Introduce Yourself

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Replies

  • gg2007
    gg2007 Posts: 71 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    gg2007 wrote: »
    Hi all

    I'm Harriet from the UK, i started this journey with over 250+ to lose...its been a journey with LOTS of ups and down, and so far am at 170+ loss. I'm really determined to get these last 80lbs off!! I've been yoyoing up and down the past few years...literally!

    At the start i was into fad diets, but they didnt work for me....what has got me through is balance....eating right and doing exercise. Look forward to connecting with you!

    Hi @gg2007 Harriet,

    Welcome to LL.

    You have done great. You are in the home stretch but if you are like me it doesn't really feel that way. I suppose for me it is because when I lost 100 and I only had 200ish to go I could remember a time when all I had to lose was 200. Even now with only 20ish to go I can remember as a teen when this was my heaviest and I was miserable.

    I am glad you are here.

    You have done amazing....only 20lbs to go! What an amazing achievement! So inspiring..... i defo not where i started, but feels like i'm getting nearer and nearer to go! Look forward to hearing more about your journey!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Hi all. I’m Ty 25 with well over 100lbs to lose and not sure where to really start but I know it’ll be a long painful journey. Thought joining a group might make it bearable.
    Take care


    Hi @stewartt3260 Ty,

    Welcome to LL.

    Please do not start by telling yourself it will be a long painful journey. Expecting it to be tough might keep you from looking for way to keep it easy. 100 pounds takes some time to lose and it can have easy days, not-so-bad days, and yes, some tough days. That is life though. Life is a mixture. The rainy days teach us to appreciate the sunny ones.

    I have lost over 250 pounds and even though it has taken 2.5 years it has flown by because I made an effort to be as happy as possible each day. There were some pretty unhappy days along the way but there were plenty of good ones too.

    The best place to start is with logging your food and looking for easy ways to get yourself inside your calorie goal. You do not need to greatly alter how you normally eat, just alter it enough to get a calorie deficit going and control your hunger most of the time. Over time you will need to make more changes but worry about them when they come up. If you need specific help let us know.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    rwood566 wrote: »
    hi everyone. i'm roger. i just joined the site yesterday and this group today. i've been on my downward journey since march 2019. i topped out at 566 and had been house-bound for 1 1/2 years. i got professional help sent out to me since i couldn't fit into a car to go to my dr. appointments. i've been doing my own rough food log since early december. i didn't count calories but just logged what i ate and drank and if i felt it was to much. i'm now at 417 today. i came here to get the hard core counting down just in case i decide to have bariatric surgery. i've been doing my changes one at a time and i believe now is the time for this move. i'm finding out that large scale weight loss is a long haul but it is doable. i never thought thought i'd last 2 months, much less 18 months.

    Hi @rwood566 Roger,

    Great job so far!

    I do not talk people into or out of surgery. That is a decision only you can make. I am wondering though why you are considering it now after a good 18 month run. The surgery will force you to make more abrupt changes and you seem comfortable making them as needed which is how I have gotten from quite heavy myself nearly to the end.

    Anyway calorie counting is a good way to manage yourself. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of the equation and it can give you fairly reliable results. They may not always show up on the scale as fast as you want but they do show up. Calorie counting can be a bit tedious at first but after a few weeks you will get a handle on it and look for ways to make it easier. I doubt I spend 5 minutes a day logging now.
  • _inHisGrace
    _inHisGrace Posts: 183 Member
    Hi!
    I’m happy to have found this group. A few years ago I used MFP to lose about 75 lbs.

    I have since gained it all back and then some. I began this new journey 21 days ago. Started at 307lbs gained to 308 now today I’m at 304.

    I’m meant to be tiny at 5’1. I have insulin resistance and really said I don’t give a crap.

    I all of a sudden see myself.... I don’t like it. I want to be fit and know it takes caring. Caring about myself and what goes into my body.

    I am seeking support and would love friends for the app. I would like to support you in any way I am able to as well.
  • Ccricfo
    Ccricfo Posts: 156 Member
    Hi!
    I’m happy to have found this group. A few years ago I used MFP to lose about 75 lbs.

    I have since gained it all back and then some. I began this new journey 21 days ago. Started at 307lbs gained to 308 now today I’m at 304.

    I’m meant to be tiny at 5’1. I have insulin resistance and really said I don’t give a crap.

    I all of a sudden see myself.... I don’t like it. I want to be fit and know it takes caring. Caring about myself and what goes into my body.

    I am seeking support and would love friends for the app. I would like to support you in any way I am able to as well.

    Welcome to the group. I think you'll find we are very supportive, celebrating your good days and understanding your bad ones. I look forward to seeing you succeed.
  • _inHisGrace
    _inHisGrace Posts: 183 Member
    Thank you so much !
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Hi!
    I’m happy to have found this group. A few years ago I used MFP to lose about 75 lbs.

    I have since gained it all back and then some. I began this new journey 21 days ago. Started at 307lbs gained to 308 now today I’m at 304.

    I’m meant to be tiny at 5’1. I have insulin resistance and really said I don’t give a crap.

    I all of a sudden see myself.... I don’t like it. I want to be fit and know it takes caring. Caring about myself and what goes into my body.

    I am seeking support and would love friends for the app. I would like to support you in any way I am able to as well.

    Hi @_inHisGrace,

    Welcome.

    I make an effort to write a personalized welcome for each new member. I am sure I have missed some people but I do my best. Since I wrote you a lengthy reply in the SyN thread I will keep this one a little shorter.

    The one thing that jumped out at me was the part where you care what goes in your body. In the context of your IR you do need to be careful about carbs but just be careful that you don't fall into the trap of "I am losing weight so I must only eat healthy foods." I think that type of thinking creates a hardship and it is, imo, unnecessary. I like to say that more nutrients than you need are more nutrients in your pee. Your body has daily requirements and after that a lot is wasted. There are some areas where exceeding is helpful for certain things but that is usually reserved for professional athletes or those that wish to train as though they were professional.

    I like the 80/20 mindset. I do not do the math to make sure it is actually 80 percent but I approach food with the idea that if most of it is nutrient dense then it doesn't matter what I do with the 20 percent - so I might as well have some treats. I have eaten just about everything on my way to a much healthier state of being. I just ate moderate amounts of the treat foods most of the time - I haven't been nor will be perfect. I also look at this in the broader sense that if I most of my weeks are on point it doesn't matter if I eat more treat food on vacation or during holidays. It is what I do most of the time that matters.
  • JamesMD84
    JamesMD84 Posts: 26 Member
    Didn't know there were individual groups, good to know this is focused on people with similar journeys to me.

    I have around 50kg to lose but trying to focus on the non scale victories to keep me motivated. Initial goal is buttoning my jeans without bursting blood vessels and 5km on my bike.

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  • JamesMD84
    JamesMD84 Posts: 26 Member
    Me and my noble steed.j24fqvr34y89.jpg
  • Welcome, James! I hope you enjoy talking with us all. This is a very smart, wise group of people and I've learned a lot that makes this process easier and less scary.
  • _inHisGrace
    _inHisGrace Posts: 183 Member
    @NovusDies
    Thank you for the thoughtful post and warm welcome. Prior to this new journey I was eating huge fast food meals daily for lunch.

    From what my endocrinologist explains to be is that I can eat carbs but I need to eat them with protein.

    My plan for now is to stick to the MFP calorie guide and make sure each bite is tasty for me but no more shoveling of food.

    My mental and emotional self has been immature. I’ve not cared about myself and put blinders on.

    In this journey, I’m going to take it day by day and actually think about my food choices. For now the only no no I am imposing on myself is pizza. Everything else I am able to weigh and do proper portion control.

    Pizza triggers me to binge big time. I can’t have one slice or even 3. One day I may be able to but not today.

    Writing too much. Sorry I’m a big sharer!
  • _inHisGrace
    _inHisGrace Posts: 183 Member
    @JamesMD84

    Welcome! I just joined but I can tell you these folks are friendly and helpful!
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,982 Member
    @NovusDies
    Thank you for the thoughtful post and warm welcome. Prior to this new journey I was eating huge fast food meals daily for lunch.

    From what my endocrinologist explains to be is that I can eat carbs but I need to eat them with protein.

    My plan for now is to stick to the MFP calorie guide and make sure each bite is tasty for me but no more shoveling of food.

    My mental and emotional self has been immature. I’ve not cared about myself and put blinders on.

    In this journey, I’m going to take it day by day and actually think about my food choices. For now the only no no I am imposing on myself is pizza. Everything else I am able to weigh and do proper portion control.

    Pizza triggers me to binge big time. I can’t have one slice or even 3. One day I may be able to but not today.

    Writing too much. Sorry I’m a big sharer!

    Welcome to you!

    And don't worry about writing too much - you don't even come close to my track record; just go back and look at the novels I post in the Reports thread lol :lol: I figure most people get on, see that wall of text, and then just skip it entirely and let me rant to my heart's content without even trying to read it all!

    I consider it this way: women need to talk so many words a day. I'm not that great a conversationalist in person and I'm single and live alone with few contacts to keep in touch with, so I've got to get that word count in somehow! lol
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,982 Member
    And welcome to all the new folks in the last couple of weeks - I was out of touch for a week and missed most of you, but feel free to jump in and join the conversation or start a new one - I'm very chatty at times and can't help but stick my nose into things so I'm likely to respond :grin:
  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
    edited September 2020
    @NovusDies
    Thank you for the thoughtful post and warm welcome. Prior to this new journey I was eating huge fast food meals daily for lunch.

    From what my endocrinologist explains to be is that I can eat carbs but I need to eat them with protein.

    My plan for now is to stick to the MFP calorie guide and make sure each bite is tasty for me but no more shoveling of food.

    My mental and emotional self has been immature. I’ve not cared about myself and put blinders on.

    In this journey, I’m going to take it day by day and actually think about my food choices. For now the only no no I am imposing on myself is pizza. Everything else I am able to weigh and do proper portion control.

    Pizza triggers me to binge big time. I can’t have one slice or even 3. One day I may be able to but not today.

    Writing too much. Sorry I’m a big sharer!


    I have found I have similar restrictions on eating protein and fat with my carbs, and not eating too many carbs, at that.

    If it's any comfort, I may be able to eat pizza and limit myself to two slices, but I have absolutely no self control around homemade cookies. That's why until I switch to maintenance I am not going to be baking cookies. We all have things, I think, that we just can't do.

  • _inHisGrace
    _inHisGrace Posts: 183 Member
    Welcome @Firefly743
    Can’t wait to get to know you!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    JamesMD84 wrote: »
    Didn't know there were individual groups, good to know this is focused on people with similar journeys to me.

    I have around 50kg to lose but trying to focus on the non scale victories to keep me motivated. Initial goal is buttoning my jeans without bursting blood vessels and 5km on my bike.

    Hi @JamesMD84

    Welcome to LL.

    I think it is a great idea to use the scale for information and NSVs for the true prizes. I will get caught up in a scale milestone but getting too caught up in the numbers in between is like being on an amazing road trip and focusing only on the distance markers.

    If I am ever in your vicinity I may steal your bike.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Firefly743 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I'm not sure how many times I've tried to lose weight before - I had a semi-successful run 2 1/2 years ago when I lost 55 pounds. But then I let life get in the way and I gained it all back - and then some. I let everything else take priority and always put myself last, it's what I'm good at.

    So this year, pre-COVID I decided to recommit to my health, to my life. I don't want to do this anymore - I don't want to be fat - I don't want to be classified as morbidly obese. Ugh, that just sounds so gross and so awful and dreadful. I don't want that anymore. I mean, I look in the mirror and while I don't exactly have a great body image, I just don't think "morbidly obese". I want a better life - I want to feel better - I want to have a better relationship with food - and I want to feel better mentally.

    I started seeing a new doctor to help me with my weight loss. I have also started seeing a psychologist that works with bariatric patients (though I'm not having WLS, it helps he gets the weight loss side of things). Adding the "shrink" has definitely helped me this time around!! I have a great medical team to help me and it really makes all the difference in the world for me!

    So right now I'm 60 days in, and I'm down 24.8 pounds (plus the 5.4 pounds I lost before I joined MFP). It's a great start, but I have a lot more to go. I hesitate to put a final goal number out there because I don't know what it would look like or what I'd be happy with - but I know I want to be under 200. So for now, I just take it one day at a time, with "healthy" being my goal. This isn't a diet...this isn't a lifestyle change, it's a life change. I'm changing my life!!!

    Hi @Firefly743,

    Welcome.

    Great progress so far!

    Can I suggest that you change from your goal being "healthy" to being "healthier"? It may not be important to you but it was important to me. Healthier is attainable. I am healthier today than I was yesterday. The improvement is so slight it would not show up on any test but there is improvement. As I keep gathering improvements they add up to noticeable changes in health and life. Healthy has too many definitions and variables and no matter what you decide it means you may have to settle for slightly less. I am far more healthy than I was more than 250 pounds ago but because I carried my weight so long and my age I have some limits to how much better it gets from here.

    I would not worry about a goal weight. I decided I would worry about it when I got down to my final 20-25 pounds and that is exactly what I have done. There is nothing you can do about how much total weight you may need to lose today. There is something you can do about the small amount you can lose today and then tomorrow go after another small amount.
  • Firefly743
    Firefly743 Posts: 133 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Firefly743 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I'm not sure how many times I've tried to lose weight before - I had a semi-successful run 2 1/2 years ago when I lost 55 pounds. But then I let life get in the way and I gained it all back - and then some. I let everything else take priority and always put myself last, it's what I'm good at.

    So this year, pre-COVID I decided to recommit to my health, to my life. I don't want to do this anymore - I don't want to be fat - I don't want to be classified as morbidly obese. Ugh, that just sounds so gross and so awful and dreadful. I don't want that anymore. I mean, I look in the mirror and while I don't exactly have a great body image, I just don't think "morbidly obese". I want a better life - I want to feel better - I want to have a better relationship with food - and I want to feel better mentally.

    I started seeing a new doctor to help me with my weight loss. I have also started seeing a psychologist that works with bariatric patients (though I'm not having WLS, it helps he gets the weight loss side of things). Adding the "shrink" has definitely helped me this time around!! I have a great medical team to help me and it really makes all the difference in the world for me!

    So right now I'm 60 days in, and I'm down 24.8 pounds (plus the 5.4 pounds I lost before I joined MFP). It's a great start, but I have a lot more to go. I hesitate to put a final goal number out there because I don't know what it would look like or what I'd be happy with - but I know I want to be under 200. So for now, I just take it one day at a time, with "healthy" being my goal. This isn't a diet...this isn't a lifestyle change, it's a life change. I'm changing my life!!!

    Hi @Firefly743,

    Welcome.

    Great progress so far!

    Can I suggest that you change from your goal being "healthy" to being "healthier"? It may not be important to you but it was important to me. Healthier is attainable. I am healthier today than I was yesterday. The improvement is so slight it would not show up on any test but there is improvement. As I keep gathering improvements they add up to noticeable changes in health and life. Healthy has too many definitions and variables and no matter what you decide it means you may have to settle for slightly less. I am far more healthy than I was more than 250 pounds ago but because I carried my weight so long and my age I have some limits to how much better it gets from here.

    I would not worry about a goal weight. I decided I would worry about it when I got down to my final 20-25 pounds and that is exactly what I have done. There is nothing you can do about how much total weight you may need to lose today. There is something you can do about the small amount you can lose today and then tomorrow go after another small amount.

    I understand and respect what you are saying. At this point though, I can't change the goal to "healthier" for the very reason you stated, "I am healthier today than I was yesterday". So for me personally, when things get tough, I'd see that as permission to stop because 'yeah, I've taken off 30 pounds and because of it, lots of things have already started to improve, I am in fact healthier'. It's just how my mind works.

    But you're right, healthy does have too many definitions and variables - so when I reach my limit, that's going to be ok. I don't have a goal of perfection in mind - but wherever I end up, hopefully is a long way from where I am now. :)