to Live longer and healthier I need to lose 150lbs, does anyone else need to lose this much?

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Replies

  • justnan00
    justnan00 Posts: 23 Member
    I read on the website, not sure how it works on your phone. I clicked the star bookmark up top by the title of the thread. After I log into the main site, click community up top, then click on the star top right. Lists all your bookmarked threads with new posts.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    Hey y'all - I'm Pam and I turned 60 in January. I retired (actually, just quit my job in journalism) 3 years ago because it was literally killing me. I'm 5'9 and weighed 313 when I quit working - 65 hour weeks, coming home after midnight and eating dinner at 2am, working across the street from the best donut bakery in town, and constantly eating fast food in my car as I ran from place to place all took its toll.

    After hiding out in the peace and quiet of my house for about a month, I finally let a good friend start dragging me out of the house to do things - easy stuff, like walking around grocery stores looking for bargains. I'd broken my ankle in a car wreck 2 years previously, and I never gained back 100 percent mobility as it healed, so I wasn't able to do very much. Then she talked me into joining Weight Watchers with her. Then we joined the gym and I started doing exercise classes (Silver Sneakers) geared for senior citizens. I started out doing all the exercises while sitting in a chair.

    I started losing weight and made the decision to work with a personal trainer too - probably because my Weight Watchers leader WAS a personal trainer as well (he'd lost 140 pounds on his fitness journey). I saw more progress - my mobility increased, my stamina improved, and I could move easier. I didn't have to sit in the chair during exercise classes any more.

    I was about 70 pounds down this past December when Weight Watchers changed its program. I have philosophical differences with the new program so I dropped out and started using another free health and fitness app. I started doing cardio dance and Zumba. I hiked and climbed and walked 5Ks and was able to do all sorts of things on vacation with my husband. I was flirting with the magic "100 pound" weight loss milestone. I had gone from a size 28 to a size 18 and was starting to think about size 16s. My doctor was ecstatic with my blood work and overall physical health.

    But then I hit a rut - I called it diet fatigue after doing this for about 2 years - and backslid, putting on about 20 pounds of the weight I'd lost. My exercise stayed constant but my food addiction reared its ugly head and I binge ate whatever was in the house after 7 pm at night. When an old friend and I crossed paths at the gym and she sent me a friend request on MFP (which I'd downloaded on my phone but never used), I decided that maybe switching to MFP would be like starting a new program and would help me regain my focus.

    So far it's working - I'm 2 weeks in and I've been tracking faithfully. The weight is coming off slowly but I'm doing all the healthy things I need to do to see results and all it will take is patience and perseverance to make it happen. I do have some significant arthritis issues but my trainer and I work around them. It's all good.

    I still haven't set an ultimate goal weight. I'm post-menopausal and I think I have to set my sights a little higher than I would have 10-15 years ago. So, I'm aiming for not quite 150 pounds lost but maybe more like 133....I think I could be very happy with 180.

    Moral of this tl;dr story? It's possible to lose 150 pounds or more if you approach it like eating an elephant - one small bite at a time. And I'm still chomping away.

    Pam in GA

    PS - Friend requests gladly accepted :smile:

    Hi Pam, I think your journey is wonderfully human. I too work in a stressful environment (legal). Instead of exercising to relieve the stress, I go home and pig out. :blush:

    I'm not a spring chicken, more like a tough ole' bird, 5'9, at 250lbs last week, I have 100 lbs (extra 15 lbs for insurance) to lose I've been here for 10 days and lost 6 so far. I too did Weight Watchers and lost 40 lbs 10 years ago. Never went into maintenance, just kept gaining...lol. Darn that Popeyes chicken. This time I will make sure to include a cheat day so that I don't go bonkers when I get something tasty in my mouth!

    My exercise is just walking 30-45 minutes a day. I also am eating low sodium and low sugar, for health reasons. Blood pressure was 170/100, pulse rate 84 before I started here. Now its 150/90, pulse rate 70, still high but I see it being lower within the next month. Eating low sugar (20gs or less) because I read excess sugar turns to (visceral/abdominal) fat when you have more than your body can use. I've lost an inch from my waist so far.

    I read somewhere that it's best to do strength training when you start a weightloss program....helps with the loose skin.

    Anyway would love to join you gals @GlynneRichard and company!

    Tori
    California

  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    Turned 59 and sick of yo-yo weight loss. Retired now but want to be diabetes free and live to see grandchildren. Starting to exercise with the treadmill. Up to 20mins so far. Is anyone else in the same boat?

    Hi Glynne, I tried to send you a friend request but it reads that your page could not be found. I was able to send other friend requests so maybe something the tech folks can help you with?
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    @snowflake....that's is AMAZING!!!! What an inspiration!
  • ItsyBitsy246
    ItsyBitsy246 Posts: 307 Member
    Turned 59 and sick of yo-yo weight loss. Retired now but want to be diabetes free and live to see grandchildren. Starting to exercise with the treadmill. Up to 20mins so far. Is anyone else in the same boat?

    Hi Glynne, I tried to send you a friend request but it reads that your page could not be found. I was able to send other friend requests so maybe something the tech folks can help you with?

    I noticed this too, and with a couple other profiles in the past few days. Either people are posting a few then deleting their accounts or MFP is acting wonky.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    Turned 59 and sick of yo-yo weight loss. Retired now but want to be diabetes free and live to see grandchildren. Starting to exercise with the treadmill. Up to 20mins so far. Is anyone else in the same boat?

    Hi Glynne, I tried to send you a friend request but it reads that your page could not be found. I was able to send other friend requests so maybe something the tech folks can help you with?

    I noticed this too, and with a couple other profiles in the past few days. Either people are posting a few then deleting their accounts or MFP is acting wonky.

    Interesting. Well, I hope it's the latter.... :)
  • TorontoLass
    TorontoLass Posts: 14 Member
    I am not deleting anything so that's not my problem. I am new to these types of forums though so I might be making mistakes accidentally. I did change my user name as I put down my real name. I didn't realise it was going to show up that way.
  • ItsyBitsy246
    ItsyBitsy246 Posts: 307 Member
    I am not deleting anything so that's not my problem. I am new to these types of forums though so I might be making mistakes accidentally. I did change my user name as I put down my real name. I didn't realise it was going to show up that way.

    Ah, looks like the user name change was the cause in your case; perhaps other people changed their names as well. Good to note.
  • TorontoLass
    TorontoLass Posts: 14 Member
    justnan00 wrote: »
    I read on the website, not sure how it works on your phone. I clicked the star bookmark up top by the title of the thread. After I log into the main site, click community up top, then click on the star top right. Lists all your bookmarked threads with new posts.

    Good to know TY
  • TorontoLass
    TorontoLass Posts: 14 Member
    What a long day. Ended up picking at cheese and crackers and dark chocolate and trying to resist the mountain of food sitting on the table in front of me all night while everyone else dug in. I tried to fill up with water but I just couldn't resist all those cheeses (6 types). Ended up not being that far off my calorie count I think. But boy that was a tough night. Glad its only once a month.
  • CaptainJoy
    CaptainJoy Posts: 257 Member
    Halloween was tough for me last year. I went trick or treating with my grandkids and saved & logged all those little yummies. After the 8 hour ride home I wore myself out on the elliptical to burn as many calories as I could. It was the third day home before my weight dropped below my pre-travel weight. Still, I resisted the urge to overdo and you did too. Yay!!!
  • Kennedcx
    Kennedcx Posts: 2 Member
    I too am working on losing 100+ pounds. You have to remember that you didn't put it on over night and it's not going to come off overnight (figuratively speaking). Most of your weight loss is obtained through knowing what happens to our body when we eat food. We also need to learn how to use our body's processes to our advantage for weight loss. I'm on a Medical Weight loss system called Bariform located here in Brentwood/Franklin, TN and I've lost 20 lbs in my first month, and it's still gradually going down. I know it's probably going to take a good year to get to my goal but I'm learning so much information about the lies we've been "fed" and how things really work in your body. Sure it's a little expensive, but between the information/support and delicious meal replacements and snack bars it is so well worth every penny of it. A lot of the research out there is based on these lies and that's why they are called yo-yo diets, because you either have to always be on the diet or you end up going back up. Exercise is great but it's only a small percentage of the equation. It's more of a weight loss enhancer than a weight loss program. If you're interested in learning more about Bariform, just go to bariform.com .
  • Lemmy8409
    Lemmy8409 Posts: 2 Member
    edited September 2016
    Hi!
    My name is Heather. I am 32 years old. My total weight loss goal is 208.4 pounds. You are definitely not alone.

    I started in February 2015 and to date have lost 122.6 pounds. I still have mIles to go but there journey isn't over.

    I'm looking for accountability partners to help me stay on track. Anyone willing to help or who needs an accountability partner please add me.
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
    I noticed this too, and with a couple other profiles in the past few days. Either people are posting a few then deleting their accounts or MFP is acting wonky.
    Grrrr....I had a myfitnesspal account....registered for the forums. It kept prompting me to change my username. So I made one for the forums and now it's a different name than myfitnesspal account and says page not found when people try to add me. And it says you can only change your username once so it won't let me change it back. Sooo frustrating.