Women 200lb+, Let's Be Mighty this May!!!

Happy May everyone!


April was a bust. The quarantine has proven a few things about me.

1) I thrive on a schedule and being busy
2) I could not be a stay at home parent, or working from home parent permanently.
3) When I am stuck in the house, I eat and I drink wine. I am not making bad food choices, just eating too much of it!
4) Just because I have the time, doesn't mean I will actually do what I should (i.e. walk, run)

But I am back, and hoping I can be a little more disciplined this month. I have not weighed myself (honestly, I am scared to), but I have goals!

1) Walk, run, garden, do a DVD or YouTube workout video 6x per week (and at least MOVE on day 7).
2) Get 96oz of water daily.
3) Cut wine to 2-3 times per week.
4) Read one book per week minimum.

Best wishes everyone! Even when I am embarrassed and not posting, I am always reading the thread! This group rocks!

(And May the 4th be with you! -- watching Star Wars in Episode order with your kids is FUN!)

Hi everyone,

Hoping to get some motivation to keep me going during Covid. I’m at home and gained over the first month which isn’t great as I’d a lot to lose anyway. Have invested in an exercise bike since last Friday and am hoping that plus moderate eating will help me lose.

Any advice appreciated. Even if it just gets me on here and keeps me focussed.

34 years old
5'7”
SW: 130kg (287lbs)
May goal weight: 125kg (276lbs)
UGW: 88kgs (194lbs)

Goals are:

Get to 5km on the bike in 10 mins.
Build up to 20kms on the bike total in a day.
Count what I eat every day
Stay under 2000 calories a day in May.

elainey13 wrote: »

Have invested in an exercise bike since last Friday and am hoping that plus moderate eating will help me lose.

Welcome! Basically it all boils down to having a calorie deficit every day, drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day, and including some exercise each day. If you've gone through the guided setup to establish your goals, you're on the right track. Now it's a matter of honestly logging every thing that you eat or drink. This also allows you to better monitor your calories, carbs, and sodium which play a role in our weight loss / gain. Good Luck!

Hey I can’t believe I went 3 days without checking in.
I can read the posts but probably not reply to all.

@MuttiNM nice to hear you had a good bike ride.

@torihudson6 Hope finals week goes well. My daughter is in midterms week.

@pamiede no wonder you are doing so well. 4 pounds in Aril is great!

@cesse47 some of our farmer’s markets are opening too but they are too far for me

@speyerj Only eating when hungry is what got me started to lose more.but I also log and eat at a deficit although I try to stay above my BMR.

@hessjansen yes we read the posts. I agree with @Rosie3579’s reply to you about safe sustainable weight loss and a focus on health

@BeUncommon sorry about you loss. Thanks for your good introduction. I have a knee where the arthritis has pushed the meniscus so that it is bone on bone in one part. I am fortunate that I don’t have many flare ups. You picked a good group to get support for your progress.

@Candyn617 I have gotten on MFP and forgotten to log my food because I am replying to posts and checking threads. Glad you came back to post.

@Zoejohnse91 Congrats on completing C25K!

@RavenStCloud I am glad you are feeling good about May.

@sarahurc I think you will achieve your #1 goal this month.

@mmdeveau I spent a week trying to set my goals for this month too and finally just decided. Usually I just set them. Don’t know why I am being so picky this month. Congrats on running the 10 miles. I hope you feel recovered soon.

@lilann1961 I think I relate to your quarantine conclusions. I am reading a book a week though. However I am not sure I am proud of this since reading is my fun and I have to do better at the other things.

@Terytha I totally can see why you are concerned. We are supposed to be on temporary furlough all this month but they are talking of opening things up so they can afford to bring us back. We have flattened our curve here but that just means the rate of increase of cases is down. Take care.

Well I decided to talk to my husband about bringing junk food home and then I mentioned I needed to get some exercise. Too bad we didn't have 2 exercise machine to do it together so we decided to go for a walk together in the dark. Very nice. I would rather do 30 minutes outside together than 10-15 minutes on my Gazelle alone.

Sara > Welcome to the group Sara, I am also new. Your goal for may to get into the 100's. I dream of that day Right now I am working on getting into the 200's.. Then I will be heading for the 100's Slow and steady wins the race.. Just need to keep the willpower I now hold x

mmdeveau > Thank you very much for informing about that abbreviations I can totally relate to the scale not showing the hard work you put in and it can be very demoralising. Geez I wish I could do a 5k. My mobility is very bad and I have a hard time just walking but hey maybe someday. Honestly, don't think I will ever be able to run (knee replacements) but being able to walk with allot less pain would be great

cesse47 > Thank you very much. I am so very to hear about the loss of your Mom ((hugs)). I lost my dad on March 23rd, There was no funeral or gathering. There will be a celebration of life for him once the world gets back to normal. I would love to lose enough weight by then to be able to fly out to Canada more comfortably and only need to purchase one seat It seems it is baby steps for both of us xx We can do this

Elainey13 > Welcome to the group, I am also new here. Sorry, i do not have much advice but logging your food everyday without fail really works for me. Keeping yourself accountable for the food you are eating. I myself have hundreds of pounds to lose so just taking it one day at a time xx

Terytha > I am taking it you live in the US? There are far to many places opening over there and it is frightening and personally it makes me angry even though I don't live there. It is far to early to be doing that and it is only going to cause more deaths and lock-downs. I am at very high risk and if I ever got Covid, it would kill me. I don't blame people for being upset about some of the re-openings. I have seen protesters there in the US, protesting that the will no longer stay in lock down.. it is so sad that people care so little for their own lives or the lives of others. Trump is ... ugh forget it, wont make this a political post as they never end well but lets just say I am not a fan.. Take things at your pace and please stay safe. As far as what the scale is saying.. ugh let it pass, you will lose it again!! You got this!!

Dani > Hi Dani and welcome to the group, glad that you joined us I am very new to the group as well so glad to see a new face. Our weight is very similar and we seem to have pretty much similar weight goals. It is nice to meet someone who is around my size and can understand that our journey may be much longer than a lot of others, although no more difficult. If there is anything I can do to help you or keep you motivated please just let me know.. We can do this!! xx

KeriA > Thank you very much for the welcome Nice to meet you x I can totally relate with trying to keep the willpower to eat a regular portion of things that are not so good for you. It is so difficult for me that I just stay away from the stuff. I can get one of those large family bars of chocolate and just NOT share it with the family..lol I have my husband keep his treats out of my reach and sight.. I'm very short so that is not difficult..lol But when it is in your face it is very difficult not to have it Stay strong and safe xx

Cupcake > Thank you for the welcome and compliment on the avatar thought it was quite fitting for this site xx Congratulations on sticking to all of your goals and getting the results xx I do not normally eat allot of salt but lately I have been eating loads!!! I have never ( to my Dr's shock) had a problem with my blood pressure but now with starting this program and changing my eating habits I am eating a lot of mushrooms and cucumbers which I only really like with loads of salt on them.. I know I am going to have to stop doing it really and I have looked into some salt substitutes like no salt and stuff like that but I cannot get them here in the UK and on amazon, these items coming from the US or Canada is extortionate prices so wont be getting them there. Will just have to cut it down and hopefully out of my diet again x

For @CupcakeCrusoe and anyone else interested... the Mayo Clinic Diet is what I am using and so far I really like it. Here's an article with the deets: https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/mayo-clinic-diet.aspx

I have a lifetime history of struggling with weight, emotional eating and the desperation of trying every diet under the sun!! Lately I felt like I was hitting a brick wall with being able to be on any "regime" to see some weight loss. I'm finding the Mayo Clinic Diet is turning that around for a few reasons:

1) Developed by real doctors with real science
2)It's not black and white. The understanding throughout is all about progress, not perfection. It gives guidelines, but it's not perfectly delineated, because life is not perfectly delineated!
3) Variety. All food groups are included. This has been a game-changer for someone like me that NEEDS all the food groups to be healthy and happy. When I want pasta, I have pasta. It's whole-grain and yummy. And guess what- I no longer binge it like it's about to disappear off the planet.

The only thing that is limited is processed, sugar-laden stuff. But even then, the idea is that this stuff will be in your life, just not often. And because the nutritious stuff is so broad, the cravings for the limited stuff is not so intense.

The guidelines take the form of 5 habits you adopt, 5 habits you quit, and 5 "bonus habits." Sounds like a lot, but what I like is that every day I am not deciding whether I have been "good" or "bad", I can see how many things I have actually accomplished on a much broader scale. I think like a lot of women, I am definitely one of those people that can easily brush away a lot of the individual but important things I accomplish day-in, day-out. Keeping a list of 15 small habits per day makes me see that no matter what I weigh, no matter what annoying thing I didn't manage to do, I probably accomplished at least 10 of the things on the list. And that deserves recognition and pride.

MyBeth1 wrote: »

I fell off the wagon but I am back with a new attitude. I didn't think club quarantine would mess with my mind but wow it did. My short term goal for the month is to walk at least 15 minutes a day. I have lupus and the leg and hip pain is wow. But I have been exercising with my daughter, who likes the cheesy 1980 videos on you tube. At first that was seriously painful but not anymore. So I decided to add walking to the list. This is really 5 minutes intervals consistently through out the day. Then start walking a longer bit each week. Until I can do it all together.

Just do it one day at a time Beth. I am trying to do the same thing. My mobility is very bad. I have one knee replacement that still causes me pain and the other is bone on bone so it needs doing. With my weight it makes just walking very painful, also in my back etc. The weight that i have lost already (65lbs) I do feel alot better than I did but still have about 200lbs to lose really so hopefully that will change alot as i go

Hey everyone! Happy May!

I joined the group at the beginning of April. I lost 8lbs last month so I’m feeling pretty excited about that!

Name: Robin
Age: 25(my birthday was last month🥳)
Height: 5’5”
SW: 234.2 (August 14, 2019- day before delivery)
CW: 180.6
GW: 165


Goals for this month:

-I’ve been feeling a little burnt out with working out the last week or so. Everytime I even think about going on a walk or doing an online class I dread it and have to really work to convince myself. I took both Sunday and yesterday off. My plan is to get back with it tomorrow but to take the pressure off this month. Not to take advantage of that but to be ok with resting if I need to because I’m getting burnt out.

-Continuing to focus on my nutrition and stick to 1500 calories a day. Conintue tracking consistently.

-To celebrate how far I’ve come!!

-To beat my 8lbs weightloss last month and aim for 10 which would put me only 5lbs from my goal!!

I just want to encourage you guys to stick with it!! We can do this! I have been amazed at my dedication and today getting on the scale and seeing I’m only 15lbs from my goal blew me away. I’ve worked so hard and it honestly about brings me to tears to think of how far I’ve come. Thank you guys for your support!

@cupcakecrusoe nice list of things you have been working on and glad you are seeing a difference. Yes my weight isn’t bouncing around as much but wish it would bounce down.

@MyBeth1 I think the problem for me with this time of quarantine is lack of routine and so that is something I try to work on. I still have days I think why bother.

@sarahurc I am glad you have found something that is working. I agree that there is a variety of foods and all food groups are included. I get upset when I see people going without fruit. We need fruit. Yes I limit it like I do good fats but we need them too. I agree with you we don’t give ourselves credit for all the little things like brushing our teeth. Our body respond when we take care of it.

@Terytha I find this is a hard time to do home projects since there are things we can’t do like go to Goodwill but in June it might be better. I would love to tackle our basement now.

@rpbarkernc I can relate to having to take days off exercise. I didn’t exercise this weekend and last Wednesday just couldn’t get myself to do anything like exercise. I cooked a good dinner. You have made great progress.

Well today was interesting. For being on temp furlough I actually worked – for free. I got a text from my boss asking if she could call me sometime. I said anytime. She called and said they called her back into work. It sounds like it is to do my job. This is not in any shape or form a complaint. It is the work I do that needs to be done during this time. I work closely with her since I am 2nd down in department so she knows a lot of what I do. I was able to steer her in a better direction than one she was planning to go in and teach her what to do instead. It is interesting that they already called someone from our department in. I feel better since I had seen that there were some things that needed to be taken care of and I do not have the authority to do them and there wasn’t anyone else. I answered her questions and sent her things from my email. She will be working from home. It was great to hear from her. They have said they will bring us back in stages starting later this month. It sounds like she was surprised and not completely happy about it. I am glad I got this heads up that we really may be back at work eventually. It was good to get my mind going again. I have been worried my brain may atrophy from lack of use.

I also used my other muscles today to do my weekly weight training, conditioning routine. It took a bit longer than last week so maybe I added more in. However I didn’t have time to make my planned meal. Tomorrow. I can’t have another Wednesday like the last one. I am determined to at least get 10 minutes of exercise.

I have some exciting news! I reached the 170’s this morning and I’m now less that 15lbs to my goal!!🥳🥳

SW: 234.2 (August 14, 2019 - day before delivery)
CW: 179.8
GW: 165

Good morning, weigh-in Wednesday for me!

Height: 5'6"

SW: 236.4 (9/8/19)
3/1: 195.6
4/1: 186.5
5/1: 187.0
5/6: 185.0
5/13:
5/20:
5/27:
5/31:
May goal: 182

Before we celebrate this so-called "2 lb loss," it is just losing the 2 lb gain I had from last week. Not that I am complaining about the bounce back down - it is always terrifying that the bounce up won't bounce back down. The good news is TOM has officially arrived and I usually make real progress after that.

My big May goal is to getting back to basics:
1. Getting to sleep no later than 10 pm: I have been staying up late and getting up later. I think it is affecting my snacking, intermittent fasting, as well as my weight loss. Need to work on this still; not sure why it seems so exciting to stay up late. I have always had a tendency to be a night owl. Also I am not doing a great job on intermittent fasting but at least the ice cream is now gone.
2. Water at 128 oz: This really makes a difference for me. More consistent, but averaging 96 oz.
3. At least 15 minutes of exercise per day: I am moving less generally at the moment. I felt fantastic when I started the day or took a break with a short ride on my spinning bike. It also motivated me to eat better and snack less. It is so much harder to do after I put my son to bed. Still need to do this; my work days are stretching into my mornings and evenings because I am juggling a lot of personal issues during the day.
4. Limit treats: Right now I am snacking on sweet treats throughout the day. I don't want to cut myself off from all treats but they certainly add up. I have not made much progress on snacking but did cut out a mid-day meal to offset it. This week involved a cheesecake I made for a family birthday, Thai food, and lots of snacking (TOM started yesterday), proving the scale makes NO sense that I posted a 2 lb loss from last week.
5. Journal: It has become apparent to me that despite losing 50 lbs from the start of this and feeling confident in my ability to lose weight, I am still an emotional eater. I would like to do some work on myself to focus in on this and figure out how to break this cycle. I have not started this but am glad I set it as a goal so I come back to it as a reminder.
6. Resume PNP podcasts: Before COVID, I was listening to these on my way to and from work, plus while washing dishes, etc. I don't have that time to myself right now! I would like to reincorporate a constant message about having a healthy relationship with food. I have been listening on the few car trips I have taken and just got some bluetooth headphones so I can listen while doing other things around the house without feeling like I am broadcasting that to the family.

The bottom line is that this week was not very successful but I am feeling energized for next week. I do feel like I have a bit of a sugar addiction going on at the moment that I need to cut off. Hope everyone has a great week!