Making and Keeping the Connection
TaosLiz
Posts: 54 Member
Hello Ladies, I hope that you all are having a wonderful and successful February.
Since I joined MFP, I have been processing a lot of thoughts and mixed feeling. No need to comment, I am just needing to put this somewhere.
It is taking all the courage that I have to put myself on here.
I am saying...No more! I am ready to commit to making the changes that I need to make. It is made more difficult by the fact that I weigh more than I have ever weighed in my life, and that I have gained 34 pounds in just a couple of months due to medication that I had been taking. And then I had previously gained 40 pounds after suffering a stroke and having H-Pylori. So here I am at 90 pounds overweight.
It is difficult to face this upward battle, but there is no alternative. I have to lose this weight. I must maintain a healthy balanced diet (I am a vegetarian) and train my mind, body, and spirit to work toward my highest good.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of this group and allowing me to process.
Liz
Since I joined MFP, I have been processing a lot of thoughts and mixed feeling. No need to comment, I am just needing to put this somewhere.
It is taking all the courage that I have to put myself on here.
I am saying...No more! I am ready to commit to making the changes that I need to make. It is made more difficult by the fact that I weigh more than I have ever weighed in my life, and that I have gained 34 pounds in just a couple of months due to medication that I had been taking. And then I had previously gained 40 pounds after suffering a stroke and having H-Pylori. So here I am at 90 pounds overweight.
It is difficult to face this upward battle, but there is no alternative. I have to lose this weight. I must maintain a healthy balanced diet (I am a vegetarian) and train my mind, body, and spirit to work toward my highest good.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of this group and allowing me to process.
Liz
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Replies
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Thanks for sharing. It is difficult (for me at least) to put your feelings out there. Sometimes though it is the best thing to do to get it off your chest. You can do this! One day at time is my motto.
We are glad to have you here!2 -
Thank you Sarah 7591! Thank you for your thoughtful response. Yes, sometimes we just need to put our thoughts and feelings somewhere so that we can examine them in order to regain our center. The number on the scales had led me to a point of Go No Further! And now I want each day to be a Point of Moving forward and a Point of No Return.
Thanks again, the mutual support and having others who understand is very powerful. We can and will do this!0 -
Thank you for sharing. We are all here because we need to lose weight. we all struggle with it. Sometimes our posts can inspire others to be brave enough to take that first step into taking better care of ourselves and putting ourselves first.0
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Thank you southernmom3! for your thoughtful and supportive response. After have lost most of my vision, which slowed me down, and then a stroke 18 months ago and a career as a counselor that requires mostly sitting, it had taken it's toll on my mentally and emotionally. What I know is that HOPE goes a long way to inspiring movement toward ones' goals. This group and MFP...has done just that ~ injected the HOPE that I needed to move forward to taking those first steps toward taking better care of myself and putting my health first.
Thank you again and have a big beautiful amazing day!
Liz1 -
Hey Liz! I'm so sorry you have been through so much!
I'm also new to the group and just saw your post. In my post I talked about needing to lose 50+ pounds. My ultimate goal is to lose around 65-70 pounds. I worked as a dental hygienist for 29 years until my hands just basically gave out. Besides my hand issues, I have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, type 2 diabetes, and lower back issues that prevent me from working. I'm not supposed to lift anything over 15 lbs.
Since coming back to MFP in January, I have really tried hard to log my food each day. So far, I have consistently logged for 36 days. I have found that the more I log, the better I get at making good food choices. One of the things I noticed while logging is that my protein intake was always low. So, I started looking for healthier ways to get protein besides eating meat. I'm not a vegetarian, but I am trying to stay away from red meat and eat more fish. I don't know if you consume dairy or not, but cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are great ways to work in protein. Nuts too! I have become addicted to mixed nuts and now I have to be careful not to eat too many!LOL!
As far as exercise, I found my Fitbit, charged it, and started counting my steps. If you don't own a Fitbit or other step counter, you may want to look into one, mine keeps me motivated to move. Slowly, I am building up to doing more steps each day, even if it means walking up and down the hallway in my house! I have also done some low-impact aerobics. Next on my agenda is to start some strength training. I just need to figure out the best strength training exercises that won't hurt my back.
All in all, I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in this journey! We can do this!!
Cathy3 -
Oh my gosh blackburn23 aka Cathy, thank you so much for sharing your story and your journey with MFP, and suggesting the Fitbit. I am all in! I have heard from others that their Fitbit was a critical part of their success, So now I am going to go order me one.
It does the mind, body, and soul good to connect with others on a journey that can be so isolating...especially during this time. Thank you again...I am sincerely inspired!1 -
blackburn23 wrote: »Hey Liz! I'm so sorry you have been through so much!
I'm also new to the group and just saw your post. In my post I talked about needing to lose 50+ pounds. My ultimate goal is to lose around 65-70 pounds. I worked as a dental hygienist for 29 years until my hands just basically gave out. Besides my hand issues, I have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, type 2 diabetes, and lower back issues that prevent me from working. I'm not supposed to lift anything over 15 lbs.
Since coming back to MFP in January, I have really tried hard to log my food each day. So far, I have consistently logged for 36 days. I have found that the more I log, the better I get at making good food choices. One of the things I noticed while logging is that my protein intake was always low. So, I started looking for healthier ways to get protein besides eating meat. I'm not a vegetarian, but I am trying to stay away from red meat and eat more fish. I don't know if you consume dairy or not, but cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are great ways to work in protein. Nuts too! I have become addicted to mixed nuts and now I have to be careful not to eat too many!LOL!
As far as exercise, I found my Fitbit, charged it, and started counting my steps. If you don't own a Fitbit or other step counter, you may want to look into one, mine keeps me motivated to move. Slowly, I am building up to doing more steps each day, even if it means walking up and down the hallway in my house! I have also done some low-impact aerobics. Next on my agenda is to start some strength training. I just need to figure out the best strength training exercises that won't hurt my back.
All in all, I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in this journey! We can do this!!
Cathy
I can't have mixed nuts in the house. They are calorie bombs for me because I'll grab a handful every time I walk past the cupboard LOL
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Thank you Cathy aka ridiculous59 for your lovely and honest response. And I am sorry that you too have suffered through so much.
One thing that I value about MFP and especially this group, is the openness and support that we gain here.
It is difficult in a world where women are pitted against each other, encouraged to compete and compare with one another trough various forms of media. Along with social media for fat shaming and creating the mindset of body dysmorphia for how our bodies look.
I think we all crave connection, honesty, and a place where we feel safe to explore our feelings, fears, frustrations, and challenges along with our successes. People like me who had no safe place to go, tend to stuff it all in.
However, we, collectively are creating these communities across the glob where we learn and grow and connect and that helps us heal, it gives us courage and strength to make the changes that we need in order to be healthy and happy.
I was going to order my Fitbit yesterday but my daughter just shared with me that she has an extra one, so this weekend I will get acquainted with my first Fitbit. Yay US@
Liz1 -
Liz, I am so excited that your daughter had an extra Fitbit! I so hope you enjoy using it as much as I do mine.
ridiculous59, I am so glad I am not the only one who finds it hard to control nut portions. I swear, last year at this time, I rarely ever bought nuts! Then, I went online and read about how good they are for your health. Well, they are, but as I have learned, you really have to watch how many you eat. I have seriously started measuring out portions just to keep from eating too many. It is just so unfair that something so good for you can derail your whole day by just a few extra pieces!!!0 -
I was going to order my Fitbit yesterday but my daughter just shared with me that she has an extra one, so this weekend I will get acquainted with my first Fitbit. Yay US@
Liz
I'd never had a fitbit type device before but my daughter gave me one for my birthday last June. Its another tool in this battle we're in towards good health. I like using it and I hope you will too
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blackburn23 wrote: »Liz, I am so excited that your daughter had an extra Fitbit! I so hope you enjoy using it as much as I do mine.
ridiculous59, I am so glad I am not the only one who finds it hard to control nut portions. I swear, last year at this time, I rarely ever bought nuts! Then, I went online and read about how good they are for your health. Well, they are, but as I have learned, you really have to watch how many you eat. I have seriously started measuring out portions just to keep from eating too many. It is just so unfair that something so good for you can derail your whole day by just a few extra pieces!!!
My husband is one of those people who if he has a choice between nutritious food and non-nutritious food, he'll make the wrong choice every time. He doesn't have a weight problem at all, but left to his own devices he'd just eat crap all day. So I started buying those big, yummy jars of mixed nuts at Costco for him because then at least he'd be snacking on something healthy. The trouble is I love them and at 180 calories for 1/4 cup they add up way too fast! But one or two don't hurt. Right? Except I did that multiple times a day!! So I had to stop buying them LOL2 -
I see I am not the only one who's nuts about nuts!
Sorry, I'm feeling goofy this morning.
Carol2 -
ridiculous59 and carol: Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don'...still feel like a nut!LOL!3
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Some healthy fats (MUFAs/PUFAs, O-3s) are a good thing, but nuts are so high fat that they're not IMO at all a good vegetarian protein source . . . more like a fat source, with a protein bonus. (I'm a long term ovo-lacto vegetarian.)
One way to incorporate them, for me, is as an ingredient, rather than as a snack. Seeds or nuts are good on salads, for example; I usually prefer a few nuts (or seeds) and vinegar on a salad, rather than the oil that would be in a dressing. I routinely put half an ounce of walnuts in my daily oatmeal (along with some milled flax seed and hemp hearts). Every once in a while, I eat *one* brazil nut. They're one of my favorite nuts, but they actually contain so much selenium that one can get an excessive dose, if eating lots of the regularly. (One brazil nut has around the RDA of selenium!) I usually have other nuts and seeds around to use in things, too: Blending a modest amount into something like a sweet potato or Winter squash soup (or sprinkling some on top) adds some flavor depth, plus a bit of fat to help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. Toasted taste a little richer, but I mostly get raw and toast them fresh for recipe use.
A recent personal victory was that (in a weak moment, to shortcut a long story) I made about a pound and a half of garlic almonds . . . and managed to dole them out to myself in carefully moderated portions, anything from 7g to a bit over an ounce (28g), depending on how the calorie budget was looking. (I did give away some, though.)
If anyone's having difficulty with protein, this is a very useful thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency, most protein for fewest calories.3 -
I absolutely LOVE nuts, but I have to be careful like everyone else. So, I weigh mine, and then puT them in a ziploc bag. The other night I was doling out a 1/4 cup of almonds for my husbands lunches for this week, and thought....maybe I should weigh this just to be sure... for 1 bag, the 1/4c equaled 48gms, serving size was 1/4 cup or 30gms. Needless to say, I opened every bag (5 for the week) and measured what was in each bag and only have him what the correct portion was 🌺 he never noticed the difference4
