Women 200lb+, Let's Get It Started in January!!!

Good afternoon everyone!

My exercise regimen is ruined with all the threat of snow! But, I am weighing in lower, bringing the average down. 178 average now. And I'm getting 10k steps every day, just in case I don't exercise because I can't get to the gym.

❌ 4 workouts per week (2/4)
Daily:
✅ > 8k steps
❌<= 1600 cal
✅ 32 minute self care
✅ > 64oz water
✅>= 128g protein

Yesterday I went a few hundred calories above my goal, and I did it somewhat purposefully. N had some kind of reaction at school that left her cheeks and chin all red, and it persisted all night. I ate my feelings about it, 4 mini candy bars and a couple of crackers with butter. But I recognized what I was doing, and didn't let it get too crazy (which I totally wanted to do).

Tonight! The last of the japanese curry leftovers and video games with the boys. I have already gotten 8k steps today, so I'm on track for 10k, even with video game night. My lunch laps around my building while distracting myself with phone games has really been working.

That said! Tomorrow I don't have work, and Friday I have a dentist appt in the morning, so I might not go to work Friday either (but I might). Tomorrow I'm going to go to Costco to stock up before some nasty weather we're supposed to get Friday night/Saturday morning, which might throw a wrench in our other weekend plans. Which means I have to do the fridge/freezer/pantry inventory tonight to make sure I don't buy too much/plan our meals. Chili would be a good one Saturday if other plans fall through. Or Sunday, if they don't. And the girls love chili.

Tags!
@nebslp somehow I missed you last time! I love the tshirt thing! I think that's an awesome tangible marker of progress. I hope you've taken your before picture with it on!

@Quirkout I LOVE the alani bars. They're like candy bars but better for you. My favorites are the rocky road and caramel crunch, although the munchies are good too. I don't like the peanut butter and jelly ones at all, haha.

@katrina6823 look at you go! Congratulations! I don't Insta anymore, or I would follow you!

@rorymason I love key lime everything, so I get it! I also get the feeling gross with too much carbs and sugar. I hope what you need, you get, today!

@kristinwoods919 WHOOSH congrats!

@rachellsayer I totally get that urge when busy and tired to just eat. I try to give myself a little non-food "treat" when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Maybe it's 5 minutes in a quiet room with an escapist book, or a new lip liner I've been meaning to replace. I've just bought a new romance novel for myself, I love that Kindle will send me a reduced price if I've looked at something recently but not bought it. I got this one for a dollar. lol 👀

Have a great day, everyone!

Today I am trying something new. At work I sit at a desk all day and I forget to get up and move. I set a reminder on my phone to pop up every hour that says WALK. I am going to walk inside the building and hopefully get 500 steps each time. This should add up to an additional 4K in steps. (Sometimes when I leave work, I barely have 3K. I realize that Apple has a feature reminding me to stand, but I've gotten good at ignoring that one. Most days I don't want to have to work out plus spend 45 minutes on the treadmill to get 10K in steps after working. I need to try something different.

Weighed myself this morning (Thursday is going to be my weigh-in day, since Jan 1, 2026, falls on a Thursday). 180. My holiday weight gain was not as bad as I originally thought. My short-term goal now is to lose 10 pounds by the first day of Spring, Thursday, March 20. It's 10 weeks away! I didn't progress nearly as much as I hoped in 2024, but 20 pounds is a good start, and I learned a lot in the process.

Well, I'm pretty much starting from zero with my fitness but I stuck with my plan this week. I walked on the treadmill for 30 mins @ 3 mph on Tues and Thurs and did stretches on the other days. It's humbling for sure but I have to start somewhere, I guess! It's very snowy and icy outside so the treadmill is my only option for now but I'm determined to stick with it and build up my endurance. 💪

Good morning everyone!

Still pulling that average down this morning! Weighed 176, average 177.6.
❌ 4 workouts per week (2/4)
Daily:
✅ > 8k steps
❌<= 1600 cal
✅ 32 minute self care
✅ > 64oz water
✅>= 128g protein

Okay, whew, let me tell you about yesterday.

I told y'all about N's face rash she came home with the other day. Turns out, I called the school nurse yesterday to be sure what all she ate, and she had PB&J as well, which they didn't tell me day of, so NOW peanut allergy is potentially in play.

When I tell you I ate three reese's pumpkins in a panic after N went to school and didn't log all my food for the rest of the day....

I did clean out the whole pantry, fridge, and both freezers, removed anything that said 'peanuts' or 'tree nuts' anywhere on the package, and moved them to the back porch until we know more. Luckily where I am, it's cold enough they can just all stay out there (and nothing's from the freezer out there, those things just went in the trash). Unluckily, literally all of my protein bars have peanuts or have the notice that they were made in a peanut facility.

Soooo, it was stressful yesterday, but I had something productive to do to deal with my feelings, I just also didn't log my food. N's allergy test hasn't been scheduled yet, I'm going to stay on top of them for that. But then N came home yesterday and, when I asked her what she ate for lunch, she said PB&J so I have no idea what's going on. I would love it if she's not allergic to anything.

Did go to Costco, it was actually a zoo because I live in a military area, so lots of people had the day off, too. But that got done.

Got over 10k steps, so that was something, and all that cleaning things out was kind of a workout, because I am a little sore this morning!

Tonight we're expecting snow, so if the forecast still says something awful at 7pm, I'm going to cancel on the gym tomorrow morning. I'm not messing around with people around here on the roads if it snows, we're not used to it.

Tonight is pizza night, I'm making my costco cauliflower pizza, my favorite, and the girls are having Domino's. Tomorrow I make chili if we're not at my brother's house playing magic the gathering, if that, then chili Sunday.

Tag party!
@lisakatz2 I hope you're staying safe, and glad to hear that you're not as far from your goal as you thought you were.

@jenbroussard71 this is how I get 8k steps every day before I leave work- my fitbit luxe notifies me with 10 minutes left in every hour if I haven't moved enough. It works like a charm.

@KeriA although it may not FEEL like you're making progress, you are structuring your life and your home in a way that's going to support your goals. That is progress! You are doing it!

@nebslp I love 'stop resisting reality' as a phrase. I'm going to work that one in. It's so important to see clear-eyed exactly where you are before you can start moving toward where you're going, because then, when you look back, you can see all the progress you've made. If I told myself 'my eating has been perfect, I have no idea why I'm not losing weight' there's no room for growth. It's important that room exists, even if it's uncomfortable to accept the starting point. I'm really proud of you for that.

@mmatcha_latte you're absolutely right- you can improve from here, and you have the numbers to show your growth.

@alnelson405 that is amazing to hear 💪 you're doing really great, and you've got good goals, and I can't wait to hear more about your journey!

Have a great Friday, everyone! Stay safe out there!

My scale is acting up so I could blame it for my backslide, but I won't. My feet have been swollen for 2 days now so I know that's contributed to the (as of today) 7 pounds in a week gain. I never used to have that problem...ever! It's happened a few times in the past year after mega amounts of sugar so I'm just going to have to face reality that I have to limit it. I read too much black licorice can cause swelling and I've outdone myself with that. I quit tracking so I'll blame that, too. On the bright side, I've gotten back to my morning posture exercises, getting my steps in every hour (not perfect but way better than last week), tracking, eating more protein and fruit, and getting more water in. I'm feeling better even though there's no outward sign of improvement. It'll happen if I track faithfully. Thanks to everyone for reminding me of the things I need to remember.

Welcome to the people behind the names I'm not familiar with but am so happy you've decided to join us. I hope I don't miss anyone. @rachellsayer @alnelson405 @racboiling @callowaycrissy @katrina6823 @quirtout @marytahlier6623 It's great to see you here!!

@CupcakeCrusoe I hope your daughter hasn't had any more reactions after the first one. Could it be that she's used a different lotion or soap? or clothes detergent? Hope you get some answers soon and it will not happen again. I got the cool spreadsheet! I was able to copy it to my drive (google) but now I have to figure out how to find it again. I use microsoft word most of the time and have never mastered spreadsheets on there so fingers crossed I can get this figured out. The spreadsheet has been a proven winner judging by your performance! So thank you bunches!!

@KeriA You have so many great plans in place to set yourself up for success! Little changes lead to big ones:) I hope your knee is feeling better by now.

@rorymason You had a good loss in December! You are so right when you say tracking works. I'm back on it and plan to continue.

@mmatcha_latte It's so hard to get out and about in the winter when you live in a snowy area. You're making things work in spite of the weather. It'll be that much more fun when we can get back outside and not worry about icy patches.

@kristinwoods919 When I took my first picture yesterday I didn't want to even look at it ever again. But if we keep working all month, those pictures will be a happy reminder to keep going in spite of where we start. I'm going to do a weekly even though it won't change much in that time. Really seeing myself in my shirt is a reminder that I need to work hard every day.

@lisakatz2 I hope you're not in any danger from the fires. Stay safe!

@jenbroussard71 Your comment about trying for 500 steps every hour made me realize I don't have to stop at 250 just because my fitbit lets me know I've met the hourly goal. I get stuck thinking about things in certain ways and it takes a comment to jog me out of that rut. Thanks!

Hope this finds you all well and determined to make every day a good day in one way or another.

Jennifer - 53 years
Re-started 4/24/24 - 236.2
CW: 200.6
GW: 165 (may adjust when I get there)
Loss since 4/24/24 - 35.6 Pounds
5'3" Tall
Monday weigh ins

1/1/25 - 205.2
1/6/25 - 204.4
1/13/25 - 200.6
1/20/25
1/27/25
1/31/25
January Progress - (4.6)

I think that I have finally detoxed from all of the holiday sugar. Since April I have become more aware of how my body reacts to certain foods. I had not realized how much inflammation that sugar causes in me. I have a couple of little knots one near my left thumb and one in my right big toe joint and when I have too much sugar they flare up and are a little painful, so are the joints in my fingers. I just realized this morning that they are smaller and don't hurt. At first, I thought it was just the cold weather, but now I realize it's the sugar in the Christmas goodies. It's crazy that I did not figure this out earlier in my life.

Last week I worked out 5 times - 3 times weights, 1 time core and 1 time cardio. My step count is not where I need it to be. I met my step count goal 2 times last week and averaged 6803 per day. My hourly reminder worked the first day, but I found that 1 hour passes way too quickly. I think today I will try for every 90 minutes and walk a little further, so my productivity does not suffer. I ordered a walk pad that will come in today, so I will be able to meet my goal in the evening without having to abandon my dogs and my husband. Consistency has not been my strong point in the past, I am working on that.

My focus this week is on water and steps. I did my food prep yesterday. I made a new breakfast. I will have to tweak the recipe the next time I make it. It's hashbrowns, egg whites, laughing cow cheese wedge, and turkey sausage. It's a nice size serving and high in protein, but I did not care for the spices in the sausage, and I think I will use an egg next time instead of just the whites and use turkey bacon or ground turkey instead of the sausage. I had been eating protein pancakes with sugar free syrup for months, so this was definitely a change.

Hope everyone has a great week!

@Quirkout when you figure out a way to fix your sleep schedule let me know. I've been fighting with this for a few months. Trying magnesium right now.

SW 254
GW 180

Jan 1: 241.6
Jan 8: 240.6
Jan13: 238.6

Finally starting to get back to a post holiday break routine!

Goal 3 lbs per week. Weigh in Wednesday.
Jan 1 starting weight 236.7
Jan 8 232.9
Jan 15 231.7
Not thrilled with this week but been trying not to get sick and resting a lot more this week.

The scale is starting to go down after that crazy 7 pound gain in one week. My feet are skinny again after being super swollen for about three days. I was getting worried. I've lost 3 and 1/2 of that gain but have a ways to go to get rid of the high sugar intake effects. I have learned my lesson!

I will take pictures of my softball shirt tomorrow. I can't keep track of what day it is, so I don't remember when I took the first one.

I have been eating very mindfully all week. My macros have been very close to my goals, give or take 3-4 percentage points. Calories are under goal. I've been paying close attention to my choices and making sure I get the vitamin C and A I need by eating certain foods daily. I've been low on Calcium and Iron so I'll be working on figuring out how to meet those goals. I haven't been taking a daily vitamin. Not sure if I should start. There's so much mixed information on that.

I stopped thinking about working out and starting doing it as soon as it pops into my mind in the afternoon or evening. There's no talking myself out of it anymore! I'm doing Classical Stretch daily right now and will add a weight workout this week.

I still go to bed too late but am getting a decent number of hours of sleep. I think going outside and getting sun in the morning is a really good way to set my circadian rhythm so I'm tired in the evenings. I'm sorry to hear some of you are having such sleep problems. That makes the days so much harder. One thing I've done that helps is to make the bedroom as dark as possible at night. I also ask Alexa to play Zen music and that helps me relax. Alexa has something called 852 hits(?) and it has lots of steady low tones that help my nervous system relax.

There are lots more things for me to work on but I feel like I've been on the right path all week and plan to continue. I've been charting my steps, calories, weight, and active hours daily and that helps me focus.

I hope this finds you all well.

Hello ladies! I'm not new to MFP but it's been years since I've utilized it.
I'm 45 yo, 5'5", SW 255#, CW 240, GW healthier!
On a bunch of meds, A1C was at 9 Dec '24. Just started Mounjaro on the intro dose, 2nd shot in.
Looking to stay active here and draw some motivation from you ladies! ❤️
I'm ready to get back out on my 14 acre property this summer and spend time w my husband, gardening and caring for my animals. Def looking forward to moving more and hurting/sleeping less.
I've never been a resolution person but no matter what's going on out in the rest of the world, 2025 is going to be a good one this girl.
Some of my passions/interests: gardening, horses, dogs, chickens, farm life, furniture restoring and protein goals 💪 🤣

Any loss is better than no loss at all, rory. I didn't lose at all this week, but I didn't expect to, I binged on Wen. on a bunch of chocolate. Not sure why, except I really felt hungry, I kept eating my usual foods, but still felt hungry. I had to gorge before I felt satisfied. Peculiar. I hadn't gone much below my usual calorie allotment or was unusually active. Can't figure it out and it's not a "period" thing, that ship sailed a long time ago. I don't think it's a magnesium deficiency because I take powdered magnesium several times a week. So I'm still at 180. At least I didn't gain.