20 lbs a year--why not?

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mkculs
mkculs Posts: 316 Member
in Getting Started
I was on here last year and lost about 25 lbs, and have put back 5. I realized that even if I "only" lost 20 lbs each year, I'm still much better off than I was before. So, rather than beat myself up for "quitting" or "failing," I'm going to pick up where I left off with a sense of accomplishment. It is so much easier for me to be thoughtful about my health when the weather is good and I have fewer obligations (especially in the summer). If I lose 20 lbs in 5 or 6 months and then maintain all or most of that loss while losing is harder (winter, long and dark in WI), I'm going to come out ahead.

If someone told me last year, or any time before this year, that I'd be satisfied with losing 20 lbs a year, I would have scoffed and them and said, "Why bother?" I never stuck with anything before b/c I wanted to lose the weight quickly and that wasn't realistic. I finally accepted "a pound a week" last year, and it made a huge difference--I could maintain my commitments for several months. Now I see that I *can* benefit from a much slower pace--one that averages out to about 1.5 lbs per month, because I can maintain that rate.

I have found that running on a treadmill at my age and weight is too damaging, and that threw me for a loop--I joined a gym for winter but after a few runs, I knew it wasn't going to work. I have all spring/summer/fall to come up with a new plan for next winter--but even if it doesn't "work," I know I can get through the winter without gaining, b/c I've done it for the most part this year. I need to find a way to stay active over the winter that doesn't involve jogging (once the ice hits, I live in terror of falling). I'm also seriously considering moving to a better climate for year-round exercise b/c being outside is so important to my mental and physical health, and heat doesn't bother me as much right now. I jog after sundown in Florida in the summer when visiting my parents. Sure, maybe at 70 I won't be able to do that, but I can right now. Not planning on Florida quite yet, but it will be on the horizon.

SO, I need to get back to weighing and tracking my food and exercise. Not terribly thrilled, but committed.

Thanks if you read this; I needed to write it for myself but if it helps anyone, that's a bonus point. :)

Replies

  • mkculs13
    mkculs13 Posts: 638 Member
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    I forgot to add that I'm starting a new account for a new year. Mkculs13 if you are interested in friending me. Thanks!!
  • rosiorama
    rosiorama Posts: 300 Member
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    Twenty pounds is nothing to scoff at. I feel better after losing ten! Do what works for you. If twenty pounds a year - and keeping it off- is ehat works for you? Awesome. And congrats on keeping the weight off!
  • mkculs13
    mkculs13 Posts: 638 Member
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    Thanks, and yes, the 20 lbs has made a difference in how I feel and how my clothes fit. Also for my blood sugar levels, which are back to a normal range. Keeping it off was a struggle, but one I managed. I noticed that cutting down another few hundred calories in my weight loss plan at the start of the winter really threw me for a loop--losing the weight meant eating less and I was going to be exercising less, too. I am so glad I focused on maintenance until the weather finally got better.
  • mkculs13
    mkculs13 Posts: 638 Member
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    Danp wrote: »
    That's a great attitude! You're not starting over, just picking up where you left off.

    I like to use a driving analogy. If you were driving somewhere and 2/3rds of the way there in took a wrong turn you wouldn't say 'Oh man, I got off track now I need to go all the way back home and start again". You'd just get back on the right road and continue where you're going.

    Thank you; that's exactly right. And going through the struggle to maintain--which I was starting to lose my grip on, just before the weather got better--helps me understand some of what I will need to plan for in my future.

  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I hope you will give the gym another chance, at least when winter comes again, because there’s plenty to do at the gym besides running on the treadmill. Like walking on the treadmill or using the stationary bike. You don’t need to exerxise to lose weight, but it makes a huge difference in overall good health.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,426 Member
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    besides the gym , at home I watch "fitness blender" on you tube. There's all kinds of workouts you can choose from
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    mkculs13 wrote: »
    I forgot to add that I'm starting a new account for a new year. Mkculs13 if you are interested in friending me. Thanks!!

    Great story - it just shows that weight / weight loss / weight gain is such an individual subject. It doesn't help me to stress about my weight loss - I added all those kg / pounds over many years, and it will not come off overnight. Somewhere I read that on average the human body can / could lose up to 600 calories (80 gram) a day. I am now with MFP just over a year (lost just over 30 kg) and always learning something new. During this time I noticed that my macros change slightly according to season: more fats during winter, slightly more carbs (fruit, veggies) during spring / summer. And I am trying to find out more about something called "food stacking".
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    edited April 2019
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    mkculs wrote: »

    I have found that running on a treadmill at my age and weight is too damaging,)

    I'm the same age as you (according to your profile). I do not have joint problems but I hate the way treadmills bounce when I run on them. Do the treadmills at your gym have an incline function? I crank the treadmill up to the maximum angle and walk fast.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited April 2019
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    I wish more people had a long-range view of weight management. I lost 70 lbs over the course of about 7 years, losing a chunk, maintaining or rebounding a few lbs, then losing another chunk, etc. Have had a stressful year and put some of that back on, but still way better off than I was a decade ago. 20 lbs is a significant amount of weight and has an impact on our health, so is nothing to scoff at. Sure, we all want the weight gone yesterday, but better to lose 20 in a year and keep it off than to lose 50 and put it back on. :)
  • mkculs13
    mkculs13 Posts: 638 Member
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    try2again wrote: »
    I wish more people had a long-range view of weight management. I lost 70 lbs over the course of about 7 years, losing a chunk, maintaining or rebounding a few lbs, then losing another chunk, etc. Have had a stressful year and put some of that back on, but still way better off than I was a decade ago. 20 lbs is a significant amount of weight and has an impact on our health, so is nothing to scoff at. Sure, we all want the weight gone yesterday, but better to lose 20 in a year and keep it off than to lose 50 and put it back on. :)

    Good for you. I look forward to the day I can say I've lost that much--and as you say, every few pounds makes a difference in health, so it's worth it even if it is very slow. I will have a physical and labs drawn soon so I'll see how my blood levels compare to last year--pre-diabetic at this time in 2018 but the 20 lbs lost since then matters.

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