Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

@FeraFilia - Congrats on the new FitBit (and on having family/friends who actually listen)! I am all about gadgets, and even get vicariously excited about other people's new toys.

@ObesityWarrior - Great attitude!

@KillionSL and @TheMerryBoffin - I'm pretty new here, myself, but welcome!

@MermaidPrincessRach - Even when you know it's likely, a plateau or gain can still be frustrating. And yeah, this weight loss stuff definitely isn't for wusses. You've totally still got this, though!

@pneschich - Oh man, I'm sorry things have been so tough lately. I can't imagine anyone begrudging you a stress-eating frenzy...frankly, I'm impressed that it was only one day! You'll figure out a way to move more, even with the boot.

As for me, yesterday and Wednesday were high-calorie days (though nothing like Thanksgiving or New Year's Day): my dad had cataract surgery early yesterday morning so I drove up there on Wednesday and spent the night, and we went to dinner that evening and then had a late breakfast after the surgery. I logged everything, though. I've been surprised to discover how much logging helps, even (especially?) on the "bad" days.

For Friday Fitness, I'm pleased to be able to say that I walked 1 mile (@ 3mph) three times this week. I think that's a record for me. And I recently had a "duh" moment where I realized that I don't have to choose between the treadmill and my dumbbells each day: I can walk in the mornings and use the weights in the evenings. It's time for me to step up the treadmill stuff, though...I need to either start walking faster, or going farther than 1 mile. Or maybe both. I hope to figure it out this weekend.

campfirequeen1 enjoy your newish home...Good luck with the new regime too

@pneschich I gave you an Awesome. I am confident you will find a way thru! And it'll be Great because you're great! ::cheering and chanting your name::

Got my new Fitbit in! So that's the good news.

The bad news is the weather and illness has prevented me from getting out to get my running shoes.

More good news: I stepped on the scale this morning and saw my pre-holiday festivities low weight. Even after some snacky issues earlier this week, because leftover treats were sitting around and I have zero ability to resist them. I'll get there, eventually.

I hope the first week of 2017 is treating you all well!

Sometimes we have trouble seeing the big picture when we are so close to it. You have lost an incredible amount of weight thus far. You are a great father and husband. You are smart and loving and hard working. Very respectable! I doubt your family and friends see you as "the fat one". I bet they see the man who loves them and they have made great memories with and want to share their life with as long as they can because YOU are a great guy! It's not a sin to eat "bad foods". It's okay to let yourself heal and process everything that's going on in your life. And I know after you get your surgery, you will take it one day at a time and the journey will be amazing! Just take a deep breath and know we are all rooting for you!

@pneschich - I second the great words of @MermaidPrincessRach and @birgitkwood. You are doing everything you can right now, and I promise you IT IS ENOUGH. It's not what you want to do, and may not be what you need to do, but all we can ever ask of anyone -- or ourselves -- is to do everything we can do. And I believe that you are. I bet your family and employees believe that, too. Right now things are overwhelming, but they will get better: you will start to heal, both physically and psychologically. Until that time, try to give yourself a break. Acknowledging that you need to be kind to yourself right now doesn't mean that you are just going to keep eating forever and never get on top of your diet and exercise. It's human nature to be so much harder on ourselves than we would be on others, but try to think of it this way: if your wife were in your situation, what would you think? Would you feel like she was failing? Would you think less of her? Try to give yourself some of the same leeway.

It's been a while, I'm not even going to try to read the 400 pages I've missed since I last checked in on this thread, I'm just going to stick my nose back in and say hi, happy new year, and YOU GOT THIS!

Last year at this time I was checking in with well over 100 pounds to lose, as of this morning, I am down 45 pounds. There was a point where I had lost a bit more, but the holidays happened and I'm back on the bandwagon now. After a major reset last Monday, I lost 3 pounds last week. Now the key will be to keep it going.

I am trying to think of some kind of goal to put on the horizon that will keep me motivated - maybe something in April or May that I could work towards. I've done a couple of half marathons and a 10k (walking, not running) but I was trying to think of something that would be more enriching, or meaningful, than getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Does anyone have any ideas?

Sharon

@trinati2001 - You are sooo not alone with the scale thing! Just a week ago I posted "I am fighting so much with my scale right now." Heh. I know I'm supposed to weigh myself just once a week, at the same time of day and wearing (roughly) the same clothing, but too often I feel it calling to me and I can't help myself...sometimes multiple times a day. Apparently I tend to be almost 2 pounds lighter in the mornings, so I really need to stop checking my weight then (it totally messes with my head).

@celtikgirl - Congrats on the 3 pounds!! The goal thing is tough...everything I can think of comes down more on the "reward" side of things. Maybe try to build on the run/walk idea by finding a charity run? Or one of those obstacle course thingies where it's more about how muddy you can get than how quickly you can finish? Or a run in a place you've always wanted to visit?

@RefocusedPowerhouse - Being "patient, gentle, kind, and realistic" with yourself definitely sounds like the way to go. I don't know that I'm far enough along to have any tips, etc., to share, but I'm willing to be supportive! Lately I've been leaning on this site a lot, and in particular this thread. I've encountered great people all over MFP, but some folks are just maintaining (or are here for the fitness aspect, or only have a few pounds to lose, etc.) and it's nice to have a place to interact with others who are roughly in the same boat.

Welcome to the newlings!! Keep coming back and you will get great support and motivation on this thread.

@Misnomer971 --who told you you are only supposed to weigh in once a week? Research actually supports daily weighing, so if it helps you to check your weight every morning, don't let some arbitrary rule about weighing weekly stop you.

@sharon--Welcome back!!! I was wondering what had happened to you and several of the other "regulars" from this thread. It's great to hear that you are still working toward your goal. I agree with misnomers suggestions--especially the obstacle runs. I've done several--some that are just for fun, like the Dirty Girl Mud Run, and some that were very physically challenging like Run For Your Lives (zombie themed) and Rugged Maniac. Some of my friends and I are considering doing the Ragnar Race series Madison to Chicago this summer. It would require I run 3 legs--usually ranging from 3 to 6 miles. I've only ever run 5 miles, but I know if I train I could get up to 6--still scary though.

@trinati2001 --congrats on meeting your goal!!! I used to play all of those scale games. What really desensitized me to the scale was weighing myself every single morning and only recording my new weight here on MFP if it was lower than my previous low. If it was up a couple of lbs., I just chalked that up to normal fluctuations, but if it was down, I recorded it as a loss. That method really helped me to see that regardless of the daily ups and downs, my overall trend was downward.

Monday Check in:
I've started this week on a good note. Yesterday I went to the gym despite being tired and a little headache-y from a long day out Saturday pub crawling with some friends who are moving out of the state in a few weeks. I also made good food choices both yesterday and today and have logged everything.

While I was at the gym, I noticed there is a sign-up for a fitness group with the personal trainer. Starting Jan. 25th, it will meet every Wed. for 6 weeks and includes a boot camp style workout each week. It also requires we track our food and commit to 2 additional hours of exercise/week. It costs $50 which isn't much, but it's probably all stuff I can already do on my own--I just need to do it.

So I've made a deal with myself--if I keep myself accountable with making good food choices, logging, and exercising over the next 3 weeks, I can save the $50 to spend on myself. If, however, I've made no progress losing either pounds or inches, I will spend the money to join the group.

Grading Goals:
1. 19/40 AP essays
2. write Japan essay

Exercise Goals:
Sun-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
Mon-- walk gunner DONE + ab video
Tues-- walk gunner + gym
Wed-- walk gunner + ab video
Thurs-- walk gunner + gym
Fri-- walk gunner + ab video
Sat-- walk gunner + gym + ab video

@birgitkwood I also binged last night. I've come to realize that when I get "starving" and can't stop eating it's usually because I'm tired. Usually when it happens I find that caffeine, a walk or a nap is the only way to get it to stop (besides eating everything I can until I go to bed). Yesterday turned out to be a perfect storm; I had to leave work early to run an errand. Then instead of working from home I started eating and I ate almost 1500 calories (I didn't track it but it could have been upwards of 2000) then I sat down in front of the fire and all of the sudden had the realization that I was tired! I felt like cr@p...I know better than to give in and binge eat, I should have realized what the cause was. So I blew off work and took an hour nap. Once I was a little more clear headed I got back to life (pick up kids, make dinner, etc) and I fessed up to my husband and skipped dinner. Which is 100% better than old me. A year ago I was have eaten dinner to hide the fact that I had binged earlier that day. So even though I slipped and fell yesterday I'm still counting it as a win because the hardest thing for me is to admit to my husband that I ate before the family and therefore I'm not eating with the family.

@Misnomer971 - my husband plays the tuba in several local community bands. Not as a professional (although he is quite good!), but just for fun. No, he's never had a weight problem. He had a very serious stroke in 2015, and gained some weight after that (we both did!), but it's been coming off again as he's been regaining his overall health. He's an amazing guy, on so many levels.

I'm doing far, far better today! Had some time to reflect on why I went off the rails so badly yesterday. I hadn't slept well the night before because my left foot was screaming that night with some sort of weird nerve pain. When I woke up yesterday morning, that foot was still hurting badly, and I decided to skip the gym, treadmill, etc. That set me up for a bad day all around. Exercise and proper food choices are closely intertwined for me - can't seem to do one without the other. Plus, I was pi$$ed off because my "good" foot was giving me trouble. (The other foot, my right one, has been giving me trouble for years.) I actually felt BETRAYED by my left foot - lol.

So I took some good meds to stop the pain, and they mostly worked. Slept well last night and when I woke up the foot was only twinging, not screaming. Went to the gym this morning and used the recumbent exercise bike, rather than the treadmill, so I got my exercise in. Walking around the office every hour to keep using my foot. And I'm wearing shoes today - so I've got THAT going for me!

So today I'm making good food choices, and I feel back on track. Plus, I noticed a nice NSV today while using that recumbent stationary bike: the handholds on those things are near the seat, next to your hips. The first time I used it, when I started my weight loss journey, I had to s q u e e z e my thumbs in there between the handle and my wayward flesh. Today I looked down and noticed that there's a good 2 inches on both sides between my sweatpanted hips and my thumbs. So clearly my 97 acre butt has decreased significantly. That felt GREAT!

Have a great day, Everyone - and thanks for being here!

In the past hour, two co-workers have randomly mentioned that I look smaller. What a great mid-week boost, and some nice motivation heading into the weekend!

Of course it would be National Milk Day when I didn't have cereal for breakfast! LOL! I've been having a bowl of cereal with 1% milk every day, but this morning I had a fasting blood draw so I skipped the Cheerios and just had a (way more portable) protein shake after I went to the lab.

@MermaidPrincessRach - I remember when I started transitioning back to "real" food and could have fruit and milk again after 7 weeks without either....I was so excited!

Hey guys!

I survived the sickness and I am almost 100% again. The baby is well again, too! Sucks that it happened right as I was getting back into the swing of things after a break for the holidays, but it did and now I have to get myself back on track AGAIN. This is the hardest part. Especially with TOM around the corner. Blah.

Nobody said this would be easy.

@pinkstarberry -- Welcome back!! IMHO maintaining over the holidays and other times of stress like moving and family visits is a huge win--way to go!! That's also very exciting about college--do you have a specific program/degree in mind, or are you going for gen ed courses?

@FeraFilia --glad to hear you and the baby are both doing better. It's so hard to stick to plan when sick or injured, but you will get right back on track in no time.

@ashbuch1980 --welcome! This is a great place to air your frustrations and get support.

@Misnomer971 --that's a great NSV that people are noticing your efforts.

@rach-- I don't drink milk, but I did make some mashed sweet potatoes with a touch of heavy cream, so I guess that will have to count as my "celebration"--LOL.

@birgitkwood --Glad to hear you worked past the bad day smoothly. Also, what an awesome NSV! I remember when I had to move my seat up in the car b/c my butt had gotten small enough that I was straining to reach the gas pedal. That was a GOOD day! Oh, and I also have days go by at times when I actually forget to weigh myself--this is something I would have never dreamed could happen when I started b/c I was so very scale-obsessed. It's a great feeling--very freeing.

Wednesday Wish:
My wish is to simply stay on track with nutrition as I have so far this week. Also, my right Achilles was hurting, and now that I've gotten new runners and been diligent about wearing orthotics in my work shoes, the pain has subsided, so I'm hopeful that I've dodged that bullet.

Weather has not cooperated the past couple of days, so I've been unable to walk gunner. Also, I skipped the gym yesterday to visit a lifelong friend. His cousin passed away from cancer last week and his husband is out of town for work, so we just hung out. I even managed to stay within my calorie goal despite the fact that we ordered pizza. Small victory.

Grading Goals:
1. 39/40 AP essays
2. write Japan essay

Exercise Goals:
Sun-- walk gunner DONE + gym DONE
Mon-- walk gunner DONE + ab video DONE
Tues-- walk gunner NOT DONE + gym NOT DONE
Wed-- walk gunner NOT DONE + ab video
Thurs-- rest day (blood donation)
Fri-- walk gunner + ab video
Sat-- walk gunner + gym + ab video

Well, it just got really real. The hospital called for money. Ouch! A week from Monday. Life changes forever.
Life is still a bit overwhelming, the boot is still on and I'm uncertain if it is helping. MIL finished round one of radiation and has an appointment with an oncology on/gym today. She is resisting exercise, not good.
I'm ready I know. The lack of exercise is making me feel awful. The holiday weight makes me feel awful too. I don't want the "awful" to normalize and be the new ok. Because, well, it's awful and I deserve better than awful. I'm not a risk taker, it's not me and it's ok. This is by far the biggest unknown leap ever. I'm still a bit nervous. I've done everything at work to be ready, home: not a clue where to start or what to do. Not scared but something else. I can't quite understand.