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

@Terytha I agree that motivation is unsustainable. It definitely comes and goes. I’m only about a month in and I’ve hit lows in the motivation department. Some days are worse than others! I’m sorry your stomachs been a mess I hope things improve!

@cesse47 I hope things are going okay for you! Are things getting any better?

@sweetirish Congrats on being approved for IVF. Sending baby dust your way!!

My Pup (he’s about a year and a half) got neutered yesterday and is not taking it will. He cried for hours. Struggled with the cone during the night, got locked in the bathroom and freaked out. He’s a super emotional dog and I just feel so guilty. Ended up taking the day off so I can take care of him.

Diets still going well-ish. Been pretty hungry lately. I’m not usually one for eating back ‘exercise’ calories but my Apple Watch barely adjusts my calories at all. Drives me crazy because when I’m walking around and doing all this extra stuff it’ll estimate I burned about 3700 but was only given 1600 to eat. Feels off but what can you do!

@procolorer Thank you for caring. As devastating as this disaster was, every step forward is an improvement. The biggest blessing is that no one was killed or severely injured. Brother's house, garage, and pole barn are almost completely empty. A mennonite work crew came in on Monday and helped family and friends clear it all to the curb. Cleanup has now begun -- and there's a lot to do, just getting all the mud and silt out of them is a major undertaking. Waiting for inspections and then can begin tearing out all the drywall in ceilings and walls ... basically strip all structures down to the studs.

Two major road repairs have begun. First to US10 expressway and the second to repair M30 at Edenville. These are the two most traveled roads that feed the busiest traffic corridors. The damages to roadways, bridges, and driveways is extensive and will require major repairs. The two dams -- a task force is being formed to evaluate options and determine a path forward ... that will take a very long time to resolve.

Community support is magnificent. Churches have organized work crews. United Way & Red Cross heavily involved and working with city & county organizations to keep things organized and continue to provide communications regarding where to get food, supplies, who to contact for help with dozens of needs, etc.

Sorry ... so much to say; it's still overwhelming. Now that I can stay home (to do mega loads of laundry), my stress level is starting to reduce. And, I can prepare my own foods again. Please continue to keep all of the areas involved in the flood and all the peoples impacted in your prayers. It means so much to all of us. Thanks!!

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)

4/30: 252.4
5/6: 250.4
5/13: 248.2
5/20: 247.6
5/27: 244.0
5/31:

May GW: 244.4
GW: 160 (then reevaluate)

Weekly exercise goals:
- exercise bike 5 times per week - 5/5
- short walking videos or treadmill twice a day 5 times per week - 5/5
- strength training (including core specific exercises) 2 times per week - 2/2
- chair yoga 4 times per week - 4/4
- choose 2 or 3 core specific exercises and start doing them 3 times per week - finally did this! I picked out 2 exercises to start. I plan to do them twice a week for now when I do my other strength training exercises.

The loss this week helped balance out last week's smaller loss. The total loss for the 2 weeks just about hit the projected loss in my spreadsheet for those 2 weeks. Over time you'll see your expected results if you're consistent. You just need to have some patience, I guess.

When I first started exercising, I didn't eat back my exercise calories. I was doing so little in the beginning they really had no impact. But I thought maybe now I should look into eating some back as my exercise has increased and my calories allotted have decreased with continued weight loss. So I tracked the calories just from my exercise bike for the last 4 weeks to see if eating those back might make sense. Based on my projected (with & without the exercise calories) and actual losses, I'm going to try eating them back for the next 4 weeks. The calories I'm getting off my exercise bike seem pretty accurate for me. Eating those calories back will slow down my loss just a bit but the extra calories will make this a more sustainable process for me. I'm not in any race to reach my goal weight after all!

My son told me about a bike/walking trail not too far from where I live. It has an almost mile long board walk over a small river that joins 2 lakes. I was a little leery about the boardwalk but the boards are close together and the ride was very smooth. It was a bit busier than other trails I've been on but I didn't crash into anyone! It was just beautiful! The paved part had one or two small hills but nothing too challenging. It was a good trail for a beginner.

He also told me about a trail in the next town over from mine. I took a look at it (walking) and it's all paved and doesn't look too busy (it's a pretty small town). It has a pretty big loop plus other side trails you can do in and out. It looks like a good place for some practice rides. There's one long hill on one of the side trails so I can avoid that at first but then tackle it when I'm ready for a bit more of a challenge.

@cesse47 You and your family are in my prayers. Good luck with all you have to do!

Hope you all have a good week.

@cesse47 Nice to see your post. I have been thinking about you. Take care.
@AlexandraFindsHerself Yes, I think you will get back to losing once you are settled. It is great you are maintaining.
@duebedm My husband is working from home and is working more than before which is saying a lot since he works more than his 40 hrs before. He isn’t getting any exercise unless I get him to take a walk with me. I have told him to take some PTO too. This is all said to indicate that I have witness at close hand what you are describing about how it has been. I am sorry about the team member but it sounds like the rest of the team and management is supporting you. Hope this time of PTO helps.
It is nice to hear that those who are near or made their goals are feeling that they can revisit a new ultimate goal that is achievable.
@mmdeveau, Wow that is a big loss this week! I agree about routine. It is better than motivation. This from a reformed anti-routine person. Seeing 9 lbs from your goal weight on the scale is awesome.
@sweetirish I was intrigued with all your exercise options. Fridays are typically when I find a video to help with exercise.
@Terytha I hope you figure this out. How frustrating.
@orangequilt It sounds like you have or are close to figuring this transition out. I think it is healthy to look at this.
@MuttiNM I am glad you are considering eating back exercise calories. I think whatever you decide will be best. Since you are doing such a good job tracking and losing you can adjust if it isn’t working. I sometimes eat back them. I am flexible. If I don’t feel hungry I don’t. If I feel hungry or weak I do. I hardly ever go over my calorie goal on MFP which of course includes them but I generally try to leave some calories on the table. I love the trails you are discovering.
@torihudson6 I have been logging and tracking but I haven’t been doing some of my goals in the past 2 weeks such as exercise and even my training chapters as consistently. For me it has been distractions and disruptions to my routine.

Yesterday my daughter turned 26 which meant that she is only covered by our insurance until the end of the month. So on top of celebrations there have been other issues to make sure she gets done. I was proud of her getting signed up for Applecare (Washington States version of affordable care act health insurance). She arranged to get meds and see the dentist in time.

She and my husband had a 3 day weekend so I took one too. I have set my schedule to look like a work week where I have more of a routine and more on my to do list on week days. This has helped me during the pandemic and being on temp furlough. But lately this has been hard to follow. I have gotten more reading done and less exercise and training chapters. My water intake has been a bit lower too lately so I am hoping that I get back to my routine for the rest of the week. I don’t think there are more excuses/distractions. I seem to be losing for now and not keeping my weight down between losses. Except for some birthday celebration treats I am eating healthily.

Today I am following my schedule with a late start. I am planning on drinking a glass of water each hour until I get to my goal. Since dinner is leftovers I can keep working on my to do list until later in the day.

I have increased my calorie intake limits because I am under an absolute kittenload of stress, and that's one less thing I can worry about right now. Saw a house today, offered for it on the way home, and apparently someone got in before us. This is the third house we've lost, and I melted down and had a panic attack and it was not good. My current calm state is medication induced. We're seeing four houses tomorrow, so maybe we can find one and get an offer in and get it accepted, so I am not having nightmarish fears about being homeless and having to give up the cats.

I am sure that once I know where we're going, I'll be fine, and be able to go back to my proper eating habits, and not need the comfort of carbs. But for now, this is what I need to do to cope.

Since I hit a couple of milestones recently, I thought this would be a good time for a new before and after photo:

Hi everyone!
@speyerj- you are awesome! Thanks for sharing your photos. You look so happy. Well done. You are an inspiration!
@cesse47 - hang in there. Better days are ahead and you're doing great. Make sure you take time for yourself, even if it's only a few minutes at the end of the day. I live in Michigan also, and the pictures of the flood damage are heartbreaking.
@orangequilt - you mentioned being anxious about losing weight, I think. A counselor told me a long time ago that sometimes we sabotage ourselves because we have a fear of succeeding. If we succeed, it means we have more responsibility but also makes us more vulnerable. And that can be scary. But, our faith has to be greater than our fear. So stay the course.
Anyway, that's it for me. I'm trying to drink more water, but not walking outside at all, as it's so hot and humid. I'm logging my food, but actually GAINED a pound. Discouraging. So going to cut back on nighttime carbs, due to stress and anxiety. And plan to do some de-cluttering today.
I want to share a couple quotes:
1. You haven't come this far to only come this far.
2. When you get discouraged, remember why you started.
3. When you get tired, rest but don't quit.
Ok then ladies, be kind to yourselves and let's keep moving forward.