Women 200lb+, Let's Apply Ourselves This August!!!

Hi, I'm back for my second month of this.

I'm a 46yo SAHM of 5 (mostly grown) children and I take care of my grandson when my daughter has to work. I've struggled with my weight my whole life as a compulsive overeater. But after seeing the scale topping 290lbs in July, I got back on track despite a medication I take making me hungry all the time and gain weight. Apparently, I am able to lose weight while on it so my weight gain was probably more to do with constantly feeling hungry so always snacking (on the worst stuff no less).

I don't have any plans for August--it's just another month all be it with my two youngest kids home during the day. I've spent the last week working in the yard after my morning walk because the HOA complained about the weeds and want to fine us. Now my husband has bought some mulch to put down, completely glossing over the fact the area is already covered in rocks so this week I guess I'm shoveling up all the rocks and moving them to another part of the yard so we can lay mulch. My back is hurting just thinking about it.

Anyway...

GOALS:
* get used to walking at least two miles every day (about 45 minutes)
* portion control, portion control, portion control
* make better food choices
* no snacking on unhealthy foods
* lose about 10lbs

SW: 294 (7/4/23)
August SW: 273.8
CW: 267.8 (8/8)
GW (short term): 250
GW (long term): 165

8/8 Update: Really tweaked a muscle in my back/hip area on the left side. I had to stop shoveling rocks for a few days to let it get better. We're also out of mulch. Keeping up with my minimum two miles and/or 1 hour of walking. Even on days my feet were killing me. I've gotten to like my time wandering around the neighborhood lost in thought with no one to interrupt me. I hate going home, but it's too hot to stay out much more than that.

Linda
40 years old, 5'7"
SW: 300 lbs
GW: 180 lbs
Prev Low: 191 lbs
Aug 1: 209 lb
Aug 4: 203.4 lb

Well….. yesterday I had to go into the office for a new laptop. I came back home. Went back in again. It just wasn’t a very productive work day for me. I ended up grabbing cookies on my back and forth since I was trying to get back to the office quickly. Then met a friend for lunch since I was next to her building. Then went on a different friend’s birthday dinner. So, not my best day again at all. I checked my fasting blood sugar this morning and it is UGLY. Like, wake up call ugly.

Today I promised my husband and daughter we would have pasta night. I do have a trick for pasta night that keeps everyone happy and also keeps me from going overboard. I tend to add a veggie to the bottom of my bowl, then add exactly 1 serving of pasta, then add marinara sauce, then add a protein. The protein is usually frozen meatballs or sometimes chicken. Something “normal”… but the veggies are the key. It’s usually something that works size and shape with the pasta. Adding the veggies makes me more full and from going back for more pasta. It also keeps my blood sugar from spiking so much.
***Steamed Cut Green Beans with Elbows
***Sauteed Broccoli Slaw or Zucchini Strings with Angel Hair
***Steamed Cut Carrots with Wagon Wheels

@Shoppie2023 I had a wonderful weekend with the birthday and anniversary. I often have a problem though that if I let myself slip and not track (even the bad days) that I have a hard time getting back into the habit. For me it’s about a 3 day limit. Then I just let everything go. BUT knowing my limits and what causes me to backslide is a win in itself.

My name is Kelly. I am 52 and watch my grandkids 5 days a week. I watch 4 of them 5 days a weeks and 6 on Wednesdays so I keep busy with babies all week. They are all 3yrs and under. I weigh weekly. This daily group accountability is awesome! I absolutely love this group.

Goals for August:
Walk for 30 minutes a day 6 days a week
Log all my food daily
Hit at least 10,000 steps 6 days a week
Hit 100lb weight loss this month

SW:262
August SW:166
August GW:155
UGW:150

August
1. Walked, logged, 23k+
2. Walked, logged, 24k+
3. Walked, logged, 21k+
4. Walked, logged, 20k+
5. Logged, rest day, weight 163 😊
6. Walked, logged, 16k+
7. Walked, logged, 22k+
8. Walked, logged, 23k+
9. Walked, logged, 17k+

I really struggled yesterday with getting my walk and the steps I finally achieved. I have been feeling drained all week. I made a small change in my diet and I don't think it's working so I am going back to exactly what I was eating before and hope that solves the issue. I can't keep up with all my grands on a daily basis and have little to no energy. If this is it then it amazes me how such a small change can make a huge difference in energy.

Good morning everyone,

Saturday weigh in day!
Christina
34 years old
5'4"

SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150

SW 8/1: 174.4 (average 173.4)
8/5: 173.3 (average 173.4)
8/12: 173.9 (average 173.7)

🌞 August Goals! 🌞

🌞 July GW (average): 172.5

💛Stick to weight loss calories at least 5 days a week ❌
💛Log everything in grams ❌
💛 Shut down the house every night❌

Is it any wonder I'm not losing weight because of all those red x's, nope.

My average (logged) calories this week was 1709, which, if accurate, should be about 200 calories less than my maintenance number, more or less. BUT.


I wasn't logging in grams this week. I did my meal prep! I prepped the food! And then I said to myself, oh, it's fine to just dump all of it in one tupperware, I'll bring the scale to work and weigh it there. Didn't happen (happened Monday, to be fair).


I need to make my meal prep as easy and mindless as me going into the fridge because I'm hungry. Because 1, I can stick to a meal prep if it's easy. And 2, I come home ravenous every day, because I stick better to my plan at work than I do at home, which means 4 o'clock while I'm cooking dinner is the DANGER ZONE.


So improved meal prep plan to stop this slide:
1. Prep everything, in its own container, weighed in grams. Even my morning coffee, which, the way I make it, shouldn't be a ton of calories.
2. Seriously, literally, eat only what I prepped. (and during prep, that means to give myself reasonable treats)
3. When making dinner for the fam, be very serious about my portion, weighing and logging everything before I eat it.
4. PREP AN AFTER SCHOOL SNACK FOR MYSELF WHILE COOKING.
5. And definitely, definitely, prep a dessert for the day, that is just part of my life now.

This is going to be lots of work tomorrow, but if I do it right, success is guaranteed.

For today, I've got a dance choreography class, an all-around class, and splits class. So much class. Lol.

In garage gym news, I got some paint swatches, and I'm cleaning out more today. And I bought some little decorations because aldi had them and I'm impatient to get to the fun part.

Tag party time!
@Shoppie2023 there are some foods for which that kind of restriction is worth it, so I hope your lasagna is worth everything you give up for it. Good for you for knowing your limits about the scale.

@lawandabee7555

I’m staying away from Happy Hour for now because in times past I got a little too happy and packed on the pounds in record time.

hello me from college

it is way too easy to do, isn't it. Welcome! Share what you're prepping, I'm always looking for ideas.

@justanotherjen13 I mean my thought on that kind of a situation is, your sphere seems to be taking care of the house, so you should get to set the standard for the house. You don't tell him what standard to set for his work, he shouldn't get to do that for yours. I read a substack this week about total responsibility transfer, let me see if I can find it: link
There is something very calming about a nice walk. I was thinking about taking one myself, this morning, we'll see how much I get done before the gym.

@pamperedlinny heck yeah back to Zumba!! And I'll be sure to take pictures, I forgot to take one when the garage was at it's worst for maximum shock value, so I'll just have to settle for a picture of it in-progress clear out.

I had pasta this week and I forgot your trick! Not again, for sure!

I think the finding stress relief that's not pantry related is a great idea. I've got a lot of tricks in my arsenal: I knit and listen to a favorite podcast, or I dig into a quick thing in a video game, or I find some new fanfiction or a new trash novel ebook to read (don't judge me, lol), things that I can get absorbed in and take my mind off the food-is-the-answer thoughts.

@Buckeyebabe717 it can take a while to really tune into your energy levels, so I love that you're paying attention and making adjustments.

@ambermichk cutting out soda is going to be a huge improvement, welcome! looking forward to hearing more about you!

Oh, and for anyone who's sent me a friend request- I only use MFP for the community, not for logging at all, so I don't accept friend requests anymore. I'm just not on MFP if I'm not in the community boards, so please don't take it personally. I use MacroFactor for logging instead.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hello, I am a mom of 5. My baby is 15 and oldest 28... I have three still at home.

I have always felt big, always felt fat, looking back I don't think I was but felt that way. After first kid i packed on the weight, and continued.... although with my third I was so sick I was at my lowest adult weight ever before I delivered.

I am a junk food, chocolate, soda addict. I love sweets, milk chocolate and pepsi and mt dew. I eat like a unsupervised 5 year old. Fast food is a huge issue for me, always on the go, grab fast and easy (and tasty). I hate veggies (yes all), only eat a few fruits, do not do milk products (yogurt, cheese, etc) . The meats I eat are lean, i love white meat of the chicken, lean beef.... i will trim every piece of fat off. I don't care for pasta or breads or wraps...... as you can see I have an issue

I have not started back exercising but i did love doing it back when i was active. I hope to join the gym again.

My doctor is too kind, i have high blood pressure now, high cholesterol and pre diabetic. I am at the highest weight that I have ever been at this point. I am now on meds for BP and cholesterol.

I lack the follow through. i have that issue in my life with more than diet. I get motivated but cannot keep up the motivation. I say I always have great plans... usually it is only plans.

So far I have been soda free since Wednesday morning, I have cut back drastically on junk food and I am tracking my foods I eat.


SW 297
GW 199

Would love to have some friends added as I have no been on the app in a long time and my newsfeed is very lacking!

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing ok. I'm mostly sticking to plan, with the odd hiccup (hello yummy lemon fairycakes that my husband baked). I'd still love to have more friends, so if we're not already connected please do send me an invite.

@ambermichk I tied to send you a friend invite but got a weird this page isn't working message? You could try to friend me? I want to wish you the very best of luck with your journey. I'm still new myself - this is only my third week. My SW was 261 and I've lost 5 lbs. Its hard not to see it as a drop in the ocean, but it's a start.

@CupcakeCrusoe It seems to me that you are incredibly self aware and know exactly where things aren't quite working. Good luck making your tweaks to get the results you are after.

@Buckeyebabe7l7 I'm so impressed by what you manage to fit in when you are caring for so many little ones. My hat's off to you!

@pamperedlinny I completely know what you mean about stress eating. The other day I was feeling really stressed by work and all I wanted to do was eat BUT I knew I wasn't hungry. If you come up with any ideas do let me know!! I waited it out and took my dog for a walk as soon as I could and that did the trick. You can't always get out though.

Right, going to be a tough day here. Having lunch at a pub and there are no healthy choices and no calories on the menu so I can't even think "this is least bad". So I'm going to just have what I want and go for a long walk with the dog to try and minimise impact. And obviously eat as healthily as I can the rest of the day.

Sending best wishes to everyone - we've got this!

New tooth pain update.

I went yesterday for my endodontist consult. He decided, even though I had only been on the antibiotic for 24 hours, to squeeze me in to do the actual root canal. I've been told that between the infection and the procedure that I should expect to be sore for a few days, possibly thru the weekend. He didn't give me any pain meds, just told to take Advil. I need to go get a temp crown next week. After 30 days I need to switch to a permanent crown. I'm sticking to softer and easier to chew foods for the next day or two so my logging will be either non-existent or lacking for this week. I do have the most amazing husband though. He went out yesterday to get me a frosty from Wendy's and a soup from Chick-fil-A. He's a keeper.

@pamperedlinny how did the dentist procedure go,? I'm really hoping that you're not in pain anymore - let us know how things are going.

@ambermichk yeah that's what happened when I tried to add you as a friend. How strange. If I get a chance I might send aessage to the help function.

AMAZING result losing 9 lbs! I never seem to lose the big amounts, the most I've ever lost in a week is 4 lbs and that was when I was in my 20s! (I'm now 45). I lost 2 lbs my first week of this. This week its 1lb. I'll be honest and say that I'm struggling a bit with it as I wanted to hit 7 lbs lost as that's half a stone in the UK my first real milestone. But a lb is a lb and it's still a loss. Onwards and downwards!

I'll get around to actually catching up and reading everything later this week. Today I'm trying to catch up on work that I skated around some last week and all the other things I had to let slide.

Pain-wise I'm much better. It's still uncomfortable like a deep bruise. However, no more stabbing throbbing pain. I can't sleep well since that's the side I normally lay on so I'm exhausted. I go for the temp crown on Thursday.

I'm going to try to start logging food again and figuring things out starting today. However, my "don't eat until after 10am" is out the window since I need to eat something with my antibiotic as soon as I am up and moving. And once I eat something I start feeling hungry every couple hours. Not ideal and my calories might still be higher this week until I can finish the pills. But I didn't track anything at all last week while I was hurting so much and I know I put a on at least 2 or 3 lbs during the week. Granted, life happens. It's what I'm going to do now that I'm not in so much pain that is important.

Hi Everybody!!

Andrea (previously Andi from IL)
53 years old
5’4”

SW: 235
CW: 210
GW: 199
Long-Term GW: 140

I am super pumped from this week’s weigh-ins with my dietitian and nurse practitioner. Because I have anxiety over numbers, I only weigh once a month.

Due to some problems with MFP, my posts here haven’t shown up. Hopefully this one will go through.

The Ozempic is working wonders, as long as I limit simple carbs, sugar, and high-fat foods. These types of foods trigger nausea and severe diarrhea.

In May and June I stayed stable at 220 as I was not eating well; I had limited grocery funds and was eating from the local breadline (simple carbs). In July I lost 5.6#, and in August I lost 4.8#. Today’s measurements show I have lost another half inch from my neck and an inch and a half off both my waist and my hips.

This picture was taken in early August. I was both honoring my Sponsor, who was the featured speaker that evening, and celebrating my 20-pound weight loss. I have since lost another five:


I never ever ever thought I would be comfortable and confident enough to wear a knit sheath dress!!!😁

Here are my Goals for the next month:

🌻Focus on keeping my meals simple, and adding veggies to breakfast and lunch, as I’m more likely to cook then. I’m missing some teeth, so sautéing or steaming them will make them easier to eat.

🌻Simplify my workouts so I can actually start them. I walk 1.5-2 miles regularly, but I’m hoping by spreading my planned workouts over 4 days instead of two, I will get to the Kroc Center. M-W Pool, T-Th Strength Training. And I’m going to try “marrying” the habit of calling my Sponsor each morning to the new habit of walking across the street to the Kroc to see if that will help me get in the door.

🌻Walk 2 miles 5x/wk

🌻Cut back on high-sugar foods

Plans for the next month:

🌺 Celebrate my birthday.

🌺 Attend a Book Earring-making class

🌺 Attend a 12-Step Workshop weekend

🌺 Continue to attend 5-6 AA meetings a week

🌺 Have a consultation about my hair: to celebrate hitting 199#, which I expect to accomplish before Christmas, I am having my hair done. This consultation is to figure out what that celebratory process will be..😊

🌺 Recertify for my Housing here in Illinois. This is an annual process to determine my income eligibility.

I’m also applying for Housing in WI. I desperately want to go home. If I apply now, I can at least get on a waitlist.

🌺 Purchase some art supplies and start playing around.

Blessings to you all!!!😊
Andrea