Quzzdragon's Weight-Loss
quzzdragon
Posts: 140 Member
Started with MFP 20 days ago and I've been sticking with it so far. Saw these motivational journals and wanted to join in. I'm 5'9" and about 180 and trying to get back to my just-starting-college-weight of about 145. I gained a ton of my weight when I had a VERY stressful job and was drinking away my stress. Then I quit, got happier, and still was gaining weight. I'm determined to lose it before my hubby and I start trying for kids.
I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knees about a week ago and I've started PT for them. That's been very encouraging - I'm ready for the pain to stop. I started by just cutting calories - not worried about cutting a specific food group because that always makes me want those. So I'm still eating my carbs, still eating my chocolate, just eating fewer of them and keeping everything under or close-to my calorie limit. Now I'm adding my PT and soon I'm hoping to add more regular exercise. Hard to go for walks when there's 2 feet of snow out though.
My husband is very supportive of my PT and mostly supportive of my weight loss. I keep telling him that my BMI isn't healthy and it's bad for my knees and I can't fit a lot of my clothes - so frustrating. I know he means well, but keeps saying things like "but I like your butt!" or "you look fine!" I'm determined to keep working towards my college-jeans though.
Going on a cruise in 3 months and I'd love to lose as much as I can by then. If I only lose a pound a week, that's fine, but I have MFP set to 2 (it'll only do 1.7 as that's the 1200 calorie cut-off) as an optimistic goal. If I go over by 50-100 calories I'm not heart-broken either.
Very confused - when I went to the Dr. last week their scale said 180. When I stepped on my bathroom scale, it said 170 one day, then 175 the next. Either my scale is broken (it is rather cheap) or I have the greatest weight fluctuation on the planet. I think it's the former. Makes it a little difficult to track my actual weight. So far I feel pretty good, but my clothes still fit the same. We'll see if that changes over the next week or so. Hoping to see some real results soon.
Had a dream last night I could put my belt 4 notches smaller than usual. Woke up a little disappointed
Love all of the encouragement and hope I see here and hoping to keep it going.
Until next time.
I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knees about a week ago and I've started PT for them. That's been very encouraging - I'm ready for the pain to stop. I started by just cutting calories - not worried about cutting a specific food group because that always makes me want those. So I'm still eating my carbs, still eating my chocolate, just eating fewer of them and keeping everything under or close-to my calorie limit. Now I'm adding my PT and soon I'm hoping to add more regular exercise. Hard to go for walks when there's 2 feet of snow out though.
My husband is very supportive of my PT and mostly supportive of my weight loss. I keep telling him that my BMI isn't healthy and it's bad for my knees and I can't fit a lot of my clothes - so frustrating. I know he means well, but keeps saying things like "but I like your butt!" or "you look fine!" I'm determined to keep working towards my college-jeans though.
Going on a cruise in 3 months and I'd love to lose as much as I can by then. If I only lose a pound a week, that's fine, but I have MFP set to 2 (it'll only do 1.7 as that's the 1200 calorie cut-off) as an optimistic goal. If I go over by 50-100 calories I'm not heart-broken either.
Very confused - when I went to the Dr. last week their scale said 180. When I stepped on my bathroom scale, it said 170 one day, then 175 the next. Either my scale is broken (it is rather cheap) or I have the greatest weight fluctuation on the planet. I think it's the former. Makes it a little difficult to track my actual weight. So far I feel pretty good, but my clothes still fit the same. We'll see if that changes over the next week or so. Hoping to see some real results soon.
Had a dream last night I could put my belt 4 notches smaller than usual. Woke up a little disappointed
Love all of the encouragement and hope I see here and hoping to keep it going.
Until next time.
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Replies
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Exhausted from PT last night - not really sure how to put that into MFP for exercise, but believe me - it was. All I know is that means I deserve a piece of my dark chocolate orange and early bed-time last night. I was so sore going to bed early didn't really help, but laying in the dark was peaceful at least.
Also found and started using the "scan" feature on MFP - WOW is that easy! LOVE it! Hubby was wonderful and made dinner last night - turkey burgers. All I had to do was scan the box, scan the bag of buns, scan the cheese, and DONE. Going to do that as often as possible now.0 -
I love crab too. I hope you enjoyed it. I have bad knees. I had shots in the right one. They told me I had broken my kneecap at one point, but it healed ok. Whenever it's damp I have an ache in both, plus both of them creak real loud when bending them. I don't remember PT hurting like you're going through. I would definite ask them. Love this whole site glad you found the scan I use it a lot.0
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Crab last night was AWESOME. I successful did not eat ANY butter or their rich sides. I even indulged in the "all-you-can-eat" aspect and only went over my calorie count by 80 calories. Not too bad! Helps that crab isn't very calorie rich
Fighting with my scale though. It's one of those cheap ones you get at target or walmart. If I step on it, it says I'm 170. If I lean forward a bit, it says I'm 175. If I lean forward even more, it says I'm 180! Last weigh-in I used for MFP was when I was at the doctor (figure their scale is pretty accurate) so I'll do my next weigh-in when I go back March 1st. That gives me 4 weeks to lose. Guess it'll be a surprise for everyone 0 -
That's great that you were able to enjoy the crab and avoid the butter! I'm not sure I could have.
Good idea to wait and use your weight from a doctor's office. I think most scales have some variance if your weight isn't evenly distributed, but not 10 pounds.0 -
congrats on the control at the 'All You Can Eat' - very impressive !0
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I'm glad you enjoyed it and still maintained control0
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Wow you had a great day. I'm glad we need these and what better day than Friday0
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love those skinny days ! I love thinking of them as what my 'normal' will soon be.
Have fun shopping.
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Had a great weekend with my sister, but definitely went over my calories. Not too outrageously, but still. Does shopping for 8 hours count as cardio activity? Definitely sore enough yesterday that it makes met think so. Anyway - back on track today and the rest of this week.
Tried Dr. Scholls inserts for my shoes - HATE THEM! They simply don't work for my flats (I step right out of the shoe) and in my sneakers they just felt wrong. I know that's probably just because they're new, but my sneakers aren't really were I needed the support anyway.
Got about 4 hours of sleep last night. I just couldn't fall asleep - ever have those kinds of nights? Hubby came in about 2 hours after I had laid down (and was staring at the ceiling) and fell right asleep. So jealous.
Pool PT tonight. Hopefully she'll assign me new exercises today or tomorrow. Since I felt so good on Friday, I think I'm ready for something more challenging and strengthening. Keeping my hopes up on my knees.0 -
Really starting to feel the PT loosening my IT band (the tough, fibrous tendon on the outside of your knee) and it's AWESOME. Makes it easy to be hopeful when I'm starting to see results
Should get my garmin today - super exciting!0 -
@quzzdragon have you thought of also adding in body measurements to your regime of seeing how things are going? Scales can be so deceiving and fluctuate from day to day especially around the girly time. You sound like you're doing an awesome job. And congrats on the one notch tighter. Those jeans are in sight0
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@khatmott I thought about it, but I don't have a soft tape measure. Next time I'm out at the dollar store or target I'll pick one up. Thanks for the suggestion!0
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I really think the PT is helping, but I am SO looking forward to going straight home today from work. Hubby even offered to drop by the store for the few items we need so I could. So blessed.
The bagels are finally gone from my home so I'm back on track for breakfasts. Made more crustless mini-breakfast quiches and added a healthy dose of cayenne pepper to them - looking forward to that batch. They're a real life saver in the mornings and keep me going pretty well through the day. Also makes counting breakfast calories super easy.
Garmin is awesome so far, but my old phone can't connect to it via Bluetooth. A little disappointing, but all of the other features are so useful that plugging it in twice a week or so to sync the data won't be an issue. I'll just plug it in while I'm gaming no problem.
Happy hump-day all!0 -
Had another night of bad sleep. It was *roasting* in the apartment for a good two hours last night, then freezing again... hard to stay comfy. I use a knee pillow (have since high school) and they get really warm, so that didn't help. Tried sleeping without it and it felt like a hot iron was between my knees. If I could learn to sleep on my back it might help. Anyone know any tips to do that besides "lay on your back when you're really tired"? Really looking forward to this weekend so I can catch up on sleep.
So the Garmin counts steps, and when I hook it up it syncs with MFP and counts the steps as calories burned. So then it says I have more calories for that day. Going to try to stick to my calories before those steps burned though since it feels like cheating to eat or drink those back.
The PT is definitely helping my knees, but it makes me so tired. I'm a little terrified of PT stopping that the knee pain will return, but I'm looking forward to being home by 4:15 instead of 6 or later. Getting home last night directly after work was such a blessing. And I get to again on Friday!
My therapist recommended I try to find classes put out by the Arthritis Foundation since they are usually fairly cheap and are low-impact and/or in the water. I looked for Maryland, and the closest office is over an hour away with tolls. All of the local pools are crazy expensive, too. When the weather gets warmer I'll start walking regularly - I really need to get out and start doing something. This weekend I'll try one of those as-home low-impact workout videos people have posted.
Almost to the weekend!0 -
After my c section everything hurt to sleep but laying on my back, which I hate. Only way I could do it was tuck pillows under my knees so they were elevated. Think taking your side sleeping position and rolling on your back.
For the workouts have you tried Pilates?0 -
@kettiecat Not since middle school. My memory of Pilates was that it was active yoga but it could be pretty knee intensive - but I could be remembering wrong. Is it low-impact?
Also, good news! I was looking at Arthritis Foundation centers, not classes! I found some Zumba Gold which is usually at a retirement community (meant for older people - but I have old knees), and Aqua Zumba, which looks promising. I'll talk to my therapist tonight and see which she recommends and start that up after March 1st. 0 -
I use Aqua Zumba...started last week and love it. I need to have a double knee replacement soon so basic classes are a no no if I don't want to be in even more agony then I already am daily. But as for the aqua class, I love it. I feel the burn but no added stress on the knees. I would definitely recommend. Good Luck!!!!0
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@cmr3399 Awesome! Thank you for sharing your experience! Water exercise has always been a favorite of mine - I love the water and it's way easier on my knees. But my husband doesn't enjoy the water as much as I do, so finding something I can do with others in the water is such a life-saver. Can't wait!0
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Once you start let me know how it goes :-)0
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After my c section everything hurt to sleep but laying on my back, which I hate. Only way I could do it was tuck pillows under my knees so they were elevated. Think taking your side sleeping position and rolling on your back.
I'll second this! Pillows under the knees helps eleviate pressure/pain in the lower back. Also, we tend to think that using a pillow under our head is best (it usually is for side sleepers because it helps keep the spine aligned), but for sleeping on back, pillows take the spine out of alignment. Instead try rolling a small towel (anything soft, really) to fit perfectly under the natural curve of your neck.
Another idea is to try using the knee and neck support while doing something like a guided meditation, rather than jumping into using it for a sleep position. Practicing getting relaxed in the new position even when you're not tired can help with the transition when it comes to sleeping.
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Woke up again with less pain and still using a tighter notch on my belt (so I haven't gained anything). If this is how every Friday is going to be, I am totally for it! Plus, I'm excited to have another day to go straight home after work! Woo!
So I've been tracking consistently and honestly for over 30 days straight... and MFP just sent me a "welcome to MFP" message. ??? MFP is either very confused or on a VERY delayed schedule. haha!
Looking forward to a weekend of catching up on sleep. Not looking forward to the catching up on chores part, but I'll make it through. Got my to-do list and can't wait to get it done so I can play. Currently obsessed with GW2 (an online RPG that's beautiful and got a great story).
Last night I woke up around 2 am and rolled onto my back and fell immediately to sleep. So maybe there is hope of me learning to sleep on my back.
Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!0 -
Glad the pain is down and the sleep is up!0
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@quzzdragon water activities are definitely awesome for your knees. I also have dodgy knees and anything other than low impact activities are a no go zone and even then i have to watch what I do. I'm looking in my area for an aqua zumba class to go to. I think it will connect with my gym routine just nicely.
I'm glad you are getting less pain and that belt is still a notch tighter. Things are going great for you. Completely understand about the wanting to get things done so you can play. I'm a bit of a pokemon freak and hang out for my weekend when i can play.
I'm wondering if mfp had a bit of a moment this week cause I also got a welcome to mfp email too and this is my 40th consecutive day.
Anyway really happy things are going well for you and that you have some via post PT options to look into. Keep fighting the good fight hon.0 -
Wow I'm glad someone else likes to play games too. It sounds like you're doing great. I'm going to search for water Zumba I know it would help with my knees. Happy Friday0
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Belt notches are always a great NSV - like a gift that keeps on giving.
Hope you're having a great weekend, with lots of sleep (and GW2) !
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So there was a problem with my other account, it got deleted, so now I have to start from scratch!
Really annoying, but I'm not going to let that stop me. I can tell this is helping, so I'm going to stick with it!
Unfortunately, that means that the last few days I haven't been tracking or logging in, so... Let's catch up!
Hubby has a test tomorrow so he's not sleeping well - can't wait for that to be over. Had food poisoning on Monday, so that was fun. Better now, but that was a day of pain for both of us. Also meant I had to miss aqua therapy on Monday. But my knees are feeling SO much better, I can definitely tell the therapy is helping. I just hope that when I'm done (next week is my last week) that my knees stay feeling this way and don't slip back into painful habits.
Had a LOVELY revelation yesterday and again this morning. Yesterday I put on pants that I bought at my heaviest and they literally fell off my bum. They were fairly loose when I bought them (had to be to get the length I needed) but now I can't wear them! They don't have belt loops, so I'll have to take them to mom's sewing machine and put some darts in them if I ever want to wear them again. Woo! THEN! This morning I put on pants that used to make me muffin-top like crazy, and I needed a belt to feel comfortable! They don't fall off (which is good - I need something to wear) but I don't muffin-top anymore! That was a great feeling!
So the therapy is helping my knees and this site and all of your support is helping my weight loss which is making the rest of me feel great and also helping my knees.
Hope the rest of you are doing well too - I'm rooting for you!0 -
Way to go on those victories. I get so sad. When I regained all my weight I must have regained 90% in my tummy/bottom. I tried a few times to slip into pants that I wore when I was 20lbs heavier, and the muffin top was enormous, thats even if I can get them up and or zipped. It just makes me more depressed, like how could this be????
It's so good to hear your progress...keep pushing forward!! Awesome Job!!0 -
I know what you mean. Don't get discouraged! Try to think of them as goal pants. And when you get back into them, go out and celebrate. Dance (even if it's just around your living room) and shake your butt in them - 'cuz it's going to feel great! I still muffin-top like crazy in my pants from a few years ago, but not muffin-topping in my current pants is a small but great victory. and you can bet I was dancing around this morning when I realized!0
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That's awesome! I'm looking forward to fitting into some of my pants from a few years ago. I'm pear shaped, so if I can get pants over my thighs and hips, the waist is usually too big. I almost think I'd rather muffin top than not even be able to pull pants up. lol0
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I love that you danced around. That is what I'll do too. Before January I went down a size but it was curvy jeans from regular jeans. But it was still one size down. I was so happy. Can't wait till I can go down a size again. HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!0
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