Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

@mnwalkingqueen i've been where you are and I know what you are going through. It's hard to see loved ones suffering.

Last week my goals were:
1) Have at least 74 grams of protein each day.
2) Take the dogs for a walk at least 2 days, 20 minutes minimum each time.

Both goals were met. I had a body scan done and found out that it's likely my lean body mass (muscle in particular) is much higher than the estimation tool I used online indicated (which I consider a sort of win, that I didn't lose it as I went through the worst part of my mental illness episode and related weight gain, and thus have less fat to lose). Based on that, I am upping my protein goal for the coming week.

The walks were a reluctant, but still earned success. I don't really enjoy walking like I used to for a few reasons, but starting last Wednesday night I sucked it up and went out, and have done so every day for three days (will be four later today). The pups weren't quite sure of what to think of it, but I think they will come to like it.

Another success is that I decided not to take any maintenance days this week. I allow myself to do this as many days as I need to, but as the cravings hit this week, I was able to stop and make a decision based on my goals. I won't lie though -- it was very hard. There were tears. One of the days I had to just come home and curl up with my computer to read on the forums and look at my progress, and though it didn't feel like "enough" it helped me through enough passing the time.

My goals for this week:
1) At least 110 g protein intake each day.
2) Complete walks at least 1 mile and a total of 20+ minutes 5 days this week.

My Stats:
5'1" Female
Restarting weight: 252
MFP restart weight: 242.7
Goal weight: 140... Though I'm wondering if I'll go that low or not- will review body scans as I go to be sure I'm doing well on body fat % and don't go too low.

9/14/19: 240.7
9/21/19: 238.8

Hello all! Am new to the community portion of MFP. So wonderful to know I'm not alone in my struggle. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Hi everyone… I’m just gonna do a quick check in tonight it has been a really stressful week. For those who asked about the trip with my dad it will not be happening for he has less than three months to live he may not even make it a month. My family is very dysfunctional and my mom has kept our dad from us for many years as adults. It is hard to not be mean to her during this time but I can be the bigger person and bite my tongue.
Me and my sister both let my dad know it was okay if he wanted to go for we made our memories and shared stories this week.
He is extremely weak and cannot do anything for himself he hasn’t ate all week and drank a few slushy’s here in there. Best wishes to everybody working on goals that you made them. I will check in again later this week.

@na44 -- Welcome! This thread is a great place to come for support and motivation. My starting height/weight were very close to yours when I joined MFP in 2011. I lost 60 lbs over the first 3 couple of years, maintained for a few years, then gained back a little bit due to some shoulder issues that interfered with my exercise routine. I'm now stuck about 10-15 lbs above my lowest weight. My current goal is to get back into the 180s and then work towards moving beyond that.

AFM-- Scale was back down to 195 this morning, so I'm feeling a lot better about the work I've been putting in at the gym. I realized yesterday that I would need to work out MTW since I have a meeting Thursday and need to pack for CA on Friday. So excited about my trip!!!

Name: Karen
Age: 49
Height: 5’7"
Highest Weight: 247
Current Weight: 196 (7/6/19)

7/6/19 = 196
7/13/19 =196
7/20/19 = 194
7/27/19 = 194
8/3/19 = 195
8/10/19 = 195
8/17/19 = 195
8/24/19 = 195
8/31/19 = 194
9/7/19 = 196
9/14/19 = 196
9/22/19 = 196

Exercise Challenge Goal:
Gym visit or run outside 3 times/week
9/1-9/7 = 2/3
9/8-9/14 = 3/3
9/15=9/21 = 3/3
9/22-9/28 = 2/3

@sweeetypie1. Hope you have fun. I love hiking too, but we haven't been for awhil, either. Hopefully once.fall starts " falling" we will get out there, too. We're in PA so when the leaves turn we spend !it's time in the mountains.

@leahwirth welcome. Sorry I missed your post earlier. You're certainly not the only one. I actually have about 120 pounds to lose. I hope I get there. I've been at it (this time around) since July 24 and have been doing well so far. If you need some encouragement, you've come the right place. Posting on these boards has kept me on track. Hope to see you around.

@MelodiousMermaid Wow... great progress! You are steadily losing weight! Way to go! AFM... I am not dropping again yet, but my NSV is that I had a successful weekend. I stayed on the eating healthy path and got plenty of exercise. It's the first weekend in MONTHS -- so maybe this will start my MoJo. I know I'm starting out Monday strong... so here goes!

Sorry been silent lately but been reading posts. I have struggled with food and my anger. My dad started final stage of death per hospice nurse visit today. My anger comes from having a highly disfunctional family that annoys me.
Congrats to all of us in the struggle to be healthier.

@holly-- I'm so sorry you have to go through the pain of losing your father while navigating those rocky relationships. I don't know if you recall that my husband's mother and brother are also highly dysfunctional, so I can certainly sympathize. For now, he just doesn't have any contact with them, but I dread a situation similar to yours when we will be forced to associate with them again. I don't have any sage advice, but is it possible to try to spend time with your dad when other family members aren't around to avoid their toxicity? Stay strong, friend, and please know we are all here if you need to vent.

@katrena-- glad you are home again and on the mend. I love Mediterranean foods and plan to incorporate a lot of them when I start keto next week.

@cyndy-- I'm sure it feels good to be back on track. You've got this!

@MelodiousMermaid -- Wow, that protein intake is impressive! I often set a nutrition goal of 100g of protein/day, and that is a huge struggle for me. Do you use protein powders? What tips do you have for meeting that goal?


@Everyone--It's October!!! Any ideas for a new monthly challenge??

AFM--I'm back from California and Ohana Fest. My sister and I had a great time! I didn't even try to track calories, but I didn't overdo it with food or drinks, and we certainly got plenty of exercise walking (close to 20K steps/day, so I'm not worried about a gain.

I was planning to start keto upon my return, but I still have quite a few healthy, but higher carb snacks, plus, I won't be able to go grocery shopping until this weekend. That being said, it makes sense to use up some of those foods this week, so they don't tempt me, and start fresh next Sunday or Monday. I still plan to stay within my calorie allowance this week, just not starting keto yet.

Name: Karen
Age: 49
Height: 5’7"
Highest Weight: 247
Current Weight: 196 (7/6/19)

7/6/19 = 196
7/13/19 =196
7/20/19 = 194
7/27/19 = 194
8/3/19 = 195
8/10/19 = 195
8/17/19 = 195
8/24/19 = 195
8/31/19 = 194
9/7/19 = 196
9/14/19 = 196
9/22/19 = 196
9/28/19 = 195

Exercise Challenge Goal:
Gym visit or run outside 3 times/week
9/1-9/7 = 2/3
9/8-9/14 = 3/3
9/15=9/21 = 3/3
9/22-9/28 = 3/3

@skinnyjeanzbound

Thank you. I'm attempting to get my protein count higher as I've read that aiming for 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (LBM) is a good target for weight loss periods to minimize loss of muscle mass. A recent scan I had done of myself showed a result of 124 pounds of LBM, hence the adjustment I've made (going to up my daily goal to 125 g after I am consistent at meeting the current goal).

Feel free to look at my food diary if you wish (I don't know that it's terribly interesting at this point as I'm still trying to experiment/search and find combinations that give me variety). In short, I pre-plan my meals based around lean protein sources. My primary ones are boneless, skinless chicken breast, canned tuna (skipjack), egg whites, fat free cheese, and fat free plain Greek yogurt. I round this out with other lean fish, 96/4 lean ground beef, pork chops, and lean beef roast or steak cuts for variety.

From there, I will supplement with some protein powder if needed for convenience/ease (especially "not hungry" moments and outings) and occasionally for something sweet -- sometimes I use a half serving in a full glass of water as "chocolate/vanilla milk" or combine a half or full serving of the drink powder with half or a full serving of yogurt to get a pudding-like food (a full serving of powder and a full serving of the yogurt I use comes out to a whopping 47 grams of protein -- though the calorie count is higher than something like egg whites or chicken, so I'm not doing that very much now).

When I start to get close to goal, I try to round this out with leafy greens, asparagus, broccoli, and other low-cal veggies, several of which give an extra little kick into the protein count. If I'm reasonably close to where I want to be at that point, but want a little more protein in the count, I have another drink mix that's not quite as calorie efficient when comparing protein to overall calories. It is, however, more of a meal replacement type drink so I'll put one of those in. I have to admit I'm not overly crazy about this particular drink as it's not built as a "sweet on its own" deal, but a little bit of this or that added in and it's not terrible.

Sorry that's a bit long. I'll try to summarize in case it's a TLDR...
1) Structure each day around lean protein sources as much as possible.
2) Add protein powder here or there if needed for an unusually busy day or to throw something sweet in that counts well toward the total.
3) Get to know your veggies, and choose lower-cal ones that also contribute to your protein intake.
4) For a smaller, yet easy, bump, add in a meal replacement drink that's calorie controlled within what you're comfortable with.

Oh @mnwalkingqueen ... much love to you! I know grief well, and it is a big emotional rollercoaster. Sending hugs!

@MelodiousMermaid -- I hope you feel happiness and satisfaction because you are making GREAT progress on your journey... and helping all of us along the way. I am grateful for you.

Thanks everyone for the prayers and kind words.

Happy Friday! Just checking in to say hi and to share that my goal is to stay on point for the 2nd weekend.... to get a good streak going. Still not much movement on the scale. I'm starting a Health and Wellness Intensive at my gym which begins Monday. Group Workouts Mon-Tue-Wed evenings with two fantastic trainers and a support group meeting on Saturday to talk about challenges, successes and goals... kinda like AA. I like the idea. Hopefully enough people sign up so that the class can happen. So far only 9 have signed up and we need 16! Hope we get enough people.

@MelodiousMermaid -- Way to go on the Goal keeping and congrats on 10 lbs down! It is inspiring to see your progress!!!

Today is the start of my gym's 2 month Health and Wellness Fitness Intensive. I am both excited and a little nervous. Hope I can keep up! We will have 3 group workouts a week and one support group meeting on Saturdays. IN ADDITION -- the intensive part -- we are required to strive for 60 mins of cardio per day, every day. It can be as easy as walking or dancing or swimming...or if we want to challenge ourselves we can do one of the fitness classes at the gym like aqua class (yes please), spinning (maybe) or boot camp (no thank you!).

As for nutrition, we need to have dinner before 6pm. If we feel hungry later on, we are to make a little protein shake.

I have been on a plateau since January.... I am hoping that this will be the ticket to break the plateau and get me going in the right direction. In anycase, I'll be in better shape for the holidays... right?

Here's to a successful week for everyone! 😜