Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

Awesome job on your weight loss so far Steve. Just take one day at a time. You can do this.

Love my walks! Never know who I'm gonna see

Hi All! I've been in this thread off and on throughout the past two years, but haven't been active in here since March. It's been a rough year, and I kinda just stopped using MFP for a while all together, but have been back to tracking since September. Now I want to get active in the threads again!

So just wanted to say a little hello. I'm Erin, from New Hampshire. I'm 33 and have been struggling losing and gaining the same 20-30lbs the past few years, and have over 120lbs I need to lose. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and that has been really flaring up this year and not helping with my weight loss journey. Looking to get myself healthy once and for all!

@Elizabeth2360 I dont know if you have past experience with WW but I do. I have been off and on their points systems, went to meetings, etc. IMO, MFP is a much better option. Figureing out or looking up points just adds one more step to the tracking process. Threads like this one are way better than any connections I made at meetings, and weighing in at their location once a week was just a hassle to try to wear the same clothing every time to try to get an accurate weekly weight. Not to mention, MFP is cheaper.

Question to all of you: What, if anything, do you use to "remind" yourselves to stay the course? Have you maybe glued a "fat" photo of yourself to the. fridge? Do you maybe stick helpful quotes on your kitchen cabinet doors?

Here's why I'm asking: Over the course of my life I have lost, and regained, probably close to 1000 lbs. Maybe even more - who knows. Always I would lose a ton of weight, and then I - somehow - I just lost the motivation and went off the rails, always gaining back a lot more than I'd lost. And when I go off the rails, I stay off --- for years! Until I start the cycle all over again.

This time around that's not happening. In part, that's because of MFP and the support I get from all of you (THANK YOU!!) Also, partially, it's because I'm older now and I have developed some health conditions that would make regaining the weight potentially life threatening. I have too much to live for to allow that to happen.

So, being a very visual person, I created a "reminder" for myself to help keep me in line every day. I have a smart phone that has a "note" function. I used that app to write the date I started my weight loss journey (4/4/16) and my weight at that time (305 lbs). I "stuck" that sticky note in the very center of my phone's Home Screen where I see it every single time I pick up my phone. Every single time! Each time I see that only a few short months ago I weighed 85 lbs more than I do now. It's a reminder to get in touch with how much healthier, more active and happier I feel now. Underneath that date and weight I wrote "787" - which was the weight of a person in a TV show I saw on 4/3/16. That TV show galvanized me to take another stab on getting healthy, and I put that ## on my phone's sticky note to remind myself of where I so easily COULD go if I go off the rails again. Do NOT want to go there!!

So again, what do you all use? Anything to remind YOU to stay on track? Best wishes to all, Birgit

Thursday Truth ... I ate a whole pound of that sweet dough bread deliciousness known as Placek ... a Polish coffee cake type loaf studded with raisins and a crunchy crumble on top made of flour and butter. That's blown my calories for the day and has given me a tummy ache. That aside, I love the taste of this cakey bread because it reminds me so much of a bread my mom made every Easter for us. That was the only time we ever had that bread and she would bake a dozen of them, all between 1 and 3 pounds each and a good 9 inches tall, like an Italian Panitone. We ate that bread with every meal during the Pascal season starting with the first food on Easter morning. Her bread had a much firmer texture than that Placek I ate today, whose crumb could be pinched together like a piece of Wonder Bread, but the taste, ah, the taste!

So today I feast, and tomorrow I fast!

Guess guess I've revealed that if I have an 'stay on track stickies' they don't get into the grocery stores with me!

Welcome to all the new posters in the past few days.
Everyone have a great weekend, and remember that it is Veteran's Day on Friday ... a day of remembrance and honor for all the national warriors amongst us.

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't been around much this week.

@niki-- I need to follow your lead and do some fasting b/c I've definitely been feasting too much lately (see my Thursday Truth below).

@birgit-- I don't have anything like that, but tend to let me waistband serve as my reminder. When I gain it tends to happen first in my midriff, and right now my pants are screaming at me, "PUT DOWN THE CANDY!!"

@liz-- I also need to cut down on my sugars b/c that's what causes me to crave more unhealthy foods. I had planned to do so when you first posted that you were switching to keto, and sadly, I feel I have let you down. I'm re-committing right now to limit my carbs. MFP gives me 157g/day, but I know from experience that I do better when I keep them below 100g/day and keep away from the simple sugars. So that's my goal going forward.

@erin-- Hey, it's great to see you back here!

@raven-- at work, I do my supervision in our HS's Literacy Center, and the para who runs it still has a Halloween pumpkin filled with candy on her desk. All week, I have been digging through it looking for gummi bears. Thank goodness they are finally all gone.

@kayfhoward1 --great pictures!

@320sycamore --Thanks for checking in. I've had an especially busy week with meetings and parent/teacher conferences, but I've been lurking and reading posts when I get a few minutes here and there--just haven't made time to sit down and post myself.

Thursday Truth:
I have been an eating machine for the past few days. Tuesday some friends invited me over for a pizza night to watch election results. Some others who came brought some delicious desserts, and let's just say I never met a chocolately cakey anything I didn't like. Add lots of candy and treats lying around the office, and it's NOT been a great week. On top of that I had a meeting Monday and P/T conferences Wednesday, so not much exercise either. I did manage to walk the dog and rake leaves for an hour today, but that's not nearly enough to counter all of the calories.

As I mentioned above to liz, I'm going to focus on cutting sugars and simple carbs to get my eating under control. I also have a 3-day weekend which should give me time to get in some more exercise.

Tuesday Goals:
1. Clean the fish tank.
2. Drop off bag at good will.

Grading Goals:
1. x/1 letters of recommendation
2. 7/40 Blake journals

You vs Year Challenge:
282 k done/ 718 k to go

Exercise Goals:
Sun-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
Mon-- walk gunner DONE
Tues-- rest day
Wed-- rest day (parent/teacher conferences)
Thurs-- walk gunner + rake leaves
Fri-- walk gunner + gym or run outside
Sat-- walk gunner + take niece to the park

Thursday truth, The doctor's office didn't call and I'm not horribly upset. They will. I will be approved. I will be sleeved.

I went out for lunch today. I pulled into the parking lot on my way to Subway for a salad and they opened up a Chinese buffet next door. I was parked between them, I could smell the Chinese food it was like the sirens calling me. I think I stood frozen for at least 5 minutes. I knew where I was supposed to go, what the plan was but there I stood, feet un-obedient. Healthy Jared (pre pervert) Food on one side and the slippery slope on the other urging me forward, towards, well you know. What did I do? Yep I made the good choice. The salad was seriously unsatisfying. Lo-mein was what I was craving, extra soy sauce.

Tonight I did something I've been meaning to do for a while. I went into LA Fitness to inquire about cost and services and get the tour. It's sooooo close to home. I'm not sure it's for me. Is there a regular joes gym? -Dodgeball reference. Way too many overachieving uber healthy 30 somethings and a manager in his early 20's with serious barbell bloat who had as much of an idea about my life as he did the ins and outs of string theory, totally hard selling. I escaped commitment free. I scored a handful of 3 day passes but honestly the place frightens me. I know I have to start something else but what am I going to do alone in there? Yep, sit in the sauna and hide most likely. How does a fat " old" man get a workout partner? Why is this so difficult? That's my truth, right now, today, this moment, this is very very hard. I have all these people who love me within reaching distance but I'm so alone in this. I have great support, a loving wife who has my back, but I'm alone in this. It's my demon to slay. Fear of the pain I never want to feel again. Fear of not being there for my wife and boys. Fear, that is my demon, and fatty low nutritional value junk food too. I know the moment will pass and it will be normal again. Normal is so fluid these days.

Lately when I read the forums I wish that we had emoticons that we choose from in the response string. I get that they want us to be "inspiring", but when people are feeling distress, I want to be able to let them know that I hear them, without having to name each one. Some days I have the time and energy to do that but some I don't and I don't really even work most days, so I know you folks that work and have a host of other responsibilities don't have time. So far all my friends here who are struggling with getting back in the swing or just staying with the daily good decisions that have to be made I'm sending you hugs and well a sad faced emoticon with a tear, cause I hear you and I commiserate with you, but after that I would put some praying hands and a fist pump, because we can do this. WE WILL DO THIS. Got to go but I'll be back! Holly still in Chattanooga!

Does anyone have some fun plans for this weekend?

I have a 3 day weekend (had today off). I went out for a bike ride by one of our lakes, despite the crazy windy conditions we have today, but it was so nice to get outside and some fresh air! Won't be able to get many more outdoor workouts in, in the coming months with winter coming.