Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

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  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    @bonnie -- Congrats on the loss!! Do your dogs like to go for walks? I know even on days when I'm feeling lazy, my dog, gunner, is a good motivator to at least get out for a walk. I feel like I just discriminated against your cat--if he/she likes walks, by all means, go for it. :lol:

    @JustMe602 --Yeah, I found the calorie allowance plus my exercise calories was plenty when I first started to stay at -1000/day. I guess I had enough fat stored up to keep my body happy. LOL! Now, I still feel like I have enough fat (my waistline certainly looks like it!), but my body just refused to drop any weight when I tried to maintain 1450 net. I also find it's harder to burn high calories at my current weight so less exercise calories to keep me from feeling hungry. My current intake is keeping me satisfied, but it's too soon to tell if it's truly affecting the scale.

    @tracy-- I was wondering how your recovery was going and if you had returned to work. Glad to hear the doc cut you back to half days--hope things go well tomorrow. That's so funny about your pizza cravings!

    @rach-- Yay for swimming! I wish I enjoyed swimming as a form of regular exercise, but I really only like to play in the water. Once I have to swim actual laps, I get bored quickly. Too bad for me b/c it's such a great calorie burner. Have fun!

    @niki-- I haven't formally posted it as a goal, but I've been trying to get more sleep lately. I'm not being consistently successful, but doing a little better a few nights a week. Baby steps.

    @campfire-- Congrats on moving into a new "decade"!! One thing I love about walking is you build endurance pretty quickly. As far as Thanksgiving, my way of dealing with it is to sign up for a Turkey Trot between the race itself and the walking around before and after the race, I tend to burn enough calories to enjoy a guilt-free Thanksgiving meal. :)

    @badnoodle -- I don't lift like I used to before my shoulder injury, but when I did lift heavy, I also didn't see the same "miracle" results some others seem to have experienced. I have a couple of friends ITRW who lost a LOT of weight lifting and doing crossfit, but have gained it all back b/c they couldn't sustain the ever-increasing gym time it took to maintain their "buff" physiques. I co miss that "badass" feeling from lifting heavy, but it's taking me some time to work my way back. Honestly, I'm just ecstatic that I can even get my arms into proper position to hold the bar while doing squats without pain afterwards. It had taken about three months of bar-only, but I finally moved up to adding some weight this past week. Deadlifts are still not an option, as even with only 50 lbs, my shoulder feels like it tearing out of the socket when I try to do them. I have a feeling I need to build a weights routine with the concession that I will probably never do deadlifts again. :(

    @kathleen-- when I quit smoking, my goal was simply to maintain the 60 lb loss I had already accrued which I did with a LOT of careful eating and exercise. Kudos to you for tackling weight loss and kicking the smoking habit in tandem!! We have another regular on this thread named tracy (not NewCaddy--we have 2 tracys) who is also a caregiver for her DH who suffers from COPD. She also struggles to put herself first in that situation and recently reduced her hours at work b/c it was too much to work full time. I'm sure she will pop in for an update soon--it's been awhile since we've heard from her.

    Monday Check-in:
    So I'm still doing good with staying within my new calorie allowance. I have to keep reminding myself that the point of this is to eat more, so if I have a day when I don't meet my calorie goal, I add those calories to the next day to ensure I'm not eating below my planned deficit of -500 plus at least one day (but not more than 2) at maintenance each week. I'm also trying to let my body tell me when to eat at maintenance. For example, I felt especially hungry today, so added back my deficit to make it a maintenance day.

    As far as the scale goes, I started this at 198.8 and almost immediately dropped down to 195.2. Then I nudged back up to 196.4 for several days last week and back up to 198.8 over the weekend. This morning, I was back down to 196.4. It's still too early to tell if this will work, but I'm trying to pay special attention to the fluctuations so I can find any patterns. This is especially hard b/c I had done such a great job teaching myself to ignore those daily fluctuations and focus on the big picture. Haha, times have changed for me. LOL

    School is going well. I got the motif analyses done yesterday (all 30!!) and handed back today. I tried (unsuccessfully to go grade after school today, but couldn't get past 1 on either of my other grading goals. I guess my brain just needed a break after yesterday.

    Grading Goals:
    1. 82/82 motif analyses DONE
    2. 1/40 AP essays LOL--I really gave up quickly tonight
    3. 1/82 F451 tests LOL--see above!

    Fitness Goals for the month of September:
    Run 1 mile at my fastest pace 1x/week: Week 1 = 11:34; Week 2 = 11:10; Week 3 = 11:30
    Run 2 miles in 23 minutes 1x/week: Week 1 = 24:12; Week 2 = 24:08; Week 3 = 24:00
    Run a 5 k in <36 minutes by month's end:

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

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


  • trinati2001
    trinati2001 Posts: 262 Member
    Monday check in:

    I took a full week off. I noticed that I had started to cheat and not record what I was eating so instead of letting myself get into bad habits I first told myself that I would have a maintenance week, but I still wasn't recording so I got a week off. Now I'm fully back on.

    Today I had to run an errand at lunch and I forgot to grab my lunch, so I was going to get something while I was out. But because I was tracking and I remembered that I had to bring a treat for my 1PM meeting I waited until I got back to my desk for lunch. Then for treat I got no sugar added fruit Popsicles. Since I was presenting in the meeting I didn't get on at first and then they got taken to the lunch room before I got one. And you know what? I didn't really miss it.

    So today has been a big win. I also realized that in my week off, where I had Taco Bell (not healthy options), ribs, and Mexican showed me that I've made some really good changes to my life. Because for a short time I could take a break from weight loss but still maintain my weight without gaining. It gives me faith that at some point I'll be able to be happy with my weight and not hyper manage my food.
  • pinkstarberry
    pinkstarberry Posts: 79 Member
    Tuesday goals: I'm still trying to work up the courage to go to the gym regularly. I know it's silly to feel shy about going, but I'm really struggling with that. So far I have mainly been walking for exercise, but I'm worried I'll have a lot of loose skin around my upper arms and abdomen if I don't start lifting weights sooner rather than later.

    My other big goal is to fit comfortably in my size 12 jeans by Christmastime, and I think the weight lifting could also help that become a reality rather than solely focusing on dropping scale weight. I'm planning a trip back home for Christmas and I really want to feel comfortable on the plane, not like I'm taking up too much space and spilling over onto someone else's seat.
  • trinati2001
    trinati2001 Posts: 262 Member
    Tuesday goals: I'm still trying to work up the courage to go to the gym regularly. I know it's silly to feel shy about going, but I'm really struggling with that.

    I've felt the same way and here are a couple of tricks that helped me.
    1. Set a mini goal of going to gym twice a week for two weeks and earn a 30 min message.
    2. Get a personal trainer. Do a lesion a week. Tell them before you start what your goals are and if there is anything too embarsing. For me it was doing a crab walk (or anything) in front of all the people on treadmills.
    3. After going to the gym 20 times earn bigger reward like 60 min message.

    I like my rewards to be related to what I have to do to earn it. Especially a message for exercising, because you will be sore (especially if you are lifting weights). But for me the key to a reward is something I really want but then I can't have it until I earn it.
  • pneschich
    pneschich Posts: 325 Member
    Ticked off Tuesday. I knew it would happen and it did. I ate too few calories on Saturday and Sunday, worked in the hot sun, drank gallons of water and lost 2 pounds. Today they are both back with a trio of friends! Had 1500 calories yesterday. Usual stuff. Now I have to lose 5 to get back to where I was yesterday. Fought empty hunger yesterday with all my might and succeeded. I'm bouncing up and down so much it's making me crazy. Labor day it was 300 teasing me now I get so close to 290 then balloon back up closer to 300. Frustrating!!!!!!
    Thanks for listening.
  • pinkstarberry
    pinkstarberry Posts: 79 Member
    @trinati2001 - Thank you for the encouragement!! I can't afford a personal trainer, but I'll definitely try to set goals of going 2-3 times per week at first. I think that once it becomes more of a habit and less of a scary new thing, I won't feel so nervous. I have pretty severe social anxiety and the best way to conquer it is forming habits, it's just the first step that's so difficult... hehe.

    OK then, as this thread as my witness, I will go to the gym on Thursday - no matter what!
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Tuesday - Goals.
    As some of you know, I am a number-cruncher nutcase. I preface this Tuesday Goals post with that statement because I spent time yesterday doing some calculations for a specific group of people that were in the challenge with me, which ended yesterday.

    We weighed in for our starting numbers and stated goals for the challenge on 6/27 and this particular group had 68 people at the start. When we finished yesterday, there were only 24 of us left.

    I saw the numbers decline every week, and wondered about what causes people to drop out of challenges. I can only guess, but one thing that I am supposing is that biting off too big a chunk as a goal might have someting to do with it. Of course, deciding the challenge 'isn't a good fit for me' can also be a reason.

    Here's why I think this ...
    13 people never came back to post any more weights after the initial one ... 'Isn't for me group'? ... maybe.
    26 out of 34 people who wanted to lose the largest amount of weight in the 12 week period dropped out.

    So, what did I learn from this? ...
    1 - make certain that what you are taking on is something you really want to do.
    2 - set realistic goals that you are more likely to achieve in the short term.

    For myself, one of the main goals I had when I joined up with MFP was to track my carbs because I needed to lower my blood glucose level. That one decision led to other goals, including weight loss, weighing my food, logging everything I consume, even that odd cherry tomato jewel resting in a bowl on the counter. Now I am working on the goal of habitually getting in my exercise. That's partly due to my wanting to be able to eat a bit more sometimes, but mainly for the flexibility and muscle strength exercise provides and preserves.

    I know it's starting to work. I have a a very large belly, and a really sore lower back ... and as I have been working these past 12 weeks on working my core lightly every day I have noticed that my back aches less and that when I am standing up and walking that my lower abdomen and the muscles across my abs tighten automatically to support my torso ... never felt that before, or at least not for a long time!

    Have a great week everyone.
    Nikion901
  • RachaelPooh
    RachaelPooh Posts: 6,180 Member
    edited September 2016
    I was going to go swim after work yesterday. I had my bag in the car ready to go. But after work I wasnt feeling up to it and had a big pity party for myself. Gonna try again today. I think the lure of a water aerobics class is just what I need to get me in the water.
    <3 Rach
  • cjbrummet
    cjbrummet Posts: 66 Member
    Tuesday - Goals

    I have started my new job and have spent the last two days listening to information that is hard to stay awake for especially when I still have a hard time sleeping at night. Tomorrow we start to learn the computer charting system hopefully that will go well. I plan to bring my gym bag and go to gym after work. It is my goal to go 3 times a week. I am not sure if I will be up for it though. Driving home in rush hour traffic just exhausts me. I am going to try and make myself do it. Tomorrow I plan to take the train and see if it is better not to drive. I will have to leave earlier but I can relax on my way home. I will let you know how it goes.
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    Hi Guys!

    @cj--I hope your body adjusts to the new sleep schedule soon. Until then, don't stress about forcing the gym visits. I've seen first-hand that sleep is just as important as exercise when it comes to weight loss.

    @rach--hope you made it to you swim tonight.

    @niki-- I love all of your number crunching! Glad to hear the core exercises are working for you.

    @pneschich --As someone who bounced around in the 180s for 2 years and is now bouncing around in the 190s for the past year, I feel your pain. Take solace in knowing that unless you ate 17,500 calories more than you burned, you don't truly have 5 lbs to lose. It's just your body holding on to water to mess with you.

    @trinati-- welcome back from your week off. I love your reward system, but I don't like massages so I will have to think of some other reward for myself for meeting goals. :smile:

    Tuesday Goals:
    As I mentioned to niki yesterday, one of my current goals is to try to get more sleep. I haven't really defined it as "x hours/night" or "in bed by x o'clock." However, I typically go to bed around midnight and fall asleep a bit after than (on a good night--I suffer from several sleep issues). Recently, I've been trying to get to bed with lights out by 11 or 11:30. I then watch the news (BBC) until I fall asleep. So far I've had a few good nights where I've been asleep well before midnight, so that's some progress. Of course, I still have nights where I'm not on plan, but at least I'm making a concerted effort.

    Grading Goals:
    1. 82/82 motif analyses DONE
    2. 2/40 AP essays
    3. 15/82 F451 tests

    Fitness Goals for the month of September:
    Run 1 mile at my fastest pace 1x/week: Week 1 = 11:34; Week 2 = 11:10; Week 3 = 11:30
    Run 2 miles in 23 minutes 1x/week: Week 1 = 24:12; Week 2 = 24:08; Week 3 = 24:00
    Run a 5 k in <36 minutes by month's end:

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

    Exercise Goals:
    Sun-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
    Mon-- rest day
    Tues-- walk gunner DONE (meeting)
    Wed-- walk gunner + gym or run outside
    Thurs-- walk gunner
    Fri-- walk gunner + gym or run outside or maybe mow lawn
    Sat-- walk gunner + gym or run outside or maybe mow lawn
  • campfirequeen1
    campfirequeen1 Posts: 317 Member
    Tuesday goals: Keep 3rd place in the step challenge. (Done) And I had to walk an extra 2500 steps today to do that. It paid off in a 355 calorie deficit though, so that's an extra added benefit.
    Tomorrows goal is to do an early morning walk to maybe make some headway toward taking over 2nd place!
  • NewCaddy
    NewCaddy Posts: 845 Member
    Wednesday Wish – that I would be able to lay on my stomach so I could go to the chiropractor. My back is out of whack and I need it fixed.

    @Karen…I hate the deadlifts so I don’t think I’d miss them. I know they are a good thing but oy they are hard after a while. I will get back to lifting when I’m cleared. Can’t imagine doing it yet as sitting at my work desk each day makes me need an ice pack, but I know I’ll get there.

    @pink.. lifting should help with that. My sister had lost significant weight through diet alone and then when she started lifting she dropped sizes pretty quickly.

    @cj…I don’t know why companies do that! Nobody can actually sit and retain information when all they do is listen!!! At my old job we had several things that needed to be “heard” but we always mixed up the day with hands on and listening only.

    AFM…I made it through a full day of work yesterday. I even felt okay through the 7th hour. The last hour kinda put me over the edge with some pain but that’s a huge improvement. I will have another weekend of just relaxing so that should help again.

    Have a great day! Drink your water!!
  • 320sycamore
    320sycamore Posts: 54 Member
    Wednesday Wish: retire from my full-time paying job so that I can focus on my full-time caregiver/housekeeper role. Someday . . .

    Anyone have any recommendations about websites that have beginner's strength training/weights exercises?
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited September 2016
    . . .
    Anyone have any recommendations about websites that have beginner's strength training/weights exercises?

    lots of them on YouTube ... just 'google' it and take your pick of the one that seems to please you, then subsribe to that channel. ... However, just a weird-granny note of caution ... any exercise, but especially those involving weights need to be practiced with correct form so as to avoid injury ... and you won't be able to evaluate your form yourself, especially if you are a beginner ... thus .... if there is a gym nearby that you can join and get a few personal trainer sessions so that you can be taught the proper way to handle weights. Otherwise, you might be better of, as a beginner, just using your own body weight or resistance bands.

    Try this site for core exercises that will strengthen you ...
    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/multimedia/core-strength/sls-20076575
  • campfirequeen1
    campfirequeen1 Posts: 317 Member
    @Nikion901 wow! I went to the site you linked and that is fabulous! I think I can start working on those! My poor old saggy belly is really starting to pull on my lower back, so I need something to strengthen that area and this is a good start I think!
  • campfirequeen1
    campfirequeen1 Posts: 317 Member
    Wed Wish: I wish I lived at the beach! That's the biggy in my wish list. The truth is I could but right now it's just not worth the cost and effort, so it lives in my bucket list for the time being!
    The next wish is that my feet, legs and lower back hold up to the increased steps and new exercise I plan to start. I have fibromyalgia and I'm older and terribly out of shape, so I'm justifiably concerned about injury, but I've been slowly increasing my steps and I will do the same with the exercise.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited September 2016
    Wednesday Wish: I wish that person well, the one who almost ran into me today but was able to stop in time before she/he broadsided me ... I hope whoever it was learned not to run the light. But I also wish that this person learned to signal and not dart about like they were they only one on the road.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Hi Folks, I'd like to jump in with you, if I may. My name is Birgit, I'm 61 yrs old, and I live in NY state. When I started my weightloss journey in early April I weighed in at 305lbs. Today, 5 1/2 mos later, I'm down 67lbs. Wha-hooo! And I totally credit MFP for my success. Tracking my food seems to make all the difference for me. I have another 43 lbs to go to reach goal of 195 lbs (I'm a 6ft tall woman). So, nice to meet all of you! Best wishes, Birgit

    Welcome abort Birgit ... I took a peek at your profile and see you are from beautiful upstate NY ... I'm west of you in Western New York.
    You've had some pretty impressive and significant weight loss thus far ... about 2.75 pounds a week! ... I'm glad when I trim off 3/4-1 pound a week because I've wrecked my metabolism from years of yo-yo dieting. Taking the behavior modification and learning about healthier nutrition along the way with this journey; making life-long changes to my whole outlook on food and it's place in my life. We'll be looking forward to getting to know you as time goes on ....
    If you have a chance, look at the top of page 1 for welcoming words from the original founder of this thread. Some of us have been on here since it started ... I came aboard on 2014.
    Niki
  • pinkstarberry
    pinkstarberry Posts: 79 Member
    I saw a really neat website posted on a weight loss sub on reddit and thought others here might find it useful too.

    https://www.eatthismuch.com/

    I've been feeling a little uninspired with my meals lately but I think this might give some good ideas... it's a website where you input how many calories you want to eat for the day, how many meals you eat, and it spits out suggestions to fit within your calorie allowance. I think I might be able to find some new recipes through this :)
  • skinnyjeanzbound
    skinnyjeanzbound Posts: 3,932 Member
    @pinkstarberry --thanks for sharing the website. It looks pretty cool.

    @birgit-- welcome!

    @niki-- glad you are okay and someone else's poor driving didn't result in an accident!

    @campfire-- I also dream of living at the beach. The DH and I are looking at retiring somewhere in the Caribbean. Not sure where exactly, but that's the plan. Of course, retirement for us is at minimum 15 years away.

    @tracy-- glad you made it through the full work day. :smile:

    Wednesday Wish:
    I wish my poor dog wasn't so afraid of loud noises. It just gets worse and worse as he ages. This morning he was terrified of the thunder storms that rolled through our area. Then this afternoon, I tried to take him for a walk and someone popped off a small firecracker nearby. He high-tailed it right back in the house. I tried again a while later, and just as we were about to leave the yard, we could hear some emergency vehicle sirens in the distance, and that was enough to scare him out of the walk. Poor boy. :(

    AFM--made it to the gym for strength training and ran a little over 2 miles on the treadmill. Also, chipping away at those essays.

    Grading Goals:
    1. 6/40 AP essays
    3. 15/82 F451 tests

    Fitness Goals for the month of September:
    Run 1 mile at my fastest pace 1x/week: Week 1 = 11:34; Week 2 = 11:10; Week 3 = 11:30; Week 3 = 11:00
    Run 2 miles in 23 minutes 1x/week: Week 1 = 24:12; Week 2 = 24:08; Week 3 = 24:00; Week 3 = 23:00
    Run a 5 k in <36 minutes by month's end:

    You vs Year Challenge:
    275 k done/ 725 k to go

    Exercise Goals:
    Sun-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
    Mon-- rest day
    Tues-- walk gunner DONE (meeting)
    Wed-- walk gunner NOT DONE + gym DONE or run outside
    Thurs-- walk gunner
    Fri-- walk gunner + gym or run outside or maybe mow lawn
    Sat-- walk gunner + gym or run outside or maybe mow lawn
  • birgitkwood
    birgitkwood Posts: 486 Member
    @pinkstarberry , thank you for that app recommendation! Took a look at it and I think I'm gonna love it. I'm not much of a cook and don't enjoy planning meals, etc. That app is gonna be a big help, I think. Thanks again!
  • RachaelPooh
    RachaelPooh Posts: 6,180 Member
    Thursday Truth
    I feel worthless ... I regret not getting stuff done faster and I worry that the future will be worse than the present
  • pinkstarberry
    pinkstarberry Posts: 79 Member
    @MermaidPrincessRach - Sending big hugs to you! You are not worthless and you deserve this! Don't give up! If you see your therapist soon, please bring up these feelings so that they can help you overcome them :) We're all rooting for you!

    Thursday Truth: Last night I watched 3 episodes of "My 600 Pound Life" on TLC and I was crying all throughout it. So many of the struggles and feelings that caused the massive weight gain in those people are all too familiar to me, and I definitely could've been among them. It was a big wakeup call that I really do need to focus hard on the reasons behind why I used to binge eat, and turn to food for comfort in general. I know it's a very slippery slope, especially combined with depression (which I've had nearly all my life), so I felt very introspective after watching the show.
  • RachaelPooh
    RachaelPooh Posts: 6,180 Member
    I dont go to therapy anymore. I am surprised you remembered that I use to.
  • grandmakaye44
    grandmakaye44 Posts: 1,205 Member
    Good Morning. Well, Thursday is my official weigh-in day, and I guess that's a good way to start Thursday Truth. I am up 1# from last week. I know that fluctuations are normal, but I am only down 5.5# since I started 30 days ago. At that rate it is going to take me a long time lose the 50# to my goal. I need to look at the bright side, though. If I can maintain that rate, I can still be at my goal in a year. I've had about 3 really bad days for calories, and I've been eating back most of my exercise calories, which is probably a mistake.
    Well, I need to get breakfast for my kiddos so I better get going.
    Onward and Downward. Kaye
  • 320sycamore
    320sycamore Posts: 54 Member
    @campfirequeen1 and @skinnyjeanzbound put me down for that beach retirement! I already have 3 friends who are retired at the beach, so at least I get to visit them occasionally.
  • FlabtoFab209
    FlabtoFab209 Posts: 24 Member
    Good morning! I have been lax in my posting for the past few days. @MermaidPrincessRach I want to tell you I have felt worthless many times, but I refuse to feel worthless any more. The more worthless I feel, the more I want to eat and drink or do whatever it takes to become invisible. Well darn it I'm not invisible, and I am worth every amount of effort that it takes to bring me back into this world!

    Thursday truth day, I am struggling with taking away all of my zone out habits, the eating, the drinking. Last night I wanted to drink wine, but I didn't. Unfortunately to keep me from doing so, I went out and bought a pie. I ate a big piece of Key Lime pie right before bed. Baby steps, I didn't drink wine, but I should have just gone to bed rather than ate to sooth my ragged feelings.

    Make it a great day!
  • renaedar
    renaedar Posts: 623 Member
    edited September 2016
    Thursday Truth Day,
    I know I could do better but trying to be better is better than not trying! I struggle but being on MFP has helped me so much! As long as I try then that is all I can do.
  • rebecky27
    rebecky27 Posts: 842 Member
    edited September 2016
    Hello! I am returning back to MFP after being away from two years. I think I was a member of this group at that time. I'm back to were I was when I first joined MFP, so I am starting over. I had injured my foot while doing C25K and gave up on exercise because everything I did would cause pain for days.

    Foot has been better, I can't do the elliptical for more than 10 minutes or I'm in agony, but the stationary bike seems to work. I'm hoping that dropping the weight again will ease the pain and then I can be back to where I was.

    Woah, this seems like such a downer post, but I'm not. I'm determined to get well again! Have a wonderful Thursday and can't wait to get to know everyone.