everyday was very discouraging

    This... is so TRUE...

    I had this 1200 limit before, and was always going over it - which was indeed discouraging.

    My limit is now 1500 and I am always way below it (more in the 1300-1400 range) - this is like day and night, and it feels so easy suddenly.
  • MeliciousMelis
    MeliciousMelis Posts: 458 Member
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    I am so glad you are back...this is a human experience, and far from perfect, but it is a learning experience too. I have fallen off the wagon and climbed back on that sucker so many times, and each time I do, I do learn something about myself in the process. Losing weight is a very individual process- what works for some, or even many, may not work for you. The only way to find out is to keep trying. Keep showing up. Keep tweaking things until you find the right combo that works for YOU.

    You can so do this. You've got a good game plan, and setting small goals, achievable goals, can add up to big goals.

    Totally sending you a friend request. :flowerforyou:
  • calmmomw3minimeez
    calmmomw3minimeez Posts: 499 Member
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    I think that you really have everything in perspective now by not rushing yourself...your goals are right on the money and you can actually ENJOY the journey this time! Welcome back and good luck...feel free to add me if you like, you can do this and yes you can keep it up - you quit smoking for goodness sake, WOW!!! If you could accomplish that, you can definitely succeed at this getting fit thing, so congrats on your wise decisions and goals - YOU GO GIRL!!!:smokin:
  • cchelll
    cchelll Posts: 12 Member
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    I have done the EXACT SAME THING!! I joined last September and lost 28 lbs. I have since gained 20 of it back and since being back on at MFP for 5 days have re-lost 2. I hear EVERYTHING you are saying. It is really frustrating when no one notices, and you tell someone you lost so much weight and they respond with "oh wow you have? Well good for you"!! I too like you hate hate exercising, but when I do it I feel so much better and for the few hours after I love it and want to do more. Hopefully someday I will. This time around my only goal so far is to lose 100 pounds in a year. I know that is a huge stretch but I need a long term goal to keep me grounded, but I don't want to set any short term because if I don't meet it then I feel like crap and pig out because "hey whats it going to hurt?" Wrong thinking.too took pictures!! I am going to take them weekly or monthly so I will see the difference. I think I didn't do that last fall because I thought that I would feel like I looked. I do but I also am very glad I did take the pics because I think they are icky!! I will work with my daily goals and if I slip up I will remember that tomorrow is another day and even the super skinny people eat crap once in a while...at least the normal ones do. So I will provide support for you because I know what you are feeling and we will succeed at this. Good luck to you my new MFP Friend.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Welcome back girl....i lost about 11 and gained 15.....so now im back and lost 10 in a little over a week.....its hard when you have to be so strict and everyone around you isn't also....at least for me it is. But hey, you got this!
  • diet45
    diet45 Posts: 392 Member
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    Welcome back!! I have lost on MFP before, too. I didn't stick with it. I think what has got me through the last year is my financial situation....which has been horrible. I just feel there is something in my life that I can control.....that is how it started for me. I started making small changes and didn't focus on the big picture. I set many goals and did not make then, but have been plugging along. First I wanted to lose the 52 lbs by my one year mark, then I decided well I guess 40 lbs, now that is 4 days away and I still have 2 lbs to lose. What can I say? I need to focus on the positive ...I've lost 38 lbs!! I started a size 12 and now wear a size 8. I'm stronger and more active which is great because I have a very active 4 yr old. I was overweight for 13 yrs...after having my 3rd son. I just feel that now it is a way of life and I definitely don't want to go back. It did take a long time for people to notice that I was losing weight, but once I lost about 25-30 lbs I dropped 2 sizes. It is like I went from a 12 to an 8 and skipped the 10s.

    Make some small goals to start and when you meet those set another goal. You will be amazed at how fast you will get back to it and amazed at the results.
  • lauragoat
    lauragoat Posts: 197 Member
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    Just by writing it down you have made a great step to making it true! Welcome back and let's do this together. YOU CAN do this... you've done it before. but it takes that first step!!!!!

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