I'm so happy to have found this fabulous website and app.

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SusieGill
SusieGill Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone,

My brother and his partner told me about My Fitness Pal as they have both been losing weight and definitely put their success down to the My Fitness Pal iPhone app. They are really impressed with it and felt I should try it too.

I am morbidly obese and desperately need and yearn to lose weight as I truly do feel I am trapped in my own body and I have really had enough of being unable to do so many things I long to do. Plus my 2 daughters and my family worry constantly about my health which is severely affected by my size!

I am a 55 year old female, and I am only 5ft in height and my starting weight 3 weeks ago was 383.8lbs so as you can see I am seriously, seriously overweight and because of my size I find any kind physical exertion totally exhausting! I have mobility problems and both knees are totally shot but my GP says nothing can be done surgically unless i get my weight down significantly, so I now have to use a mobility scooter if we go shopping or anywhere where I need to walk a short distance! I am very embarrassed about having to use a mobility scooter as although I'm no teenager, I still feel I'm too young to be so restricted and limited.

However, back to My Fitness Pal ....... I started using it properly 3 weeks ago and believe it or not in 3 weeks, by sticking to my calorie allowance, I have lost an amazing 30.8lbs! I am delighted with my progress to date and the iPhone app is a fabulous and welcome 'diet' tool and the fact that wherever I go I can keep track of what I eat and how many calories something is or how many I have left etc is proving to be invaluable to me and therefore it has become my bible! I mean my iPhone is ALWAYS with me - so I feel like I have the advice, knowledge and support of The My Fitness Pal team with me ALWAYS too and to cap it all I get all this for FREE!

I feel very focused, motivated and inspired right now and the last week or so I have gone to bed feeling so happy and so very proud of myself. I have laid there with a huge smile on my face knowing that for the first time in years I feel in control of what I eat!

I don't like having photographs taken (especially full length ones) as I hate looking at myself but I will add one onto my profile as I am determined to succeed and maybe seeing how huge I am will encourage me even more? So as soon as I dig a recent one out I will add it to my profile.

I would love to communicate with others who have a lot of weight to lose like me too as I am sure together we can help support and encourage one another in our journey towards our new lives!

Thanks for reading my post and good luck to everyone.

Sue x

Replies

  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Welcome to MFP! I think you look lovely in your picture. :)

    MFP really works if you're honest with yourself and log everything you eat. I would recommend taking the first few days and just logging everything you eat normally, so then you can go back and look at your habits and make adjustments accordingly. Sometimes we don't even realize what we're doing until we see it there in black and white, so it's hard to make changes until we just really look at how things are going now. But you can do this! Good for you for taking the first step. :)

    If you do want to exercise, if for no other reason than to get your blood moving and help you feel better, you can Google "seated exercises" or "chair exercises." You'll be amazed at what you can do from your chair. :)
  • Llante
    Llante Posts: 14
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    Best of luck to you hun <3 What a great positive start you've had. Congratulations. You should be really proud of your success so far! It's amazing how just 'watching what we eat' can change things so drastically.
    You're already an inspiration, well done!
  • yaddayaddayadda
    yaddayaddayadda Posts: 430 Member
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    Wow!! Congratulations on the weight loss!! This is a great site for motivation! Logging your food really helps you to begin to substitute healthy choices into your menu. Keep it up, and you will continue to lose weight and feel better:-)
  • marykly
    marykly Posts: 14
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    Hi Susie,

    Welcome to this wonderful site! I started here last September, but due to illness and not being able to keep logging etc I stopped but started again about last month!! I've about 13lbs
    lost so far on this but over all since last September I've lost about 35lbs! Which is massive for me as I was struggling for years to lose the weight especially in
    Between having children!! I have 4 the oldest is 12 and youngest is 5!!!

    What I can tell you is to log everything you eat and drink!!! And be totally honest with yourself as that's the only way it will work! In a few weeks just by logging and looking back at my diary my total eating habits have changed for the better!! Oh and I think it's better to have your diary public, so your friends can see it and hopefully offer some advice when needed or just to give you praise on it, it really does give you a boost!!



    Go into your settings at the top of the page and click diary settings then change it to friends only, that way your friends are the only ones who can view it, or click it to public if you like then anyone can see it but I think your better off clicking friends only! Don't think you can make these changes through the iPhone! I have the iPhone too and I use the computer to make any changes like this!

    I know you said you wanted to hear from people who have alot of weight to lose like you and although I am not one of those people I do understand what you are going through and how you feel! My best friend was about your weight, and struggled and struggled to lose the weight, I saw the stares she got, the snoggers off ignorant people and I know how much it hurt her! She never did lose the weight and passed away from an unrelated illness 2 years ago. So I honestly do know how you feel!

    Anyway I know it's hard and there is a long road ahead but with willpower and determination you WILL succeed! Feel free to add me as a friend if you like! Best of luck!!
  • SusieGill
    SusieGill Posts: 2
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    Thank you everyone for your lovely replies and encouragement I really, really appreciate it and I feel so pleased to be on this journey.

    How do I make my diary public?

    Sue xxxx
  • shazzamax11
    shazzamax11 Posts: 154
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    Wow, thats fantastic well done.
    I only rejoined on Tuesday so its early days for me. I have joined a gym and I'm determined to get fit and lose weight. This site is fabulous and the iphone map makes it even better.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your lovely replies and encouragement I really, really appreciate it and I feel so pleased to be on this journey.

    How do I make my diary public?

    Sue xxxx

    Click My Home, then go to Settings, and click "Diary settings." There's an option toward the bottom of the page to make your diary private, friends-only, or public. Don't forget to click the save button!

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