speyerj wrote: »

Hi there, My name is Jane.I may be a little late to the party as I'm 7 1/2 months into my most recent weight loss journey. Truthfully, I should stop saying most recent - I should say last. It's sort of like introducing your spouse as your "current husband" - doesn't bode well for the future.

Back in 2014-2015 I lost a little over 100 pounds, then regained it (and a little more for good measure) from 2016 to 2019. There was a somewhat sustained effort or two to get back on track, but allowed myself to throw in the towel. Nerve pain shooting down my leg finally prompted me to restart. I'm trying to do it right this time and make it last forever.

I re-started at 286.5 on June 3rd. As of today I weigh 209.3. My goal is to get to 180 and see how that feels.

I'm happy to say that the nerve pain has subsided. Every once in a while, I'll get an attack and I say thank you, thank you for reminding me why I cannot allow myself to relapse. You see, my abdominal fat was pressing against my front femoral nerve resulting in burning, stabbing pain that stopped me from sleeping. My first day of my "diet", a co-worker brought doughnuts into work. I was tempted, but then thought to myself, "I can have the doughnut, or I can recover from this searing pain." It served as good motivation.

What's different about this attempt is that I've come to terms that I can't just go back to "living my life" like I used to do. The first time I lost weight, the whole time I was waiting, waiting to hit my goal weight. I said things like, "I can't wait until I hit my goal weight so I can eat, ____" Fill in the blank. I literally had dreams about bread and pizza. This time round, I eat bread, but only really, really good bread. And I eat pizza. But only really good pizza. I eat ice cream. But I measure it. And I make sure its good ice cream. No Halo Top for me. If I'm going to have a treat, it needs to be worth it.

I'm also paying more attention to Macros. I figured out that when I ate a lot of protein, I wasn't hungry. When I ate a lot of carbs, I was starving. So now I track my protein striving for 100 grams a day at minimum and trying to limit carbs to under 100. I let the fat fall where it may. I used to think fat was the enemy. That just meant I substituted fat for carbs. It wasn't healthy. It wasn't helping me reach my goals.

I log everything (or I try to). Yes, sometimes I just can't figure it out, like when you eat with friends a Tapas Restaurant and you are nibbling on 6 or 7 different dishes and you have no idea what's in them. Then I give up and log 800 calories and call it good. But mostly, I am weighing and measuring everything. And I kind of enjoy it. I weigh myself every day. I don't get hung up about the ups and downs. But there is a saying in business, that "What gets measured gets managed" You cannot manage effectively without measuring. The same is true of weight management.

I seek support. My first few times out with MFP, I occasionally visited the community page but rarely posted and had no MFP friends. Today, I log in every day; I post something everyday, even if its just a "Woohoo" to someone's weight loss post; and I belong to a couple of groups. Hearing other's stories is inspiring and motivating, but helping others who are going through something I went through is therapeutic. I now understand why so many recovering alcoholics continue to go to AA and sponsor others. Helping others along the way sustains you. It reaffirms your own commitment.

I hope you don't mind that I wrote a book. Feel free to friend me if something in my post spoke to you.

Toxyc wrote: »

Hey! I'm Tal!

I am trying to lose at least 100 lbs. Aiming to be under 200 by next year. I've been over 200 lbs my whole life, with many failed dieting and life style changing attempts. This time is at least different as I'm finally in a very safe and supported place, plus I've worked so hard on dealing with my own mental health surrounding food.

I have arthritis in my spine, and am tired of being in constant pain with my back, feet and knees. So I'm currently doing yoga every day, changing what I eat, and slowly adding in other workouts (mostly DDR right now).

Anyone who wants to add me, please feel free! I would love more friends on this journey!