Goal - Obese to Normal

becky6323 · October 2016

Hello everyone. I'm new here but looking for tips, encouragement and friends for my journey. I'm a 32 year old mother of 3 (age 5, 4, and 1-1/2) who is classified as obese. I'm 5'5" tall and my current weight is 216lbs. I would like to get down to 138lbs by my birthday at the end of May next year. Right now I am eating 1200 calories/day, getting in my 10,000 steps and have upped my water to 80-100oz/day. I have a desk job so my activities are limited to a 30 minute walk at lunch and chasing around 3 kids at night and maybe some treadmill walking after they go to bed. I am a week in and I have successfully GAINED 2.6lbs

Please help me. Any suggestions or support would be great because 78lbs is so far away.

tbrzycki · October 2016

Hey there! I am also trying to lose many pounds by next year which will be my 30th!! One thing I noticed when trying to lose weight is that my sodium intake always made a difference with my weight loss. Daily our bodies are supposed to only have I think about 2200mg of sodium a day. If you are consuming more than this daily it can cause your body to hold onto more fluid. Which could be a reason to some water weight gain. It sounds like you are doing all the right things and more to lose weight so good for you! Good luck on your journey! Hope this helped some.

Francl27 · October 2016

Your goal is not really realistic I'm afraid. I was 5'5" and 213 lbs and managed to go down to 138 in a year.. not 7 months. Don't put a date on it... you won't get anywhere if you deprive yourself so much that you're hungry and possibly end up binging. I never ate less than 1600 calories... and weighed everything.

I wouldn't worry too much about gaining weight though, weight varies every day because of water fluctuations and women tend to retain water before their period too. You got to give it time.

mysticatgal1 · October 2016

Hi. I started this in June a bit heavier than you (225) I turned 32 in July and am 5'5.5 and a mom of 2. I know it's easy to want to be somewhere by a date but you'll get discouraged quickly. I focus on doing what I can to be healthier. My kids work out with me or I do it after they go to bed but the most important is the food. Measure everything, get a food scale. some things are shocking to see a serving size. Keep trying and if you get discouraged I'm here but get the food figured out.

Here4Ponies · October 2016

1200kcals might be a bit too low for you for starting. I'm 5'3" and 169 and I'm losing weight on 1600kcals. I'm active right now, like you, but no formal exercising. Just a thought.

Some things that have helped me:

Weigh everything. I have a digital scale and I weigh everything in grams. Literally.
Look for entries in the MFP database that list the USDA Standard Reference number. For example, an apple, raw, with skin is identified as #09003. I find these references to be most accurate and they list the quantities by grams which, if you weigh everything, you should be using, too. https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list
Pre-log your day so you know what you're eating and if you have room for a couple of your kids' Goldfish crackers.
Be patient and forgiving of yourself.

mysticatgal1 · October 2016

Plus I was going to add it takes a month for your body to start to see progress. another reason it's a tough journey

lemurcat12 · October 2016

Hi, Becky. Welcome!

First question: 2.6 lb over what period, how long have you been doing this, how often do you weigh, and had you weighed regularly before and was your weight stable.

I ask, because I was around 210 when I finally got the nerve to get on the scale (I had lost about 10 lb, I estimate, before then), but I found that the scale bounced around a lot, so if I had hit a low day for the first weigh in and a high day a week later it might have been really off (and even more so if I'd weighed immediately when getting started, when it was probably even more extreme).

I'd give yourself a little time to figure out the swings and see the trend, and also if you can even think about weighing (not logging it) routinely in the morning, as that can help understand it (but not if you get obsessed).

I also found my weight fluctuated related to the time of month, but not at that week itself (which was usually down), so I think how it fluctuates is going to vary woman to woman.

Another question is about logging--some of the entries are off, and learning to pick the right ones can be a trick at first, so having someone experienced glance at your diary can help. But I wouldn't assume there is anything wrong yet, if you are really new. It's more likely that your weight is bouncing around some.

You are going to get told that you are eating too little, and can probably eat more. What I will say is that I started with similar stats (I'm older and 5'3, so shorter), and was given 1200, which I thought was nuts, but I researched the calculators and it seemed (sadly) probably right for 2 lb/week. I changed it to 1250 since I didn't want to be told I was doing it wrong any time I didn't hit it exactly (red for over, you used to get the undereating message at 1199), and hit it consistently, and mostly walked as my exercise (I did 3x/week 30 minutes stationary biking pretty easily at first, as I wanted to make it seem not that tough as my only other exercise, and then gradually went back to swimming, increased the intensity of the biking, and then when the weather improved started biking and running outdoors, but that all took time and I took it slowly). Anyway, after the bouncing stopped and I was consistently losing I was losing about 3 lb/week and realized that I was more active that I'd assumed (I did regularly get in more than 10K steps on a non exercise day), so started eating back some exercise calories and trusting my Fitbit and ended up losing most of my weight on 1500+. I don't think doing lower hurt me at first, since I changed it up before there was any chance I'd get bored/burn out, and was not exercising intensely initially or feeling deprived. With 3 young children, though, I expect you are really active so I will say that don't feel like you need to stay so low if it starts feeling hard to stick with or you are lower energy. But anyway, I realize that's not the immediate issue, just some thoughts!

Anyway, good luck! I know 78 sounds like a lot (I lost 95 lbs). How I made it bearable when initially overwhelmed by the number was (1) breaking it into 20 or 30 lb stages (and really focusing on specific milestones like under 200, not obese, stuff like that), and (2) setting goals I had control over, like about hitting my calories, eating according to my plan, getting in planned exercise, trying something new, stuff like that. This also focused on health things beyond weight loss and made it fun and extra motivating. MFP helped with that too!

rhcondit · October 2016

I am 5"5", 59 years old and started at 250 lbs Sept 9th. So far I have lost 18 pounds. I walk two miles about 4 times per week. I eat about 1400 calories/day. I have completely cut out flour and sugar, and have whole grains/beans only several times per week. I mainly eat eggs, meat, lots of vegies, and fresh fruit. I use mainly coconut oil to stir fry. I eat everything at three meals/day with no snacks and definitely no evening eating. I drink plenty of water. I'm happy to say that I am not craving sweets and refined carbs. I think if your diet is whole, unprocessed foods, healthy fats, and a few more calories you will be able to sustain this over the long haul. The important thing is to find a diet that you can live with the rest of your life. If you reach your goal weight and then start eating the way you used to eat, you will gain it back. A book that helped me start this journey is "It Starts With Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

becky6323 · October 2016

Thanks!! I guess I need to rethink my goal. I just want to start to feel comfortable in my own skin. 160 would be perfect since that seemed to be my most stable weight through high school and college. I'd take it. I just want to have the energy to keep up with my kids and all their activities. Kick a ball around, teach them basketball, swimming, baseball or just be comfortable in shorts and a tank top by the summer.
I have yet to get a scale and weigh everything but i have been measuring everything and I have cut out mindless snacking, eating more fish and fresh fruit and veggies so maybe my calories are off a bit I'm sure. Also new to fitness pal so still learning it.
As far as sodium, our family is trying to limit it drastically. My husband had a heart attack last October at only 32 and with his high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart defects being genetic I'm trying to keep my kids safe and get them to a healthy diet as well.

aylajane · October 2016

becky6323 wrote: »

Thanks!! I guess I need to rethink my goal. I just want to start to feel comfortable in my own skin. 160 would be perfect....

Something I learned from 25+ years of yoyo weights... When you are 20 and weigh 150 can be very different looking than when you are 40 and 150 pounds, especially if you have lost muscle mass (or gained it).

My suggestions - forget deciding on a final "goal" weight. You may get to 160 and be horrified, or you might get to 170 and think "I like this!". What i would do is set a goal right now of being under 200 pounds. That is less than 20 pounds, very attainable and not that far away. If you "only" lose a pound a week, you will be there in less than 5 months. Obviously at 2 pounds a week, you will get there in 2 or 3 months. Either way the time will pass, so dont get into the mentality of "if I cant lose it fast, why bother?". one pound a week is still 50 pounds a year from now.

Once you hit your goal (with or without a specific time frame tied to it...), then decide the next goal... maybe it is being 175? Maybe it is being a weight you were at a certain age. Pick something fairly attainable within 2-4 months. This gives you a target that is not a year or so long out you give up quicker.

As for your "final" goal, forget it. Each time you hit a goal, assess yourself and see if you think you need to lose more. If you do, set a new goal (never more than 20-25 pounds out, sometimes only 10-15 as you get lower). Then reassess again. You may find as you get lower you dont care about your weight, but dont like jiggly arms, or you butt gets too flat. At that time, your goals may change into fitness related ones. Instead of a goal to lose another 5 pounds, your goal might be to walk or run a 5k. Or to be able to lift a certain weight. Or do a pull up.

No one is sure what weight they will be "happy" at. If my goal is 130 and I hit 140 and look good, why keep going if I am happy there? Then again, if I get to 130 and look flabby, I may need to go to 125. No point stressing over it til you get closer!

Goal - Obese to Normal

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