Women 200lb+, Let's Astound Ourselves This April!!!

They left this morning. Overall, other than the dog thing and a 30 minute thing on Tuesday, it actually went very well. My daughter's best friend is coming over for the weekend (her parents are going out of town) and that takes the rest of the sting out of the dog thing.
I'm going to take today to work and then decompress.

BarbMessimer wrote: »

Well, do you know how many calories are in a pound of pork sausage? Over 1500! I fried up some this morning but only ate 2 very small patties after discovering the calorie count!

1. I actually would have thought there'd be more calories in a pound.
2. that puts a new perspective on something I've been struggling with, where I get a pint of ice cream "for emergencies" and then eat the whole thing then buy another "for an emergency." That's...almost as many calories as a pound of sausage!

SW: 288.8 (February 2022)
CW: 214.2

4/3- 214.2
4/10- 214.8
4/17-
4/24-
5/1-

Goals for April:
⬇️ lose 2-3 pounds
💪 do PT exercises 3 times a week
📚 read 3+ books
📖 keep up with daily Bible reading
🚶‍♀️ start taking small walks outside

I went out to dinner with my niece last Saturday. I indulged a bit but overall the day was a maintenance level calorie day. Then I had a planned maintenance calorie day on Sunday for Easter. I’m confident the little bit of gain will be gone soon.

This month has been a bit of a challenge with extra pain issues on top of my usual pain levels and increased fatigue that nothing helps. Due to the extra pain I haven’t kept up with PT exercise as I would like to. I only did them once last week but I did them twice this week.

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say that I got down in the dumps for several days because it looked like my weight was going up and I felt powerless to do anything about. Stayed home, ate and didn't want to talk with anyone. Ever been like that? But as Rod Stewart sang, "I got my nip and turned around..." and my weight is coming down. I'm counting calories, gardening, getting out and walking more and staying within my two meals a day eating plan.

SW 270
CW 212
Lowest weight to date 207 (March 2023)
April goal weight 207
Ultimate GW 170

@CupcakeCrusoe I'm glad you had a great vacation and enjoyed the company, sights and food without going completely off course! See, it CAN be done!

@CupcakeCrusoe I love all your prep there! I really need to do better about having prepped things in the fridge to grab. I'm pretty good with making stuff to freeze or portioning leftovers and freezing them for grab, heat and eat on the go but I'm horrible about doing the same for items in the fridge.

I didn't post at all over this weekend. As a recap... Starting with Easter …. My daughter’s 2 closest friends stayed overnight Sunday night and didn’t go home until Monday late afternoon. My daughter was on spring break all of last week. My parents visited through most of spring break. My daughter’s BFF had parents out of town and stayed from Friday night through Sunday afternoon and their other friend stayed Saturday night as well. There was also another kids birthday party I took them all to on Saturday afternoon. I took all 3 of them to church on Sunday morning and then met up with a friend (once all the kids were home) for a book fair event. The past 10 days or so have been utter chaos.

So I’m a bit crazed and trying to get everyone in this house back on a normal schedule this week. Hopefully, by mid-week we’ll be back to normal. This morning was ROUGH!

I'm planning to go back, read through everything, and be back to posting normally by tomorrow morning. Today, I'm just thinking I still need coffee and it's finally quiet around here for the first time in over a week.

I haven't been feeling well for this past week. I thought I was depressed about my weight gain but I just took my blood pressure. It's low (for me). Think I'll start monitoring my BP more frequently and notify my doctor if it gets too low. Might be why I haven't had much energy.

I'm back on track diet-wise and discovered today that I can log what I'm going to eat on MFP and then print it out to follow as I go through the day, and I was able to "tweak it". For example, if I had 1/2 cup of a calorie rich item instead of a whole cup, I would be within my calorie allowance so best not to have a whole cup! What a great tool!


@CupcakeCrusoe ... You've given me an idea about how I can plan my portions with your containers. What a great idea. I'm going to start doing it!

@RavenStCloud ... I see where you had a little trouble in March and glad you didn't give up and are on your way down again. You're almost back to your February weight. I can relate. I'm still over what I weighed last month but not going to let it "blow my mind".

@pamperedlinny ... You've had a hectic time. It sure can play havoc with your weight loss efforts, can't it!

Just me again! I wanted to thank @badnoodle and @pamperedlinny for the words of support after my doctor increased my statin without a discussion. I looked at the numbers and they are all in the normal range except the total number had gone up to 224 which is not bad (in my very unprofessional opinion). The ratio is 2.7 so I'm fine with that. In fact, I'm quite pleased with my HDL being over 80 when optimal is 60. I have lots of family members with numbers like mine and little if any heart disease in the family that I know of. I am going to buy a pill splitter and continue to take 10 milligrams a day and go back to the things I had been doing before I quit doing them. So this might be a good wake up call to change my ways and eat more fiber and exercise more. Two things I need to do anyway but now my goal is to bring down the 224 without doubling the statin.

@shellifish7295 Love your name! Have you been keeping a running count of your goals? Do you think it's helpful? I need to post mine again because I think it really does help keep me accountable.

@CupcakeCrusoe The ikigai I do is from the book "Ikigai, the Japanese secret to longevity" or something like that. I don't remember exactly. I borrowed the book from the online library and took screenshots of the exercises, so I'd remember them. There is a journal on Amazon that goes with it but I don't have it. I do the exercises for the development of self-discipline rather than count it as a workout. It's definitely not a habit yet, but it's coming.

A good week. Lots of rehearsal for the community theater production of Imaginary Invalid, which has kept me from doing much walking or other evening exercise. On the upside, I have managed to avoid all the chips and other carb-y junk food we seem to keep backstage.

I keep waiting for the right alchemy of weather and lack of scheduling to take the kayak out for it's maiden voyage of 2023. I've lost enough weight that I could safely use my 10' Lifetime sit-in instead of the big 12' Yellowfin, though she'll probably sit mighty low in the water, and the 10' is much easier to finesse inside my CRV instead of wrangling it onto the roof.

Tomorrow I head down to Houston for work, which I'm not looking forward to because I'll be stuck inside all day in dress clothes, and because it's scheduled or catered for every meal. They managed to pick two restaurants where literally NOTHING fits my dietary restrictions for carbs, calories, and salt except a side order of asparagus or a pathetic side salad. I have no idea how you get 2400 mg of sodium into a grilled chicken breast, but there we are.


SW: 271.4
CW: 234.6 (-1.4)
GW: 150ish

Goals:
get 7,000 steps a day: 14/17 👍
get all 25g of fiber: 14/17 👍

Stretch goal: 95 grams of protein 4/17 😒

@CupcakeCrusoe Between your obvious fun on vacation or the on-point prep method, you're positively inspirational. I'm doing good to put celery in a zippie bag.

@CupcakeCrusoe, those cannolis from Mike's (the one in Cambridge) got me through years of papers and final exams -- oh my, they're delicious !!

Good morning everyone!

172.2 this morning, which is a nice surprise. I didn't expect to see that number again for a little while after vacation.

Stripper Boot Camp last night was amazing- we paired up and did partner exercise, squatting while holding each other's forearms, assisting with pullups by holding the girls' legs, we did this hip dip thing where one person makes a bridge, and the other person does tricep dips while holding backward onto the bridge person's knees- it was a great workout, and a lot of fun, too. Everyone at the gym was happy to see me again. I love my gym.

(And as an aside- I totally 100% did not want to go, lol. I always look forward to going in the morning, and then right after work, I think of every excuse I could use to get out of going, because I'm always tired after work. But ultimately, the cancellation fee gets me to go even when I don't want to. If I don't cancel by 9am the day of the night class, I get charged the full amount of the class, so might as well go! But then, in the middle of class and after class, I'm always happy I went.)

My fruit and veg plan is going along swimmingly, no problems so far. I did really want chocolate this morning in addition to my planned fruit with my coffee, but I put some sugar-free sweetener in the coffee, instead, and we'll save the chocolate for after dinner tonight.

I've got to get over the scarcity mindset I always have when it comes to treats. The nice thing about chocolate is, all the rest of my family likes gummy candy instead, for the most part. So there's no scarcity. The majority of the chocolate I bring in, I'm the one eating it. Gotta get over that mindset from childhood that if I don't eat something RIGHT NOW, it will be gone when I come back to it.

Tag party time!
@pamperedlinny that is WILD, and I hope you get some good calm and quiet for the next few days at least.

@RavenStCloud you're really bossing this, doing amazing. I totally understand wanting to go to a farther gym because you just like the vibe better, that is the story of my life, haha

@BarbMessimer I do love your idea of printing out your pre-logged food to make adjustments as you go! Takes all the guesswork out of it later.

@nebslp I'm just catching up on your statin stuff- it's terrible that you can't trust your GP to listen to your concerns about this. Is it possible for you to find a GP that might work with you more- maybe check your numbers again after taking half a dose for a while to see if that's best? I totally relate to docs not listening, in my case it's about blood pressure, but after I found a GP who allowed me to upload my BP readings in a portal for a while, he reduced the dose. I'm wondering if you could find a GP who was willing to work with you, the whole scenario sucks and you have my sympathy about it.

@LindsayLou80 welcome! Crohn's is so hard, I'm sorry you're having to deal with that, and the prednisone. I think our fellow thread-er @justanotherloser007 was or still is on prednisone for a different reason, she might have some good insight about losing weight while on it.

@badnoodle I love that it's almost kayak season for you! It sounds so fun, definitely something I've always wanted to try. And 2400 mg of sodium for a chicken breast!! that's WILD. Best of luck navigating catered food!

@tahitig so happy to see you again! I'm glad you enjoyed your easter, and 3 lbs is definitely recoverable. We're all dealing with our own demons (and literally you've been through so much!), comparison is the thief of joy.

Right now in my life I'm in a good "season" for losing weight, and so I am, but I have had my seasons where, for one reason or another, I'm just not doing that- like from September of last year to January of this year, haha. In fact, I think mine might actually be tied to actual seaons, now that I think of it. 🤔

I am going to take that mayo clinic quiz as soon as I get home to see what I can glean from it, thanks for sharing!

And I love the energy you're bringing to the thread, extremely motivating. Especially that you're working toward tahiti!! 🏝️🍍🥥 🌺 🌴 🐠

In fact, thinking about tahiti makes me want to bring this back:


@shellifish7295 we're here for you about goals, changing them, keeping a list of them, whatever works best for you. Some people post them, others don't, the nice thing about this thread is that there are no rules- whatever works for you is what you should do!

Have a great day, everyone! I'll leave you with something another threader said once: You haven't come this far to only come this far. Let's kick it.

My name is Mary, 65 from Pennsylvania.
Been MIA for a few months but still logging in everyday since I started MFP 5/14/21.

Unfortunately lost my mojo and gained a lot back but not all Thank God! Need to get back on track and focused. I bought a NEW to me, gently used, Commercial PreCor EFX 835 Elliptical. It was delivered the beginning of November, as others here know I wore my previous 10+ year old one out from my extensive workouts. Back up to 150 minutes on my 3 days off per week.

Good to see some familiar names here and glad to see some new ones too!

Heaviest weight 255 lbs, twice. :-(
9/14/20-255 lbs
5/14/21-232.2 lbs
4/6/22- 147.6 lbs (107.4 lbs lost) I did NOT have a surgery. Did Keto.
8/1/22- 167.2 lbs
12/1/22-198 lbs
1/1/23- 213.4 lbs
2/1/23- 207.4 lbs
3/1/23-201 lbs Yippee!

4/1/23- 207.6 lbs Been struggling as you can see. :-(
4/2/23- 209 lbs. I need to get my head right and be more accountable to myself in this. I need to get back in control and off the carbs again. Back to my lower level of daily carbs(15g net +/- 3) and FOCUSED on what is best for me! Not short term enjoyment. Elliptical HIIT setting 150 minutes for 10.11 miles today (I do my elliptical like this 3x per week, on my off work days, pretty religiously. Thursday, Friday & Sunday this week).

4/9/23- 203.6 lbs Elliptical HIIT setting 150 minutes for 10.04 miles zones 2, 3 & 4. (Also on Friday & Saturday same elliptical time & mileage). Meat & low carb veggies for Easter lunch today but I had a piece of a Dominican Pineapple cake. OMG! Not rich and a whipped cream icing but moist as a Rum cake. So delicious! Worth the calories & Carbs IMO.
4/16/23- 211.2 lbs
4/17/23- 214.8 lbs

4/18/23- 214.8 lbs. Leave for Oklahoma City tomorrow. Will be checking in and logging ad best as I can but not weighing. They don't have a scale. At least not last year.

After some thought I have updated my goals.

SW- 229
CW- 235
GW- 160-170
Age- 37
Height- 5’9”
Goals:
1. Log meals- 3 days
2. Meet daily water goal- 3 days
3. Consume at least 100g of protein a day- 2 days
4. Read a chapter a day- 4 days
5. Do a babble lesson a day (learning Spanish)- day 1

I had a setback this weekend. I was doing good for the last 2 weeks and weighed my self on Friday thinking I had lost and gained a pound. Ok no big deal. I was kinda bloated. Then went through the weekend. It was super busy with work, remodeling my home office, swim lessons for my son, and weekly house chores. Weighed myself Monday morning and I had gained 5 lbs 😳.
I had an appointment with my natural doctor on Monday evening and we went over blood work and come to find out I am prediabetic. He prescribed a vitamin for my blood sugar and we changed my fasting schedule from 16:8 to 14:10.
I have been doing this new diet and vitamins for 2 days and feel good so far. We will see what next weeks weigh in brings. I need to amp everything up though. I am in a weight loss challenge and first place wins $6k cash and $1k gift card.

@cupcakecrusoe thanks for the motivation. Btw I have the same bread box and love it. Also was that your first time to Boston? My husband is from Boston and his whole family still lives there so we go often.

Good morning!

Yesterday was pretty good. I stayed in the calorie range I generally aim for and ate all the yummy things. I made my homemade gyro for lunch on a Joseph's oat, flax & wheat pita. I had a personal pizza loaded with veggies also made on that same type pita last night. On the days I go overboard it's like I forget that I can have all the things I enjoy without going crazy.

Tonight I'm hoping to get to my Zumba class. I haven't been in 2 weeks and I haven't done any of my YouTube workouts either. Just walking. I know I'll be feeling it after a couple weeks break but I need to jump back in.

@CupcakeCrusoe I’m trying so hard to essentially eat the way I want to eat when I hit my goal. Trying instead of slashing calories to lose quickly but instead losing slowly while eating as I will when I’m at that goal. Some days are pretty easy. A lot of days are hard. That said, the longer I do it the more of the easy days I see.

@shellifish7295 A monetary challenge. I love it. Something about a prize, especially cash, always motivates me to push a little harder. Honestly, even if it’s bragging rights or something crazy I love a good challenge.

@serenecompassion2663 That looks so good!

Good morning everyone!
Super tired today but the end of the week is always like that for me because we are just so busy as a family. Last night I had a pretty good NSV. Wednesdays are swim lesson nights for my son (almost 3) and if he did good he gets to choose what he wants for dinner (takeout). It’s normally McDonald’s for a happy meal but last night he was in a water theme I guess and wanted starfish (carls jr chicken nugggets are star shaped). He only finished half of his chicken and half of the fries. Normally I would eat them as I cleaned up his tray but not last night. I stuck to my guns and only had my protein shake for dinner.

Tonight is a late night for me as I work both of my jobs. But I already have everything prepped for tomorrow except for my supplements and that’s super quick to do when I get home.

@pamperedlinny your food sounds delicious! I’ll have to check out those Joseph pitas.
I am a super competitive person so these types of challenges really help give me a push. The money is just a bonus and honestly makes it easy to tell coworkers your doing a challenge and you could win 6k they are more eager to help keep me on point and not offer bad food.

@cupcakecrusoe your office sounds awesome with all those plants. Is gardening a hobby?
Thanks for the recommendation for happy scale. I will check that out. I’m data driven too. The 5lbs is abnormal for me which is why it was so shocking to see. I’m allergic to corn and my reaction is massive water retention so I’m used to the scale going up or down 1-2 pounds but 5 😳.

I feel you on Boston. Even if we didn’t have family that lived there I think we would still go vacation there too. It just for the history, green high I love, but the people. Yes they can be rude but it’s a fun rude and they love thier city. The culture it so diverse and that makes everything you do and see each time different. Have you ever been to Regina’s pizza in the north end?