Introduce Yourself
Replies
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Not sure if you've gone through "scale weight indoctrination"; but scale weight means *kittens*.
And if you've also got that strange affliction known as TOM (which I've been told affects a certain percentage of humanity a certain percentage of time
)... your weight will fluctuate due to hormones on top of all the other reasons it fluctuates!
So.... check out trendweight.com (what I tend to use, though you could also use weighgrapher.com or research other options) no device is necessary. you can open a fitbit.com account for data entry without a device. Or check out happy scale on the iphone or libra on android.
And concentrate on your weight TREND over time.
Beyond that... well the first few weeks of weight loss are not necessarily indicative of caloric deficit size but once you get to 4-6 weeks or if things are going crazy fast or crazy slow a re-evaluation of expected vs actual weight loss and what it implies in terms of how much you're eating and moving may well be in order.
Just an initial hint... I would have a hard time conceiving of a person who is dealing with a farm who would not be in the MFP very active category unless they are logging their work separately. I mean I work at a computer and can hit the limits of very active by taking the dog out a couple of times a day (OK: maybe I am overstating things but if your health allows for 2.5 hours of moderate activity a day and you hit that mark... you're well within the caloric burn level indicated by the 1.8x (very active) activity level multiplier)2 -
Not sure if you've gone through "scale weight indoctrination"; but scale weight means *kittens*.
And if you've also got that strange affliction known as TOM ...
So.... check out trendweight.com (what I tend to use, though you could also use weighgrapher.com or research other options) no device is necessary. you can open a fitbit.com account for data entry without a device. Or check out happy scale on the iphone or libra on android.
Just an initial hint... I would have a hard time conceiving of a person who is dealing with a farm who would not be in the MFP very active category unless they are logging their work separately.)
Yess... TOM is an unwelcome guest on a fairly regular basis and does cause it's own issues grrrrr. I don't normally see wild weight swings when that's afoot but I will concede that with the new eating and exercising regime, the hormones are likely getting a wee adjustment to their attitude right now hehe - so I'll chalk that up as a likely contributor.
I shall confess .. This year I'm not actively working on the farm as much as I have in the past. My primary profession is actually as a chartered accountant (I have a home office / practice) so I currently spend a large proportion of the day literally sitting on my "kitten". Therefore I made my budget based on a typical sedentary office week and will log my farm work/exercise separately when I do it. Better that than overestimating my activity levels and over eating.
I use the farm work as my sanity time to be honest. After a gnarly few hours in the office it's actually a good mental exercise (as well as physical) to spend some time out in the fresh air and with the animals.
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Hello~!
While browsing the main forum, I found this group on a whim and debated about joining the group. Lurking is in my blood, yes. In the end, here I am! I'm a 5'2"(62in)/157.48cm female and currently 190.1lbs/86.23kg. I'm aiming for 110lbs/49.9kg because it's a nice number, and it was in the healthy BMI range for my height, supposedly.
I've mostly been trying to build up a habit of tracking everything I eat using MFP. Now that I've achieved it, to an extent, I'm working on actually losing the excess fat and eating nutritionally dense meals. But, for me, the most challenging part has always been figuring out what kind of progress to aim for every week while not starving myself. Finally, I found a macro calculator that calculates the weekly macros and calorie intake to get to the goal weight to avoid analysis paralysis.
That calculator says I'll probably reach my goal in about 33 weeks. I will probably go slower since I'm adjusting the macro ratios to see what makes me feel satiated while enjoying my food, as I've always done. So far, I've lost 2.1lbs/0.95kg, but I'm pretty sure it's just water weight. I have good feelings about this plan, though, since it doesn't seem like I'll be going under my BMR ever.
This is a lot more information than I thought I would be comfortable sharing. But, I look forward to hearing the wise wisdom many here have to share!3 -
Welcome @luxia2020, you've stumbled across a great group! Hopefully you'll find lots of inspiration, support and advice to help you reach your health, weight-loss and fitness goals and develop habits that will help you to sustain them. You've got off to a great start by tracking everything you eat - that's critical to success, in my opinion.
A few observations...
Firstly, the macro calculator's prediction that you'll lose 80lbs in 33 weeks is way off the mark. That's an insanely fast loss rate of 2.42lbs per week, which is simply unsustainable, not to mention extremely unhealthy. An 80lbs loss will take a minimum of 1-2 years. And as for being pleased that your plan will mean never going below your BMR - well, thank goodness for that! Your BMR is the calorie intake that you need to sustain life, to keep your organs working etc. You should be eating considerably more calories than your BMR - you ideally should aim to lose weight on the MOST amount of calories, not the LEAST amount of calories, so that your body isn't put under too much unnecessary stress.
Secondly, you've set yourself a very aggressive target of 49.9kg - why so low? For someone of your height, that's a BMI of 20.1, which is borderline underweight. Why not set yourself a goal of 60kg (a BMI of 24.2) and then reassess? That way you only need to lose 58lbs not 80lbs - which will still take you longer than a year, but is a much less daunting target.
I'm 2.5cm shorter than you, and my target is 60kg. I started at 96kg (so a target loss of 80lbs) and I've set myself a rough timeframe of 18-24 months to achieve it. Then, once I get to 60kg, I've set myself an indefinite timeframe (but definitely at least 12 months) to lose the final 3kg to take me to my ultimate goal weight of 57kg.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but if I were you I'd definitely set a more sensible time frame for reaching goal, and raise your target weight to something towards the higher end of the 'normal' BMI range.
Good luck and welcome to the group!2 -
Hello, Bella! Thank you for your warm welcome!Bella_Figura wrote: »Welcome @luxia2020, you've stumbled across a great group! Hopefully you'll find lots of inspiration, support and advice to help you reach your health, weight-loss and fitness goals and develop habits that will help you to sustain them. You've got off to a great start by tracking everything you eat - that's critical to success, in my opinion.
Thank you for taking the time to note down some concerns you have about this! I didn't think the numbers made sense at first, either! It was a little confusing to use the calculator. I had to double-check the usage instructions a few times before I settled with it. The instructions said to use an adjusted body weight (which was calculated to 145.35lbs/65.93kg for me) because apparently, fat/adipose tissue is metabolically less actively compared to lean tissue. It says professional dieticians use it to calculate a weight loss plan for patients, so I just rolled with it.Bella_Figura wrote: »A few observations...
Firstly, the macro calculator's prediction that you'll lose 80lbs in 33 weeks is way off the mark. That's an insanely fast loss rate of 2.42lbs per week, which is simply unsustainable, not to mention extremely unhealthy. An 80lbs loss will take a minimum of 1-2 years. And as for being pleased that your plan will mean never going below your BMR - well, thank goodness for that! Your BMR is the calorie intake that you need to sustain life, to keep your organs working etc. You should be eating considerably more calories than your BMR - you ideally should aim to lose weight on the MOST amount of calories, not the LEAST amount of calories, so that your body isn't put under too much unnecessary stress.
May you please explain what you mean by "ideally should aim to lose weight on the MOST amount of calories"? I'm a little confused by this line.
As for now, I'm going to keep rolling with it until I can read up some more. 110lbs/49.9kg is a cute nice-numbered goal I can "set once and forget," so to speak, so that I can focus on the process instead. My little way of tricking my head, so I stay on track!
I'm not worried if I don't make it within the calculated time frame since I'm probably going to go three to five times slower. I love food too much (hence my ongoing weight problem, hahaha!). Instead of changing it up every week, I'm probably going to change to the next "set" as I drop a milestone weight instead.
I do find it odd, you consider a BMI of 20.1 as borderline underweight as the BMI chart I was referring to says the healthy range was 18.5 to 25, which puts 21.75 at the exact middle. Maybe I'm missing something here? A score of 20.1 doesn't seem that far from 21.75. Though realistically speaking, I will probably settle in the 125-115lbs/56.7-52.2kg range as the end goal. It's probably still on the lower side from what I'm understanding, but again, I have to keep my brain on its toes (or nerves in this case?) somehow!Bella_Figura wrote: »Secondly, you've set yourself a very aggressive target of 49.9kg - why so low? For someone of your height, that's a BMI of 20.1, which is borderline underweight. Why not set yourself a goal of 60kg (a BMI of 24.2) and then reassess? That way you only need to lose 58lbs not 80lbs - which will still take you longer than a year, but is a much less daunting target.
I'm 2.5cm shorter than you, and my target is 60kg. I started at 96kg (so a target loss of 80lbs) and I've set myself a rough timeframe of 18-24 months to achieve it. Then, once I get to 60kg, I've set myself an indefinite timeframe (but definitely at least 12 months) to lose the final 3kg to take me to my ultimate goal weight of 57kg.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but if I were you I'd definitely set a more sensible time frame for reaching goal, and raise your target weight to something towards the higher end of the 'normal' BMI range.
Good luck and welcome to the group!
I'm already looking forward to seeing the responses to this reply!
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May you please explain what you mean by "ideally should aim to lose weight on the MOST amount of calories"? I'm a little confused by this line.
I just meant that the chances of success in any endeavour (but especially one as notoriously difficult as weight loss) are greater if you remove as many obstacles as possible and make the process as easy and unchallenging as you possibly can. So, if you can lose weight consistently on 1800 calories a day, without making life too difficult for yourself, why would you choose to restrict yourself to 1400 calories a day?
Yes, you'd lose faster on 1400 calories, but sometimes it's better to set a slower weight loss goal and actually enjoy the process.
If you stick around this group (which I hope you do) you'll see that I'm often being gently chided for losing too fast, and advised to slow down a little. It's good advice, that I follow poorly. I've increased my calories a few times to slow the loss rate, but it's still on the fast side (it's averaged 1.5lbs a week since March). In my defence, I'm not experiencing cravings, hunger, tiredness or lethargy and my skin/hair/nails are all strong, so perhaps my body can cope - for a while - with the aggressive deficit. But eventually the fast pace will take its toll. I took a 14 day deficit break in September and I have another planned for December and a third planned for March, which gives my body chance to recover and replenish its reserves.
There is a WEALTH of good advice in the old threads...and there are some wise and wonderful people in this group who will be generous with help, support and counsel. Wishing you all the best!3 -
Garfield!!! (I.e. @Bella_Figura who resembles Garfield free falling rapidly), I am impressed with your internalization of my arguments and by that beautifully good, in my opinion, plan for the last 3kg👍
Will try to say hi to @luxia2020 when I'm at a computer2 -
I started April 1st of this year I weighed in at 394 lbs. I knew I had to do something about because I was sick and tired of not having energy, I didn’t like the way I looked in my clothes and also I didn’t feel I was appealing to anyone for dating purposes. I feel that your why has to be strong enough to stick to something to make it a daily habit and you have to enjoy what your doing or your not gonna stick to it.
I started on my own but about mid June I was at 362 lbs. and felt like I needed more accountability, so I started looking for an online coach who I could get that from. I settled on a coach and I have to do weekly check ins and that makes me accountable to the point that I am paying a significant amount of money for the coaching so I should use it. Since that time I have dropped to 285.8 lbs with another 95 lbs to go and my long term goal is to be there at 12/31/22.
I have a job where I’m at a computer desk for 10 hours a day, my commute to and from work is roughly 2 hours a day, but I make the time to do meal preps and get my workouts in. I wake up and get a 20-30 minute cardio session before getting dressed for work and then get a walk in during my half hour lunch.
I know if I can be successful at it anyone can as well. I have tons of energy now my legs don’t ache with stiffness and I am off my blood pressure medication that I had been on since 2014.6 -
Welcome to the flock. We’re all in various stages of losing or maintaining. The group is very supportive. Look forward to your posts and successes 😍1
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msharrel75 wrote: »I started April 1st of this year I weighed in at 394 lbs. I knew I had to do something about because I was sick and tired of not having energy, I didn’t like the way I looked in my clothes and also I didn’t feel I was appealing to anyone for dating purposes. I feel that your why has to be strong enough to stick to something to make it a daily habit and you have to enjoy what your doing or your not gonna stick to it.
I started on my own but about mid June I was at 362 lbs. and felt like I needed more accountability, so I started looking for an online coach who I could get that from. I settled on a coach and I have to do weekly check ins and that makes me accountable to the point that I am paying a significant amount of money for the coaching so I should use it. Since that time I have dropped to 285.8 lbs with another 95 lbs to go and my long term goal is to be there at 12/31/22.
I have a job where I’m at a computer desk for 10 hours a day, my commute to and from work is roughly 2 hours a day, but I make the time to do meal preps and get my workouts in. I wake up and get a 20-30 minute cardio session before getting dressed for work and then get a walk in during my half hour lunch.
I know if I can be successful at it anyone can as well. I have tons of energy now my legs don’t ache with stiffness and I am off my blood pressure medication that I had been on since 2014.
Welcome! You're doing amazingly well - post often so that we can cheer you on and be inspired by your progress!3 -
Hello everyone! I’m 40 years old, 5’ 7” and my starting-over weight is 230.6 lbs. I’ve been on MFP off and on since November 2011. I have never been involved with any groups or had any accountability buddies on here though so maybe you all can help.
I’ve definitely found that when I’m being conscientious about logging my food, water and workouts that I’m much more likely to live a healthier lifestyle. I will look to see how many calories I have left for the day to stay within my goal before deciding if I can afford another snack, or when I’m close to hitting my step count goal for the day it motivates me to get up and take a lap around the neighborhood before bed. So.. this time around I’m going to try to stick to these two mantras that I read somewhere that have really stuck with me…
“If you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up!“
And
“Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard!”
That is so true! And personally I’m so over the hard of being fat and all that comes with it. From getting winded walking across the parking lot, to having to unbutton my pants to put on shoes, to my knees or ankles almost giving way going down stairs, to never being comfortable, to never liking what I see in the mirror…. I’m over the hard that comes from being fat!
Who is with me!?
I really like that this group has been around a while and is still active with members commenting on posts and encouraging others. If you want to friend me to share daily food dairies or exercise motivation to have an accountability buddy I’m open to that as well.
Starting weight: 230.6 lbs (1/1/2022)
Current weight: 226.9 lbs (1/5/2022)
Target weight: 135.0 lbs (the one day goal)
The be happy with myself again weight: 150 lbs (Target date: 2/15/2023 - Avg 1.5 lbs per week loss)2 -
Welcome, @dkr529. "Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard!” is bandied around here quite a bit. Something to get you through the tough moments - and then, eventually it will be "maintaining a healthy weight is hard..."
There are many great posts in the archives here that will help you on your journey - look for those written by NovusDies.
Come join any of the threads going on - a few of them are active everyday, and it is really nice to see a new "face"! Several of us our counting on 2022 being the year we reach our final goals. You too!2 -
Hello Everyone, I am new to the social aspect of MFP. This year I owe it to myself to get healthier by any means necessary. Support on my journey is a huge black out area. Hard to find like minded people who have over 100lbs to lose. Losing weight isn't as difficult as keeping it off. Add me as a friend if you like and lets go on this journey together. Have a great day and much success!2
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This year I owe it to myself to get healthier by any means necessary.
While you certainly want to lose the weight and be healthy, please do it slowly and thoughtfully. You need the time to develop habits that will sustain your weight loss over time. You’re young and want to enjoy your new self in the years to come!
As a yo-yo dieter, I didn’t learn these lessons until I was 70. I do regret the loss of all the years I could have been happier. But I am soooo much happier now with nearly 100 lbs. gone.2 -
Welcome new members!….please join in any conversation….we are a great bunch of “ losers “… we are at all different spots in our journeys…some of us are only beginning, some have lost a lot and some are in maintenance….all of our stories are unique but we are all here to get healthy and to lose weight….2
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Hello everyone. I am here because I have over 175 pounds to lose. I always try to do it alone, and it never works out for me so, I decided to join the group. I hope that it will motivate me to reach my goals of losing weight and becoming healthier.
My starting weight is 387 lbs.
My current weight is 375 lbs.
My goal weight is 200 lbs.5 -
Hello everyone. I am here because I have over 175 pounds to lose. I always try to do it alone, and it never works out for me so, I decided to join the group. I hope that it will motivate me to reach my goals of losing weight and becoming healthier.
My starting weight is 387 lbs.
My current weight is 375 lbs.
My goal weight is 200 lbs.
Welcome! We’re all here to help you.3 -
Hello everyone. I am here because I have over 175 pounds to lose. I always try to do it alone, and it never works out for me so, I decided to join the group. I hope that it will motivate me to reach my goals of losing weight and becoming healthier.
My starting weight is 387 lbs.
My current weight is 375 lbs.
My goal weight is 200 lbs.
Welcome to the group! You can do this! What I’m focusing on right now personally is setting smaller short term goals because looking at the big picture of how far I have left can be disheartening at times. I’m setting realistic 2-week milestone goals at the moment. I know I’m just starting (over) and the weight comes off a little easier in the beginning, but I’m already 1.6 pounds from my 1/20 milestone goal I set for myself. I think hitting those smaller targets over and over will be helpful to keep me motivated. If you are ever looking for motivation or feedback this group has been a good one thus far. If you want an accountability buddy add me as a friend. :-)5 -
Hello everyone. I am here because I have over 175 pounds to lose. I always try to do it alone, and it never works out for me so, I decided to join the group. I hope that it will motivate me to reach my goals of losing weight and becoming healthier.
My starting weight is 387 lbs.
My current weight is 375 lbs.
My goal weight is 200 lbs.
Welcome!
I can certainly commiserate with you; I'm back here after dropping 155 lbs, then gaining back 65 lbs of it over the next year. I do find that it helps to have others to talk to who understand our unique situation when it comes to needing to lose a large amount of weight; even with 90 lbs still off (and I've managed to keep that 90 lbs off since 2017 at least!), I still have 100 lbs left to lose to be at my ideal weight (which still isn't BMI weight for me) or at least 90 lbs to get into the "overweight" category and out of the obese one.
its frustrating for sure to lose and regain, lose and regain, but I'm learning to focus on the wins, such as not regaining all the way back up to my highest weight and staying out of the 300 lbs again - some days are better than others, though I'm not the easiest person on myself!
But the thing I keep telling myself is that the only way to ensure defeat is to quit trying; as long as I keep trying, there is always hope that I will succeed!5 -
Welcome, @HelKimKim. I hope/believe you will find the same amazing support and knowledge, and friendship that I found in this group. So many things to learn! I'm learning all the time. I know the earlier posts from Novus Dies helped me a great deal. The archive of this group is full of treasures. I came to think of every minute spent reading through the archive as a minute well spent - and started using that as a negotiating system when cravings hit. Sometimes (most times) those urges will pass in 5 minutes or so. So if you can delay giving in for 10 minutes you can win! (and learn a lot along the way).
I love @dkr529's suggestion of setting 2-week milestone goals. For every stage of the weight loss/maintenance journey.
I'm going to try adopting that myself, DKR. I lost 85 pounds to hit my goal, and then reduced my goal by another 20lbs - hit that then lowered my goal another 15 pounds. That didn't happen. Maintenance/slow loss has been elusive for me. Surgery this past fall and failed maintenance allowed 25 pounds to creep back on. I'm thinking a 2-week goal system might work well for me? At least for a little while. Sometimes novelty works too.
Hope to see you around the different threads - please hop in anywhere that interests you!5 -
Hi all!
My last time around the MFP mountain was (yikes) almost 9 years ago. All in all, despite the events of those years... Love & loss, moving, job changes, etc. - it took 9 years to completely undo my progress. I think I'll take that as a win. 🤣
Fast forward to July 2021 - after a marked "loss" period of life changes, I finally got myself back on a scale and started over.
Since July 6th, I've lost just shy of 60 pounds. To get to an ultimate/stretch (best guess at this point) goal weight, I have 84.8 pounds to go.
I'll be turning 37 next month, and while the journey is definitely different than it was at 28 - I'm different, too. ☺️
I'll be the first to admit I'm not great at "keeping up" with groups/MFP friend encouragements - but I'm hoping that maybe I'll engage a bit here, get some ideas, celebrate some of all of our wins... Even have some fun, dare I say?3 -
Welcome to the group of Larger Losers!….lots of good advice in older posts….please join in the conversations….we are a small but mighty group!…any questions don’t be afraid to ask and all advice is gladly taken!3
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Hi everyone, I am 53 years old and have struggled with weight pretty much my whole life since middle school. Like most of us, I have had ups and downs and tried different things. I stepped on the scale this week and was really upset that I hit 322 lbs. Heart disease runs in my family on both sides so I have GOT to get this weight down and live a healthier lifestyle. So yeah, I am definitely a larger loser. I am looking forward to interacting with others and gleaning knowledge and encouragement. I also hope to give encouragement as well!4
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Welcome to both new members! We’re really out here but sometimes weekends are slow posting times. As Connie said go back and read some of the earlier threads. Great and helpful advice.3
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Welcome @MelissaAY1017 and @vbcoach817 - this is a great group, where you can count on getting plenty of support and encouragement.
And, as Yooly and Connie said, there's a WEALTH of wisdom and information in some of the old threads, so don't forget to check them out!5 -
Hi! I started off in MyFitnessPal in February 2015 at 300 lbs. I am a nurse practitioner, and felt horrible about the example I was setting for patients. My weight was also affecting my marriage and was keeping me from enjoying vacations and my favorite hobby of singing in a show chorus. I started diligently logging calories and also watching sodium, and tried to get plenty of fiber and protein. It worked, slowly, and I got down to 220 lbs by the end of 2019. Then COVID hit, and between the stress of work, less activity, and drinking wine more often I gained back 30 lbs. In February 2021, starting at 250 lbs, I enrolled in Wondr Health through my insurance plan--a mindful eating program. That, in combo with the information I learned with 4 years of logging on MyFitnessPal, has worked REALLY well--I am now down to 162.4 lbs! My goal is 140. Really thrilled with how this is going!
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WOW- what a difference. Except for the smile you’re a whole new person.
Welcome to the Larger Losers! It’s a little quiet here this week. But we’re all really out here. ❣️ I know you have plenty of wisdom to share with us.3 -
Welcome @jenniferelizabethwiseman - what an amazing transformation! You look sensational!3
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@Yoolypr and @Bella_Figura, thank you for the greetings! I don't spend nearly as much time on MFP as I did when I was logging regularly--now am on the site for the program I am using in conjunction--but I still come on here fairly often to update my numbers and also to check foods that maybe I am not as familiar with in terms of calories and macros. And sometimes just for socializing/support! Some weeks are easy, some, not so much. I am still working on recognizing my new body image, and once I get to goal, will need to learn to maintain. Looking forward to reading some of these threads!2
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Wow!….what an amazing transformation!…we could all learn so much from you….please join in our group and share your journey with us…we are a small informal group at all different stages of weight loss….there is a lot of wisdom in older posts here….welcome!3
