New to MFP

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I've known for awhile that I had put on a little extra weight...I weighed 150lbs at the beginning of last May, and I have definitely been putting on the belly fat for awhile, but I didn't realize how bad it was. I was living the sort of lie where, "If I don't pay attention to it, it doesn't exist"; I really really didn't want to get on a scale.

Yesterday night, before going to bed, I decided to take a look and see where I was actually at...and I burst into tears. The scale was blinking 175lbs back at me. I knew I had gained, but I had no idea it was that much, and it hurt, a lot.

So I faced up to the fact that I just don't hav the metabolism I did at 14, when I could eat an entire apple pie and not see any negative effects, and finally joined up with this website my mum had been telling me about for awhile.

I'll admit, I'm a little leery, because I have the willpower of a wet noodle, but I'm going to try really hard to drop back to my 150lbs of a year and a half ago! My goal is to lose 1.5lbs a week, by both watching my intake and upping my cardio (I've been doing weights regularly for almost a year, but my cardio has slacked off badly). I want to be back down to 150 by February, when I take my trip down to Florida, and I think that if I can stick to it I will be able to get there.

I'm looking forward to being a part of the MFP community!

Replies

  • phoenix9115
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    you can do it :) just try to stick to your calorie count or a little under.I had to lose at least 10 pounds to be approved for my gastric bypass surgery.I started in may at 267,after 3 months on the site,I lost 19 pounds and ended up at 248 before surgery.I had the surgery on aug 15th and am now 212.My goal is 175,but without this site and the structure,I would have never gotten my act together to get approved for the surgery..I have lost a total of 55 pounds so far,and even though i have a ways to go,I feel this site is what kept me focused. :)
  • mewaybright
    mewaybright Posts: 240 Member
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    Set yourself some mini-goals and an overall goal, get a set time of day to do your workout, vary it up don't do the same thing day after day so you prevent getting bored with it. Download this app to your phone if you have a smart phone. Take pictures of your before and at every 30 days of progress. Weights and measurements as well. Rely on MFP friends to help keep you on the straight and narrow... Good Luck... Think positive, you can do it.
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
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    You took a very important step toward your goal. It matters how badly you want it. There alot of tools here to help get you there. The diaries have been a great help to me. When you see what your eating in writing and the calories that you are taking in , it really makes you think more about it. Lots of help around here. You will be surprised when the steps here start working, that will be a big motivator. This is not a diet. Just a way of helping you make better choices.
  • soonerchick14
    soonerchick14 Posts: 36 Member
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    Welcome! They say recognizing the problem is half the battle so you're off to a good start! Feel free to add me if you are looking for support.
  • tseecka
    tseecka Posts: 90 Member
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    This is not a diet. Just a way of helping you make better choices.

    And that's exactly the way I'm trying to look at it. In most areas of my eating I'm making good, healthy choices--I'd say in the last ten years I've brought my sodium down to less than 20% of what it used to be, I eat a lot more fruits and veggies, and I've been working on bringing down my portion sizes.

    My downfall was the "little" things--a square of chocolate here, a couple Starburst there--and the fact that I am a boredom eater. I tended to just snack on all the little things and not really notice how much I was actually consuming. Hopefully having the diary will help me to change that by making myself more aware of how much all those "little bits" are actually contributing.

    At the end of the day I just want to be the best I can, and I know that if I can force myself to actually sit down and work at it, I'll manage to accomplish that. :)