Share Your Day

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Replies

  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,105 Member
    Thank you, it took a lot of effort to take the plunge, if you too can get past your hangups you won't regret it.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited July 2019
    jjlewey wrote: »
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Jackie9003 wrote: »
    I went swimming!! In public!!
    I haven't been for over 16yrs due to being very self conscious about the way I look, I was on holiday a week ago and there was a pool that nobody used, so having it all to myself I gave it a go and loved it.
    Ever since I've been building up courage to go "public" and with the hot weather today I thought s*d it I'm going to do it.
    I cannot describe just how happy I am right now :D


    Bravo!!

    It is not something I am prepared to do right now so I am really proud of you.

    I have been trying to get the courage up to swim laps at the ymca. I want to, pay for the membership, go there and workout sometimes. The pool scares me though.

    You might want to do it now though. You started with less to lose than I did but not so much less that you won't face loose skin. People may or may not pay attention to a large person swimming or doing anything for that matter but trust me when I say I would catch everyone's eye with my shirt off just because they are not used to seeing someone who looks this way.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Jackie9003 wrote: »
    Thank you, it took a lot of effort to take the plunge, if you too can get past your hangups you won't regret it.

    Your effort has made you into a rock star as far as I am concerned.

  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
    edited July 2019
    I've been fairly inactive (besides my extended walks to work) for the past week and a half, so I decided to fix that this morning. 6 miles on the bike this morning and then almost a mile walk into work. Feeling a little better now.

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  • real_change
    real_change Posts: 53 Member
    I'm recovering from major surgery and had a setback in recovery 10 days ago. I'm just now able to get back to my weight loss journey. It's exciting to see so many new friends here! As I recover at home I find my biggest time to struggle is late afternoon. I'm going to try and find a better food choice or activity to help me through today.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I'm recovering from major surgery and had a setback in recovery 10 days ago. I'm just now able to get back to my weight loss journey. It's exciting to see so many new friends here! As I recover at home I find my biggest time to struggle is late afternoon. I'm going to try and find a better food choice or activity to help me through today.

    I am glad to see you back. I am sorry to hear of your setback. I hope you take it slow for a bit longer and make sure you have given yourself plenty of time to heal and recover. If it is advisable for you to lose weight perhaps just start at .5 pound a week for a couple of weeks and ease into it.

    Our little group is definitely starting to grow. It might just make it.
  • real_change
    real_change Posts: 53 Member
    Thank you for the encouragement. I think you're right about focussing on slow weight loss, especially while I'm recovering. I struggle with a lot of negative self talk and I'm finding that with slower weight loss, I have more brain space for working on that, which in turn, helps me make better food choices. It's so hard not to be impatient and try for fast weight loss but I've seen over and over again, that the real problems that caused so much weight gain in the first place just can't be properly addressed.

    I'm very grateful for this positive and encouraging group.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Thank you for the encouragement. I think you're right about focussing on slow weight loss, especially while I'm recovering. I struggle with a lot of negative self talk and I'm finding that with slower weight loss, I have more brain space for working on that, which in turn, helps me make better food choices. It's so hard not to be impatient and try for fast weight loss but I've seen over and over again, that the real problems that caused so much weight gain in the first place just can't be properly addressed.

    I'm very grateful for this positive and encouraging group.

    The thing that some people (I certainly have in the past) get hung up on is that you are not restricted to one speed (in the healthy range) when losing weight. Sometimes the most important thing to know is when to step on the gas and when to go a little slower.

    About 2 months ago I was dealing with a fairly difficult infection. As often as I have told other people they should eat their maintenance calories when sick or recovering I managed to miss that obvious step myself. The infection was really kicking my rear and then it dawned on me that I needed to be eating more. It really helped. Granted the antibiotic did most of the work but the calorie deficit was amplifying how bad I felt.

    I have chosen to take my foot off the gas at other times too just because it was mentally healthy. In addition to diet breaks every 6 months or so I took 4 maintenance days for both the eves and Christmas and New Years. In between I added 400-500 calories a day to my goal so I could have more treats but not stop losing altogether. I had just had a diet break over Thanksgiving so I wasn't interested in eating a lot more food again that soon.

    The thing about being a Larger Loser is that it takes a very long time and you will have to deal with medical issues and special occasions. You have to keep on living your life and sometimes the calorie restriction gets in the way of either your physical well being or your mental well being. I find that if I feel deprived enough I get resentful and then it is just a matter of time before I break. If I plan to eat more but stay within a certain line it is like lighting a fire I can control to keep a forest fire contained.


  • hippysprout
    hippysprout Posts: 1,446 Member
    I've had a good day today, really a good week with regard to my food choices, and participating in a group challenge here at MFP has me moving more than normal this week. I have my first big personal challenge coming up this weekend. I'm taking a trip with the boyfriend and I always get a little lax when I take trips. Thing is, I have a cruise coming up in September so I really want to toe the line until then because I will 100% indulge on the cruise. Luckily we should be doing plenty of walking as we explore, so hopefully I can keep things balanced. Hope everyone is having a good week. It's all downhill from here :)
  • jjlewey
    jjlewey Posts: 248 Member
    I've had a good day today, really a good week with regard to my food choices, and participating in a group challenge here at MFP has me moving more than normal this week. I have my first big personal challenge coming up this weekend. I'm taking a trip with the boyfriend and I always get a little lax when I take trips. Thing is, I have a cruise coming up in September so I really want to toe the line until then because I will 100% indulge on the cruise. Luckily we should be doing plenty of walking as we explore, so hopefully I can keep things balanced. Hope everyone is having a good week. It's all downhill from here :)

    I am taking a cruise in September also. It was my motivation for getting back to being a healthier me. Good luck, glad you had a great day.
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
    Today I'm working a half day then driving six hours (with my 6 y/o daughter) to go see my folks for the weekend. Going to push myself to stay active this weekend and also to stay on track with my eating. Knowing my mother, she won't make either of those goals easy.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I am concentrating on potassium today and tomorrow. I had some foot cramping last night when I was trying to sleep. I don't eat a lot of potatoes normally (other than chips) so I may need to get something for lunch tomorrow. I mixed a banana in with my yogurt just now. I take a potassium supplement but when I do a whoosh week like I am having now it is not always enough.

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    merph518 wrote: »
    Today I'm working a half day then driving six hours (with my 6 y/o daughter) to go see my folks for the weekend. Going to push myself to stay active this weekend and also to stay on track with my eating. Knowing my mother, she won't make either of those goals easy.

    You could visit my mother instead. She is not as good of a cook as she thinks she is. In fact, I would suggest smuggling in some Snickers bars.
  • merph518
    merph518 Posts: 702 Member
    Ha, less of a comment on her ability to cook (which is alright) and more that their meals generally aren't the healthiest and their house is full of junk food.
  • corkdorkva
    corkdorkva Posts: 24 Member
    christoD88 wrote: »
    hey guys, this is my first weekend in i cant remember how long that i didnt consume any alcohol, im about 100lbs over my goal weight and i think alcohol is one of my main issues (could easily have 3-4 beers a night and many more at weekends). i drive for a living so long hours behind the wheel with poor diet choices havent helped me either but im finally taking ownership of my *kitten* lifestyle and moving in the right direction. spent all saturday meal prepping for the next week and cant wait to start losing lb's with you all
    I am with you on the alcohol. I could easily drink 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I am trying to bank my wine for the weekend, but this week has been up and down.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    corkdorkva wrote: »
    christoD88 wrote: »
    hey guys, this is my first weekend in i cant remember how long that i didnt consume any alcohol, im about 100lbs over my goal weight and i think alcohol is one of my main issues (could easily have 3-4 beers a night and many more at weekends). i drive for a living so long hours behind the wheel with poor diet choices havent helped me either but im finally taking ownership of my *kitten* lifestyle and moving in the right direction. spent all saturday meal prepping for the next week and cant wait to start losing lb's with you all
    I am with you on the alcohol. I could easily drink 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I am trying to bank my wine for the weekend, but this week has been up and down.

    Do you have a calorie strategy for nights that you drink that were not planned? If not, I suggest you try and view things within perspective of your maintenance calories. Ideally you would end the day with some deficit even 250 calories but if you don't keeping the day contained would be the next best bet by staying within your maintenance. In this way you may not lose weight that day but you won't erase some of the deficit from other days.

    When I first started and drank on nights that were unplanned that became my strategy. I erased a lot of progress before I developed it. My control was intermittent for about 2.5 months but I finally got a handle on it.
  • hippysprout
    hippysprout Posts: 1,446 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    corkdorkva wrote: »
    christoD88 wrote: »
    hey guys, this is my first weekend in i cant remember how long that i didnt consume any alcohol, im about 100lbs over my goal weight and i think alcohol is one of my main issues (could easily have 3-4 beers a night and many more at weekends). i drive for a living so long hours behind the wheel with poor diet choices havent helped me either but im finally taking ownership of my *kitten* lifestyle and moving in the right direction. spent all saturday meal prepping for the next week and cant wait to start losing lb's with you all
    I am with you on the alcohol. I could easily drink 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I am trying to bank my wine for the weekend, but this week has been up and down.

    Do you have a calorie strategy for nights that you drink that were not planned? If not, I suggest you try and view things within perspective of your maintenance calories. Ideally you would end the day with some deficit even 250 calories but if you don't keeping the day contained would be the next best bet by staying within your maintenance. In this way you may not lose weight that day but you won't erase some of the deficit from other days.

    When I first started and drank on nights that were unplanned that became my strategy. I erased a lot of progress before I developed it. My control was intermittent for about 2.5 months but I finally got a handle on it.

    This is the best advice! It works for things other than drinking too. If you get invited out at the last minute, you can always accept and adjust your meal to make it a maintenance day. Sometimes we don't move forward, but that doesn't mean that we have to move backward. The trick for me was to control the number of maintenance days each week. Once you allow yourself that leeway, you could potentially have far more maintenance days than you initially intended lol, I know I have. It takes some time to learn how to mentally adjust when your days don't always end with a deficit.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    corkdorkva wrote: »
    christoD88 wrote: »
    hey guys, this is my first weekend in i cant remember how long that i didnt consume any alcohol, im about 100lbs over my goal weight and i think alcohol is one of my main issues (could easily have 3-4 beers a night and many more at weekends). i drive for a living so long hours behind the wheel with poor diet choices havent helped me either but im finally taking ownership of my *kitten* lifestyle and moving in the right direction. spent all saturday meal prepping for the next week and cant wait to start losing lb's with you all
    I am with you on the alcohol. I could easily drink 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I am trying to bank my wine for the weekend, but this week has been up and down.

    Do you have a calorie strategy for nights that you drink that were not planned? If not, I suggest you try and view things within perspective of your maintenance calories. Ideally you would end the day with some deficit even 250 calories but if you don't keeping the day contained would be the next best bet by staying within your maintenance. In this way you may not lose weight that day but you won't erase some of the deficit from other days.

    When I first started and drank on nights that were unplanned that became my strategy. I erased a lot of progress before I developed it. My control was intermittent for about 2.5 months but I finally got a handle on it.

    This is the best advice! It works for things other than drinking too. If you get invited out at the last minute, you can always accept and adjust your meal to make it a maintenance day. Sometimes we don't move forward, but that doesn't mean that we have to move backward. The trick for me was to control the number of maintenance days each week. Once you allow yourself that leeway, you could potentially have far more maintenance days than you initially intended lol, I know I have. It takes some time to learn how to mentally adjust when your days don't always end with a deficit.

    Since my normal plan is to bank enough calories for maintenance each Sunday I am well accustomed to sliding in and out of maintenance days so they seem less significant if I take a second one for some reason.

    Maintenance is an important tool to have in the box. It goes with one of my very first rules : "I don't have to lose weight everyday. I just have to lose weight most days."

    Between diet breaks, holidays, special occasions, vacations, a few bad days and a few just for fun days I only spent about 90 percent of my first year in a deficit. The rest was at maintenance and sometimes more. I still lost 158 pounds my first year. I could have lost more or by not taking those days I might have challenged my sustainability and not stayed with it. A part of sustainability for me has been knowing when to take my foot off the gas.

    The family took a pretty big hit early this year. I was starting to calorie creep because I had lost my verve for weight loss. I was still losing but my rate of loss was starting to slip. I was experiencing diet fatigue. In April we went away for 4 days and I chose to intentionally do an all out overfeed. I exceeded maintenance each day by a healthy amount. When I got back I was ready to get back to plan and the fatigue was gone. I regained about a half a pound but it was worth it.

    You can't live in fear of your deficit calorie goal. It is not helpful.
  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
    "I don't have to lose weight everyday. I just have to lose weight most days."

    I think that is a great expectation to set. The hardest part about weight loss for me isn't losing the weight. It's managing my expectations that go with losing the weight, because the heart wants the impossible!
  • dsueteel
    dsueteel Posts: 7 Member
    jjlewey wrote: »
    Just went out to lunch with a good friend, the restaurant did not have any calories on the menu :/ Did my best to guesstimate, I figure I probably over estimated. Had a 1/3 pound cheeseburger and waffle fries. Tasted great, shouldn't have eaten it all, now feel stuffed. Definitely a change, a month ago I would have downed that and been looking for more.

    I definitely know what this is like. Before, when I ordered food, from restaurants or fast food, I would order my meal, plus additional sides or another entrée because I still felt hungry. Now that I've been watching what I eat, I find I feel fuller and don't need that extra food.