MFP Weight Goal ACHIEVED - 95 Pounds GONE - Wheelchair User
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Hello all,
I wanted to make an update post, as it has been abit over a year since I initially created this thread, and so I'd like to firstly demonstrate that I have successfully maintained my weight. I'd also like others to see this thread, and learn that they too can shed the weight (and more importantly, keep it off in the long run).
From the time I created this post, I have successfully maintained my weight from 125-130 pounds, using maintenance strategy. While in weight loss mode, I had a target of roughly 1200 calories per day. Now that I am in maintenance, my daily allowed calories is 1700.
Each stage of weight loss, and weight control, presents different challenges. While having more calories allowed to you per day may seem easier, it unfortunately gives way for you to "take your eye off the ball" per say. In other words, it's easy to lose control over counting your calories, and underestimating how much you are actually eating (and thus, going over daily limit and gaining weight).
I still follow all of the tips and tricks I posted in this thread. I have started a mixed approach to tracking - while in weight loss mode, I tracked day to day, every day. However, while I more often than not still do this, sometimes depending on if I know I'll be eating out on the weekend/weekday, I'll track on a weekly level. The result is the same (calorie deficit by weeks end), however, instead I try to amass large calorie deficits earlier in the week, and then will go over by conservative amounts later in the week (however, still ensuring I do not get to a caloric surplus).
In addition, I have adopted some strategies for eating out that I'd like to share. Some of the following might sound like common sense, nevertheless I hope some are found useful.
1) If I know which restaurant I am going to eat at, I will look at menu ahead of time to plan my meal. This gives me the opportunity to assess which is the best choice of food from a caloric standpoint.
2) Often times, we will not have the luxury of looking ahead when eating out. When this is the case, focus on how the food is prepared, and delivered. Grilled chicken, and fish are great go to's when eating out. For condiments, remove calorie wasters like cheese, creams, avocados, and mayo and replace with spices (garlic chilli sauce, saracha), or lime/lemon.
3) Drink water instead of ice tea/wine.
4) Replace the rice with a house salad.
5) Remove bread if meal has high caloric potential, and replace with lettuce, or cabbage. This will substantially reduce calorie.
6) Eat a high fibre piece of fruit before going out. This will allow you to avoid wanting to order an appetizer while you wait for your meal. It'll also help with portion control on the main, as usually mains have massive portions.
If you're unsure of calories in what is in your meal/on a menu, use MFP to get a sense of the rough calorie estimate - remember you don't need to eat everything on the plate. You have control of what you put into your body.
The weight loss journey/maintenance is never ending even once you have reached your goal. It is about figuring out how to make it work for life - otherwise relapse will be inevitable.
If anyone needs any help, guidance or tips for their journey - post in this thread or shoot me a message. And remember, believe in yourself!!!
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Wow! I use a manual chair and have begun this recently, doing what you did, CICO only as exercise is hard with the chair. I love what you've written, you're a great writer! Did the loss impact the size of chair you use? I'm hoping to just fit better into mine, not really shift to a smaller chair. But you lost so much. I'm at 1200 cals a day and going slow and steady. I can't weigh myself right now but am searching for an easy to access wheelchair scale somewhere in town I can pop in and use. How did you handle this part? I can't say how much your words and experience mean to me, you are proof this is possible!1
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You are truly and inspiration to those who are in wheelchairs and non wheel chair users.
I love this from your comment:
2) I use a teaspoon to eat rice, and soups (again, consistent with my reasoning above).
Everything you have written is so true about this weight loss journey and maintaining afterwards.
Good luck for the future and for giving us more tips that have proven successful to you.
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Fantastic, looks like your team is my old hometown! Congrats on such a brilliant accomplishment - a wonderful story of a mind/shift to achieve a fantastic goal - amazing record time as well. Truly inspirational.1
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Thank you so much for posting this. Such a huge inspiration for me and hopefully anyone who stumbles across this. You sir, are amazing.2
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bosque1234 wrote: »Wow! I use a manual chair and have begun this recently, doing what you did, CICO only as exercise is hard with the chair. I love what you've written, you're a great writer! Did the loss impact the size of chair you use? I'm hoping to just fit better into mine, not really shift to a smaller chair. But you lost so much. I'm at 1200 cals a day and going slow and steady. I can't weigh myself right now but am searching for an easy to access wheelchair scale somewhere in town I can pop in and use. How did you handle this part? I can't say how much your words and experience mean to me, you are proof this is possible!
Thank you Bosque! My post is meant to inspire everyone that this approach DOES work. If it worked for someone who lives a sedentary lifestyle, than surely anyone can do it.
My weight loss certainly affected the size of my chair that I required. I live in Canada and so every 5 years, the government will fund a good portion of the total cost on a new wheelchair. I was lucky in that the bulk of my weight loss happened in the 3-4 year mark of my old chair. I do find my current chair slightly big on me, and will get a smaller one on my next chair.
As for being able to weigh yourself: yes this is a struggle that I had as well. During my entire weight loss journey, I was only able to weigh myself twice. Some options for you would be to connect with a local rehabilitation centre - they typically have scales that you will be able to drive your chair onto. What they will then do is weigh the chair with and without you in it, and then minus that from the total weight (with you and the chair). There are less accurate methods of measuring your weight loss, which would be things like clothing size, how you sit in your chair, ease of transfers.
While it may seem challenging not knowing how much you are *truly* down in weight, I see many posts on this site of people obsessively weighing themselves, and being fixated on that number. The inability for wheelchair users to do that, might actually be a good thing as it focuses us on the bigger picture.
Keep up the great work of 1200 calories a day. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it - this result was a year and 5 months in the making.3 -
Well Done. You look wonderful.1
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Congratulations! All your hard work has paid off!!!
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You look great and your demanor in your after pictures shows a much different individual. Congratulations to you.1
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You look great! Job well done!1
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I have lost weight before and this time I lost 40 lbs and worked on my emotional attachment to food, It is making a big difference. If I didn't want to deal with something or having hard conversations I would overeat. I am trying to find pleasure in other things now not just eating. When you mentoned emotional attachment, yes that was me also.2
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Some great strategies and ideas - thanks so much for sharing them and congratulations on your success! So impressive!
By the way, love how your dimples are so much more noticeable now1 -
brenn24179 wrote: »I have lost weight before and this time I lost 40 lbs and worked on my emotional attachment to food, It is making a big difference. If I didn't want to deal with something or having hard conversations I would overeat. I am trying to find pleasure in other things now not just eating. When you mentoned emotional attachment, yes that was me also.
Figuring out the emotional cause as to why we eat or behave the way we do will go a long way into solving how we can change our current behaviour towards a healthier lifestyle. People don't get overweight through random events - there is a cause that drives their weight to increase beyond a normal range.
My causes were how I perceived food (placed too much value & excitement), and treated it like an activity. Understanding the cause/and pull towards food allows one to devise strategies to isolate it, and then do the work it takes to shed the weight (that is where MFP comes in).
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Working on my emotional cause is key. Thinking about food, responding to the food cues all around, using it as a diversion, it has consumed me. Seeing the success stories such as yours, and those on the success board, I kick my self for letting that time pass without making it happen.1
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You look amazing! Well done!1
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You look amazing! Way to go!1
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So inspiring!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your journey. Well done!2
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