Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

hey guys, just doing a quick stop in. I will read through the post and comment later I have been doing really crappy eating lately and last week the scale showed it. I was up 5 pounds. I will say I don’t like not having a scanner because I’ve learned that things that other people have put in is not always accurate to what is on the label. Also, I know that I have not been paying attention to calorie count for a while it’s been about a month but I am still logging because I need to watch my sodium so I can stay off my medication. However, eating out for the last three weeks has not helped with my blood pressure at all. I think my car being stuck in the shop for the last week has been a blessing in disguise for my food intake, but who wants to deal with a car repair.
I’m not sure who asked a few weeks ago to keep them up-to-date with how it’s going with only eating when I’m hungry. Well at first it wasn’t so hard and then I got this false sense of I can do this, this is a breeze well, it’s not really a breeze that false sense of I got has made it so I tend to overeat at times. I know the over eating is my own self control that I need to work on more. Here’s an example on the weekends we get up and we go for like a 6 mile walk then I come home and eat breakfast and I don’t eat again until I’m hungry, which is usually about 4 PM but because I stop eating at 7 PM every night I tend to pig out between four and seven. I don’t know what the mental block is. I’m still trying to figure it out.
If you have a good self-control it is probably gonna work great for you. I just have to get better self-control it has helped me realize how I just eat because I think you’re supposed to even though I’m not hungry. example of that is during the work week eating breakfast before work, eating lunch at break time, and eating dinner I feel you’re supposed to eat lunch because it’s lunchtime but half of the time I’m not even hungry at lunchtime.

JNettie73 wrote: »

Self control is something I struggle with too. I find that I have to measure/weigh everything and log it. When I don't my portions tend to slowly get larger and larger and larger. Before you know it those behaviors get worse which lead me to being here. We have not taken out the Halloween candy yet. Between what my husband bought for the trick or treaters and what my daughter will get... I am concerned I won't have the will power to resist snacking on all that candy. I went downhill last October/November. Halloween was the start of it followed by all the winter holidays and birthday celebrations.

JNettie, I know you were directly responding to MNwalkingqueen with the text I quoted above .. but I just had to pipe in with this observation that occurred to me as I read your words ... ALL my weight gain during the years I was gaining occurred between Halloween and New Year! It was usually 10-20 pounds and I'd get most of it off during the rest of the year. Over time, losing less than I had gained added up! And up!! And up!!!

Hi all ... I missed my Saturday check-in post ... kind of forgot what day of the week it was! LOL .. it's not funny, more ironic ... that so many of us do seem to 'lose some marbles' as we age!

Along those lines, I am starting a new volunteer venture that the activities coordinator at the Senior Center has been encouraging me to get involved with ... it's to be an activity companion for a person with Alzheimers at the once a month morning activity session held at a local church that is nearby. .. I was supposed to be there this past Monday but our wires got crossed so my first time will be in November. I need to attend a one day training session next week. As described to me, my job would be to partner one-on-one with a person who has Alzheimers (but can get themselves to the bathroom and back on their own) ... It's to be on hand throughout the activity and lunch to help them out with it. I'll know more about it after I actually get to participate.

My weight loss efforts are at a stand still. I'm just not really adhering to any kind of program and have stopped tracking weights and measures of the foods I am eating .. I'm simply keeping a diary of what I ate and about how much .. Like ... soup/pasta bowl Romaine with EVOO, ACD, tomato. OR ... 5" hoagie roll with baked eggplant in pasta sauce. And this past week I had bought Halloween candy and so this entry found its way into my log; '20 mini's of Halloween candy: kitkat, smarties, hershey's, reese's'.

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and my dressed weight with shoes on was up 2 pounds over what it had been 3 months ago. Another blood pressure and diuretic medication change was made and now I am getting used to the new meds and routine. The doctor wants me to take all my meds at one time instead of dividing them between AM and PM as I have been dong for years. I'm slowly moving each medication from it's usual time slot by 1 hour a day until they meet up at a new set time of day ... which I had to decide on when it would be. The doctor have any suggestions as to the best time of day to take them .. anything that worked for my personal routines as long as it was consistent to that time of day. .. Consistency ... that's always been a challenge for me.

And gosh, I am feeling so chatty this morning as I write this ...

Does anyone else keep a person Blog on MFP? There was a notice that come November 17 you will no longer be able to post one and all of them will disappear on Nov 21 because that feature is going away. It was recommended that if you want to save any of your personal blogs to print them out or save them in another format on your computer.

Only 2 more Saturdays for the organic farm produce CSA bag. The mall across the street is going to move to an indoor Farmers Market for November and part of December and the farm I have been getting my weekly bag of produce from has said they will be there to sell their produce .. but I don't think I will shop from them. I have found I like the size and quality of 2 other produce sellers better and hope one of them will move to the indoor Farmers Market. Their produce is not organic, but it is more varied in offering and of a quality you would find in your grocery store instead of the discard pile! I will definitely not be investing my hard earned money into the CSA farm share program next year! A 'Learning experience' with it is what I had wanted and certainly did get it!~

Current weight 224.6
Highest ever: 282
Lowest since working on losing weight: 213 ...
Dream goal .. Once upon a time it had been to lose 120 pounds by the time I turned 70. Now it is to get into the 100's on the scale before my 78th birthday year ends. ... Time flies, excess pounds stay! Bad Habits re hard-wired, New Habits are flighty. Lessons are learned .. especially this one: self-rumination solves no problems.

Have a great everyone ..
Talk to you in November! Niki

@JNettie73 ,,, What I read in the blog discontinuation announcement said that MFP was always looking for better features and part of that was to get rid of those that were not being used by many people. However, you may have hit on something with your musing about if it will come back one day as part of the premium version.

You have been doing really great in your weight loss efforts! Onederland on the horizon! ... I'm not certain I know what WFPBNO eating style is. I looked it up .. Whole Food Plant Based No Oil ... Good luck finding recipes to share with guests. They may be more work for you than plopping a fowl or chunk of red meet into the oven. You can do it! I saw many delicious looking foods during my online search.

That meal plan is very interesting and I know I could never follow such a meal plan because of my insulin resistance. Well, actually, now that I know the correct labels for the handful of co-morbidities I have, it's actually Metabolic Syndrome! ... I need to keep carbs low and struggle to keep them below 130 grams a day. ... If I let myself, I could easily consume 2 or 3 times that much because I love all types of produce, legumes, grains, and nuts and seeds! The meat products I do eat tend to be the garnish on my plate rather than the entree! The only oil I use is from olives. I'm not fond of the other nut oil flavors so I tend to just stay with the one type and use it sparingly.

@mnwalkingqueen, I thought of you as I read a thread on here about ways to save on the budget and it brought back memories of how I ended up starting a food budget ... It was many years ago and I was a working gal back then, like you are now. More of my meals came from either Tim Hortons breakfast menu or the workplace cafeteria counter and definitely the cafeteria lunches! I recall it was when I was always running short of cash and having to take more from the ATM that finally got me to save the receipts and keep track. I was horrified to see that I spent more than twice for prepared foods than I did for the entire grocery store bill (when I logged it all) ... That got me to change my ways!

Suddenly I was bringing brown bags to work for lunch and snacks, and making breakfast burritos and hard boiled eggs for fast breakfasts! .. And guess what? Not only did I start to save money but I also started to lose weight! I'm all for home cooked meals!

AFM, Today I spotted a post about a Challenge beginning November 1 to run through January 31st .. and I joined it! ... I have pledged to myself publicly on that forum to lose 10 pounds. We'll see how I'll do. The challenge was calling for 15 pounds but that was not mandatory and you could set your own target goal. I just find new starts so invigorating, mentally. The plans! The drams! ... now the hard part .. .the follow through~

@nsk1951- I’ve been losing marbles for a while now😉😄. your volunteer activity sounds so fun. I feel like that disease would be like the movie 50 1st dates. Good luck with your medication changes. I hope all goes well. I also have been like you, and not adhering to much of a plan with food. And indoors farmers market. That sounds so much fun. I love the farmers market. we must’ve been thinking of the same things because when I went grocery shopping this week, I saved all my receipts and I’m going to see how long the food will last. My plan is also to only eat out on Saturday and Sunday for I’m not really home those days.

@JNettie73- wow look at you achieving goals left and right so proud of you. And even the goals that you feel you didn’t achieve on still you improved. That’s awesome! I wish I was that motivated to have a ton of goals set but then I know that I wouldn’t adhere to it. congratulations on the weight loss and what a great goal to have for your 50th birthday. My goal for my 50th birthday in March is just to have money to do some thing other than the normal go to the casino and out to lunch. I wanna do something exciting and fun. I’ve only hosted a holiday time once and we did a little bit of what I like to eat and a little bit of what the other people like to eat. I even cook the turkey and I can’t stand turkey I didn’t even have a single bite. I realize I eat a lot more in the cold weather months and unfortunately, in Minnesota we have like 6 months of it or more. OK so I had that squash risotto that I talked about a few posts ago. I now have a question what is risotto made of is it just rice? it tasted like rice, and then they had cut up pieces of squash mixed in it was good.

AFM-
I am adding sit ups to my routine this month. I’m going to try to do 15 assisted bed sit ups in the morning and at night. I noticed that as the weather gets colder and I am not outside as much I don’t get as much walking in, so adding some things.
I also have a plan to try to eat at home Monday through Friday and only eat out on the weekends if I’m not at my house. If I’m at my house I will eat at home. You know my sister bought me a Whirley Pop stove top popcorn maker for Christmas last year. I thought it was slow down my popcorn eating, but it actually increased it because it taste so much better than microwave popcorn. I like drizzling Sriracha over my popcorn.
are you able to freeze fresh cranberries? I love cranberries, and I thought I would buy some extras around the holiday if I could freeze them. I don’t know much about that type of stuff.

Saturday Check in on Sunday morning!
I lost .9 pounds this past week ... that means I'm still in the maintenance side of things. My weight can shoot up or down over 3 pounds a day ... and so I watch the trends instead of what the scale says at any one time. The trend says I am staying the same.

Well, at least I am not into a slow gain like an online friend of mine who has been an inspiration to me since 2019 with her weight loss. She lost 97 pounds and has been struggling this whole past year as well with a rebounding weight gain that she's trying to halt and turn around. We are both in our 70's ... and we have both been battling our overweight for decades. I'm cheering her on as she works to lose and I'm cheering myself on for that same reason as well!

The last farm CSA pickup for me occurred yesterday. I can't say I'm sorry to see that subscription end. The people at the place were all very nice, and I feel kind of bad for having a negative attitude about the program this farm provided this past year. They worked hard, and hard work is always wanting to be recognized. Too bad the product fell short.

Yesterday was also the training session for volunteers for the Alzheimers Respite sessions that I am joining. I came away from that feeling unsure that I can physically do the job. It's not that I need to physically handle the person who I would be buddying-up with for the morning or activities and then lunch .. but I would need to take them by the hand or arm and lead them to a bathroom or to where they need to be if they were having a hard time getting there. As I am in need of a rolator walker myself to walk anywhere, I don't have a free hand to guide anyone. Plus, when I first stand up from a sitting position, it takes a bit of time for my feet to be able to take a step, and my steps are slow and halting for the first dozen steps or so ... an Alzheimers participant could be in danger during that time. ... I voiced my concern and the other volunteers that were there for the meeting assured me that they all help one another and to not worry about it and give it a try. I've decided that I would attend the next activity session as an assistant to the volunteers and see how it goes before making up my mind to fly solo or move on to another form of service.

@JNettie73 and @mnwalkingqueen ...I also freeze cranberries every autumn to use through most of the year. I love to add it to porridge being cooked (either in a pot on the stove or in a deep bowl in the microwave). I also use it to make cranberry sauce in small quantities for almost every time I have roast poultry!

Starting weight: 270 March 2021
Total loss to date: 63.6

November 2022 Start Weight: 207.2
November Goal Weight: 203
Ultimate Goal Weight: TBD

November 6: 206.4
November 13:
November 20:
November 27:

I've been having a rough past few days. It started Thursday with a sore throat, covid negative. It progressed into sinus issues. We had a change in weather where it went from cooler weather to very warm again. I think the change in temperature, change in seasons and all that good stuff triggered my allergies. Not feeling well also triggered a lot of snacking and over eating. My exercise has not been where it normally is. I have not touched my weights since last week and I am struggling with step aerobics so I've been sticking to my bike. I didn't get on the scale on Sunday because I was afraid to see the results. I did my best yesterday to eat on track and drink plenty of water. I stepped on the scale this morning and to my surprise I had a loss! This not only was surprising but was very encouraging.

Last night for dinner I made pineapple brown rice and sauteed peppers and onions in a bit of water. I lightly seasoned them with salt and pepper. We also had salad and my husband had a pork chop. Our dinner was so simple but incredibly delicious.

@nsk1951
I am sorry to hear that you have concerns about being physically able to volunteer. I also think it is great that you are going to give it another chance and see how it goes before making a final decision. I hope it works out for you.

I am sorry to hear your friend is struggling with her weight after her loss. Is she on MFP? I am glad you both are cheering each other on. I feel it is very important to have that support on this journey.

@mnwalkingqueen
We had a similar issue with our dog and vacationing this past summer. I didn't want to board her anywhere because of the situation of her coming to us when my mom passed. I thought it would be too traumatic on her. I also felt guilty asking my neighbor to come over and take care of her on top of my other 4 animals. Though they assured me they would and it would not be problematic on them. We ultimately decided not to do our annual summer vacation due to her. We felt the timing was just not right. She is doing so much better now though. I think we will be able to take that vacation next year. One thing my cousin suggested is to hire a dog walker to come. She does that with her dog. Where I live we have several reputable companies who do that and it isn't terribly expensive, according to her. Maybe you can look into something like that for your dog?

Thanks for explaining the assisted sit ups. I have a workout bench. When I first started laying on it to do weights I found I couldn't sit up at all. I had to either call for someone to help me or I had to roll off of it onto the floor. I was quite a sight. Though I have found in time I have improved greatly. I can lift my legs up and kick them down fast to get enough momentum to sit up. I am still quite a sight. That is the main reason why I wanted to add abdominal exercises into my routine this month. LOL

I love Christmas just like you do! When my daughter and I were driving home from gymnastics last night we spotted a few buildings and houses with their lights on. It was really exciting. I actually am listening to Home Alone right now and have been listening to Christmas music since Halloween ended. There is something about Christmas that is just so magical and special for me. It brings me so much joy.

Sunday morning ... and feeling better.
Had one of my favorite breakfasts today ... one I splurge almost half my daily calories on about 3 times a month. No one else in my family will even consider it because it's a lot of stuff in one sauce pan but to me it's a cross between a porridge and a dessert breakfast that goes so good on a cold morning. Whole wheat cream of wheat and old fashioned oats (half a serving of each measure for a 1 serving recipe) combined with a cup of low fat milk, a 2-Tablespoon measure of unsweetened cocoa powder (Hershey's natural), and cooked till bubbly. Then a handful of walnuts (1/4 cup) and 2 handfuls (1/2-cup) of frozen blueberries tossed in and cooked until it thickens up, melts those berries and warms the frozen walnuts. It is so yum to me. Better than chocolate pudding. Better than plain porridge. A balanced meal in one pot. Today the milk in the fridge was low fat so I whisked in an egg into the milk before heating it.

Supper will be chicken soup and a salad.

Saturday Morning check in and talk-talk.
We have such a short list of folks who post on here and our frequency is 'not often' that I feel like I've started using this thread as a personal chat board! I do hope my posts aren't a bore for you all. If so, please just move on. I do like to read yours when you post on here. Makes me feel like we're a part of a team; and I like being a member of a team.

Well .. I did it ... I gave in and joined a weight-loss 'club'. .. It will cost me $15.00 a month and I could have done it all on here at much less cost; but I wanted to try something new and different ON TOP of posting on MFP. The program I joined doesn't count calories, and I do. But I want to see if following the new program for a period of time will shake things up and get me moving in the right direction again.

And so far, I don't know if it's the new program or the season or what ... but I am lighter today. Still 8 pounds away from my lowest weight this year, but it had gotten to almost 15 pounds over! And the weight started stabilizing the further I got my self discipline under control with all the goodies people share in the community. There's one tenant who was leaving Reese's Peanut Butter cups for everyone on almost a weekly basis. Then there's the one who likes to leave a small candy treat outside the doors of some of us. And then it got to that I was picking up a bakery package every week while grocery shopping! And then there was the change in medications. And, the Sr Center lunches I attend a few times a month are so pleasant, but. oh. so carb heavy and always include a dessert! ... And I just got LAX! I wasn't controlling the food I ate around all of these things.

This mornings weight was 223.4

@nsk1951
I know exactly what you mean. I look one way when I am standing. When I am sitting it is like I am a completely different person, its shocking. I came to this realization when my daughter took a picture of me with my phone.

I am sorry to hear the women at the center aren't the kindest group of people. People can be so cruel. It is very disheartening. Is it all of the women there or just a select few? If it is just a select few, I suggest continue to go but only socialize with people who make you feel welcomed and liked. If it is everyone there then, personally, I would not go back and try to find something different to join in on. I truly hope it gets better for you there and you can continue to go and have a good time.

I have this scale. I like that it is pretty to look at, easy to clean and use. It doesn't have any fancy features like measuring body mass and linking to an app. But it serves its purpose.

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Digital-Bathroom-Measure-Tempered/dp/B01HI1W1V4/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=scale+for+body+weight&qid=1668948445&sprefix=scale,aps,76&sr=8-12

I enjoy reading your posts. I agree I do feel like we are part of a team. Though I do wish more people participated in this thread though. I miss the days of how it used to be with several members in here.

Congrats on joining the weight loss club. I know you mentioned that it doesn't count calories like you do. What does the club focus on? Congrats on being lighter! I am happy for you.

I can relate with how one thing leads to another. That is exactly how I felt last Fall. I was doing so well then Halloween hit and I indulged on the left over candy. Thanksgiving followed with Christmas on its tail then the winter birthday celebrations and my mom passing. I felt like it was just one thing after another that derailed me. Sometimes life is very challenging. I've learned to do a lot of reflecting where I just sit quietly by myself and deeply think about events, their influence on me and how I could handle them differently. Then I take the strategies I come up with and put them into action.

Here's to everyone having an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. It's such a nice tradition to set a to the stage for so many things besides the big feast. (big and delicious)

I always loved the tradition we had where everyone took a minute to think of one thing they were thankful for, and to listen to the others at the dinner table coming up with their 'thankful for' statements. For most people it would be the same thing ... family, friends, good health. There would always be someone who was grateful for the food. And usually at least one would try to find something that would bring a laugh from around the table. ... what ever it was, it was good to remember that there are things in our lives to be grateful for and to acknowledge that gratitude.

@JNettie73 ... Oh My Gosh ... your stove exploded at the electric line! Thank goodness your house didn't catch fire, nothing went rocketing across the room, and that no one was hurt.

@mnwalkingqueen ... Chinese Food is as good as any other to have for your Thanksgiving meal ... as long as the food you are serving yourself is something you enjoy and put together. One of my favorites is a spicy bean curd dish with brown rice. Lots of veggies in that one.

AFM .. On Monday this past week I finished my first week on the new weight loss program I have started. So far, I still like calorie counting the best ... and recognize that neither program stops me from eating what I want nor does it stop me from overeating. Well .. it's not so much that I am overeating, because I don't ever stuff myself (except at holiday party dinners) it's more that sometimes the foods I choose are very high in calories. To eat those and stay within a calorie range that allows for weight loss I would have to either go hungry or learn to eat those foods in more moderation than I am wont to do. It's a learning curve for me.

Looking forward to seeing where the next weeks will lead.

I made an 'artisan' bread loaf today that I started yesterday. It came out better than the no-knead sourdough starters I tried to master a few years back ... and I kinda think it ended up being a sort of sourdough anyway. It baked up better than other's I have tried in the past, but is still just a bit on the dense side. Still, it tasted real good and is low in calories ... The finished bread weighed in at 26.6 ounces and that's from using just 3.5 cups of all-purpose flour, 1.5 cups of warm water, 1 tsp of rapid rise yeast and 2 tsp of kosher salt. ... It had to sit for anywhere from 5-8 hours before starting the final rise before baking but I ended up running out of time yesterday and put it into the fridge for the evening.

I was cooking up a storm in the oven so it was very warm in the kitchen and the bread was rising too fast ... But then I pulled it out at 1:30 AM and put it back on the counter to warm up and rise some more at a coolish room temp.

I had 1.7 ounces of it this morning to mop up my egg yolks from breakfast ... and it was crusty and tasty. But it was a small piece of bread ... just the corner from half of it. Now to keep myself from diving into it over and over again! I'm wanting to make a bread pudding with fruit and need it to stale up a bit before using it for that.

Sorry @mnwalkingqueen, to read that you are having struggles. Somehow this time of year (what with the holidays, and the short cold days) makes coping harder to do. ... I hope you have some relief from your stresses soon. Also, that you end up having a peaceful, hopeful, healthy and happy Christmas all on your own. And that if someone does end up celebrating with you then it is someone who brings you joy.

@nsk1951- Hope you were able to talk to your doctor. That must have been scary for you.

AFM- being alone at Christmas was really bad. I weighed myself this morning and I am up 13 pounds from my last weigh in. I already know it was because I chose to eat poorly and I didn’t exercise as much. Back to 250lbs

@nsk1951 - I know that our struggles will get better. I listen to a seminar on January 1st about weight loss. I learned that a lot of our setbacks are because weight loss starts from the inside out. It’s just not the mental part about we’re going to do this this time and we’re going to try hard. It’s also about understanding your triggers and how to work through them. I know it’s all stuff we already know but after gaining that 13 pounds I just needed to hear that. For me it wasn’t the treats. I like to make treats for other people but I’m not a fan of them for myself. It’s going from eating two slices of pizza on pizza night to an entire large pizza. Going to your favorite restaurant and not just having a burger and fries, but having cheese curds for an appetizer and then the burger and fries and a dessert .
Cheers to a new year new accomplishments.