Women 200lb+, Let's Stay Fired Up This February!!!

Morning and welcome to the new posters.

@theleadmare Learning to be ok with minor hunger is something I need to work on. Needing to satisfy the immediate sensation with food isn't necessary. I'm starting to drink some water or fix a cup of tea when the sensation first hits. Then if I'm still hungry in 30m or so I eat. Before I would go looking for something like a meal or a big snack but never just something small. Another thing I need to start looking at is just eating at night to make the minimum 1200cal. There are days when I'm not hungry at all but will eat so as not be too under for the day. I know if I just listened to my body I would still be ok for the week overall. I wouldn't be eating under because of something psychologically or intentionally. So why do I eat if I'm not hungry?

@Jenfromtheblock84 Congrats on making your Jan goal! Being able to not feel deprived and make changes for life is the way to go for success. Keep focused and you will be able to enjoy Disney without worrying about things like seats etc.

@Aerohead21 Congrats on being recognized by your professor. Grades are only one component of what makes a qualified for recognition. Use exercise or one of those active game systems to work out stress. I know your time is limited with everything going on but finding that release will make things so much easier for you.

@stefsc1 I want the same dream of not having to log all the time and be able to do check ins then work from there. I don't know if I will be able to. Sliding back into old patterns is easy. If I can't then I will need to be ok with logging all the time.

@KeriA I'm sorry you had to go through that during pregnancy. It is difficult when hunger/food reactions are attached to emotional situations. I'm glad you were able to overcome the fear of being hungry. I'm sure that was difficult to do. Having a planned small snack right before leaving work, on the commute home, or as soon as getting home should help. I need to work on being ok with going a little too much under and adopt your attitude of knowing it will all work out at the end of week.

@orangequilt I'm right there with you on taking too much for trips. When we go somewhere I always pack tons of snack stuff (little debbies, candy, and chips) plus things for sandwich/soup and breakfast items. One I don't like to spend extra money but I go overboard and then don't want to bring it all home again. So we end up eating it before we leave for home.

We will be staying in an extended stay hotel next month for 5 days. It has a complete small kitchen which will be great. I know lunches may be out but am planning to take things like my yogurt, almonds, and of course chocolate. Since we're going up the night before surgery I'm packing the cooler with supper items like prepped chicken, hamburger, and sweet potatoes. That way if hubby wants to grab fast food in between hospital and hotel we can get it to go and I will have good choices waiting on me. Best laid plans??? Hopefully I can stick with them.

@Emilyestelle1 If you earplugs don't bother you consider getting some. Hubby used to work swing shift plus pre cpap I would rattle the walls and started wearing them. Now even though he works 2nd he still uses them every night. I use a blackout eye mask and need something to focus on while falling asleep. My brain doesn't like to shut down and counting sheep etc is a non stop activity to see how high I can go. What I do instead is turn youtube on the firestick and pick a gentle rain with a dark screen. Maybe some of these could help with your sleep problems.

@Savannah80 Crushing all those workouts you will need those extra calories. Don't freak if weight goes up a bit at first though since you seem to have added more exercise in. It will take time for the body to adjust.

@aliciap0116 Maintaining while still having an off weekend is great. Realizing the need to shift strategy/goal I'm sure will help also. Sometimes what we think we need isn't always right. As we move forward being able to stop beating our head against the wall and switch up is a useful tool.

Today I'm having to prep more potatoes, chicken, and burger patties. Sticking to my exercise more this week caused me to run out of food. I think that's a good thing though. I've discovered an awesome new way to do my yogurt snack. It may have been @speyerj who mentioned the pb fit/yogurt combo. I've been doing that but also adding in sliced almond and crushed up dark chocolate pieces. OMG...I'm in love!. Still have to get my strength training in today. It's yucky and dreary and I'm blah but that's not an excuse. Hope all is having a great week.

Start W: 231 lbs
Current W: 211
Goal W end of February: 217
Goal W: 189

Let's Do this!!!!!!!

@aliciap0116 Thanks. It is scheduled for the 12th and Momma's birthday is the 13th. This will be one she won't forget.

Hi everyone, I went back and read some of the posts about counting vs. listening to my body, and they really resonate with me. This is something I have struggled with FOREVER and can't seem to make headway on. I successfully lost a lot of weight 12 years ago, I kept it off for 6 years mostly by obsessive calorie counting and exercising. When I stopped counting (coincided with having kids, too), it came back on. for years, I was determined to get to a place where I could just listen to my body. I took an Intuitive Eating class. I even hired an Intuitive Eating coach at one point. I practiced all kinds of mindful eating principles. I admit, coming back to MFP made me feel like a failure- like I just can't get in control of this aspect of my life after trying for years to learn how to listen to my body.

Whenever I stop counting, I gain weight. My current situation is a direct product of another round of mindful eating. It's frustrating, but I may have come to peace with the fact that for me, mindful eating may just be something out of reach. Mindful eating (for me, anyway, and right now, anyway) means accepting myself at a much higher weight than is considered healthy.

So here I am - trying to get back to a healthy weight and then reconsider my approach to maintenance. It might just be that I have to accept logging and find a way to do it in a forgiving way that supports my mental health.

I hope everyone else is having a good day! My goals for today are to avoid sugar (I've been falling victim to the temptations of chocolate lately) and alcohol and get in a session on my treadmill.

@sharpdust girl...I feel you! I have been struggling hard to go to the gym. I decided to cancel my gym membership and invest in used equipment for my house. I got on a app called Letitgo...and found some great deals. Hope they don't become coat hangers...but I don't think they will! I am excited to do it and I know I will do it if I don't have to get in the car and go. And then the guilt of not going to the gym (and the associated possible stress/emotional eating) goes away! Good luck though if you decide to stick with it!

@bluffgirl67 prayers for your mom's successful surgery. Sounds like you have a great plan to get through but like @aliciap0116 says take care of you...you don't need the added stress of worrying about what you will eat...if you have to go off plan here and there that's ok and understandable!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Highest weight: 435 (11/1/18)--lost 50 lbs. by the end of 2018 but got off track and gained back almost 31 lbs.
SW: 415.8 (4/17/19)
1/31: 284.4
2/5: 281.6
2/12:
2/19:
2/26:
2/29:
Feb. GW: 276
GW: 160 (then reevaluate)

Fitness goals for February:
- exercise bike 5 times per week - only 2 times
- short walking videos twice a day 5 times per week - 2 times
- strength training 2 times per week - only 1 time
- chair yoga 3 times per week - done; also added in a new exercise

This past week was not a good one for my exercise. Between 2 trips to my parents and my daughter's visit, I just got out of my routine. I also had pain in my right elbow for several days so only got in one strength training session last week. However, I did keep up with the chair yoga. That's at least something.

This week I should do better than last week as far as exercise goes. Right now only 1 trip to my parents is scheduled before next Wednesday. Hopefully they don't have any new health issues that would change that. I know things have been hard for them lately.

I have a feeling I will be logging my food forever. Maybe that will change when I've been at goal for a while but that is too far away to even think about right now. In the past, when I stop logging my food, my food choices gradually become less nutritious and more calorie dense. Even if I eat just when I'm hungry, seeing the make up of my diet, including macros, fiber, etc., helps me to choose nutritious foods more often and ensures that I'm eating a wide variety of foods.

Have a good week everyone!

I've been thinking about goals. Not just weight loss goals but also fitness goals, mental health goals, life goals.

Then this popped up:



Normal me would never do this. But maybe the me I want to become would.

Is that weird?

Terytha wrote: »

I've been thinking about goals. Not just weight loss goals but also fitness goals, mental health goals, life goals.

Then this popped up:



Normal me would never do this. But maybe the me I want to become would.

Is that weird?

Sounds SUPER fun. I don't think it's weird at all that you feel like the person you want to be would do different things than present-you. Only by trying it will you find out whether it's something future-you would do.

Cool Story Bro (CSB): I participated in hash house harriers for a little while- they call themselves "a drinking club with a running problem," lol. They hosted a "dead Elvis run" where they all dressed up as Elvis and went running through woods and mud and we ate rum soaked gummy bears along the way and, oh, we jumped off a bridge into a river. Previous me would never have done it, but at some point, I said to myself, self, give it a try.

I did, and I had a blast. If I had more time, I'd still be running with them. It sounded terrible, but it was awesome. And I'm glad I did it. The only way you find out if future-you will like it is if closer-in-the-future-you tries it.

@shorepine, oh Hun. You are not a failure. Nor are you alone. Show of hands, people, how of us have lost and gained before?? Okay, everyone? Great, thought so. But you've learned a lot from your first round. Including perhaps you don't have the ability to self-regulate your calorie intake without extra monitoring. But is that so bad? Don't you track what goes in and out of your checking account? Why is it considered responsible to monitor your spending but somehow a weakness to monitor your food intake? So what if we are destined to log for the rest of our lives. Is that so bad? Isn't that better than the yo-yo cycle? All I know is that I no longer consider tracking my food a sacrifice compared to what I've gained by losing 80 pounds.

A facebook memory came up this morning of a post of my husband and I at a concert from one year ago today. I remember the venue chairs more than the concert itself. I had a difficult time squeezing my *kitten* into the tiny seat. And when I had to stand up to let someone in my row, I though I was going to cry because I'd need to squeeze back in there again. This doesn't happen anymore. If that means I need to log everyday, so be it.


@CupcakeCrusoe , every post you've written is right on. I'm so glad you are here.

@Terytha - I'm doing a run for beer event at the end of the month. Yes, this is us now. We have become not just athletes, but fun athletes. And why not?

Love and kisses to everyone. Especially the first time posters!! I'm looking forward to traveling this journey with you.

@speyerj yayee, well done you.
I’m doing the Cambridge Half Marathon here in the UK on 8th March. I’m grossly under prepared for it though. I did it last year in 2hrs 11mins. That was my first ever half marathon. So I signed up again for the year, but then picked up an injury. I have Achilles tendinitis in both feet which is severely limiting how far I can run before I suffer badly the next day with heel pain. Most I’ve run so far is 8km, but the following morning I really paid for it. The half marathon is 21.6km! I have 5 weeks of training time left. At this point I’ve resided to the fact I’ll be walk/running it and won’t be anywhere near last years time. I just want to get around. Being able to walk the next day would be a bonus.

Good morning everyone! Let's kick today's butt!

Good morning everyone! Sorry to be MIA, I’m hoping to catch up and reply to everyone’s post this weekend.

Work has been so stressful, and I’ve went over my calories by a little bit each day, but I’m trying not to beat myself up. I’ve made it to kickboxing everyday this week even though I contemplated not going everyday...haha. So, I’m considering that a win for this week. It’s just be rough, but even if I haven’t replied I’ve read everyone’s post for motivation. We’re almost to the weekend!

Weight went down today! I get to a point sometimes where I know I'm putting in the exact work I need to be, but I'm not seeing results. And even when I know why I'm not seeing results, it still gets in my head.

So reminder to self and anyone who needs it: you put in the work, you get the reward. Keep going and kick today in the *kitten*