Daily check in for support and accountability

Hi there- So glad you started this thread. I need all the help I can get and hopefully can offer support as well. I'm hoping if I can change my way of thinking and look at weight loss as a way of taking care of myself, rather than feeling deprived, I might have more success. I was at my dad's 91st birthday today and did have some cake so not many calories left for anything else. This is when I find counting calories a challenge. Are you trying to stick to a certain calorie number or are you trying some other approach. I lost 45 lbs. 10 years ago but it has slowly crept back on. I lost it by counting calories. I've tried some other ways but this is what seems to work best for me. We shall see. How are you doing?

Hey all!

I'm always down for another accountability group. The more accountability, the more likely I am to stay the course.

I'm Linda. I'm 40 years old, married to my best friend, have a 9 year old daughter and live in South Carolina.... though, until 5 years ago we lived in Maryland our entire lives. I have worked from home since 2020. While I hated it for the first 6 months, I love it now. Especially that I can cook a real meal for lunch if I want to do so. I've been on MFP for years. While I do yo-yo some I never go up as high as I start. I THINK I've finally gotten to a point to figure out what I can do forever. It's taken a lot of severe diets, crash diets, months of binging/not counting or caring, health issues, and finding what boundaries I need in place. I have PCOS and am type 2 diabetic (as are about 40%-50% of women with PCOS). I've gotten to where I'm fully diet and exercise controlled on my numbers, and that is a big push to make all my changes permanent. I don't want to be on insulin until my body absolutely needs to be.

I hosted my book club last night and was so glad because that meant I had some control over the snacks. Instead of just one or two things I put out a whole spread and just let the other stuff brought suppliment. That meant I had veggies, pretzels, light dip, cheese, etc. I still had some dessert and chips but it certainly helped me keep to my food boundaries to have the lighter options mixed in.

Tonight I will go to my Ladies Bible Study at church and, unfortunately, that means I have zero control over the dinner served. I did get my hands on the menu and it isn't light by any means. It's a chicken corn chowder and corn bread and dessert. I've seen the recipes by these ladies. It's sooo good but so not good for you. I'll just have to keep my calories lower through the day and maybe have a small snack an hour before the dinner so I can keep myself in check easier. It's always good to strive for a plan.


SW: 300 lb
Next GW: 180 lb
3/1: 198.8 lb
3/2: 198.0 lb
3/4: 197.8 lb
3/7: 197.0 lb
**weight updated whenever I lose.

Thank you for starting this! Please count me in. I am 62 years old and quite active but struggle to keep my weight in check. I have a complicated relationship with food and just want to work toward overall wellness.

I have 3 kids...all grown and 4 grand kids ages 2-19

HW 177
CW 172
GW 145

Susan, who started this thread, suggested a Wednesday Weigh-In. I am going to weigh-in tomorrow. Anyone else?

@sista67 Please come back!! It doesn't matter how often you start over, it only matters if you quit!

I'm in. 🙂

Ok I read the conversation so far! Great. I am 60 later this year, by the way.

@Sista67 - Susan - Thank you so much for starting this conversation!

@Dogwalker157 - I would have eaten the cake as a bonus - it doesn't happen every day and trying to eat less for the rest of the day would just make me hungry and deprived...

@Pamperedlinny - Linda - Aw yeah it is so helpful to be able to eat at home. I too have figured what I can do to lose weight - it's just the comfort eating really, I think, that trips me up... Those book clubs and Bible studies sound fun - but a bit tricky food wise... Ever thought of suggesting they ditch the food aspect of meeting?... Or finding a book club/Bible study where there was no food?... I hate it when I'm emotionally pressured into eating people's Bible study food... Maybe even just suggest that you're thinking of going elsewhere cos you love the food but it's not helpful for you? I wonder how many of the others would say they'd prefer to have no food?... Might be interesting?

@Haswlrs - Lisa - Why did your son go to Prague? :-) (Mrs Nosy!)
I'm not sure @Sista67 - Susan has left? She posted on the 5th and it's only the 8th today?!... (depending on where you are of course!...)
:-)

@Harringtona1 - Anne - I am Anne too but everyone calls me Annie when they get to know me so I call myself Annie all the time now... I like Annie better anyway :-)
A walking holiday - how fun! Are you doing the El Camino de Santiago?
Fast food - we were away at the weekend and out in the car I noticed how the billboards and fast food places were calling to me, which is ridiculous cos I don't even enjoy that sort of food - the power of advertising. And we moan at ourselves cos we think we're weak willed... The big money knows how to get us. Just the right mix of sugar, salt and fat gets us hooked. Sugar alone isn't so fun - who ever ate a bag of sugar right? (Yeah I know some people do...)

@Ann262 - Another Ann I assume?! We ought to start a thread just for Anns/Annes/Annies! :-)
I too am working towards overall wellness in every area.

@JuneWalks Hi, Annie! Congratulations on your weight loss so far! Good for you to see your "highest weight ever" on the scales and decide it is time to do something about it! I am about a year too late for that!

Not all that long ago, my HWE was 178. Below 180, so not terrible. Then right before the pandemic I was 194.4. Okay, so not over 200 and I am never going there, (Ha!) so I had better do something about it! And I did, getting back down to 171, before I hurt my knee. Early in 2022 sometime I would have crossed over into the 200's but I was in such a bad place mentally that I did not do anything about it. Now it is 2023 and I have so many reasons for wanting and needing to lose weight that I am trying very hard to pull myself out of this mental funk!

Wednesday, March 1st: 206
Wednesday, March 8th: 202.4

Even though it is mostly water, it motivates me to keep this train going!

Lisa, awesome weight loss this week. I agree- seeing the scale go down is a motivator no matter where the loss is coming from! I'm on board with keeping the train going

SW: 300 lb
Next GW: 180 lb
3/1: 198.8 lb
3/2: 198.0 lb
3/4: 197.8 lb
3/7: 197.0 lb
3/8: 195.6 lb
**weight updated whenever I lose.

Last night I got to Ladies Bible Study and looked over all the food. Chicken Corn Chowder, homemade corn bread, three types of dessert, and I craved it all. Then I really took stock of what I had available in calories. I made a very small bowl (probably just 1 cup) of the soup. I took the smallest bit of cornbread (about ½ a piece). I looked over all the desserts. Only one had a box with calories listed on it. I decided that was the one I was meant to have and cut one of those in half as well. I filled my 24 oz water bottle, drank the entire thing during that meal. After the meal, I went and refilled the bottle to sip on during the lesson. When I got home I still wanted something and was proud of myself for sticking to my boundaries while not depriving myself of things. I finished my evening with a small protein shake (half scoop of powder with almond milk) so I wouldn’t still be hungry. It feels like it took a massive amount of will power not to go back and get as much as I really wanted. I’m really, truly proud of myself for holding to my line.

Tonight I promised my family it would be pasta night. The plan for my bowl is going to be steamed cut green beans, topped with exactly one serving of elbow pasta, topped with 2 appetizer sized meatballs, marinara sauce, and the tiniest sprinkle of Italian blend shredded cheese. I have learned that on pasta night if I add a veggie in a similar shape to the pasta of choice that week and a little bit of protein, I will be too full to need additional pasta. It took me a while to figure out how to eat pasta with my family without losing all control. So this is the plan every pasta night now.

Thankfully, we have no plans for going out, running errands, or doing anything but stay at home tonight. I need a break and maybe a bubble bath tonight.

@JuneWalks I’ve commented before that I wish there were more healthy weeks or fruit/vegetable provided. I find the community and visiting time of sitting and eating with the group just never happens the same when we take away that extra 45 minutes or don’t do that aspect. When we meet again in 2 weeks they are planning a salad bar night with grilled chicken. So I have been heard but it isn’t going to affect every time, just a portion of them.

HASWLRS wrote: »

@pamperedlinny You should be proud of yourself for going into the Bible Study with a plan, but especially for not depriving yourself! That can only lead to binge, eventually. And I absolutely love your pasta trick; pasta is one of my downfalls so I will have to remember this! Oh, and well done on today's weigh-in!!

@HASWLRS My husband and daughter ask for pasta night with red sauce at least once a week. It is a family favorite. I would either do that as a cheat meal, or eat something else, or try to keep to just a serving and fail miserably. It literally took me years to think about adding a similar shaped veggie and always add a protein, even if it's just a small one. I don't know why it took me so long but it seriously makes this a favorite for me as well now without my feeling like I need to cheat.

Ann262 wrote: »

dogwalker157 wrote: »

Annie, an interesting question about diet books. I find some can be motivating, but I can't help but feel like they're part of the "diet industry machine" and that is a turn off.

@dogwalker157 I am so with you on that comment. I did WW so many years and finally got fed up with their changing their plan every year. It just reflects the industry feeding into what the current "fad" is. The industry wants to pedal a product. The enemies have been sugar, calories, then it was meat, then it was dairy, then it was fat, then it was carbs...some to the extent of saying fruits and legumes are bad for you...OMG, what happened to a healthy balance?

@JuneWalks & @dogwalker157 I literally started a book only because it is a diet book that ISN'T about any of that. In fact, he calls out the diet/health/fitness industry for being that way. It's really good. He does cuss though... so if that's a turn off be forewarned. I also watch his posts on social media because he isn't afraid to call out the BS that comes up. It is literally the only "diet" book I've bought in years.