Re-establishing Chubby Twenties?!

Well done to everyone losing, and keeping strong and on track!

Sorry I've been a bit rubbish at checking in - it's the final week before a coursework deadline so feeling snowed under and unmotivated about that and trying to focus on that, get through that and then deal with all the other stuff!

As for weighing in - I try to only weigh in once a week. Sometimes I might sneak onto the scales midweek, but I don't take that as an accurate thing at all. I definitely don't use the scales as a way to know what to eat/how much to exercise...I *know* I'm eating right, and much better than I was, and the exercise is paying off - I can see it in my body/fit of my clothes/finding a collarbone/arm muscle, so the scale number is more of a bonus. I'd prefer to be a slimmer heavier person than bigger and lighter...
I must admit, when I've got a tight piece of clothing or taking measurements I have had moments where I've had to actively stop measuring myself/putting the clothing on to see if it fits yet...so maybe that's just as bad as hopping on the scale all the time!

On a completely unrelated subject...
Do all your friends know you're dieting and exercising etc? I'm in a weird situation where only those I have a talk-about-everything regularly relationship with know about it, whereas I've barely mentioned it to any of my other friends.
The ones that know are all really really supportive and can't believe how well I'm doing, how much healthier I am and that I'm enjoying the exercise and being so good when it comes to eating etc.
However with the other friends that we don't stay as in touch with....when we've spent time together sometimes it's come up that I now go jogging, or whatever, but with lots it hasn't, and they've not really noticed that I'm not having the massive portions and unhealthy choices anymore... I don't really know what this means, whether I'm really not so close with these friends, or that they're I bit scared to mention it/bring it up. It's all just a bit weird. I look massively different to the way I did over xmas/new year (and of course for ages beforre that). i just don't get how they've not noticed...
Sorry....I'm not really looking for *answers* to this, it's more that I was just wondering if many of you had similar situations...I know it's something that I just don't get right now.

Do all your friends know you're dieting and exercising etc? I'm in a weird situation where only those I have a talk-about-everything regularly relationship with know about it, whereas I've barely mentioned it to any of my other friends.
The ones that know are all really really supportive and can't believe how well I'm doing, how much healthier I am and that I'm enjoying the exercise and being so good when it comes to eating etc.
However with the other friends that we don't stay as in touch with....when we've spent time together sometimes it's come up that I now go jogging, or whatever, but with lots it hasn't, and they've not really noticed that I'm not having the massive portions and unhealthy choices anymore... I don't really know what this means, whether I'm really not so close with these friends, or that they're I bit scared to mention it/bring it up. It's all just a bit weird. I look massively different to the way I did over xmas/new year (and of course for ages beforre that). i just don't get how they've not noticed...
Sorry....I'm not really looking for *answers* to this, it's more that I was just wondering if many of you had similar situations...I know it's something that I just don't get right now.

I don't really tell people either, but it's due to a variety of reasons. It makes me sad to say this, because it shows the world that we live in, but one of the biggest reasons that I don't want to say anything to a few of my closest girlfriends is that they have body issues too, and I almost feel like they would want me to fail, almost as a competitive thing. I mentioned it to one of my friends and she just wasn't very supportive, so I just do it sort of privately and with my MFP friends for support.
And don't feel about about your friends not noticing, it's hard to tell the difference when they see you often, and like with my dad, after he saw me after I'd lost some weight he didn't mention anything until my grandma did and then he admitted he'd noticed but didn't want to say anything because if I hadn't actually lost weight he worried that I would've taken it the wrong way that I looked fat last time he saw me or something! haha....men.
Another reason I don't like to tell alot of people, is because I've done that whole thing before "Hey I'm on a diet!" and then given up 3 days later, and never lost weight and felt like an idiot. So I was worried that's what would happen when i started MFP.

To all you ladies: it sounds like you're doing great!

I've been having a pretty good week, have been good on food and good about going to fitness classes, til today. My brother and his girlfriend stopped by and we went out for Mexican food. I am so stuffed and don't even want to think about how many calories I consumed. It's only one meal though, so as long as I get back on track I'm not going to freak out about it. Plus most of my friends are out of town this weekend, which takes the temptation of drinking away, which is usually what gets me on the weekend.
Hopefully once I digest this food and am able to move again I can get a nice run in or something. (indoors unfortunately since it's like 90 degrees out)

Hope you all have a good weekend!

To all of you, I was wondering.. When you lost weight, like around 10 pounds, could you tell a difference? I just hit my 10 pound goal today, which I am super pumped about. It's just that I can't really tell any difference.. Maybe it's because I have so much weight to lose (80ish pounds)?

After my first 10lbs...no I don't think I did at all...I mean I felt less sluggish and happier, but to be honest I didn't really even get excited until I'd lost 1stone (14lbs) and I actually started noticing a real difference in clothes at about 1.5stone (21lbs). I think this is because 23lbs lost was 10% lost - and I think that first 10% is always where I notice the real first difference. But I'm the kind of person that holds their weight really well...most of my friends simply would not believe that I was *actually* 16st8 (132lbs). they just refused to believe it as I was only a (large) UK size 18...
After that first 21lbs I started noticing differences a lot more though, and the differences are speeding up too...

Hello ladies!

I think i'm going to need to pushing to get in the gym again. I'm just so tired when i finish work at 7am all i do is jump in the car and come home.

Anyways, I havent lost 10lbs yet but im close and i cant tell where its gone, i keep thinking my scales are lying to me somehow!

Nat xx

Deannalu: I know that going to the gym gives me energy, and having a power nap isnt really an option, well it is, but i work near my gym and it would mean going home, to go back to the gym. I've actually swapped my morning shifts this week, for evening ones so i might go straight from one job, to the gym then start my other one.
As for breakfast, i vary it between cereal (kellogs crunchy nut), chopped tomatoes on toast, and some kind of egg on toast usually scrambled or poached. And its wholemeal bread ive been having. I occasionally will have a bacon and tomato sandwich because like you said, depriving yourself completely doesnt help!
As for simple dinner recipes - I like pesto chicken. Basically, i boil abit of chicken, cook some pasta, have LOADS of vegetables (courgette, broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes) which i steam, then put them all together with some pesto. Ooor do the same, but instead of pesto i use chopped tomatoes and oregano or basil to make a bit of a sauce.
I also lke having chicken fajitas, theyre really simple to make! stir fry some chicken in a tiny bit of oil, with some onions, peppers and any other veg you like, put in some fajita spices (we buy them from the dried herb/spices isle) then stick in a wrap with some lettuce and some salsa if you have any!

As for the 13lbs being water weight, ive heard 9lbs can be, but then again i know when its that time of the month i have put on about 10lbs before.

Hi everyone!!

Sorry to hear about your emotional roller coaster gemfox.. hope everything is getting better for you!

And good job/good luck to everyone for their weight loss!

I weighed this morning and I back in the 160's!! 169.2 to be exact. I'm down about 6 lbs in a week, which I'm sure is just my body dropping all the garbage I was eating before. I'm not expecting a huge loss next week but I am excited to start off so well

Hey Everyone! I'm a newbie to MFP! I'm 25 yrs old and am currently trying to lose some pounds so that I'm at a healthy weight before getting pregnant. I previously used WW online and lost 30 lbs, but I've been doing the diet plan half-*ssed for a while. I did come back and lost some more, but then wasn't having any success with the new pts system. I feel like I have lost and gained the same 10 lbs this last year!!! I'm just starting calorie counting for the first time and so far I really like how MFP is set up (it might be better than WW, but don't tell them that!). Feel free to add me and I look forward to sharing in your successes!

Waah, i fell off the wagon. Again.
So last week was a good week because my friend from cambridge came to visit, and while i love her to death, its all about booze and food, i did well though. Until the weekend. I went out with her, and a load of our mutual friends, including a guy i've liked for well over a year, anyways, things were awesome until the end when my friend told me she'd spoke to the guy about me and him, and he told her what i already know, which is that he wants to be able to put 100% into a relationship with me, but with his uni work and work work he just cant do that, and he doesnt wanna hurt me. I already know this, ive known it for MONTHS, but for some reason it really affected me.
I think its because the "old nat" came back, my ex was basically mentally and emotionally abusive and turned me into this insecure, jealous, paranoid mess. And he used to say stuff like that all the time, "i love you but i dont wanna be with you because your too insecure, youre tired all the time, youre depressed, you never smile, youre paranoid" (basically, anything you could think of he'd use as an excuse not to be with me) he would then go on to compare me with whatever girl he was seeing, while still telling me he loved me. He was the epitome of mind-****.
Anyways, i think that all came back when my friend told me what the guy had said and on top of a mountain of other problems in my life it just set me off and i broke down. At which point i ran away, drove to the countryside and sat for an hour until i calmed down, then went home to bed (all this at like 3am). Anyways, the next day i felt sick, as i always do after crying, went out and just ate crap. I know it sounds extreme but i really do have an addiction to chocolate, and recently ive managed to get over it and havent really touched any for a while, but this weekend has ruined me. All ive eaten is chocolate, and cakes. However, i'm back on track now because ive got less than 4 weeks until my holiday. I didint manage to make it to the gym this week, but next week I AM GOING!!

I WILL feel good about myself on holiday!

Nat xx

I'll be 20 in a few months, can I sill join?

Welcome guys! post when you need it seems like the thing we do here, We all need support and motivation! I'll add you guys!

Hey there 20-somethings!

I would love to join up in this group. I feel like you do a lot of growing up in your 20's... and I have also done a lot of growing out. I am a 24 year old grad student, newly wed and new home owner in desperate need of motivation and support. I make up a lot of excuses for not working out and feel completely exhausted at the end of each day. I recently tipped over the 200 mark, weighing the most I ever have in my life. It's time to get health, happy and confident. Thanks so much, and I look forward to following all of your progress!

*Randyl*

I'd love to join. I'm ally. I'm 22 and want to lose like 10 more pounds. I look forward to the support.

WOOO NAT! GO YOU!!!

(I'll reply properly again later, having a bit of a downer at the moment, and finding it hard to not sit around moping, and also not to eat the entire contents of the fridge...I genuinely feel like I could eat an entire horse the past few days!) xx

Gemfox, I totally empathize with you on the Wii! I also have one which I love and would much rather use that to weigh myself than an actual scale! I have Wii fit, and my fiancé got me Wii fit plus but when I went to use it there was like a 1 pound weight difference( which is hardly anything but was still discouraging) so I have just stuck to regular wii fit, lol.

I also know that weight fluctuates a lot but being overweight, any extra pounds is just somewhat unmotivating for me.