Saying hello!

gbogetti
gbogetti Posts: 1 Member
Once upon a time, I was a varsity athlete (swimming and rowing) and hovered around 135-140 lbs depending on where we were in the season. Post-undergrad and a shoulder surgery, I became complacent and gained 25-30 lbs over three years. When I started grad school my new “normal” was around 160lbs, but I wasn’t happy about it. Over the next three years I gained another 20-25, would lose 10 here and there and put it back on again.

During Covid, I wasn’t working and I got myself a Covid puppy. Over the next six months I was much more active, walking and running regularly with some at home workouts. When I went back to work, I did a 24 week program with a personal training and had great success with my macro tracking and workouts, getting back down to 150 lbs and was arguably more muscular than when I was swimming as I was leaner for my endurance races.

Unfortunately, I did not stick to it after my program ended. Between the new job, a new relationship, and general complacency, I put back on all the weight I had lost. My husband and I are not inactive people, we are usually in the gym five times a week, but we have oppposite struggles - he has a hard time gaining weight amd muscle, while I have gained a lot of muscle but struggle to lose fat. I’ve been at my highest weight ever for the last few months - 200 lbs - but it’s a soft muscular weight more than just overweight as I felt in grad school. That being said, I want to recognize myself in the mirror and fit comfortably back into my clothes (my arms especially had grown too wide for the sleeves of most of my shirts and jackets).

So I’m back using MyFitness Pal like I did with my trainer, as it’s mostly my diet and my
lack of movement between workouts that has deteriorated in the last three years and I’m working on bringing back my good habits.

Replies

  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,281 Member
    Same here. I lost the weight using mfp years ago. I was super active and lean. Then Covid. Then menopause. Then injuries, car accident and an international move.

    But here we are. Starting again. We know what to do. We just need to do the work and be patient while our bodies make the change. We did it before. We can do it again. :smile:
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 11,616 Member
    Welcome back to MFP and to the forums!
  • katrose1985
    katrose1985 Posts: 53 Member
    You got this! I’m back again as well, having gained 56 lbs with my last pregnancy and I know I can do it again! Feel free to add me!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    Welcome to MFP, from a li'l ol' lady on-water rower!

    You mention movement between workouts being a factor for you, which is realistic. There's a thread here where many MFP-ers share their strategies for increasing movement in daily life without requiring much extra time from one's day:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    Not all those ideas will suit everyone, but perhaps there's something useful in there. :)

    Best wishes!

    P.S. IMO, a lot of women's clothes these days, especially workout gear, have improbably tiny arms. I'm no bodybuilder, far from it, but it can be especially challenging to find light workout jackets that work over a top that has sleeves (short or long). I feel like they think active women are all like so-called heroin-chic models from the early 1990s. :grimace: