On a journey to change my life by 40... Dedicated and supportive friends needed!
LeahIsALoser
Posts: 78 Member
Hi everyone, my name is Leah. I turned 39 yesterday and I don't want to be in the same place I am now when I hit 40.
I have 80+ pounds I need to shed and my goal is to have 80 lbs gone by this time next year (though I ultimately need to lose 100 to be at an ideal weight).
I'm looking for dedicated friends who are wanting to give/get support on MFP. My plan is to avoid wheat and processed sugars, eat within an 8-12 hour window every day, and to do a 24-36 hour fast once weekly. I have a daily goal of 5,000 steps right now and am planning to quickly up that to 10,000+, daily. Strength/toning 3-4 days a week. All these measures are subject to change dependant upon my progress and any plateaus I may encounter.
I am a girly-girl at heart and beauty/fashion are hugely motivating for me. My health is important, and I want good things for myself in that regard, but the esthetic factor definitely comes into play for me as well so if you like that kind of thing and celebrate fashion goals then we will likely get along swimmingly!!
All cool people are welcome to add me. I plan to log in and interact on MFP daily.
I have 80+ pounds I need to shed and my goal is to have 80 lbs gone by this time next year (though I ultimately need to lose 100 to be at an ideal weight).
I'm looking for dedicated friends who are wanting to give/get support on MFP. My plan is to avoid wheat and processed sugars, eat within an 8-12 hour window every day, and to do a 24-36 hour fast once weekly. I have a daily goal of 5,000 steps right now and am planning to quickly up that to 10,000+, daily. Strength/toning 3-4 days a week. All these measures are subject to change dependant upon my progress and any plateaus I may encounter.
I am a girly-girl at heart and beauty/fashion are hugely motivating for me. My health is important, and I want good things for myself in that regard, but the esthetic factor definitely comes into play for me as well so if you like that kind of thing and celebrate fashion goals then we will likely get along swimmingly!!
All cool people are welcome to add me. I plan to log in and interact on MFP daily.
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Replies
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Congratulations on your amazing spirit, motivation, and great attitude, as well as knowing what motivates you so that you can figure out ways of celebrating your victories along the way. That will all be great!
You have set a pretty ambitious goal for anyone - losing 80-100 lbs in one year. I have no idea what your height and current weight is or what MFP recommendations are for your calories and exercise as a result, but I am just finished with losing somewhat over 50 lbs in a little more than 14 months, (I am 5’8” and 137.6 at the moment) and if you are open to a couple of suggestions I would make one overall suggestion in terms of how you approach the process which I think helps with sustaining motivation over the long term.
You’ve identified a plan which is very ambitious and combines a bunch of different things you say you want to avoid and rules you want to set for your eating. And then combines that with a work out plan. But are any of these things tied to any concrete recommendations that your primary care physician has made for you based on your health needs? If not, there is no particular need to adopt rules that eliminate things from your diet or institute fasting periods etc. unless they personally help you to eat within a given caloric limit or avoid trigger foods that would lead you to overeat. It won’t make a difference in your weight loss one way or the other and often people who do lose weight according to some diet plan they have adopted go back to their old eating habits once they are “done” with the diet, and they regain all the weight they lost. I’d suggest reading some of the posts here and just following a reasonable calorie reduction plan and you will be fine unless your doctor has suggested otherwise.
While setting up a big plan or a “diet” and a serious work out regimen to follow rigorously often gives one the kick in the butt they need to start doing something - anything- to get serious about their health (so it can be a good thing in a way), you can also burn out quickly if it is not well planned out or if the goals are all too long term and you don’t have any short term victories to look forward to achieving and celebrating and then figuring out what the new plan should be in setting the next goal.
I am definitely not a person who goes in for business coaching type advice, but I was in an academic seminar the other day where they were telling us how to set up our personal and professional goals for the summer and they told us to do both the same way, applying what is apparently a well known business management technique: setting. “SMART” goals. Those are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Time-Bound. As we went through the process I realized that the key was the achievable, reasonable and time-bound part …. Sure, I could say I want to lose 100 lbs in a year, and that is specific, but it isn’t actually even terribly measurable, because I don’t have a good way of judging if I am on track or not given the non-linear nature of weight loss. For the same reasons it is unclear whether it is achievable or reasonable. I might begin losing weight and working out and find that my muscles make me look way better even though the scale number is different than I expected. Or something crazy may happen in my life causing me to have to change my time scale for losing the 100 lbs. I would rather achieve 5 smaller goals and keep making progress than hit a roadblock and feel like a failure and stop entirely. So better to say I will lose 10lbs in x weeks at the rate of x lbs per week beginning on Monday and weighing in daily, recording my weights weekly, weighing and recording everything I eat on MFP until x date x weeks away. Then I will reassess and set the next goal. (There are multiple threads on here that are 3 mos and 15 lbs or similar type accountability groups that might help keep you on track if that is of interest). This gives me a way to track what is going on and assess what is reasonable at any given point in time and adjust etc. It also gives me something to celebrate when I reach each goal.
Since you are motivated by fashion etc. you could even build that into the plan. I will buy myself a new work out outfit at the beginning of each new goal so that I feel awesome going to the gym. When I achieve my goal I will celebrate by getting a mani/pedi. Etc. (I am sure you have cooler and more motivating ideas in mind since you may already do this stuff anyway).
Anyway, 40 was fun, so look forward to it whatever weight you ultimately are. You have already made the commitment to your self to meet it healthier so that is a success right there. Here is wishing you many smaller successes along the way to your ultimate goal.4 -
Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »Congratulations on your amazing spirit, motivation, and great attitude, as well as knowing what motivates you so that you can figure out ways of celebrating your victories along the way. That will all be great!
You have set a pretty ambitious goal for anyone - losing 80-100 lbs in one year. I have no idea what your height and current weight is or what MFP recommendations are for your calories and exercise as a result, but I am just finished with losing somewhat over 50 lbs in a little more than 14 months, (I am 5’8” and 137.6 at the moment) and if you are open to a couple of suggestions I would make one overall suggestion in terms of how you approach the process which I think helps with sustaining motivation over the long term.
You’ve identified a plan which is very ambitious and combines a bunch of different things you say you want to avoid and rules you want to set for your eating. And then combines that with a work out plan. But are any of these things tied to any concrete recommendations that your primary care physician has made for you based on your health needs? If not, there is no particular need to adopt rules that eliminate things from your diet or institute fasting periods etc. unless they personally help you to eat within a given caloric limit or avoid trigger foods that would lead you to overeat. It won’t make a difference in your weight loss one way or the other and often people who do lose weight according to some diet plan they have adopted go back to their old eating habits once they are “done” with the diet, and they regain all the weight they lost. I’d suggest reading some of the posts here and just following a reasonable calorie reduction plan and you will be fine unless your doctor has suggested otherwise.
While setting up a big plan or a “diet” and a serious work out regimen to follow rigorously often gives one the kick in the butt they need to start doing something - anything- to get serious about their health (so it can be a good thing in a way), you can also burn out quickly if it is not well planned out or if the goals are all too long term and you don’t have any short term victories to look forward to achieving and celebrating and then figuring out what the new plan should be in setting the next goal.
I am definitely not a person who goes in for business coaching type advice, but I was in an academic seminar the other day where they were telling us how to set up our personal and professional goals for the summer and they told us to do both the same way, applying what is apparently a well known business management technique: setting. “SMART” goals. Those are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Time-Bound. As we went through the process I realized that the key was the achievable, reasonable and time-bound part …. Sure, I could say I want to lose 100 lbs in a year, and that is specific, but it isn’t actually even terribly measurable, because I don’t have a good way of judging if I am on track or not given the non-linear nature of weight loss. For the same reasons it is unclear whether it is achievable or reasonable. I might begin losing weight and working out and find that my muscles make me look way better even though the scale number is different than I expected. Or something crazy may happen in my life causing me to have to change my time scale for losing the 100 lbs. I would rather achieve 5 smaller goals and keep making progress than hit a roadblock and feel like a failure and stop entirely. So better to say I will lose 10lbs in x weeks at the rate of x lbs per week beginning on Monday and weighing in daily, recording my weights weekly, weighing and recording everything I eat on MFP until x date x weeks away. Then I will reassess and set the next goal. (There are multiple threads on here that are 3 mos and 15 lbs or similar type accountability groups that might help keep you on track if that is of interest). This gives me a way to track what is going on and assess what is reasonable at any given point in time and adjust etc. It also gives me something to celebrate when I reach each goal.
Since you are motivated by fashion etc. you could even build that into the plan. I will buy myself a new work out outfit at the beginning of each new goal so that I feel awesome going to the gym. When I achieve my goal I will celebrate by getting a mani/pedi. Etc. (I am sure you have cooler and more motivating ideas in mind since you may already do this stuff anyway).
Anyway, 40 was fun, so look forward to it whatever weight you ultimately are. You have already made the commitment to your self to meet it healthier so that is a success right there. Here is wishing you many smaller successes along the way to your ultimate goal.
Apologies if I'm responding in a technically unpractical way with the quote, haha. I'm not very savvy that way.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and helpful response!
I'm 5'8" also! But 260.2 pounds... So almost twice your weight. 80 pounds would bring me to a little over 180 this time next year.
The gluten/processed sugar avoidance is per doctor recommendation, but it is only that--a reccommendation to try. He felt it may help with some inflammatory issues I have, as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver (sugar and things that spike it are apparently the devil). I have tried Keto in the past but could never last with it, since I would look at a piece of fruit and feel angry that I couldn't have it because my carb allotment wouldn't accommodate and it didn't compute in my mind.
80 pounds is my year-long goal and would mean losing an average of about 1.6 lbs per week. But I think it makes sense to have smaller goals as you mentioned, especially since weight loss is easiest when you first begin a journey, so my goal for my first few months might be 8-10 pounds in a month, while a goal for later months might be closer to 4 or 5. I plan to track my stats and reevaluate goals on a month to month basis. My goal for this month is 5,000 or more steps a day as a starting point and to hopefully lose 10 pounds by cutting my caloric intake to about 1800 a day.
I fast because I do tend to binge in the evenings and placing a time limit on myself has proven to be effective for limiting my calories in the past. I enjoy a regular 24+ hour fast even when I'm not dieting sometimes because I feel it benefits my NAFLD through increased autophagy and I feel more energetic on my fasting days. I hope I'm making sense.
I agree this is a lofty goal and will take a lot of dedication and effort. I'm up for it but I really like your idea of breaking things down into smaller goals and taking life as it comes. Thank you for that sound advice.
May I add you as a friend?1 -
Lets be friends, I am almost 39 and in a similar boat. I am looking to lose close to 100 lbs before July next year!0
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Hi Leah and other friends! My name is Erin and I will be 39 in 3 months. I am currently on the road to lose around 60lbs. I would love to be friend and help encourage each other. It's so nice to have other people help hold you accountable.
I have used MFP on and off for the last 8 years. Back then, it helped me lose 80 lbs. Fast forward to today and two children later, I am almost back up to where I started and need to get back down to feel better. Carrying this extra weight is exhausting. I am 5'7 and weigh about 240lbs.
I currently walk 10,000 steps per day (I work in the medical field) so I am always on the move. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE food!
Let's be friends!!!
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Hello Leah!
My name is Greg and I'm working towards losing 138 pounds. Just turned 40 . I've currently lost 50. Started at 388 and I'm now down to 338 since the end of February. I swim laps 5 days a week and do quite a bit of walking. I log all the meals the night before which helps a ton. It allows me to see how much wiggle room I have for snacks. So far so good!2 -
I would love to get in on this conversation, I am 54, a little older than y'all and I have some issues to overcome, diabetes, 300lbs, knee replacements, medications AND menopause. However, I don't want to talk about my inhibitions and problems. I want to get on the train and talk to other motivated people who are trying hard. I'm changing my medication and my diet to accommodate my physical needs and mitigate my side effects, I'm going to PT and I am here, logging for 31 days now and lost 5 lbs (plus 15 since January). No it's not fantastic and I don't expect myself to lose more than 40 or 50 lbs in a year, but I am committed to showing up, which in my experience is about 80% of the battle.
My first goal is get out of the '300' category and I have 3 lbs to go. I have been working on cooking at home, eating more veggies and less fat, aiming for no added sugars at all. I also got an exercise bike in January and I start PT for my hip this morning which should help with enabling me to walk without a cane and get going walking outside. Other short term goals are meal planning and eliminating snacks before bed.
I hope I can be helpful and gain motivation at the same time. I look forward to learning more about each of you.2 -
Carb cravings can be from hungry parasites pushing you to take in what THEY need to survive. Keto makes them hungry but an anti-parasite protocol will kill enough of them to get you on the downward slope.
Regarding keto, yes, but more specifically wheat is the big problem for many of us who are grossly overweight.
Start any parasite cleanse, be it diatomaceous earth, ivermectin, fenbenazole, black walnut, wormwood or whatever. Check curezone forums for ideas, buy from iHerb or your local veterinary pharmacy.
Intermittant fasting helps, calorie restriction, and at least in the beginning max carbs 25g per day. Non-starch veg only, no fruit, but all the steak I can ram down my neck.
I lost 66 lbs since end of December 2021 without any exercise, my wife lost over 40 lbs. I was 314 now 250 as of 27MAY22 almost half-way to my goal weight, in 5 months. Im not hungry, and feel fine. Eventually you can exercise and increase carbs if you want, just without industrial food-like substances...
search for leptin reset, Dr Jack is onto something big. Follow his leptin program as best you can
Also gut microbiome is critically important, search for the wheat belly doc's site for guidance.
Do this and you'll lose weight lying on the couch, inshallah. Its not difficult or complicated.
If you decide to try it, let me know.
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I was just diagnosed with NAFLD, at age 70. My doctor told me no sugar, no white flour, no dairy except for non-fat, only very lean meat, fish, no skin on chicken or turkey. NAFLD happens when the body can't process sugar and fats properly. He recommended only olive oil, canola oil - no coconut or palm oils, no margarine because they tend to have hydrogenated oils, which are also not healthy.
There doesn't seem to be a diet geared specifically to treat NAFLD, but the research I've done so far on NAFLD shows the Mediterranean diet appears the most beneficial. My doctor said KETO is no better than Atkins, since they both promote a higher percent of calories from fat, which makes NAFLD worse.0 -
@LeahIsALoser Hi Leah - just checking in to see how your first week went. What worked for you? How do you feel? What awesome workout fashion goals are keeping you motivated? Just letting you know that I saw this thread pop back up in the conversations so was thinking of you and your goals, and now also the other people who are joining you.0
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Hi! I’ll add you! I have similar goals. I am 37 with 80 lbs to lose and 2 kids.0
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Hi, I sent a friend request. I am 39 (40 is close though) and a fair bit to lose. I started in January and am walking 30 mins per day and logging all food. I started out with much more conservative goals (don't quite for 30 days) but now I'm starting to build up bigger goals. I'm a serial quitter but this time I've made if over the hump and think I might stick with it. Looking for friends to help keep this interesting. I feel like the more time I spent on MFP the less I snack0
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LeahIsALoser wrote: »Hi everyone, my name is Leah. I turned 39 yesterday and I don't want to be in the same place I am now when I hit 40.
I have 80+ pounds I need to shed and my goal is to have 80 lbs gone by this time next year (though I ultimately need to lose 100 to be at an ideal weight).
I'm looking for dedicated friends who are wanting to give/get support on MFP. My plan is to avoid wheat and processed sugars, eat within an 8-12 hour window every day, and to do a 24-36 hour fast once weekly. I have a daily goal of 5,000 steps right now and am planning to quickly up that to 10,000+, daily. Strength/toning 3-4 days a week. All these measures are subject to change dependant upon my progress and any plateaus I may encounter.
I am a girly-girl at heart and beauty/fashion are hugely motivating for me. My health is important, and I want good things for myself in that regard, but the esthetic factor definitely comes into play for me as well so if you like that kind of thing and celebrate fashion goals then we will likely get along swimmingly!!
All cool people are welcome to add me. I plan to log in and interact on MFP daily.
I do intermittent fasting and I like you feel the most energised on days I fast. My mood, my digestive issues, my sleep and my energy levels have all improved since I started fasting. I also like the freedom I have to eat a big dinner with my kids in the evening and not worry if I can fit this or that in as well...it just works for me0 -
LeahIsALoser wrote: »Hi everyone, my name is Leah. I turned 39 yesterday and I don't want to be in the same place I am now when I hit 40.
I have 80+ pounds I need to shed and my goal is to have 80 lbs gone by this time next year (though I ultimately need to lose 100 to be at an ideal weight).
I'm looking for dedicated friends who are wanting to give/get support on MFP. My plan is to avoid wheat and processed sugars, eat within an 8-12 hour window every day, and to do a 24-36 hour fast once weekly. I have a daily goal of 5,000 steps right now and am planning to quickly up that to 10,000+, daily. Strength/toning 3-4 days a week. All these measures are subject to change dependant upon my progress and any plateaus I may encounter.
I am a girly-girl at heart and beauty/fashion are hugely motivating for me. My health is important, and I want good things for myself in that regard, but the esthetic factor definitely comes into play for me as well so if you like that kind of thing and celebrate fashion goals then we will likely get along swimmingly!!
All cool people are welcome to add me. I plan to log in and interact on MFP daily.
Sent you a friend request btw 😊0 -
Your post totally resonates with me. We have similar stats and similar goals. I’ve been on a yo yo with my weight since high school. I weigh more now than I did 9 months pregnant with either of my huge kids and really need to work hard to stick to something that works. Good luck!!!0
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@LeahIsALoser ,,,, HI Leah in the case of "loser" as in losing weight is a PLUS!! That'll help to motivate you. I am Diane and I am a bit older than you are. In the past 8 weeks I've lost 7.5 LBs. I am so HAPPY with this!!! Like you I came onto MFP looking for support. I found it too!! No it's not a "magic pill" or a "new idea" we all know if we've been on this journey before there's no trick to way to lose weight.
WE DO need support. Come and join us on the 2022 Summer 5% Challenge these wonderful woman and a few men are so encouraging!! The 5% Challenge is designed to help us not only to "lose weight" but to also keep it OFF for life. We learn through the 8 weeks healthy habits (not all are about eating, because life encompasses all the areas of our lives. For instance during the Spring 5% we also worked on for 2 weeks decluttering for 10 mins a day. How did that help me personally? Without an little clutter piles, I feel better in my bedroom. IT's just more relaxing, and I HAVE been sleeping better, also we had at one point worked on having a healthy bedtime routine, because if we do not sleep, we do not lose well. It's a GREAT challenge. The exercise we do helps us and the team we choose to belong to (there are 8 teams to choose from on the 5% some of them like to compete ,,,it's in their description others do not so there's a team for everyone). Please we do caution ALL when you come aboard to start at your current exercise (or 10 mins a day maybe 3 times a week if new to exercise, by exercise it can be chair exercise, it can be PT exercises, I started with just moving my arms and legs since I barely moved at 288 lbs, I am now 172) but NEVER oh please never overdo and cause an injury. THIS Is the type of caring we all have, the support we give and get.
Here's the link ANYONE can check this out. Its a great team
AFTER You hit JOIN please pick a team
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/143186-2022-summer-5-challenge-community-opens-for-joining-6-5-22
Leah this is your personal invite from myself. Again ALL OTHERS CAN ALSO JOIN2 -
Heyyyy @LeahIsALoser - my name is Tiffany. I'll be 38 in September and have about 90-ish lbs to lose. I am going to send you a friend request. 0
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Hi all, I am Emma - I am on a weight loss journey. I am not a new starter I have been up and down in weight for years. I am back on the weight loss train trying to loose around 4 stone🌻. I want to make friends who are having the same journey and have a similar mindset! 🤩 Would love to keep you accountable and myself add my username as a friend on MFP! X1
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I'm Maryann. About to turn 39 here too. Also in the 5'8" club. LOL. Trying to get to maintenance and stop the yoyo. I lost 62 of my planned 80lsb loss from late 2019 - mid 2021, then gained 30 of it back over the past year due to some medical things I *think* I have worked out by this point. Ready to lose the 48lbs its going to take me to get to my goal by my 40th. Feel free to add me!0
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Oh wow! This blew up on me and I didn't even know it! I am headed in to work right now but will update you all later. Things are going great!!0
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And yes, add away! I don't always get notifications so don't sweat it if it takes a few days for me to accept!0
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Hi! Welcome to my middle of the night sleeplessness ha. I just turned 38/in May/ and I’d like to lose 150lbs by the time I’m 40. Ideally before then, but. Smart goals. Im a caregiver for both of my sick/elderly parents, and I myself have MS, so my life is a little bit of the circus. I’d love to be friends and motivate each other on this journey. I do love all things fashion and glamour as well but I sure do love being outside and disconnected too ha.
Looking forward to reaching our goals!0 -
Hi everyone. Things are going well! I have lost 12 pounds so far. Sticking to the gluten free, low sugar thing --eating nutritiously and walking between 5,000-12,000 steps a day (averaging around 7,000). Trying to get to a place where I am consistently walking an average of 10,000 steps a day despite my busy work schedule. I find that walking to and from work when I can really helps get my count up. I'm not losing as quickly this week as I was the first two but I'm pushing on anyway and not allowing myself to give up when things get tough like I would have in the past.
I'll pop back in from time to time just to update anyone who might be interested! Might even post a progress pic or two at some point!
Thanks to everyone who has reached out and commented and friend requested me. I hope you are all doing well and I wish you great success on your own journeys!
-Leah0
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