Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

@320sycamore - Welcome to the group! For short term goals, I did 20 lbs at a time but you could also do 10 lbs at a time. I also made other mini goals of reaching different categories of BMI, like obese class 2, obese class 1, overweight, etc. You can figure these out for your height by using a BMI calculator.

When we have 100+ lbs to lose and the finish line seems so daunting and far away, I think it really helps to celebrate each small goal of 10 lbs, 20 lbs, etc. This is a personal preference, but I also decided to buy myself small non-food gifts to celebrate each milestone, like a cute bottle of nail polish or a new bracelet etc, just little things so that I have something extra to look forward to. I have also heard of people keeping a decorative jar and putting glass stones for each lb lost, or adding a charm to a charm bracelet for each 10 lb milestone, things like that.

This is a great thread for motivation and support! I wish you all the best in meeting your goals

Hi, I love your input! I am not one for stringent rules and feel like this can definitely work too; everyone is different and it's experimenting with what works. I really liked the "one meal a day" because the first 3 days I had AMAZING energy!! But I haven't been able to stick to it since.. so, I'm doing the intermittent fasting again. It gives me more control in eating less at work and less snacking. Other days I will eat if I'm hungry in the morning, it all depends. I like that method of time slots, I may have to try that! Thanks!

dreawest wrote: »

Wow, quite a few posts in the last two days. Nice to see so many people. What types of arts n' crafts @MermaidPrincessRach ?

I see people have been discussing intermittent fasting versus lots of small meals and thought I would share as we are all so different. I don't practice either. I never could stop eating after a certain time like the advice used to say and I struggled to eat breakfast but on previous attempts I did it because of the whole most important meal of the day. A nutritionist in a weight loss program my doctor referred me to insisted on it. The problem for me is that if I have breakfast it tends to kick-start my appetite and I eat more all day.

This time around I am not eating breakfast and only eating lightly in the day. This means that I can have a big dinner and even fit in treats if I want. It doesn't feel like a diet this way. I do log everything and my natural preference is to skip breakfast so a simple lunch means I enjoy myself at home and stops me from constantly going out and buying expensive 1500 calorie lunches. My diary is in time slots, before 9/9-12/12-3/3-6/6-9/after 9. I really like this method and it lets me go back and see trends based on when I overeat.

Just my two cents. My diary is open if anyone cares

And a Wednesday wish - I hope my surgery goes well on Monday. It is minor but I need a general anesthetic and that causes me some anxiety as I've had a bad reaction in the past. Even though I thought I was dealing okay I've noticed my stress and anxiety increasing this past week and I've been quicker to anger/get upset. Hopefully I can zen my way through the next few days and return to my happy self.

I'm trying to get in shape for the 10k walk on Saturday, so I walked yesterday evening, early this morning and again this evening, 3.7 miles each time. I made it so I think that I will be ok for the 10k. I just don't have a time block big enough to walk 10k all at once. I'm going to give my knees the TENS treatment every evening this week. They are a bit painful, as usual, but that usually eases the pain a lot.
It's so good to see so many people making the commitment to be healthy. I've had some bad and some good days, but over all I'm losing slowly and that's the right direction to be going.
Onward and downward, Kaye

@emjemsqueak --I did 30DS a couple of years ago and it is really hard, so good for you for not giving up! It's great that you have a vacation as a motivator--it's always helpful to have a goal.

@kaye-- I'm sure you will be fine walking the 10k. Just make sure to take it easy (shorter walks) for a day or two before the race.

@WhovianFitNHealthy --I've never formally tried intermittent fasting, but I'm a big proponent of doing whatever works for you that you can maintain over the long haul. Like you, I'm not one for eating first thing in the morning. I'm just not hungry until I've been awake for a few hours. And like @dreawest , when I forced myself to try eating within an hour of waking every day, it just made me hungrier throughout the day. The result was that I ended up consuming more calories throughout the day, so I decided it just wasn't for me.

@dreawest -- I also tend to eat more of my calories later in the day. It just works better for my body since I'm naturally a night-owl. If I eat too many calories early in the day, then I'm hungry in the evening.

@kathleen-- welcome to the thread! Congrats on quitting smoking--I quit 3 years ago and didn't touch a cigarette for about a year. For the past two years, I've been an occasional smoker--if I'm out with friends who smoke, I might have one. It's not ideal, but it's way better than the half-a-pack-a-day habit I used to have. It's also so freeing to be able to go anywhere and not worry about whether I will be able to smoke, or standing in the freezing cold outside a restaurant or bar just to smoke a cigarette. I sure don't miss those days!

@niki-- congrats on losing over 10 lbs in your challenge!! That's a very respectable accomplishment!

@pneschich --Yes, focus on the big picture. My big picture is that I'm 10 lbs heavier than I was a year ago, but I'm still 50 lbs less than 5 years ago.

@badnoodle --Congrats on your movement in the BMI categories! I remember that movement from obese to overweight--it feels good. I've been unsuccessful moving to the healthy category, but I'm not giving up. I will get there eventually. On another note, you are putting me to shame with the You vs. Year challenge. I'm only at 272 k and I've been logging since January. However, I never expected to make the 1000 k. I'm just shooting for as much as possible, and then next year, I will aim higher.

Grading Goals:
1. 52/82 motif analyses
2. x/40 AP essays

Fitness Goals for the month of September:
Run 1 mile at my fastest pace 1x/week: Week 1 = 11:34; Week 2 = 11:10
Run 2 miles in 23 minutes 1x/week: Week 1 = 24:12; Week 2 = 24:08
Run a 5 k in <36 minutes by month's end:

You vs Year Challenge:
272 k done/ 728 k to go PAST the 25% mark!!

Exercise Goals:
Sun-- walk gunner DONE
Mon-- walk gunner DONE + mow lawn DONE
Tues-- walk gunner DONE
Wed-- walk gunner DONE (meeting)
Thurs-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE or run outside
Fri-- walk gunner DONE
Sat-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE or run outside

@kathleen & any other newlings--here are the general posting ideas. We don't all post these every day, but find it helps keep the conversation going, and at least for me, it helps keep me personally accountable to come here and share. I would not have stuck with it this long if not for this thread, and if I neglect reading an sharing, I find I get off track with nutrition and fitness.

GOALS and IDEAS for daily posts (Not mandatory)

Monday - Check In (how are you doing? Had any successes or struggles this week-end?)

Tuesday - Goals (do you have any Goals you want to update us?)

Wednesday - Wishes (what do you wish? It can be weight related or not, can be realistic or not)

Thursday - Truth (got anything you need to fess up to or get off your chest?)

Friday - Fitness (what are you doing to get fit? How are you preparing for weekend eating?

Saturday - Success (what have you accomplished; focus on the positive of the week, NSV=non scale victories)

Sunday - Sharing (tell us a little about yourself....update your personal life)

@JustMe602 It really depends on how easily you can commit to the restriction, and how well your body copes. Some people who lose fast seem to have more trouble with flappy skin and list muscle, but those who go slow seem to get discouraged more frequently.

For me, I spent some time this weekend reorganizing the kitchen to better work with how I cook. I now do 99.99% of the cooking, and if that's how we're going to roll, I want things laid out to suit me. I had canisters of flour, sugar, rice, and cornmeal on the counter that just aren't being used much. They got relocated to the pantry, and my food scale and compost bins now get to live on the counter, as does the dry erase board I use to track measurements as I cook. (Easier than trying to type with gunky hands).

I went through the utensils and knives and exiled the ones I don't like/use to the donation box. But best of all, I was able to shuffle my drawers around so that all my measuring cups and spoons are right next to where I stand to do prep, rather than halfway across the kitchen.

Anything I can do to make cooking more pleasant means a greater likelihood that I'll do it.

@badnoodle ahhh...that's something I didn't think about....right now I have it set to 1.5 so I can go either way, I love how your kitchen sounds, very awesome

@dreawest ....re: your post about skipping breakfast and having a big dinner. The reason why breakfast is encouraged is because you will eat something large enough to burn the calories off while you do your daily activities. Remember that we are less active in evening hours so a big meal at dinner time may not be so wise as the calories that we intake and do not burn will be stored into fat. I can testify to that. So if you can, make breakfast the large meal and go light on dinner.

campfirequeen1 wrote: »

OK I'm going to share a dream of mine. When I was younger I always wished I could walk across the US, but I was the mom of three and most of those years they were growing up, I was a single parent and had to work long and hard just make us a living. Then they grew up and I was into a job where I worked at least 60hrs a week and any time off was pretty much spent taking care of the necessary things like laundry, errands etc. so it didn't get done then either. Now I'm retired and work as a massage therapist just to make fun money and extras money, so I can do something like that but that seems pretty lofty at my current health and fitness level. So this is what I want to do, start with a 5k, and then move on to a 10K and then maybe a half marathon!!! At my weight and fitness level just doing the 5K is going to be work, but I think I'm up to it. I've looked at the couch to 5K and it looks a little too much right now but I'm going to try and work out a plan that will be a little less aggressive and still accomplish my goal. I think if I can do the 10k before I turn 70 I'll be happy and then I'll decide about the half marathon. Does anyone have any suggestions?

@campfire-- I know it's not quite the same, but a couple of years ago I started a virtual walk across America. I don't recall how far I got before I got bored of charting my miles--I think I was somewhere in Kansas. LOL! Here is the link if you are interested:
https://www.verywell.com/webwalking-usa-walking-program-3432830

Since I'm new and this is "Sunday share", I'll tell you a bit about my story. I'm turning 56 in 10 days, but when I was 27 and my husband was 48, he had a massive stroke. The doctors said that he would never walk or talk again (but he did)! We also had a 5 month old infant, and my husband was the breadwinner and self-employed (without disability insurance, of course). So I have been the breadwinner since then, and currently work full time 45+ hrs/wk (but thankfully, from home most of the time). While my husband did eventually recover (not fully) from his stroke, about 10 years ago he began having other health problems, and now at age 77 he is only able to walk very short distances with a walker, but not much else. So I am also his caregiver and manage all the household "stuff" like cooking, shopping, bill paying, laundry, etc. Thank goodness he married a nurse! I enjoy my work and I enjoy caring for my husband, but I don't enjoy doing both. I'm not yet able to retire, and realistically probably can't for at least another 10 years . . . but I can dream!

In the midst of working, parenting and caregiving, I let my own health go to h###. So, I'm recommitting to losing weight and remaining a non-smoker. I'll eventually have to add exercise into the mix, but I have never found any form of exercise that I enjoyed, so I'll leave that for another time. Tackling eating and smoking is enough for the time being.

Sunday share: I am tired! Rebuilt my mother in laws fence with my 17 year old. 17 is a beautiful age. Work all day in the sun and have no ill affects. I hurt. Fence looks good, mother in law is happy Hot this weekend. My thermometer says we hit 96. I also got my weekly prep done. Veggies cut, breakfast and lunch stuff ready and a good dinner menu too.
I am interviewing a new doctor on Thursday because my insurance and my current Dr can't play nice then I see the dietician, busy afternoon. Had an electronics free Saturday, mostly. Logged,,,. Had some ouzo last night after my greek salad with gyro meat. Love that stuff.way low on calories today I wonder how I'm going to react to that, yeah I'm gonna hold onto or add weight for 2 or 3 days.
@Nikion901 glad you got a smile and a laugh.
@320sycamore welcome. Everyone here has been so kind to me. My word of advice, planning. Awe, heck, I have another word accountability. Accountability to the one person who can hold your feet to the fire or let you slide, YOU. But be a benevolent and forgiving self.

Way to go campfirequeen1! You should be ecstatic - 37 lbs is impressive. Can you help encourage some of us who are still aspiring to that amount what differences/changes you've experienced as a result? Also, regarding Thanksgiving, when I was perusing the discussion boards while acquainting myself with MFP, I saw a member mention that she eats everything she wants at Thanksgiving, as long as it fits on a single dinner roll. That way, she gets a taste of everything. I, of course, was picturing a Dagwood-type of sandwich . . .

I didn't lose anything this week, but my 6 lbs over 3 weeks is still quite pleasing (along with forgoing cigarettes). I've heard that many people gain weight when quitting smoking even if they don't change what or how much they are eating (metabolism changes), so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

pneschich, thanks for the advice. I am finding that prep and/or convenience foods (e.g., prepackaged salads that I add some extra lean protein to) are helping me to eat smaller, healthier amounts. My biggest problem is dinner, where my husband wants "regular" stuff like rich and creamy seafood Newburg. I'm finding that we are just eating different things many nights, which is extra work, but will be worth it in the long run.

320sycamore wrote: »

Way to go campfirequeen1! You should be ecstatic - 37 lbs is impressive. Can you help encourage some of us who are still aspiring to that amount what differences/changes you've experienced as a result? Also, regarding Thanksgiving, when I was perusing the discussion boards while acquainting myself with MFP, I saw a member mention that she eats everything she wants at Thanksgiving, as long as it fits on a single dinner roll. That way, she gets a taste of everything. I, of course, was picturing a Dagwood-type of sandwich . . .

I didn't lose anything this week, but my 6 lbs over 3 weeks is still quite pleasing (along with forgoing cigarettes). I've heard that many people gain weight when quitting smoking even if they don't change what or how much they are eating (metabolism changes), so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

Thanks, I am ecstatic! It has taken me since the end of May, I'm not sure what day. And I didn't get my Garmin Vivofit2 until the end of July, so it was Aug before I got it paired with this site so that I could track my food and steps in one place, but I have to tell you, girlie, that is the thing that has made the difference for me. That way I can eat every bit of my goal calories and then see that I can have something extra or save my deficit calories for a special event where I eat higher calorie food than normal, because of the calories I burned walking that day.

The place that I have seen my greatest change is in my ability to walk without getting winded. I had a hard time getting to the end of my very short driveway when I started but now often walk 2-3 miles once a day plus added steps during the day. I really don't like to walk and fight it mentally, it's painful for my joints, but the success I've had with weight loss and mobility has made it so worth it that it's easier to overcome the mental aversion to it. I feel disappointed when my friend doesn't want to go out walking with me and I have to decide that I'm worth the effort to "just do it" knowing that the stress relief that it also gives is definitely worth it.

Your story is very touching and I want you to know that you are someone that I am really pulling for and I am praying that you will see the successes that I've had and more! We can do this!

My swim gear is in the car, ready to go to the Y after work. I felt really stressed this weekend ... went to a bday party ... need to establish a swim rountine... fish out of water
Rach

skinnyjeanzbound wrote: »

JustMe602 wrote: »

Hi all, it's been a while since I've been on MFP, but I came back to lose 125 lbs. Just turned 37 last month, I'm a server so I'm fairly active, also a mother of 2, although 1 just moved out, and currently 245, wanting to get down to 125. I've been going back and forth trying to decide if I want to do 1, 1.5 or 2 lbs set loss per week, any suggestions? Also I welcome any and all friends requests

Hi and welcome to the thread! I started at almost the same weight as you (247 for me), and I began at a 2 lb/week deficit. When I neared Onderland I plateaued, b/c the calorie allowance was too low. At that point, I shifted to a 1 lb/week loss. I got down to 185 and then gained 10 lbs over the last school year b/c of health issues and general laziness about being diligent with watching my intake. Over the summer, I went back to carefully staying at the 1 lb/week deficit and gained almost 5 more lbs. Yikes! So now I'm experimenting with a bit higher calorie allowance--still shooting for 1 lb/week deficit most days, but eating at maintenance 1-2 days/week. It's only been a couple of weeks, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Good luck I might go up to 2 lbs, I have so many exercise cals, but I'm going to send you a FR to keep track of your journey