Newbie

Hi,

I am new to MFP. After a year of sitting on the sofa binge watching netflix shows and supporting local restaurants by ordering in 3-4 times a week I was starting to put on a lot of covid isolation poundage. I was over- weight to start with but I was starting to notice things like climbing stairs was getting hard, my hips & knees were paining, I couldn't walk around the neighbourhood without having to stop a lot, I was getting a lot of heart burn & acid reflux plus I was borderline hypertensive and starting to get heart palpitations. At 57 years old, I needed to change how I was living and coping with the pandemic.

On Jan 15, 2021, our region went under Emergency Orders lockdown which meant no leaving the house unless it was absolutely necessary for the next 28 days. I decided that day I needed to start walking and monitoring what I was eating. I created a MFP account and plugged in my treadmill. Being obese to start with I was beginning to have issues with painful hips. I decided that the best goal was to just get moving. So I started out walking on the treadmill slowly and only for 2-3 kms. I stopped ordering in and began preparing meals at home. My greatest concern was health. Staying off BP medication and being able to walk. 39 days later, lock down orders are lifted (at least for the time being) but I can now walk 6-8 kms comfortably at a comfortable pace, my joint pain is diminished, my BP is normal, the heart burn/acid reflux is gone as are the heart palpitations! To top it off I lost 15 pounds which is what I gained during the pandemic. I have been exploring new recipes, learned to bake bread and still order-in from local restaurants once a week but carefully select or portion what I order.

I have a long journey ahead to a healthier me. I am still working on setting sensible attainable goals.