welcome! introduce yourself

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chanstriste13
chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
edited June 2020 in Social Groups
so, this group was formed nearly a decade ago, and i'm hoping to have it up and running again - it was such a strong support and motivation group for everyone here. introduce yourself below and tell us about yourself. maybe we can get some challenges going in the next week or two, so throw in some of your goals and areas you might want to work on!

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  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    hey, everyone! my name is stacy, and i originally joined mfp back in 2009. i was using it in earnest from about 2010 through 2012/2013, but i fell off the wagon in a major way after doing all the things and not losing any weight for over a year.

    from that point, i gained back a lot, leveling out at 199 pounds, then stayed there for years. last january, i was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and since then, my weight sky-rocketed to 228 - a new highest weight for me. i think this happened because during my episode, which lasted nearly five months, i did not work out at all during that duration of time. i have never gone for that much time with no working out at all, and i think that is what instigated the weight gain.

    anyhoo, here i am now. hoping to do again what i've done before, but not throw in the towel this time, even if i do end up hitting a wall again. i'm down 7 pounds so far, so that's a good start and i will take it for the win!

    i am all about fitness challenges and hope that some of you are into that too! i will do nutrition challenges, reluctantly, but pizza is non-negotiable!
  • melaniedscott
    melaniedscott Posts: 1,310 Member
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    Stacy, WOW. MS is rough! Managing weightloss with MS is terrific!

    I'm Melanie. I have no babies of any kind, human, furred, finned or feathered. Just my man...so that might be debatable.

    I've been on MFP since Aug 2016. Lost about 60 pounds. Life happened. Found 40 pounds...sigh. I'd stopped getting exercise and slacked on healthy eating. Had some really stressful stuff going on with husbands fam that interfered with our exercise options and we made some poor dietary choices. I started to write about the stressful stuff but it was rant, rant, rant...so I deleted it. Can't be rational about it. Still angry.

    Needless, I'm working on daily walking, more mindful eating, less seefood eating.

    I'm part of the fat 2 fit group, too. They're pretty cool. Their 'challenge' this week was ranting...maybe I should have.
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    @melaniescott - 'found 40 pounds' - i love that! i know the feeling of losing and finding my pounds over the course of time. but the important thing is being here and putting in the work. and also, rant away! i've gotten into the habits of writing down my rant-rage on paper and then setting it on fire. helps me put some of that crap to bed, dig? glad to cyber-meet you and i look forward to being on the wagon together!
  • podperson1
    podperson1 Posts: 207 Member
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    Hi,

    I'm Shelli, have two furbabies but no actual kids :) Def no excuse for gaining so much, all me and my junk food choices/lack of exercise. Got to my highest weight of 210lbs last year, had been on MFP a few times before but never managed to stick to it that long, started again 'properly' at the beginning of Feb at 204lbs and am now around 182lbs - so doing ok but it still feels a bit like a daily battle rather than a new lifestyle.
    I've been slacking on the exercise the last week or two so need to focus on that I think. Am also in the F2F group (Hi Melanie *waves*) and they are great, but can never have too much support - especially when I'm so good at falling off the wagon :D
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,127 Member
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    Hello,

    I'm 37 years old, from Belgium. Owner of two cats and in a long-term relationship, but (intentionally) no kids :smile:

    My weight started creeping up after college, and even during college a bit already (stress eating during exams). Creeping up until I hit 94kg (208lbs) last year, a BMI of more than 34.
    I made some attempts to lose weight in the past, but never really stumbled upon the key issue of calories in versus calories out, I just exercised and 'watched' what I ate and didn't keep it up (I now realise I was basically recomping). I tried the 'clean eating' thing (bodybuilder style) too, which wasn't sustainable.
    I also didn't fully understand weight fluctuations, and I was convinced my metabolism was horrible. I can thank my mom's misguided ideas on weight loss for that :wink:

    As my weight crept up, my confidence, which wasn't great to start with, withered away. Something shifted in my mind last year and during the summer I went from briefly trying 'carb absorbing' pills to trying Noom and ended up on MFP in August.

    What a discovery. If I had know 10 or 15 years ago weight loss was that simple, I could have saved myself a lot of stretch marks. I've lost around 40 lbs since August (intentionally slow), probably another 20 to go, and I am way more active than I used to be. Mostly walking (indoor and outdoor) and jogging (treadmill) with occasional indoor rowing. Strength training is something I have done in the past and should get back to.
    I feel much better about myself already: feeling better and fitter physically, but also feeling more confident and proud of myself.
    But I'm not at my goal yet :smile:
  • melaniedscott
    melaniedscott Posts: 1,310 Member
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    @Lietchi I'm with you on the "thanks, Mom!" Mine was constantly on some sort of truely ridiculous diet...but looking back, she was a size 8. Largest? Size 12, maybe. I was thin up into my 20's. Size 8 when I got married...but I had these really distorted ideas about weight. My sister was curvier than me and my mim always told her she reminded her of her and would then make remarks about being fat. She wasn't fat, though...neither of them were. She really did a number on us. And now my sister IS fat (probably >size 22). And so is our mother. I'm bigger than I should be but by comparison...I'm not doing that bad...~size 14...and I know I CAN lose it. I just have to take control of the snacking and stick to my plan.
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    @Lietchi

    welcome! my husband and i are also child-free by choice. we've been married close to 17 years now, and people have finally stopped asking us when the little ones are coming. but my sister's baby will be turning one in a couple of weeks, and that is fabulous all around for everyone!

    i want to carve out more time for strength training in my routine, too. i do a lot of body weight type moves in my circuits (squats, lunges, plank holds, etc.) but i have a set of free weights that get ignored too often. we should work on working it in!
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    @podperson1

    glad to see you here! i think 22 pounds down in less than five months is waaay better than okay - congrats on your progress!

    i'm a falling off the wagon kind of gal, too. i'm happy to meet so many new faces here to help keep me in line!
  • emmies_123
    emmies_123 Posts: 513 Member
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    Hi all =) My husband and I are child-free (by choice), and I think I am the only non-mom at my gym lol. Not that I'm going at the moment in person cuz, ya know.

    I'm about to turn 31 within the next 30 days. I had undiagnosed IBS that likely started in high school, and wasn't addressed until after I finished college. Due to that I was extremely skinny and could eat whatever I wanted because the frequent flareups meant nothing stayed put long enough to be absorbed. Once I started treating my stress levels and getting that under control I started gaining weight, and at first I was soooo happy because I knew I had been unhealthily-skinny (not by choice). Turns out I ended up gaining about 50 lbs, and just never saw it on myself (and my bf/now hubby was too nice to point it out).

    I'm currently at maintenance and re-comp stage of my journey, at a healthy weight for my height. I lost about 30 lbs all told, some prior to MFP and most with tracking help. I started just watching portions, then started slowly working out a couple days a week, then joined a Crossfit gym and surprised myself by loving it, and within the past month I've been willing to really buckle down and focus on my nutrition choices instead of just CICO. Point being, there is no rush, adjust to each thing at your own pace. If I had tried the gym before I was ready, I would have never gone back. If I had forced myself to be better about nutrition macros before I was ready, I would be miserable and feeling trapped/unfair. Heck, I used to roll my eyes whenever the trainers tried to bring it up!

    My hobbies are video gaming (all platforms except Xbox), cross-stitch/needle arts, and reading. I"m mostly on this site during the work day, and quiet on the weekends =)