Need to Lose 100 LBS -Robins Thread !

Hi everyone, I'm new here, although I posted a couple times a few years back. I'm focusing on long-term health, and am in recovery from various eating disorders. My weight had been creeping up for the past 10 years, and was around 230 for the past 6 years or so, but it got higher during the pandemic, up to over 260. Over the past year and a half, I've lost 45 pounds through eating WFPBNO (whole food plant based no oil). I saw that mentioned in some other posts, so that is really cool My weight loss has been going slowly, but it is also the only time in my life that I've been healthier without being obsessive about it, so I would much rather do it this way. It's nice to meet you all, and thank you for sharing your journeys!

I've been back to logging all my food and doing well with it! I'm proud of myself. My goal for May is going to be continue to log my food, focus on water consumption and continue with my exercise routine.

@LilRock25
It sounds like you are off to a great start. I find being honest with my logging, even on bad days, helps me to recognize patterns and choices I make. One thing I also find helpful is to leave myself notes in the food section. Lately these have been tracking what exercise I am doing. But I will also leave myself notes if there was a special occasion or I was stressed in case I go back and look through my diary.

I agree with you that it is about finding what works for you and sticking to it. I am not one for fad diets. I know many friends and family who have tried. As soon as they go off their diet they gain the weight back, become frustrated and gain even more. I feel it is often a vicious cycle.

I also agree about not wanting to take a pill for everything. I whole heartedly believe from my own personal experience that a lot of our health related issues can be resolved through diet and exercise.

I started my journey, this time around (I am a repeat MFPer), a little over 2 years ago. I needed to get back on track because I was diagnosed with T2. Since changing my diet and exercising I have managed to lose my T2 diagnosis and am no longer considered prediabetic! I do eat WFPBNO (whole food plant based no oil). It definitely is challenging to eat in restaurants or at parties. In those situations I make the best choices possible. I do have to say that I absolutely love it.

Congrats on your loss. That is fantastic!

@nsk1951
I agree with the eating patterns evolving. I think back to when I started on MFP each time and to where I am now. There were times I struggled, especially when I switched from veggie to WFPBNO. Now I find it easy. The foods that used to tempt me are no longer desirable to me.

I don't know if this would work for you but I pick 3 recipes to make a week. We eat the left overs during the week but I try to use them in a more creative way. For example, last night I made roasted vegetables with beans. We had that with a side salad. Tonight we had it again. However this time I am made tortilla bowls, filled with lettuce and topping with the veggies and beans. I also made guacamole that we put on top and squeeze fresh lime on it. My husband and daughter can also add cheese to theirs.

I do wonder if there is a recipe converter online that will allow you to enter a recipe and it calculates the ingredients according to how many servings you would like.

My cousin used Noom and loved it. From what she described it is similar to MFP however there is a psychological aspect to it. She said the program helps you to identify triggers and methods to deal with that. I did look into it at one point but felt it wasn't right for me. I didn't want to pay for a program when I can achieve my goals here for free.

@Melwillbehealthy
Hi!!! So glad you popped in and said hi. I remember you!!!!
I hope you are doing well. Please pop back in from time to time and let us know how you are doing.
I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis. See my response to LilRock above. I've been working on myself for the past 2 years due to my T2 diagnosis. I understand your feelings towards the gym, I was there myself. My suggestion would be start slow and ease your self into it. When I restarted working out at home that is what I did. Before I knew it I was in a routine, felt a lot better and absolutely love it.

@mnwalkingqueen
I did get those 7 lbs back down plus one extra one!!!! I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. Thank you for the support!
Sorry you had to go back to medication and it didn't work. I personally have not used a homeopathic doctor. But I know a few people who have tried them and liked them. I am sorry but I don't have additional information for you on that.

@laurenmo279
Welcome! That was me! I eat WFPBNO and absolutely love it! I was vegetarian before this. What made you choose this way of eating? Have you read any books on it? I am currently reading How Not to Die and will be reading How Not to Diet next. I've also read Mastering Diabetes and plan on rereading that too.
My weight came off fast in the beginning. The second year it was much slower. I've been stalled weight wise for a while but my body is definitely changing.

Saturday Check-in ... My weight this morning was down a pound over last week's average ... which means that the pound i was up last week has gone away. It feels so good to have normal sized feet and be able to wear my shoes without so much discomfort. I really do need to stay away from salty foods ... and like all food restrictions, sometimes I just forget why it is restricted and have some.

It's nice to see more posters on this thread. No one is asking for advice, so I won't give any! But I will ask ... @LilRock25 ... Can you tell me more about your Lettuce Wraps? ....

Have a happy week everyone.

Thanks

Happy May everyone!

Monday's WI was what I expected, even though disappointing. No movement on the scale. But, that's usually how my body does things. A big week at first & then nothing. I also know I ate a little more over the weekend than I should have. I'm not upset with it.

@nsk1951 those lettuce wraps are so easy! I added some chopped water chestnuts for the added crunch. I followed this recipe: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/pf-changs-lettuce-wraps/

I desperately need to go grocery shopping but don't see that happening tonight. We're super short staffed at work today & it is kicking my butt. We're usually a team of 6 and I have 3 people out today & it's Monday & the first day of rent week (I'm a property manager). So it's been nutso.

I'm hoping I can also find the motivation to take a couple walks this week. I definitely have let that slack off here recently. I'll be traveling out of town for a concert this weekend & really looking forward to it, but know there will be lots of temptations.

JNettie73 wrote: »

@nsk1951
My friend and I had a similar conversation about shoe size the other day. He had asked if I noticed my foot size shrunk as I lost weight, that was his experience. That was also my experience, I went down 1/2 size. Foot size isn't something I necessarily think of changing with weight loss but it certainly does happen! I am happy to hear your shoes are fitting more comfortably.

My May goals are similar to yours. To refocus on my habits. I am not going to put a lot of emphasis on getting the scale to move. If it happens I will be thrilled. If it doesn't then I take comfort in knowing I am making the changes I can and it will move when ready.

Gee @JNettie73 ... You probably didn't mean it this way, but it READS to ME like you believe my shoe issue is because of my weight. ... it isn't. But I'm glad your feet got smaller as you lost weight. And I am also very happy to be able to fit into my shoes. As long as the Edema stays at bay I will be OK.

As you've said, you've made great strides in the past 2 years, so taking some focus off the scale movement is a mental release that is probably just the ticket! For me ... I find that, at my geriatric age, I focus on health more than my waist size! Although, definitely I like a slimmer profile! That image is one I'll never give up striving for because it's also a measure of my insulin resistance! The flatter the belly, the lower the a1C! ... (LOL)

@nsk1951 I hope your comment about insulin resistance is true. I’m almost completely focused on losing weight for my health too. However, it will be nice to lose the big belly!

I don’t know what to think. I’ve been within calorie range before the 2 lb. Increase.

@JNettie73 the last couple of weeks have been strange with weight loss. I’m still up a little and still counting calories. I will be more vigilant however, as sometimes I guess amounts. Time to use my kitchen food scale. I feel like my body is resisting losing weight. It’s weird. I have a lot to lose, (100+) so I’m surprised at how hard it is at this point. I expected that to happen later.
I like to cook, and yesterday tried to make a spaghetti dinner with spaghetti squash…a delicious recipe I’ve used before. Well, I made it but used the wrong type of squash. It tasted awful! Again, where are my brains going? Maybe if I lose weight I’ll get smarter. My dad believed that if you were a little bit hungry it sharpened your senses.

@Melwillbehealthy
I have fallen victim to guess the amount as well. That is the slump I am in right now. Hence why it has been quite a while since the scale has moved for me. I get it. For me, it is time consuming and a tedious task. I really need to get better with that so I see the results I want.

My other issue I struggle with is how to log food when we eat out. I try to do the best I can and pick something in the diary that I think is fairly accurate. But there is no way for me to truly gauge the calorie content and how much I eat. When this happens I just do the best I can and chalk it up to being one of those days. Perfect example, yesterday late afternoon my daughter had a spring fling at school. We had gone and planned to go out to dinner after. While there we met up with my neighbors, they had the same plan. The kids got to talking and asked if we could go to dinner together so we did. I suggest an Indian fusion restaurant that is amazing. They have never been before as they have not lived here very long. I ended up getting a basket of naan for the table because I knew everyone would love it. Then for myself I ordered Alu Baingan (eggplant and potatoes in a onion tomato gravy). It was amazing. I ate half of it and took the rest home. I truly have no idea how many calories were in that dish and how much I ate so it is all a guesstimate. Thankfully those days are not a regular occurrence.

I did have another NSV though. After dinner we took a walk around the corner to an ice cream shop. They do have vegan friendly ice cream here that I can eat. However I was honestly full from dinner and had no desire to have any. I was proud of myself for resisting the social eating trap.

@nsk1951
No worries at all. You advice of not giving up trying and searching for something that works for you is spot on. We are all built differently and have different life styles. What works for one person may not work for another.


Yesterday was a gorgeous day here. I had gotten my workout done early and was able to enjoy some time outside. I cleaned out all of my bird baths and feeders then replaced with all fresh seed and water. (My mosquito man was here yesterday spraying for ticks so I wanted to make sure the birds were completely safe as I forgot to take everything down before he sprayed.) All afternoon the orioles were hanging around eating the oranges I put out for them! I have been trying to get them to come to my feeders for 2 years now and they never have until this year. The only difference is I moved the location of the feeder. I love bird watching. It brings me a lot of peace and joy. Yesterday I also did some weeding in my garden beds. Today I plan on working in the gardens more. Tomorrow I think we are going hiking.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hello everyone
It is my first day here, and I thought it would be nice to introduce myself and tell my story. I am a young woman with PCOS, a family history of metabolic disorders, and I have been struggling with my weight since I was a chubby child. I was actually born overweight, and only started to lose it when I was a teenager. However, I never reached my goal and as I started eating normally again I gained even more weight than what I had lost. I remember those years as a nightmare, I started suffering from eating disorders, I was miserable and no one around me seemed to mind. I suffered from anorexia, then bulimia, and finally binge eating disorder: this ruined both my mental health and my metabolism, and during the pandemic I have gained so many kilos that I can't seem to lose. I have seen several nutritionists both when I was a teenager and as an adult, but the diets only worked for a few months and as soon as they modified my regimen I started getting fat again. The last doctor put me on a liquid diet for a month, I only lost 2 kg and it caused me anemia and a severe vitamin B deficiency. I felt awful! I have recently found out I have a benign mass in my thyroid, and I was prescribed supplements for that.
I know that my life sounds pretty miserable, but I was blessed with a wonderful boyfriend and am about to get married. I want to give my body another chance to get healthy and be in perfect shape for a future pregnancy. I am more motivated than ever and I thought that since so many nutritionists have failed me, maybe I could try to listen to my body and lose the weight on my own.
I have been a pescatarian for 10 years, I struggle with cravings when I am on my period and the most difficult moment of the day for me is lunchtime: that's when I get out of work, I have no time for a proper meal and a long commute ahead of me. I try not to snack on anything, but when I get home I am literally starving. In the morning I have breakfast, but there's really no time for a quick snack while I am at work.
I am mildly active, I walk about one hour everyday with my dog, but rarely have the time to do more than that.
I have just bought my first scale and measuring tape, years ago my therapist told me I shouldn't measure my body, but I think I am much more mature and balanced now. I am still scared of those numbers, but honestly I need them to establish my tdee and calorie deficit, and to track my progress and make sustainable adjustments over time. I have roughly tried to calculate my body fat percentage (turned out to be 54%) and tdee, it should be around 1700 kcal. Of course I will have more precise data when I will get the scale. I have started eating 1200 kcal/day and I know I shouldn't go lower. I would like to start exercising a bit more as soon as I have more time, but I am scared that I will get hungry and eat too much. I try to have a regimen that is very similar to the various diets I tried: proteins at every meal, no carbs for dinner, lots of vegetables, only healthy fats... I just try to vary it, dieting was very tiring because I got sick of eating the exact same things every week.
Any advice is absolutely welcome, thank you for taking the time to read this!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone who considers themselves to be a mom.


I am a mom to a son who is fast approaching retirement age, so happy day to me also. ... Well, he told me today that he can, in fact, retire now if he wanted to but wants to work longer yet cause he likes his profession. But that would be 'early' retirement! LOL!

I made a really tasty meal for myself today ... a pasta skillet dish that I make variations of on a regular basis. It's chock full of vegetables, depending on what is on hand. Today's was based on bowtie pasta that was cooked al-dente' and added to a skillet full of lightly cooked vegetables. I didn't use any cheese in todays dish, but often times finish such a dish off with grated parm or romano and a sprinkling of torn basil or minced parsley. The vegetables were cooked on a small base of extra virgin olive oil and consisted of: garlic, onion, celery, carrot, sweet peppers, baby bella mushrooms. All the vegetables had been sliced to strips about as long as the pasta shape. I only used a little salt and pepper for the seasoning because I used a quarter cup of left over pasta sauce and some pasta water for the sauce, which was flavorful ... and I added a cooked and cut up hot Italian Sausage patty to to the skillet to finish with the pasta and 'sauce' after I added it all together. Such yum .. and so colorful. It felt like a real treat for me on this special day.

It made a pretty full skillet so I'm saving the leftovers to turn into something different for another meal by adding baby spinach and one or two other ingredients to the leftovers. On another day!

@laurenmo279- Welcome!

@Melwillbehealthy- the exercise will come for you… 30 days for habit to form. At least you got the food down. I have the exercise down but not the food.

@nsk1951- I’m glad that you lost that pound and that you’re feeling better with your feet. I love your plan for me on focusing on your habits.

@JNettie73- I like your goals for May and good job so far.

@EssePi117- Welcome. You have been through alot and thanks for being so open. My only advice is slow and steady build routines. I’m my own mess in progress 😉

AFM:
Wow, I didn’t realize how long it had been since I checked in. So weird that mentally when I turn 50 I feel like all these things are changing instantly. I think because everybody was telling me how to be so aware of body changes at 50 that they were just on my mind more than normal and so I noticed things. One thing that was happening is I didn’t want to be bothered by anyone almost started to go into a depression again, so then I really know what that feels like and I’ve been putting all my energy into being out in the fresh air as much as possible. Hence not being on my phone as much, so not really, realizing how far behind I was with everybody’s posts.
My doctor put me on a second medication for my blood pressure and it’s still not coming down. I am actually still wondering if there’s more going on now that I have paid more attention to things with my body. However, my uncle is on for blood pressure medication‘s, and his blood pressure is still so high that if he wasn’t on medication, they would put him in the hospital instantly . Maybe it’s just hereditary and poor choices and food.
I realize for myself I start to do too much at one time and I do good at it for about a month and then I think I get burnt out and I mess up a lot. For example, when I started in January, I was exercising, doing really good about keeping a food journal, I was listening to podcasts that were positive and help me with my weight loss. By March I was just exercising every day, and everything had fallen off.
none weight related Epiphany this week… I was the first person in my family to own a house and I bought my house because I assume that’s what you were supposed to do get a good job by your house the American dream. Being a broke homeowner sucks constantly have to choose between doing things I love or fixing things in my house, and I will say the last few months the money has went to doing things I love. I’ve actually been contemplating selling my house and going back into an apartment however Riley is a pain in the royal but sometimes so I don’t know if that would be a good idea either.

@nsk1951 I’m so sorry you’re going through an awful time right now. Congratulations on not gaining weight during such a stressful time. It’s tough.

I think I’ve turned a minor corner with my weight loss. It’s starting to move in the right direction again. It’s been going up and down for the last month. Sometimes, I think that having diabetes really slows the weight loss. I’m still counting calories and will never give up.
I’m going to Ireland and England in a few weeks. My plan was to lose about 10 more lbs. before I leave, not just for vanity, but to be able to take less drugs with me. I can’t possibly lose 10 lbs. at my slow rate of loss. I feel like I’m taking an arsenal of drugs and wonder how I’ll be treated at the airport.

@nsk1951 well, I’m thrilled today I weighed myself after having 4 kids here for the last two days( sleepover); and cooking them their favourite meals I lost 1 lb. I’m not doing anything drastic. Still counting calories. I don’t expect to lose that particular 10 lbs., but I hope to lose some more in the next 3 weeks before I leave on my trip. I’m quite excited to be going somewhere. I haven’t travelled in a long time, probably close to 20 years.
I have never travelled with meds before. It’s a new experience for me.
@mnwalkingqueen I’m still struggling to add the exercise, but I believe it’s making a difference in my weight loss. I’ve added some swimming, and will go to the gym later this morning.
Cooking tonight’s dinner is a little problem as I’m going babysitting at dinner time. Not sure what I’ll do yet. Babysitting my youngest granddaughter, Betty, who’s 5 yrs. Old. I’m giving the parents a chance to watch their son play baseball. Betty’s sweet, but distracting.
Last night my hubby and I met friends at a nearby diner. Honestly, there was very little I could order off the menu. It was all fried, heavy food and several varieties of milkshakes. They didn’t sell soup, there’s a lettuce shortage so I couldn’t buy a salad . I ended up with a delicious order of pemeal bacon. I was happy with that.