New but not new

Hi all. I am back for my 2nd time. I did well about 4 years ago and lost around 50 pounds. But a death in the family and life got me and I fell of the wagon. I’m back and determined to reach my goal weight this time. I have a very long way to go. I would love to have some like minded friends for encouragement and to just share our journeys with. Let’s do this,

Replies

  • NubianGoddess5
    NubianGoddess5 Posts: 5 Member
    I’m with you! Let’s do this!
  • cesse47
    cesse47 Posts: 947 Member
    Hi! I'm 72 and, like most of you, have stopped and started weight loss dozens of times. I restarted MFP in March at 308 lbs; morbidly obese.

    I know what it feels like to quit ... this time, I want to learn what it feels like to succeed!! I thought a great deal about WHY I kept quitting when a roadblock or two came my way. When I rejoined this time, I decided to do things very differently.

    PHASE 1 -- BECOME A REGULAR MEMBER OF AT LEAST ONE MOTIVATIONAL THREAD AND ONE GROUP --
    My first step was to get involved with a group or two and one or two individual threads that I thought would help me stay on track. I was looking for people to connect with who also had a significant amount of weight to lose in hopes of developing and maintaining motivational relationships. I did not do so in my previous MFP experiences and felt this was one way to make this commitment a more sustainable one. To this end, I decided to join one specific thread and two Groups.

    I joined one thread in the Motivation & Support Forum. Great bunch of women; very supportive.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10801985/women-200lb-lets-jump-for-joy-this-july#latest

    I joined this group because of being a "larger" loser. It has 8+ ongoing threads; I participate in two in particular tho I check out the others occasionally.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers

    From Fat 2 Fit -- I joined this group because it has a team concept you support as an individual on the team. The beginning of each month is a new challenge. And, there are usually weekly challenges as well. It keeps things fun, fresh, and provides motivation for you to succeed. I'm a member of the DownSizers team. There are six teams and there is a friendly competition between teams. You can join at any time; no need to wait. You can check out the teams. When you sign up, you'll be assigned to a team and given a link to their team chat thread. You can also request to be added to a particular team if you especially like the "look" of one team in particular

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10801389/july-2020-f2f-registration-for-new-members/p1

    PHASE 2 -- INCORPORATE EXERCISE!! --
    I did not exercise in my previous attempts at MFP. I was not motivated to do so. I did not enjoy it. YaDa YaDa YaDa!!! I decided my best chance of success was to incorporate exercise into my daily life. I am morbidly obese, 72 years old, and have led a very sedentary lifestyle. I also have compromised lung issues which pretty much rules out aerobic type activity. So, I know I need to build strength and stamina (S&S) as a first step ... and that it will be slow going. To this end, I've begun 3 routines on YouTube as a start. I hope that as my S&S increases, I can increase the time to increase my endurance. I do the stretches every morning just to warm up my muscles and to help me stay as limber as I can at my age.

    Stretchin' to the Classics with Richard Simmons
    ..... I particularly like this because the sound track is lovely and Richard does not say a word so it's a lovely quiet way to start my morning routines.

    Chair Yoga to Loosen up your Back! Stretching the Diamond
    ..... I've always been curious about Yoga and didn't feel a morbidly obese woman could accomplish much -- boy, was I wrong! While this program exercises the whole body, a larger focus is on strengthening the back muscles. Believe me, as we age, this becomes more and more important! I am really enjoying this one.

    1.0 Mile Happy Walk | Walk at Home | Walking Workout
    ..... This is a Leslie Sansone walking video. I can only do aerobic stuff for about 5 minutes so this works perfectly for me. She has A LOT of walking videos so finding one that best suites your needs may be a matter of trial and error. But, believe me, she gives you a great workout!

    SEATED/ CHAIR BARRE ARMS WORKOUT
    Fast ARM TONING workout for Women | 5-Minute Friday FIX
    ..... These are two of the "light weight" dumbbell videos I'm currently trying. I'll try each for the next week or two to see if I like them. I'll probably keep looking for a more fully rounded routine with dumbells but do want at least one to focus on arms and upper body.

    SO --- That's my story. Feel free to friend me if you'd like. Wishing you every success!! 🌞