Women 200lb+, Let's Be Extra Awesome This August!!!
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@changeforeverlj that's beautiful! I want to be there lol.
And love the discussion about body-image. Your journey gives some hope @speyerj2 -
SW: 210.9 (7/27)
August GW: 199 (I know that's ambitious, and I won't be too sad if I miss it. But too hard to resist reaching ONEderland when it's so close!)
8/3: 207.7 (-3.2)
8/10: 205.9 (-1.8)
8/17: 205.2 (-0.7)
8/24: 201.5 (-3.7)
8/31:
I think the large loss might be making up for the low loss the previous week, due to starting a new exercise routine. This week's pre-made lunch option is salad. I'm a little worried it may be a little too low calorie to sustain me through the work day. If I'm starving by the end of the day I'll have to see what I can add to give it a little more substance for the rest of the week (maybe half a sandwich or fruit?).3 -
Hello, Some of you will remember me from last year. Been absent mostly this year. The lack of pools has been disheartening, because this was my primary exercise area. I was able to find a hotel last week that had a pool while I was away, did an hour of water jogging, and boy did I feel better the next day. My pools are opening (at least through reservation in September), so I'm going to try to get 2-3 timeslots each week.
Without strict measuring (I have been cautions most of the time), and limited fitness, I've been gaining about .5 lbs per week....not much but it has crept up, so I've gained about 20 lbs over the last year (I don't feel like I have, but the scales don't lie).
Goals for rest of August, and the rest of the year.
Start logging, keep logging every single day, yes brushed off the old scale - today is day 1.
Current weight is 221
Weight 219 or less on 31 August
Weight 210 by the end of September
Weight 200 by the end of October
Weigh 190 by the end of December.
Weigh 180 by the end of February.
Take A1C test in January - goal of 5.7 or lower.
Then reassess where I am after that.
I'm in.
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Hi everyone, I feel like I have been a downer on this thread over the past few weeks/months, so I hesitated to share this. But it is a good article on CV and the impact of obesity. Although I expected it to make me more fearful and anxious, the end of the article actually motivated me to get on my exercise bike this afternoon. We can make a difference in how our bodies would respond if we were to contract the virus and it should be one more reason we make a better food choice or take a few more steps to better health.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/obesity-coronavirus-risk-lose-weight/2020/08/21/1de03bbc-e187-11ea-8dd2-d07812bf00f7_story.html3 -
wanderinglight wrote: »@micwrites your post really resonated with me. I often feel the same way -- enjoying myself, doing something that's good for me like working out (or painting a room) only to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and all happy feelings are immediately replaced by shame and a deep hopelessness. I've really struggled with losing my looks in middle age. And I've had to do some hard reckoning with my value beyond being attractive. I relied on it for so many years and now it's just...gone. And the thing is, it will never come back. Yes yes I could lose a bunch of weight and be a *slightly* more attractive version of my middle-aged self, but it will never even come close to the hotness level of the average 20 year old. It's a tough pill to swallow!
One thing I'm working on is loving myself SO HARD through those tough moments of shame. It sounds weird but I often think of how my rescue dog sees me. She, who was horribly abused for most of her life, looks up at me with such love and trust and adoration and hopefulness. In those moments it doesn't matter what I look like because she loves the essence of who I am as a person, not what I look like.
The other thing that works for me is a motto that I've adopted (and illustrated as part of my "Dogs Giving Good Advice" series).
For so many (too many) years, I had such a fear of looking stupid. Or looking unattractive. Or doing / saying something embarrassing and having people stare or laugh at me. It's all the same thing. Now, at my heaviest weight (and arguably least attractive) point of my life, I'm letting go of this baggage. I want to lose this weight, yes, but I also want to make up for lost time. I'm letting go of the need to look good and I'm embracing the experience of actually LIVING.
I'm sorry you are having such a tough time with this injury. It can be so demoralizing when you're trying to do everything right.
Thank you @wanderinglight for understanding where I am. I seem to have gone from having it all— at least in my mind, to this big backslide. I feel like wallpaper, there but not really noticed. I have to re-motivate so I can heal and get back to the sport I love and to my bad *kitten* self of really living, as you so rightly say. And get healthy. Thank you for your kindness and support! 💜👊🏻6 -
And I have some good news about that wrinkly skin too. After I lost about 70 pounds I had some serious bat wings on my arms. There was extra skin and extra subcutaneous fat pulling it down. I was afraid that if I ever wanted to look good in a sleeveless dress, I'd have to have surgery. But now that I am down 115 pounds the bat wings are gone. I lost the fat that was weighing down and stretching out the extra skin. If I hold my arms in a certain position, you can still see the wrinkly skin - it looks like a wrinkled cotton sheet, but most of the time, it looks perfectly normal. So there's hope for my little pouch that hangs down over my abdomen too. As the fat shrinks, there's less to pull down the skin. It's still puckered and wrinkly and there's a small overhang but nothing like there was 2 months ago. So I have hope that one day, it might be gone altogether.
As someone who is going to have a lot of loose skin when I'm done, that gives me hope. I was thinking that in addition to the tummy tuck (I need to have my abs put back together, so there's going to be some surgery anyway) that I'd need underarm work and some work on my inner thighs, too. Hopefully I won't.
I've had some of those mirror moments, but then I put on size 16 jeans and remind myself that I couldn't even have pulled them up over my thighs this time last year. And today I was wearing an old shirt to clean in and it kept billowing to a degree where I recognized that it's way too large now, I need to just let it go.
Today was really hot and humid, and it stayed hot and humid well into the evening, and Boyfriend got worn out before we could walk and so went to bed. I don't want to walk without him, and it's dark now and I don't have anything reflective to wear, so I have to skip it tonight. But I'm really enjoying walking with him and just moving. I never thought I'd say that.
We wound up just getting sandwiches from the local place down the street (support local small businesses!) and as I plated the food up, it occured to me that a year ago I would have had the entire sandwich, a serving of french fries or onion rings, and a piece of cake, and would have washed it all down with at least 24 ounces of iced tea. Today I knew I could only manage a half sandwich, had it with a single-serving bag of chips, and when I was done I had only room for two swallows of water to rinse my mouth. That's a definite change in capacity. Anymore about a half hour before I eat I slow down on my water consumption so that I can have enough capacity to actually eat the calories I have planned, and if I have something a little bulkier like a salad I have to not drink with it. I can live with this for now, and eventually I'll get to eat more, but for now, this is okay, and actually helps me.
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It's been a stressful couple days but I am managing to sticking to what I had planned on eating, I just haven't been getting as much exercise as I had planned. I am trying to stay positive about it. I am not stress eating, so that is a victory. I am trying not to feel bad about the reduced amount of exercise. This will pass.
ST: 233.6
CW: 226.6
# days on mfp and following the plan: 156 -
It's been a stressful couple days but I am managing to sticking to what I had planned on eating, I just haven't been getting as much exercise as I had planned. I am trying to stay positive about it. I am not stress eating, so that is a victory. I am trying not to feel bad about the reduced amount of exercise. This will pass.
ST: 233.6
CW: 226.6
# days on mfp and following the plan: 15
I've lost forty pounds this year, 25 of them since March, and since March I haven't exercised. Don't worry, it can be done.2 -
Good morning everyone! Book incoming, I apologize. I missed you all!
It's been a high stress week here, I don't remember how to do spoilers and googling it didn't help, so paragraph break spoiler for baby medical issues.
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My baby has a g-tube, and she's scratched it around the site, which then leaks stomach acid onto the cuts, and she's just been a screaming uncomfortable mess all week with all of us on top vigilance all the time for her touching the site or messing with it, and trying to keep it clean and dry. We finally got to see the doctor yesterday, and they gave us a management strategy. She's a whole new baby. I'm so happy she's feeling better. She took her first not-sponge bath last night, since the doc said it was okay, and she had a blast, squealing and kicking her feet in the water.
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I'm happy to see you all here, even with all we're dealing with. Quick belated check in:
Christina
31 years old
5'4''
SW: 207
CW (7/31): 184.0
8/7: 184.4
8/14: 183 (-1.0)
8/21: 183.3 (+0.3)
8/28:
GW for August: 181 into the 170's
UGW: 145
Daily 5 to Thrive:
🌻 30 minutes for me X
🌻 30 minutes of exercise X
🌻 90 oz water
🌻 Sugar treats less than 10% of calories X
🌻 Write 10 things I'm grateful for X
I wasn't surprised to see a gain, what with the high stress/little sleep we were all suffering. I've definitely been stress-snacking more. Working on this week being better.
@KeriA: Hmm, bath, lyme, somerset... is your favorite Persuasion? Persuasion is definitely my favorite.
I should read it again...
I've gotten a new planner for next year, taking advantage of some sales going on. I'm moving to a traveler's notebook type instead of my hardcover notebook. I'm hoping the traveler's notebook style will help me do a proper exercise/fitness tracker better than my current setup, which is great, except there's too much flipping around in just one notebook. I'm looking forward to doing lots of fun creative things with the traveler's notebook, like making dashboards and better exercise tracking spreads. Commit30 has a great notebook, and they have the option for you to flip through it virtually, which gave me ideas for how I wanted mine to be.
It's still way hot here, but I'll work it out. Got a half hour walk in this morning, for about 2500 steps.
Thinking on my goals for September.. gosh, September already. I think I need to go all the way back to basics. Log everything in grams, everything that passes my lips, ever. And get 10k daily steps, in whatever form I want, be it running, walking, treadmill, or zooming around the house. That should do it.
Have a great week, everyone!7 -
@CupcakeCrusoe I'm so glad your baby is happier and not suffering so much! What a hard week for you. I need to start being more goal orientated, I feel like I'm suffering from a covid hangover!5
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@CupcakeCrusoe Glad your baby girl is doing better. I hope your stress load is lighter this week!2
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Sorry ladies, I've been pretty absent this month. I started working from home and has THAT been a challenge. Not for my job...no I can do that so much easier at home it turns out. It's exercise and getting enough fluids in that are my challenge now. I'm now 12 weeks pregnant and my OB wants me to check my blood sugar several times over the course of 2 weeks so I have been first thing in the morning, and an hour after breakfast, lunch, and dinner most days. I've found that this has likely been the MOST eye opening experience when it comes to food. I am not a diabetic. I have had bariatric surgery so my stomach literally can not handle the drink that pregnant women get at their 28 week gestational diabetes check. I will be tracking blood sugar over the course of 2 weeks in each trimester. What I've found is that ice cream only slightly elevates my sugar levels. Cereal on the other hand puts me WAAAY high. Potatoes are not my friend either and that I do better with fruit/veggies/protein. The average has been pretty low, around 108 but yesterday's reading after cereal was 165. Guess who's done with cereal now?
Perhaps with the temps starting to get lower and whatnot I can get myself out for a few walks during the day. And I had to get a cup that allows me to measure how much I'm drinking in a time frame.6 -
@sweetirish: I can't eat cereal either. I have fructose intolerance.
In other news, I'm down a pound today, which puts me at 254. This may be the beginning of the usual once a month whoosh.6 -
@motivatedsister - you are so close!! At this rate, I'm sure you'll make it this month. The worst part of finally reaching 199 is two days later when it bounces back up to 203 for another two weeks (ask me how I know this)
@IsETHome - Great goals! Glad you got in the pool for a while too - it always amazes me how getting good it feels to get back to exercising!
@aliciap0116 - that is an interesting article. I started losing weight last year, pre-covid, and am still nowhere near a healthy weight. But even so, I've often thought about how much my loss has lowered my own risk and...I'm pretty proud of that!
@micwrites & @wanderinglight - I also have those mirror moments. I've never been super conscious about my appearance, but sometimes I look and am amazed at how my body has changed. Other times I catch a glimpse and feel like I haven't made any progress at all, or like I look even worse than when I started. But, that 60 loss doesn't lie, and I keep thinking back to where I was this time last year and how much better I feel this year.
@AlexandraFindsHerself1971 - I also wonder how much loose skin I'll have. I know I'll have some (belly, arms), but I've also been impressed with how it has been tightening up as I lose. It is amazing to see how habits/desires/abilities can change over time too!
@astroamy - well done! I lost almost 40 pounds with diet alone and no exercise. If you are hitting your calories (exercise or not), your plan will work!
@CupcakeCrusoe - Oh poor baby and poor you! I cannot imagine the stress you've been under. So, so glad to hear your little one is feeling good, and was delighted by her first real bath
@sweetirish - that sounds like a lot of work (so many finger pricks!), but also really interesting to see how your body reacts to different foods!
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@scottysgal welcome. Take things one step at a time. Choose one thing to improve that you know you can achieve and focus on it. Then when that is a habit then add something else. Be proud of what you have accomplished. You are already making progress.
@speyerj What good news. I had heard that although it takes a while your skin will tighten up. Just maintain/lose that weight and continue to exercise and it will keep improving. I lose so slowly and have never lost all the weight that I want to that I haven’t had that issue yet. However you have been much more successful and it will take a bit longer for your skin to catch up with you.
@changeforeverlj Great work and how beautiful. It is nice for all of us stuck at home to see.
@motivatedsister Your August goal is in sight!
@IsETHome The lack of pools has been disheartening to me too because I did Aquafit 3 days a week before the pandemic. The Y pool is opening for reservations too but I am wondering whether it is worth it to pay the membership for a chance at exercise. Good for you to take back control.
@aliciap0116 1st: I do not think of you as being a downer on this thread. Losing weight for most people is a great challenge. That is why we all need this kind of support. I am grateful for you and all here for being that support group I had been searching for and found.2nd I think I might have read this article but I control clicked on it to read. If it is the one I read I remember it was good. Thanks for sharing it.
@AlexandraFindsHerself I think if we need surgery we should get it but I think we should wait several years before deciding. I have heard that it takes a while for skin to catch up with weight loss especially when it is faster. Give your body a chance to adjust before surgery. I am talking year(s) not months. Our bodies are amazing. You are doing so well!
@astroamy It took me a long time to transition from regular Aquafit to land based exercise. I just had to be patient. It is also the 1st to go out the window when I get busy. Sigh.
@CupcakeCrusoe I am sorry to hear that you have been having such a high stressed week and so happy to hear that things have improved so well. You telling about how much your baby loved her bath brought back some memories. My second child who just finally graduated from University hadn’t gained enough weight when I took her to the Dr. He wanted me to give her a bottle. I went against his medical advice. I bought a baby scale and I started waking her up to force nurse her. It was really the interference of the nurses in the hospital that caused the nursing issues anyway. She started gaining weight as was confirmed by her new Dr when we had the 2nd Drs visit. Anyway I had been giving her baths at nights. She didn’t seem to like baths. I was disappointed since I am such a water baby myself as is my husband and my oldest. Luckily I tried giving her baths in the morning. She loved them. It is now 10:40 AM and she is down sleeping in her room. She seems to have forgotten she is a morning person.
.3 lbs is not much of a gain. Yes Persuasion! It was fun to have a break and go to Somersetshire, Bath and Lyme. There are 2nd chances and 3rd chances and more. I am back reading my Victorian mysteries set in London.
@sweeterish I am glad that you have been learning a lot about your body. I remember a Drs appointment I had where my blood sugar was a little high. When I told them I had just had a shake they weren’t concerned. Take care.
I was worried about the ultrasound yesterday. Most women over 60 get a bit nervous when told to drink 32 oz of water 1 hour before and then don’t pee until after the ultrasound. However it wasn’t as bad as I thought. For one she had wanted me to pee after the 1st part. I felt much better than I did after my last appointment. In fact I did my strength training routine and made sweet potato gnocchi inspired by one of you. However I lost steam before actually cooking the gnocchi. The recipe said I could refrigerate them for a day so that sounded like a good idea. We had take out hamburgers instead for dinner. I will cook the gnocchi tonight and serve in a white wine sauce. There is ricotta cheese in the gnocchi. I also learned a lesson. If I can chug 32 oz of water in 15 minutes I certainly can drink 8+ 8 oz of water in a day.
My daughter was into cooking yesterday so it was quite a mess in the kitchen with me making gnocchi and her making steamed char siu bao. She also made banana bread and earlier cucumber sandwiches. I am glad she is able to make bao. My mother-in-law makes the best ever but she needs help now and doesn’t send them to us much anymore. I have never been great with yeast breads. Bao are Chinese buns. Char siu is BBQ pork filling. I ordered cinnamon rolls by one of our best local bakeries through our diary weekly delivery in honor of our daughter's graduation. This morning I made spinach cheese scrambled eggs to go with them. You can tell that my house right now with all this celebration isn’t the most conducive to weight loss. Add to that a jobsearch and refinancing and Drs. appointments. Yesterday I went over my calorie goal yesterday however, it isn’t much over maintenance. I am looking forward to getting back to where I can have my typical low calorie day with exercise again and getting the scale back down to my low. Tomorrow I have a job interview.
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@CupcakeCrusoe I'm happy your daughter is doing better. I know having a sick kiddo can be a real stress.
@KeriA Good luck on your job interview.
So started emotional eating last night after I closed my log. I probably added another 400-500 cals and still in that phase today. Yesterday was my 53rd bday and the first of many firsts without my Momma. Most of you know how close we were so it was a very difficult day. One bittersweet moment was finding a birthday card for me she had fixed up in April. Reading it of course brought up so many emotions and opening up floodgates again. Today is lost log wise but that doesn't mean all is.
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@bluffgirl67 So sorry to hear you're having a difficult time. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. As you said, finding the card must have been bittersweet. How amazing your Momma had done that ahead of time for you. Sending you prayers.2
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@eliezalot and @KeriA I know! I only weigh once a week, so hopefully whenever I finally reach ONEderland I'll continue the downward trajectory and won't ever see that uptick since I don't weigh daily. Lol at least one could hope right?2
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sending you hugs @bluffgirl67 it must be rough not to have your momma there xxx
@sweetirish you are getting through that pregnancy! Great that you are getting a chance to see what effect different foods have on your body
@cupcakecrusoe glad your baby is doing better now and enjoyed a bath!
i'm trying to stick more closely to my plan and have been battling the munchies, I haven't been very strict with myself the last couple of months, time to get things back to where they should be!1 -
@KeriA I know, it's best if I get the exercise done in the morning then nothing can happen the rest of the day to prevent me from exercising. I hope your interview goes well.
Did better today, got in a bike ride this morning and ate well. My weight is up slightly, but this is fairly common for me particularly after a rapid decline. I'll just wait it out.
SW: 233.6
CW: 227.02 -
Alexandra
48 years old
5'7" tall
Starting weight 296 (1/20)
August starting weight:261
August 6:255
August 25: 254
August 26: 253.
This shows perfectly the plateau and cliff pattern that I've come to realize typifies my weight loss. In between the 1st and the 6th, (actually, before the first, for most of July) I yoyoed gently between 263 and 262, suddenly falling in about three days to 257, then 255. And then I hovered gently round 256 for most of August. I may lose more tomorrow as I am apparently in that phase of the cycle, and the month is not over yet.
I will say that as I have done this for the last eight months I've started to get comfortable with this pattern showing up. I weigh every day so the scale is routine, and that way I can watch the variations and know what my body's doing. I look forward to getting to the gym or getting a bike soon so that I can see what exercise does for this pattern.6 -
@bluffgirl67 sending you lots of hugs; I know how much you miss her.
@CupcakeCrusoe so glad your baby girl is feeling better and happy again. We are only as happy as our saddest child.
@sweetirish glad everything is going well and how wonderful to learn about how your body processes different foods. That will serve you well for your whole lifetime.
@KeriA I hope all the medical tests go well and wish you the best on your interview! I'm glad you are holding out for the right position for you.
@IsETHome welcome back; we all have bumps and curves on this road!
@speyerj so exciting and inspiring to hear that your body is adjusting to its new size!! Your hard work is paying off.
@micwrites, @wanderinglight @MuttiNM and @orangequilt your posts so resonated with me. I am proud of what I have accomplished so far but focus far more on how much further I have to go. The fact I am growing out my gray hair right now is also not helping this not pretty picture. I feel like this group understands me more than any person in my physical life. Thank you for sharing and supporting everyone.4 -
Can it really be weigh-in Wednesday already???
49 years old; 5'6"
SW: 236.4 (9/8/19)
7/31: 191.6
8/7: 189.5
8/12: 188.3
8/19: 189.5
8/26: 191.3
My focus this month has been on stress management rather than a weight goal. I am a little disappointed with the gain but attribute it partly to TOM.
I saw the cardiologist yesterday. We worked on a plan to make my heart as healthy as we can and I will go back in 3 months for additional blood work and to reassess. I thought I would share my plan here for those interested.- Current state: Despite low cholesterol (140 total) and normal LDL (98), I have low HDL (32), high lipoprotein (a) (basically sticky LDL molecules), mild heart disease overall but concentrated in one artery so am at the 97th percentile (to the bad) for my age and sex, and a heart murmur. I need to get an echo cardiogram for the murmur. The plan is to get me as healthy as possible to offset the hereditary lipoprotein (a) issue that can't be addressed with diet, exercise or medication.
- Medication: He is putting me on a low dose statin to bring down my LDL and baby aspirin on MWF to make my platelets more slippery. This should bring my LDL and HDL more into balance.
- Diet: He recommended a Mediterranean diet, including fish several times a week. Focusing on fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and avoiding saturated fats and partially hydrogenated oils. Avoid red meat; poultry is okay occasionally but is not the best source of protein for me.
- Weight loss: He would like me to continue losing weight, targeting 2 lbs a week if possible. So I need to step things back up.
- Exercise: He recommends 40 minutes a day; he was happy with walking and the exercise bike for an exercise plan.
- Sleep: I have a CPAP that I have not been using regularly. I will make an appointment to adjust to masks etc and make this a priority.
- Relaxation: He said taking time to rest and relax is part of my job right now, especially since I have been experiencing a lot of anxiety lately.
- Supplements: Currently I take a multivitamin, D3, turmeric, fish oil, and a hair/skin/nails supplement. I am adding plant sterols, sugar free Metamucil, and K2.
So there are my September goals.
Overall, I think this is a plan I can live with, and other than the medication, it reflects what I was aspiring to before all of this. It just makes the need to take action a little more pressing. After taking August to focus on stress management, and getting my head in a better space, the timing is good.
In other news, I had volunteered several months ago to participate in the Moderna COVID vaccine trial and got a call yesterday. My cardiologist and PCP both think I should proceed with the trial as it is low risk. The blind trial will randomly assign 50% to get the vaccine and 50% to get the placebo and then I have to track symptoms and provide blood work and samples for up to two years. Even if I don't get the vaccine it will feel really good to take an action that is helping science.
Wishing you all a good week!6 -
aliciap0116 wrote: »I feel like this group understands me more than any person in my physical life. Thank you for sharing and supporting everyone.
- I could not agree more. There is no way I would have stayed on track without the support of all of you. Thank you to everyone for making this a space where I can be vulnerable.
And Alicia! I'm so glad you and your doctor have a plan (that you can live with!) to address your heart condition. It's great that it's in alignment with your own weight loss goals. CPAP is a pain and I keep trying to see if I can go off of it, but every time I do, my health suffers. And (I know you know this) getting restful sleep does help stave off cravings and hunger - so it can be a weight loss tool too. Finally, thank you for being a hero and volunteering for a vaccine medical trial. I admire you so much!
@KeriA - Best of luck to you on your interview! You got this!
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@aliciap0116 That is a very comprehensive plan! It must help a bit to know that you are taking all the steps you can to improve your health. Good luck with it!
That's really interesting about the vaccine trial. Will you ever find out if you got the vaccine or not or is that something that is never revealed to the trial participants?4 -
HW: 257 (June 2019)
August SW: 201.4
8/2: 204.2 (highest August weight)
8/5: 201.6
8/12: 201
8/19: 199.4
8/25: 196.8 (lowest August weight)
8/26: 197.8
Big goal 1 achieved: Below 200!
Mini goal achieved: 60 lbs lost!
Next mini goal: Into the 180's
Next BIG goal: 174 lbs - out of obese and into overweight
Ultimate goal: TBD
After my maintenance break in July, it took me a while to see the weight start to drop again, and felt like it was taking forever. I briefly worried that I'd be stuck at 200 forever, never able to break through and lose more weight. (I know, its so silly. I've been doing this for a year. I know how and why it works!) And still, even my usually logical and chill brain started to freak out lol. It is reassuring to see the scale move again. My trend weight is also finally below 200 (199.19 to be exact). I don't expect to see any more loss for another few weeks now, based on my cycle. I tend to see the scale move substantially only twice a month: the week after my period and the week after I ovulate. Every other time I'm apparently holding on to water lol.
I've been enjoying doing yoga and seeing how much stronger I'm getting. I even went upside down briefly last week and did a few seconds in a not-quite-full headstand (both feet off the floor, but legs not fully extended up). Even the week before when I tried it it had seemed literally impossible (how the *kitten* do you gt your legs up? What muscle is that even??). It was exciting to try and it see it working.
I haven't been back to running yet. My heel doesn't hurt on a day to day basis anymore, so I went for a walk the other morning (just a short 2-3 mile walk around the neighborhood). It felt so nice to be out, but my heel was achy and stiff that evening and the next day. I had a tele-visit with a doctor for something unrelated, and asked about my foot. She does think it sounds like plantar fasciitis, but won't diagnose it without an exam. She suggested I keep icing it, get some shoe inserts, and if the inserts don't help, get myself to a podiatrist. The inserts come tomorrow, and I'm really hopeful they'll allow me to at least start walking again. It has been really frustrating. I felt like I was finally making progress with running, and outdoor cardio like that is so good for my mental health. The only upside is that I've been forced to practice on regulating my calories with and without exercise, which I've always struggled with. Once I get to start eating more calories from exercising, it is so so hard to stop! (And I guess I got to skip running in the heat of summer lol, I'll count that as an upside too!)
Hope everyone is having a good week!3 -
Hi everyone! I'm just getting started here and am glad to see this supportive community of women. You're all rockstars. Looking forward to following everyone's continued journeys.
I'm 5'3" and 27 years old.
My starting weight was 250lbs.
After my first week I weighed 247lbs.
So far my changes have all been dietary. About 1700 calories per day, focusing on well-rounded meals with lots of fruits and vegetables, with modest portions.
Soon I want to develop a fitness routine that works for me. Chronic pain / fatigue can at times make exercise challenging.
It would be great to have more friends on the app for mutual support. Feel free to add me : )
Have a good day!5 -
Sweatpants_Sassy wrote: »
Soon I want to develop a fitness routine that works for me. Chronic pain / fatigue can at times make exercise challenging.
I have fibromyalgia and chronic pain from traumatic arthritis in my feet and ankles. We CAN exercise. What we have to do is to ignore everyone who says "Push through the pain! Pain is weakness leaving the body!" etc. and ease into it very very slowly at our own pace.
I am not doing this right now (COVID) but here is how I did it.
I went to the gym, and looked at machines, because I have loose joints and freeweights would be perilous. Maybe later. I put on just enough weight to feel like I was moving something, but not straining to move it. And I listened to that muscle group. However many reps it took for the muscle to start feeling clogged and heavy....that was however many I was doing. Didn't matter whether it was three or ten reps. I noted it down and went on to the next machine. When I was done, I hadn't broken a sweat and I wasn't tired, but I could tell I'd spent two or three spoons. But I came back tomorrow and did the same exact thing. And then one day I could tell that I could move past three reps. So I did...five, before that heavy feeling started in that muscle group. And I hung out with five for a couple weeks. And then I tried adding a little more weight to it when doing five.
So very slowly I worked my way up to where I had my muscles rehabilitated and could say, "Maybe I can do upper and lower body days, instead of the same thing every day. Maybe I could do some riding on the recumbent bike."
But it is important to listen, listen, listen! to your muscles, and not work yourself anywhere near pain and exhaustion in any one muscle group, and I found it was important to go every day because if I did a little every day it was just a new normal level of activity, and my body adjusted up to meet it. And I had a lot less pain when I did this.
Right now I'm not at the gym because we moved and I need to get a membership at my new local gym. Which I will as soon as Boyfriend gets a job somewhere. (He has a promising opportunity; all prayers and good wishes appreciated!) And because it's been a couple months, I'll have to go every day and recondition myself slowly. But it CAN be done.
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