mamasyd Member

Awesome!! I understand your jubilation. Last Friday, my husband and I were in the mall. We walked past a Lane Bryant to the New York & Company right next door. The difference is that, when I started, I couldn't even shop in a Lane Bryant store because I was bigger than anything they carried. I had to order from their…

I thought I would try to answer your questions since I have lost quite a bit more than 50! LOL My first realization was that I never wanted to 'diet' again. That is only a temporary solution to a long term situation. For me, it had to be about truly changing my lifestyle and that included my eating habits. I did it…

Try some Smuckers all fruit in a flavor you enjoy!

Nashville, Illinois - no, it's not the music city where all the country music records are made! LOL That's Nashville, Tennessee. I live in a wonderful little rural community of about 3200 people in the heartland of the United States!

I also had a limited number of things that I preferred when I started this adventure. Salads were okay if they were smothered in dressing and I would rather have veggies in sauce or at least butter. It's a process that goes step by step. As I started deleting the high sugar and highly processed foods it was amazing how the…

I am a member of this club that nobody wanted to join. My story is rather long and involved, but let me assure you that freedom is more than possible. It is the reality of my life!

When I began this journey at a size 34W, I could barely even imagine being in "normal sizes" (meaning not having to go to the plus size section to buy my clothes). I would have been pretty ecstatic over an 18 and just about over the moon to be a 16. The goal that I thought was realistic was a 14, or possibly a 12. I was at…

Your metabolism will actually respond better if you vary the number of calories you intake from day to day. I like to use the weekly 'allowance' concept and have some higher and some lower days. That keeps my body guessing and it doesn't regulate to a new lower 'normal'. I do try to make my higher days the ones that I have…

MFP is just a tool like any other tool, however it has proven to be a good one. I have logged my food for the past three years and, at this point, can't really imagine NOT doing it as a way of life. Only the past seven months has been on MFP, but I can tell you that it has been much easier to track since then. It's not…

If you go to 'add exercise' and browse all, it's on the list. You just indicate how many minutes you spent and it will figure the rest for you. I don't add the usual daily stuff, but I do tend to add when I do extraordinary cleaning or spend a lot longer than usual. (I just add the extra amount, not what I would usually…

I logged everything I ate and did quite well. It wasn't even a temptation. And I lost another pound this week - bonus!!

Thanks for the help, Zebrahead! I was getting really frustrated!! 8-)

At this time last year I was wearing a 22, sometimes a 20, and ecstatic about the progress I had made. This year I am wearing a ladies medium that is listed as an 8/10 as I sit here typing. Most of my 10s are starting to be a tad loose so I may have to start checking out the size 8 rack a bit more carefully. Only 14 more…

You're doing great! And that's a pretty quick rate of weight loss. Keep up the good work - it really is showing!!

To AnnieFJ: Wow - those were some BIG baby boys!! :noway: :happy:

I have lost the need to sit down and catch my breath after the slightest bit of effort. I have lost the need to ride a cart in most major stores and instead can walk through them without a problem. I have lost so many old clothes (size after size after size). I have lost a dependence on chocolate to get me through a day. I…

Early in my process I was looking at 10 - 12 pounds per month, sometime hitting a bit more. Now, closer to the finish line, a pound a week is my goal. That may even have to be modified soon as I am on the final 16 pounds before my goal. Losing it slowly is MUCH better than the adrenalin rush of a quick drop. It gives you a…

The thing that works best for me is to vary my caloric intake through the week to keep my metabolism guessing. While I average whatever my net calorie goal should be (currently 1280 per day), I have lows and highs to vary things by at least 100-200. I try to have one or two days in the 1400-1600 range, a couple that are…

I guess, by way of introduction, I should really refer you to my profile page. That tells a bit more of my story than I can take the time to elaborate here. Even better, check out this link for a more detailed explanation: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=237111879641611 My starting weight was 385. I'm now only 16…

A lot may depend on when you are working out. If it's first thing in the morning, you should have some kind of protein source to fuel your workout after all night of nothing in your system. Otherwise, it's pretty much a personal preference.

Having lived in Husker Nation for almost ten years, I can affirm that this is a common refrain. There is no escaping 'Big Red Fever' there, but it is a well-mannered and embracing illness! LOL And, I must confess, that after being away from Nebraska for almost five years I still wear red on game days!

You might try some sugarless gum - just in case what you are feeling is not so much hunger as it is a sweet tooth or a longing for the familiarity of what has satisfied you in the past. Often just that little blast of sweet can satisfy the craving and leave you none the worse for the five calories it cost! LOL

Look in the deli section up front. They usually have an island setting out between the hot deli foods counter and the produce that has some specialty cheese products on it. That's where I have found it at our Walmart.

Nicely done!! And you are so very close to your goal weight - that's got to feel great!!

Rather than focus on a specific number, I try to gauge my intermediate goals by life events. I wanted to get to the weight I was when I our second child was born, then to what I was when our first child was born, then to the weight I was at my wedding, and so on. Honestly, I don't have any kind of 'prize' for the…

Wonderful job, Jennifer!!!! I, too, have had a major weight loss without any kind of surgery or gimmicks. I've just changed my eating habits to a healthy lifestyle. One thing that has helped me was to take my weight loss journey in small steps. I have set interval goals that relate to times in my life rather than focusing…

Oops - just realized that my signature hadn't been updated. Now it reflects my actual weight lost so far. LOL

You can do it!! It seems like a huge challenge if you look at the whole journey, but you've got the right idea with making small, manageable goals. I've lost 216 pounds (so far) and can't really believe it when I think about that whole number. I got there by setting little goals that were anywhere from 20-30 pounds at a…

385 pounds is the highest that I know about. Maybe that sounds strange. I had been weighed at a doctor's office (no home scale could weigh me at that size), but I know I kept gaining before I started losing - - - if that makes sense. LOL

Congratulations!!! I am shooting for that milestone myself. I was so excited to get past 'morbidly obese' and then to go from 'obese' to 'overweight'. My goal is to see 'normal' when I input the numbers to the BMI calculator. It should happen at 148 - so my final goal is just slightly below that. LOL