Author Topic: Losing Weight in 2018  (Read 241836 times)

Chavak

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #50 on: December 28, 2017, 04:05:36 PM »
I'm too embarrassed to admit how overweight I am, but it's a lot. My first goal is to lose 60 pounds. Just signed up for a beginners yoga class for seniors so that is my first step. Also bought some free weights to start working out at home since driving to the gym is a major pain. Bought an Instant Pot to make healthy meals, already using it and enjoying it.
After I drop the first 60 pounds, I'll set a new goal. And on and on until I get where I want to be.

amazinglyandrew

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #51 on: December 29, 2017, 03:27:19 PM »
I’m in! I’ve always struggled with eating too many sweets, but since my son was born several years ago (and my sleep has been not so good since) it’s gotten out of control. My weight generally fluctuates somewhere in the 180’s, but lately has gotten up to 193. I think 173 would be a healthy number for me (I’m 5’10”) so I’m going to shoot for an ambitious goal of 20 pounds in 20 weeks. It’s a lot, but I’m going to kick it off with a Whole30 starting January 2nd, which I’ve done once before and I lost 10 pounds that month.

Goals:
-Lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks
-Complete a Whole30 on January 31st
-Go to bed by 10 4-5 nights per week
-Do p90x3 every weekday after work
-Play ultimate frisbee on Sundays
-Make a weekly menu every Sunday

I know that it’s a steep goal, but I have found that I work best when I’m under pressure, so I’m more likely to lose the weight if I set a challenging-but-feasible goal than if I set a reasonable goal of say, 20 pounds in 1 year.

frugalkristen

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #52 on: December 29, 2017, 03:34:40 PM »
I need to lose 12 pounds.  I plan to lose 6 during January.  I'm doing a no alcohol month and also not eating after 6pm.  I'm 48 yrs old, 5'6" and 132 pounds.  Time to take off the few pounds that I put on the last few years.

hegemony

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #53 on: December 29, 2017, 06:05:41 PM »
I'd like to lose between 10 and 15 lbs, but I'm not sure how realistic that is - usually as I get fitter I get smaller, but don't drop a lot of weight.  Instead, I think I'm going to focus on some more activity-focused goals and hope that some positive changes follow.

With that in mind, I have a few goals:

Exercise 30 minutes per day
At least two strength and two cardio sessions per week
Run a 5K and a 10K in 2018
Continue with 16/8 intermittent fasting
Walk or bike for all local errands
Stand at least two hours per day at work
Eat at least eight servings of fruits and veggies daily
Drink eight glasses of water daily
No sugar/refined grains for January
Sleep 8 hours every night

If nothing else, this has proven to be a pretty good recipe for good health for me in the past, and any weight loss that comes along with it will be a bonus.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2017, 09:55:11 PM by hegemony »

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #54 on: December 30, 2017, 07:39:36 AM »
I'm in for 2018! This thread is so helpful for me.

I lost 10 pounds in the 2016 thread, gained 15 pounds at the end of 2016, and spent 2017 slowly losing it again and hitting my maintenance weight.

I'm up 5 pounds from goal this morning. Thanks Christmas Cookies!

Last year several folks in the last thread encouraged me to try My Fitness Pal and I have found it incredibly helpful for maintaining and getting my food intake back on track when my weight starts to tick up.

I started logging my food again this morning :)

Start Weight: 145

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #55 on: December 30, 2017, 07:41:32 AM »
I just installed my fitness pal on my phone.  Hopefully it works out for me as well as for others.

Tris Prior

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #56 on: December 30, 2017, 11:13:08 AM »
OK, so, I think My Fitness Pal may be giving me too few calories. It told me I get 1,200 calories, given my weight. I have been logging every day since the day after Xmas, this week, and mostly staying within that limit - I was 100-150 calories over a couple days because I was just so ravenous I couldn't sleep so I had a small snack.

And even with the 4-day orgy of sweets and wine that was Christmas, I lost 3 lbs. this week. Which on one hand I'm happy about! But OTOH I know you're only supposed to lose a pound or 2 a week - and maybe I don't need to restrict myself so hard and be starving and miserable all the time if 1,200 calories results in rapid weight loss for me?

I did yoga a couple days, and strength training 1 day, but have not been doing hard workouts or anything.

So - how do I know how many calories my body really needs? Do I just bump it up by a couple hundred a day and see if I'm still losing? I am close to my goal and don't want to start gaining it all back.

Honestly, I have no idea what it is that my body wants, these days.

ixtap

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #57 on: December 30, 2017, 11:18:47 AM »
OK, so, I think My Fitness Pal may be giving me too few calories. It told me I get 1,200 calories, given my weight. I have been logging every day since the day after Xmas, this week, and mostly staying within that limit - I was 100-150 calories over a couple days because I was just so ravenous I couldn't sleep so I had a small snack.

And even with the 4-day orgy of sweets and wine that was Christmas, I lost 3 lbs. this week. Which on one hand I'm happy about! But OTOH I know you're only supposed to lose a pound or 2 a week - and maybe I don't need to restrict myself so hard and be starving and miserable all the time if 1,200 calories results in rapid weight loss for me?

I did yoga a couple days, and strength training 1 day, but have not been doing hard workouts or anything.

So - how do I know how many calories my body really needs? Do I just bump it up by a couple hundred a day and see if I'm still losing? I am close to my goal and don't want to start gaining it all back.

Honestly, I have no idea what it is that my body wants, these days.

As long as you are satisfied, keep one goal for a few weeks before changing it up. Weight loss is not linear.

Maybe bump it up 100-200, then keep that goal at least through the end of January. Bumping the number up every few days won't really help you learn much.

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #58 on: December 30, 2017, 11:25:01 AM »
OK, so, I think My Fitness Pal may be giving me too few calories. It told me I get 1,200 calories, given my weight. I have been logging every day since the day after Xmas, this week, and mostly staying within that limit - I was 100-150 calories over a couple days because I was just so ravenous I couldn't sleep so I had a small snack.

And even with the 4-day orgy of sweets and wine that was Christmas, I lost 3 lbs. this week. Which on one hand I'm happy about! But OTOH I know you're only supposed to lose a pound or 2 a week - and maybe I don't need to restrict myself so hard and be starving and miserable all the time if 1,200 calories results in rapid weight loss for me?

I did yoga a couple days, and strength training 1 day, but have not been doing hard workouts or anything.

So - how do I know how many calories my body really needs? Do I just bump it up by a couple hundred a day and see if I'm still losing? I am close to my goal and don't want to start gaining it all back.

Honestly, I have no idea what it is that my body wants, these days.

As long as you are satisfied, keep one goal for a few weeks before changing it up. Weight loss is not linear.

Maybe bump it up 100-200, then keep that goal at least through the end of January. Bumping the number up every few days won't really help you learn much.

I agree. When I first started MFP I dropped several pounds a week for the first couple weeks (and I had mine set for a half pound a week). After that my weight slowed to .25-.5 pounds a week. Stay the course for a few weeks and see how it works.

Morning Glory

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #59 on: December 30, 2017, 12:24:45 PM »
It only gave me 1260, I edited the goal to 1560, and it gives me extra calories if I exercise.

Futtee

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #60 on: December 30, 2017, 12:28:57 PM »
I'm in!  I frequently binge on sweets, my downfall.  Tough to keep sweets out of the house as the other members of my family love them and don't have the same problem.

I am not sure my exact weight, but I think it's around 142.  I'm 5'6" and 47 y.o.  I've steadily gained weight in the last 10 years.  My lowest weight was an unhealthy 114 (in 2007, when I was very depressed), but I felt and looked my best at around 125.  I would love to get down to that weight.

I am going through late perimenopause or in the early stages of menopause, and my doctor told me to expect to gain weight around my middle as a result.  I know it will be an uphill battle, but I would like to prove her wrong.

I don't have any kind of plans or strategy at this point.  I don't envision myself changing my exercise routine, or exercising more than I already do (a combo of yoga and walking, daily), so diet will need to do most of the heavy lifting.  I am considering experimenting with eating meditation.  Setting rules/guidelines around how, when, and where I eat to ensure distractions are minimal, and that I can taste each bite of food.  I am curious to see if I can lose weight with this method, vs. sticking to an actual diet like WW, which I know I will not follow...

There.  I put it out there, and now I have some accountability.

So glad to have this supportive community!

Tris Prior

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #61 on: December 30, 2017, 12:29:21 PM »
I agree. When I first started MFP I dropped several pounds a week for the first couple weeks (and I had mine set for a half pound a week). After that my weight slowed to .25-.5 pounds a week. Stay the course for a few weeks and see how it works.

I've been dieting since October, though, and losing pretty steadily at 1-2 lbs/week. But I wasn't tracking strictly. I decided to try it this week because I felt gross after overeating so much at Christmas. So I don't think this is the initial quick loss that a lot of people experience.

lhamo, I am around 5'9" and I did think it was too low, but as I've no idea what my body is doing these days (thanks perimenopause!), I decided to trust the experts and see what happened. Typically the women in my family start packing on weight quickly around my age; pretty much the entire dad's side of my family is morbidly obese, so I'm not sure whether I have that genetic predisposition as I'm not quite as old as them yet? I am starting to think, though, that despite all of the evangelists in the MFP forums who are all "calories in, calories out, you must ALWAYS track every morsel, accurately, and stick to your limit or else you are going to be FAT", it's not really a one-size-fits-all plan.

StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #62 on: December 30, 2017, 12:58:30 PM »
I agree. When I first started MFP I dropped several pounds a week for the first couple weeks (and I had mine set for a half pound a week). After that my weight slowed to .25-.5 pounds a week. Stay the course for a few weeks and see how it works.

I've been dieting since October, though, and losing pretty steadily at 1-2 lbs/week. But I wasn't tracking strictly. I decided to try it this week because I felt gross after overeating so much at Christmas. So I don't think this is the initial quick loss that a lot of people experience.

lhamo, I am around 5'9" and I did think it was too low, but as I've no idea what my body is doing these days (thanks perimenopause!), I decided to trust the experts and see what happened. Typically the women in my family start packing on weight quickly around my age; pretty much the entire dad's side of my family is morbidly obese, so I'm not sure whether I have that genetic predisposition as I'm not quite as old as them yet? I am starting to think, though, that despite all of the evangelists in the MFP forums who are all "calories in, calories out, you must ALWAYS track every morsel, accurately, and stick to your limit or else you are going to be FAT", it's not really a one-size-fits-all plan.

That is really low! I'm 5'5" (and a half :)) and I get 1450 a day. Are you set for a half pound of weight loss a week? I think if you set for two pounds a week and sedentary it automatically gives you 1200 a day. 

I think it also depends what your current weight is. If your current weight is already at a healthy BMI for your height you are more likely to be given 1200 (or this is what I've gleaned from their forums). Their algorithm is definitely not perfect and I'd say it is weighted to people who have more weight to lose than people who are trying to drop 10 pounds.

I agree it is not one size fits all. I have adjusted the heck out of it and basically just use it as tool (but I do not use MRP's guidelines). I reset all the macros to what works best for me and don't utilize work out points because I don't think they are calculated correctly for my body.

Since you've been losing weight a while I would definitely try adjusting your settings a bit then. I'd either manually bump up your calories, adjust your weekly weight loss goal, or bump up your activity level in your settings.


LifeHappens

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #63 on: December 30, 2017, 02:14:18 PM »
I'd like to play along. I'm currently 10lbs above a healthy weight and 15 above my ideal weight. I would *love* to be 10lbs lighter by my bday in June.

Someone posted this image elsewhere on the forum and of course I can't remember who or where, so I found it on the interwebs. I present the Weight Loss Trapezoid and the Happiness Paper Hat.

LifeHappens

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #64 on: December 30, 2017, 03:00:22 PM »
This article on keeping resolutions has some findings that might apply here. TLDR: cultivating feelings of compassion, gratitude and pride help us do good things for others and for our future selves.

Quote
The research on self-control shows that willpower, for all its benefits, wanes over time. As we try to make ourselves study, work, exercise or save money, the mental effort to keep focused and motivated increases until it seems too difficult to bear.

Worse, exerting willpower can take a psychological and physical toll. As recent work by the Northwestern University psychologist Greg Miller has shown, willing oneself to be “gritty” can be quite stressful. Studying about 300 teenagers from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, Professor Miller found that those who were better at using self-control did have more success when it came to resisting temptations, but at a cost to their health. Their bodies suffered not only from increased stress responses, but also from premature aging of their immune cells.

Quote
What these findings show is that pride, gratitude and compassion, whether we consciously realize it or not, reduce the human mind’s tendency to discount the value of the future. In so doing, they push us not only to cooperate with other people but also to help our own future selves. Feeling pride or compassion has been shown to increase perseverance on difficult tasks by over 30 percent. Likewise, gratitude and compassion have been tied to better academic performance, a greater willingness to exercise and eat healthily, and lower levels of consumerism, impulsivity and tobacco and alcohol use.

If using willpower causes stress, using these emotions actually heals: They slow heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. By making us value the future more, they ease the way to patience and perseverance.

SquashingDebt

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #65 on: December 30, 2017, 03:57:20 PM »
I agree. When I first started MFP I dropped several pounds a week for the first couple weeks (and I had mine set for a half pound a week). After that my weight slowed to .25-.5 pounds a week. Stay the course for a few weeks and see how it works.

I've been dieting since October, though, and losing pretty steadily at 1-2 lbs/week. But I wasn't tracking strictly. I decided to try it this week because I felt gross after overeating so much at Christmas. So I don't think this is the initial quick loss that a lot of people experience.

lhamo, I am around 5'9" and I did think it was too low, but as I've no idea what my body is doing these days (thanks perimenopause!), I decided to trust the experts and see what happened. Typically the women in my family start packing on weight quickly around my age; pretty much the entire dad's side of my family is morbidly obese, so I'm not sure whether I have that genetic predisposition as I'm not quite as old as them yet? I am starting to think, though, that despite all of the evangelists in the MFP forums who are all "calories in, calories out, you must ALWAYS track every morsel, accurately, and stick to your limit or else you are going to be FAT", it's not really a one-size-fits-all plan.

That is really low! I'm 5'5" (and a half :)) and I get 1450 a day. Are you set for a half pound of weight loss a week? I think if you set for two pounds a week and sedentary it automatically gives you 1200 a day. 

I think it also depends what your current weight is. If your current weight is already at a healthy BMI for your height you are more likely to be given 1200 (or this is what I've gleaned from their forums). Their algorithm is definitely not perfect and I'd say it is weighted to people who have more weight to lose than people who are trying to drop 10 pounds.

I agree it is not one size fits all. I have adjusted the heck out of it and basically just use it as tool (but I do not use MRP's guidelines). I reset all the macros to what works best for me and don't utilize work out points because I don't think they are calculated correctly for my body.

Since you've been losing weight a while I would definitely try adjusting your settings a bit then. I'd either manually bump up your calories, adjust your weekly weight loss goal, or bump up your activity level in your settings.


I'm only 5'4 and have successfully lost weight in the past eating 1600 calories a day.  I think if you're having trouble sleeping because you're hungry, it's set too low.

SquashingDebt

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #66 on: December 30, 2017, 04:03:51 PM »
I shared this in the 2016 thread, but in case it's helpful for anyone else, here's my favorite calorie-tracking site:

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov

I like it because it keeps track of your portions of the different food groups.  The last time I got serious about calorie tracking, I was pretty shocked by how many carbs I was eating vs. things like protein.  It can be fun to use the site to meal plan and make sure I'm getting plenty of veggies and protein, especially.

Downside is that it's not available as an app.  That mostly works fine for me though, because I track in the morning at home (breakfast and lunch) and then usually log on again at work to plan out my dinner to complement my first two meals.

Tris Prior

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #67 on: December 30, 2017, 05:07:25 PM »

That is really low! I'm 5'5" (and a half :)) and I get 1450 a day. Are you set for a half pound of weight loss a week? I think if you set for two pounds a week and sedentary it automatically gives you 1200 a day. 

I think it also depends what your current weight is. If your current weight is already at a healthy BMI for your height you are more likely to be given 1200 (or this is what I've gleaned from their forums). Their algorithm is definitely not perfect and I'd say it is weighted to people who have more weight to lose than people who are trying to drop 10 pounds.

I agree it is not one size fits all. I have adjusted the heck out of it and basically just use it as tool (but I do not use MRP's guidelines). I reset all the macros to what works best for me and don't utilize work out points because I don't think they are calculated correctly for my body.

Since you've been losing weight a while I would definitely try adjusting your settings a bit then. I'd either manually bump up your calories, adjust your weekly weight loss goal, or bump up your activity level in your settings.

I was set at 1 lb/week. I just changed it to 0.5 lb/week and it gave me 1,350 - I'll see how that feels but it still strikes me as low so I may manually bump it up and see what happens.

It's good to hear that my instincts are right and that this might not be accurate for my body. I was reading the MFP forums, and MAN, those folks are intense re "OMG, log EVERY calorie and stick to your limit or else FAT FAT FATTY MCFATTERSON FAT." I think maybe I'll stick to this forum instead. :)

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #68 on: December 30, 2017, 07:33:25 PM »
^ ha ha ^ Tris Prior.

Imma

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #69 on: December 31, 2017, 04:51:29 AM »
I'd like to join for some accountability too!

I don't have to lose a lot of weight, but I try to get it off before it becomes a problem.

December 29 weight: 77,5 kg
Goal:                        72,0 kg


I don't have a very special strategy, I'm just going to eat less and exercise more.

firelight

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #70 on: December 31, 2017, 07:10:51 AM »
I'd love to join too. I have baby fat to get rid of now that baby is five months old. I'm down 32 pounds from my highest of this year but that includes an 8 lb baby too, haha. I still need to lose 18 lbs for pre pregnancy weight and another 12 for my marriage wedding and another 14 for my ideal weight. I joined in 2017 and found we got pregnant. Hope to finish 2018 at my ideal weight. First goal is to get to pre pregnancy weight by end of March. Second goal is to hit wedding weight by June and to hit lowest weight by end of year (the hardest stretch which I hope to attack with established habits). Let's bring it on!


Like the idea of goals - here are our goals for Jan:
1) 5000 steps per day
2) 6 stairs per day
3) one meal of veggies and fruits only per day
« Last Edit: December 31, 2017, 11:48:27 AM by firelight »

tightwaddy

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #71 on: December 31, 2017, 07:19:05 AM »
Thank you for starting this thread--I'm on board.  Have lost and gained my whole adult life and I'd really like to get off the roller-coaster and there's so much pragmatism posted here already.

Will turn 47 next month, am currently right around 180 and 5'4".  Want to get back to the 140s.

PLAN:
MFP set to 1100 calories plus synched with my FitBit. This means I end up with around 1350 if I don't exercise and 1600 if I do. Shoot for 40-30-30 balance.
Weigh-in weekly on Mondays.

PITFALLS:
Beer
Stress eating
Very sedentary lifestyle
Mindful /= me

JANUARY GOALS:
5000 steps every day (this is actually a stretch goal, given sedentary lifestyle)
150 minutes of activity every week
Track in MFP every day
2 minute daily gratitude meditation (loved that NYT Resolutions article).
« Last Edit: December 31, 2017, 07:25:36 AM by tightwaddy »

frugalkristen

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #72 on: December 31, 2017, 07:27:37 AM »
I planned to start in January but was not happy with the scale a few days ago so joined MFP and got serious.  I weighed 127 today - down from 132.  Very happy with the progress (and yes I'm eating!).  MFP is set for 1200 calories a day but I have gone over a few.  When I get down to 122, I'll up that to 1500 per day.  Today will be my last day with alcohol (giving that up for January), so I think that will help (even just a beer or two at night is not good!).

dreams_and_discoveries

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #73 on: December 31, 2017, 07:50:25 AM »
Count me in - I'm the heaviest I've been since losing weight a few years ago, and need to get back down to a good running weight (which does tend to be on the lower side of heathy).

I'm doing a dry January, and also going to log all my food - I find the effort of logging alone stop me snacking so much, and makes me much more careful about what I eat.  So cake and chocolate will also be banished for January.

Good luck everyone, I know we can do it.

rab-bit

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #74 on: December 31, 2017, 02:18:19 PM »
Lost 2.8 lbs this week and 10.8 lbs since the start!

11/26/2017     253.4
12/03/2017     252.4
12/10/2017     250.2
12/17/2017     247.2
12/24/2017     245.4
12/31/2017     242.6

Good progress so far, just need to stick with it. Goal is 210 lbs one year from today which seems achievable, even accounting for the fact that my rate of weight loss will decrease over time.

From now on I will update at the end of each month.

frugalkristen

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #75 on: December 31, 2017, 02:49:08 PM »
Lost 2.8 lbs this week and 10.8 lbs since the start!

11/26/2017     253.4
12/03/2017     252.4
12/10/2017     250.2
12/17/2017     247.2
12/24/2017     245.4
12/31/2017     242.6

Good progress so far, just need to stick with it. Goal is 210 lbs one year from today which seems achievable, even accounting for the fact that my rate of weight loss will decrease over time.

From now on I will update at the end of each month.

That is awesome!!!  You can do this!!!

rab-bit

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #76 on: December 31, 2017, 04:19:40 PM »
Lost 2.8 lbs this week and 10.8 lbs since the start!

11/26/2017     253.4
12/03/2017     252.4
12/10/2017     250.2
12/17/2017     247.2
12/24/2017     245.4
12/31/2017     242.6

Good progress so far, just need to stick with it. Goal is 210 lbs one year from today which seems achievable, even accounting for the fact that my rate of weight loss will decrease over time.

From now on I will update at the end of each month.

That is awesome!!!  You can do this!!!

Thanks @frugalkristen! Happy New Year and good luck to all!

LifeHappens

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #77 on: January 01, 2018, 06:27:29 AM »
1/1/18 - Weight 146.6, Waist 31 5/8"

tightwaddy

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #78 on: January 01, 2018, 06:51:32 AM »
January 1: 176.6 (35% fat)

alleykat

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #79 on: January 01, 2018, 08:14:56 AM »
1/1/18- 166

Would like to get down to 140.  26 lbs to lose.

frugalkristen

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #80 on: January 01, 2018, 08:46:12 AM »
Down to 126.5 (from 132).  I'm tracking calories on MFP.  I'm giving up alcohol for January so that should help as well.

Tris Prior

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #81 on: January 01, 2018, 10:05:03 AM »
Is anyone else new to measuring and weighing their food, and absolutely blown away at how small portion sizes are? It is really shocking to me. I'm using smaller plates, but still. I really miss being able to eat until satisfied.

SquashingDebt

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #82 on: January 01, 2018, 10:09:31 AM »
Is anyone else new to measuring and weighing their food, and absolutely blown away at how small portion sizes are? It is really shocking to me. I'm using smaller plates, but still. I really miss being able to eat until satisfied.

Yeah, especially carb servings - like how one bagel is 4/5 of the bread/grain products I was supposed to eat in one day.

socalwkr

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #83 on: January 01, 2018, 10:11:56 AM »
I am in! Need to lose 8 pounds. Laying off drinking socially and the carbs are my focuses and working out at least 3x per week.

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #84 on: January 01, 2018, 11:04:38 AM »
Happy New Year everyone. Just an FYI to anyone using an activity tracker or apps like MFP, Lose It, etc. you can link the app to your Walgreens loyalty card and get points for exercise and weigh-ins. You can also sign up for Achievemint and get cash rewards for selling your data (I know this works with Fitbit, not sure what other trackers).

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #85 on: January 01, 2018, 11:30:34 AM »
I agree. When I first started MFP I dropped several pounds a week for the first couple weeks (and I had mine set for a half pound a week). After that my weight slowed to .25-.5 pounds a week. Stay the course for a few weeks and see how it works.

I've been dieting since October, though, and losing pretty steadily at 1-2 lbs/week. But I wasn't tracking strictly. I decided to try it this week because I felt gross after overeating so much at Christmas. So I don't think this is the initial quick loss that a lot of people experience.

lhamo, I am around 5'9" and I did think it was too low, but as I've no idea what my body is doing these days (thanks perimenopause!), I decided to trust the experts and see what happened. Typically the women in my family start packing on weight quickly around my age; pretty much the entire dad's side of my family is morbidly obese, so I'm not sure whether I have that genetic predisposition as I'm not quite as old as them yet? I am starting to think, though, that despite all of the evangelists in the MFP forums who are all "calories in, calories out, you must ALWAYS track every morsel, accurately, and stick to your limit or else you are going to be FAT", it's not really a one-size-fits-all plan.
Are you including your exercise calories? Double check all your settings as 1200 Cals seems really low for 5ft 9. Also if u set yourself as sedentary,  make sure u add in any and all exercise you do and eat those exercise calories.

When I started MFP, I only ate half my exercise calories and was losing 2 lbs a week. It was moving quickly but I was eating so little that I was fatigued and cranky all the time. I adjusted my eating to the recommendations and my energy levels improved.
My goal is to *stop* losing weight this year.

I gained at least 65lbs over 4 years during my doctorate, I threw out my scale when I saw 199 on the scale, so I was somewhere over 200, but who knows exactly. My BMI was just into “obese” at 31.

I spent those 4 years gaining slowly at about a pound or two a month and I spent 4 years losing at the same pound or two a month pace. I then kept losing and am now down at least 72lbs, and down to a very slim 128lbs, at 5’7”, BMI 20.

I expect to keep losing down to my low-mid 120s, which means my weight loss will finally end, which I’m looking forward to. Anymore and I would be under weight.

How I lose weight:
Here is the interesting part.
I don’t diet. I can’t do it. It’s miserable.
I decided to eat the way a normal healthy lean person would eat because a healthy diet can’t sustain an obese weight. By not putting a timeline on it, it made the whole process stupid-easy. I like easy.

I also didn’t try to eat less, not until I was already at a healthy weight.
I actually tried to eat A LOT, I figured that if I flooded my diet with healthy foods, I wouldn’t have room for crap. Little by little, I made small, permanent, incremental, and enjoyable steps along the way. I just kept adding more and more veggies, whole grains, fish, etc until after a few years, my diet ended up ideal for maintaining a low weight.

This also means that I don’t have to go through the whole transition from loss to maintenance issue. I just keep on eating the way I enjoy and never worry about regaining.

It’s not a fast approach, but when you realize that the weight *will* come off, it’s actually quite easy to be patient. It’s not a question of if, it’s just a matter of when.
The time will pass regardless of what you do. It’s being in a rush that makes the whole thing so difficult.
I really like this. I am no longer tracking closely but having trouble figuring out how to eat like a thin person for the rest of my life. That one has been harder than expectedand I have slipped back into my old ways several times.
Is anyone else new to measuring and weighing their food, and absolutely blown away at how small portion sizes are? It is really shocking to me. I'm using smaller plates, but still. I really miss being able to eat until satisfied.
I hear ya. Everything I restart, I am hungry for at least a couple of weeks as my stomach shrinks to adjust to normal portion sizes. MFP and counting calories diligently for the first few months REALLY helped me learn portion sizes. I was very diligent about it, weighing everything down to the gram, including everything I cooked at home. I even brought my little food scale to work every day and weighed my yogurt and granola. Yes it was nitpicky but I really needed to learn.

I found MFP surprisingly accurate and it was funny to see my weight drop at practically exactly the rate the math said it would. Yes sometimes it would take a couple of weeks. Weight loss isn't linear. But funnily enough, my weight did indeed drop at my predicted amounts. In my case, the math was more correct than I had anticipated.

I haven't tracked as closely since then though.  It works but I have never mustered the energy and dedication to track to that level. Still, when I am mindful and motivated, I can do pretty well and lose weight.

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ixtap

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #86 on: January 01, 2018, 11:32:45 AM »
Starting off on the right foot: I put breakfast into MFP before I even ate it.

I can do my finances without close tracking, but I have rarely been able to lose weight without tracking.

DH watches me portion out my good, then tells me how many multiples of that he wants

pecunia

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #87 on: January 01, 2018, 11:58:24 AM »
I had a comment written, but it somehow went into the bit bucket.

How do you folks feel about the juicing thing?  I saw the Joe Cross movies and was impressed.  Will a "reboot" really set you up to crave healthy food instead of fat food and sugary stuff?

I am hoping to retire this year and I am also considering fasting.  I've read it cleans a lot of poisons out of your system.  Many cultures think it is good for you spiritually.  I believe I will have better control of my eating after I retire.  OK - Better eating is good for all parts of the body.  However, one part that is rarely discussed is the brain.  Do you think better if you eat more healthy?

Are you tired of thin people giving you advice on losing weight?  It seems like the naturally thin all consider themselves experts.  Believe me, they do not realize how much people's metabolisms may differ.

I'm going to try a different kind of diet.  I hope to just listen to my body.  When it tells me I am hungry I will eat.  I often eat by the clock today.  Has anyone tried this?

Tris Prior

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #88 on: January 01, 2018, 12:17:34 PM »
He now uses a 1 cup measuring cup to approximate a small serving. Our meals are around 400 calories each, it’s a very small amount of food, but you get used to it and will eventually feel full with smaller amounts of food as your stomach learns to anticipate smaller volumes.

I sure hope so, because it's been 2 months and I am still so hungry all the time and sometimes I just can't stick to it. :(


Are you including your exercise calories? Double check all your settings as 1200 Cals seems really low for 5ft 9. Also if u set yourself as sedentary,  make sure u add in any and all exercise you do and eat those exercise calories.

Well, that's another thing that I need to figure out about MFP. I have been doing bodyweight strength training. When I log that, it doesn't tell me that I've burned any calories. Does that seem right?

I did set myself to sedentary as it said that's what you should put if you have a desk job. And I changed my goal to lose .5 lb/week, which gives me 1350 calories. I'll see how that goes and see if that is indeed the rate that I lose at.

Are you supposed to log any physical activity at all, or is it just formal workouts? Like, should I be putting in my 10-minute walk to and from the train on work days? That is just part of my regular daily routine so I don't consider that exercise.


StarBright

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #89 on: January 01, 2018, 01:14:52 PM »
I had a comment written, but it somehow went into the bit bucket.

How do you folks feel about the juicing thing?  I saw the Joe Cross movies and was impressed.  Will a "reboot" really set you up to crave healthy food instead of fat food and sugary stuff?

I am hoping to retire this year and I am also considering fasting.  I've read it cleans a lot of poisons out of your system.  Many cultures think it is good for you spiritually.  I believe I will have better control of my eating after I retire.  OK - Better eating is good for all parts of the body.  However, one part that is rarely discussed is the brain.  Do you think better if you eat more healthy?

Are you tired of thin people giving you advice on losing weight?  It seems like the naturally thin all consider themselves experts.  Believe me, they do not realize how much people's metabolisms may differ.

I'm going to try a different kind of diet.  I hope to just listen to my body.  When it tells me I am hungry I will eat.  I often eat by the clock today.  Has anyone tried this?

I did a juice/smoothie thing last January or so to help kick the sugar cravings. I did not lose weight but stopped wanting ice cream all the time.  This is the one I did:

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet

I did the three days and then I think I had a smoothie for lunch every day.

My weight loss didn't start until I started counting calories (which I hate) but I was very primed for it with the healthy smoothies.

SquashingDebt

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #90 on: January 01, 2018, 01:47:18 PM »
Ok, here goes!  Logged my meals for the day and about to go do a little cardio.

2 challenges for myself for January:

1.  Log all food eaten, no excuses.
2.  Zero sugary treats - cookies, candy, cake, hot chocolate, etc.

I'm also not drinking right now because of a medication I'm on.  That's been about a month and has been easier than I expected.  That makes me feel encouraged about the zero sugary foods challenge.

Ms.BecomingFI

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #91 on: January 01, 2018, 01:50:21 PM »
Also in! =)

My first goal is to lose 4 pounds, as this will bring me into the "ideal" weight range for my height.  Hoping to give myself the quick win with a small goal to stay motivated for the year and future goals. =)  I want to do this by the first week of March.  I think my exercise habits are actually pretty good and consistent, so I want to focus on my portion sizes.  So... what I will do is track my calories on MyFitnessPal and not eat any fast food in the month of January.  I have a lot more freezer space now (I share a freezer with roomies and we recently got a deep freezer!) so having ready made frozen soups and stuff (just by being able to make extra and freezing) will help with that aspect!  No more, I'm too busy tonight excuses!  Hoping this post will keep me on track!  The public declaration and all. =). So here is the summary for myself...

Goal 1: Lose 4 lbs by 3/3
  • Track calories every day
  • No fast food in Jan

Hanging this on a Post-It on my bathroom mirror!  Goal 2 to follow in March. =)
I have already been tracking for 7 days =) Happy accountability and motivation, everyone! =)
« Last Edit: January 01, 2018, 01:52:32 PM by Ms.BecomingFI »

Bee21

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #92 on: January 01, 2018, 02:00:49 PM »
I am joining you guys. Last year I lost 10% of bodyweight with doing the 1200 cals for 12 weeks, but then work stress crept up and I put it back on.

The best thing last year was developing an exercise habit. I go 4 times a year plus swimming and I surprisingly enjoy it. I get cranky if I can't go.

Today I am fasting (veg+fruit for breakfast and soup for lunch). I have to get a jump start as I have around 20 kgs to lose. Being fat is depressing.

frugalkristen

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #93 on: January 01, 2018, 02:04:27 PM »
Just finished food prepping for the week.  4 breakfasts and 4 lunches made and packed in the fridge.  For breakfast, I made 2 scrambled eggs and 1.5 slices of bacon.  For lunch, teriyaki cubed steak, asparagus and roasted rosemary potatoes (small portion).  If I'm hungry at dinner, I'll have a lean cuisine (I caved and bought some for those nights when I'm just too tired to cook).  Not having to think about what to eat during my work week really helps staying on track.

ChipmunkSavings

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #94 on: January 01, 2018, 02:06:23 PM »
Thank you Elaine for starting this thread! I've been watching the weight loss threads, but I feel this is the perfect time to jump in. I've had a couple of false starts in 2017 to lose weight, but I am more motivated than ever. I have a huge hiking trip planned in three months for which I need to get in shape, and I also have a wedding in September.

I currently hover around the 190-192 lb mark, although I was slightly higher this morning post-NYE celebrations.
My goal is to reach sub-160lb, preferably before September (so 9 months), and ideally sub-175 in April (for the hiking). I will achieve this with a combination of meal planning, healthier grocery shopping (which will also help with my personal grocery budget challenge!) and exercising. I tend to lose weight very slowly, so I get discouraged easily when numbers don't cooperate quickly enough.

This month, I'll be doing Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred program. It's 30 days of exercise, and a good way to get back to exercising. Just plug in music and go. I'll also start on LoseIt, to track calories.

I've always been puzzled by the fact that I can track dollars and make budget cuts rather easily, but calories and food are a whole different ball game. Why is eating so much more emotionally-charged for me than making purchases? I've never had the ''rush'' of buying stuff, but getting some chocolate will definitely do the trick. I really want to figure out what makes me react this way to food, and how to re-organize my thinking in a healthier manner.

Tris Prior

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #95 on: January 01, 2018, 04:57:03 PM »
I stumbled upon this 30 Days of Yoga challenge and am sharing it because 1) free! 2) I really like the Yoga with Adriene Youtube channel and have been doing some of her practices off and on for the past few weeks. I am hoping that this will not only help me form a habit of exercising daily, but also will help sort out my head and relieve stress.

http://yogawithadriene.com/true-30-day-yoga-journey/

tightwaddy

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #96 on: January 01, 2018, 05:20:13 PM »
I've always been puzzled by the fact that I can track dollars and make budget cuts rather easily, but calories and food are a whole different ball game. Why is eating so much more emotionally-charged for me than making purchases? I've never had the ''rush'' of buying stuff, but getting some chocolate will definitely do the trick. I really want to figure out what makes me react this way to food, and how to re-organize my thinking in a healthier manner.

I've been reading about how some personalities (e.g.,kids & marshmallows psych experiments) are better at discounting present value in favor of greater future returns. I can do this with money until the cows come home. I can do this with education and career (powered through my dissertation) but have had such a problem with food. Not sure why the difference, so I'll be interested in hearing your insights as you have them.

lemonverbena

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #97 on: January 01, 2018, 09:22:10 PM »
I stumbled upon this 30 Days of Yoga challenge and am sharing it because 1) free! 2) I really like the Yoga with Adriene Youtube channel and have been doing some of her practices off and on for the past few weeks. I am hoping that this will not only help me form a habit of exercising daily, but also will help sort out my head and relieve stress.

http://yogawithadriene.com/true-30-day-yoga-journey/

I'm joining in.
Thanks for the link! I'm going to give this video series a try. I like the 30 day aspect... I have a hard time creating an exercise habit on my own, but surely I should be able to do yoga for 30 days.
I'll also track with MyFitnessPal for a little while just to jump start my intentions, but in the past I've found measuring and calculating macros/calories makes me insane and it feels a bit like disordered eating to me. I'd rather just focus on trying to eat as much healthy stuff as I can (like a previous poster said as well).
I'd like to lose 16lbs, but just being more toned and less easily winded would be great, too.

Jan 1: 142lbs
« Last Edit: January 02, 2018, 08:20:27 PM by lemonverbena »

SlowlyButSurely

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #98 on: January 01, 2018, 10:51:04 PM »
I lurked last year, but it did not have the desired effect, so I'm joining in for real this time.

Starting weight: 192 lbs, 36" waist on 12/26/2017
Goal 1: 182 by 02/16/2018
Goal 2: 172 (167 stretch goal) by 05/13/2018
Goal 3: Maintain below 172 until 08/01/2018

The dates align with trips and family gatherings that will involve a lot of photos. One of the things that has bothered me as my weight has crept up is how puffy my face looks in pictures, so these deadlines will be motivating for me. It's been 2 years since I was at 182, 5.5 years since I was at 172, and 7 years since I was at 167. I've been trying to creep my weight back down all that time and have been largely unsuccessful, so I consider these ambitious goals. If I am able to hit the stretch goal of 167, that would put me right on the upper boundary of a "healthy" BMI.

The hard part is the how. For the moment, I am focusing on January and Goal 1. I'm going to try some stuff, see how it goes, and adjust accordingly.

(1) Tracking. I know from experience that counting calories is not going to happen. Having to do the math on every single thing I cook drives me insane, never mind having to figure out the difference between a "medium" banana and a "large" banana. But accountability is good, so I will commit to keeping a plain text food journal for January (e.g., "3:45 pm - handful of salted peanuts"). If I can't be bothered to type the details on my phone, I can't be that hungry.

(2) Fasting. I have been experimenting with IF, and really like the 16/8 schedule, so I will continue with it. My results have been mixed with longer fasts, but I will do some more experimenting to see if I can make periodic 24- or 36-hour fasts work for me.

(3) No wine. This is a significant source of discretionary calories (and $$$), so I need to re-set my habits. It's just so delicious. I've done months without alcohol before, but I am far less tempted by beer and almost never drink liquor, so I'm focusing just on wine this time. My goal is to make it to 02/16/2018.

(4) No added sugar. I've given up sweets before without too much trouble, but I've never tried rooting out added sugar in things that are not sweet,  Whole30-style. I think it is worth doing as an exercise in awareness of what I'm eating, so I'm going to do it for January. I don't eat a lot of processed foods, but I've already been surprised by what has sugar in it (mayonnaise! tofu hot dogs!). In February, I'll revert to just "no sweets".

(5) Vegan for January. This is not strictly a weight loss goal, though I think that disrupting my eating habits will help. I've been a vegetarian for a long time, and though I'm not ready to go full vegan, I would like to reduce my consumption of eggs and cheese. Like the sugar goal, this is about being aware of what I'm eating and making conscious choices rather than continuing on auto-pilot.

(6) No chips. I almost never buy them, but we have free food at work, including a basket of chips on prominent display that I have to look at every time I get tea or go to the bathroom. Everyone else considers it a perk, but I hate it. I know they are crap, but some afternoons they call to me. Prohibition has worked before, so I'm adding them to the list.

I have some additional wellness habits I'd like to cultivate around meditation and strength/stamina for hiking and backpacking, but I'm going to hold off on formalizing goals for them. I don't want to sabotage myself by attempting to boil the ocean. At the moment weight loss is my priority, so for now I'm leaving it at "I'll try to do better on those fronts", and will consider adding them as formal goals in phase 2 or 3.

elaine amj

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Re: Losing Weight in 2018
« Reply #99 on: January 01, 2018, 10:52:52 PM »
Quote
Are you supposed to log any physical activity at all, or is it just formal workouts? Like, should I be putting in my 10-minute walk to and from the train on work days? That is just part of my regular daily routine so I don't consider that exercise.

If u don't input this as exercise, then u need to change your settings from sedentary. I like to put sedentary and then input every single bit of exercise or physical activity I do. If u have to walk around your building a lot, u are not as sedentary as u think.

He now uses a 1 cup measuring cup to approximate a small serving. Our meals are around 400 calories each, it’s a very small amount of food, but you get used to it and will eventually feel full with smaller amounts of food as your stomach learns to anticipate smaller volumes.

I sure hope so, because it's been 2 months and I am still so hungry all the time and sometimes I just can't stick to it. :(

Then you are possibly dieting too aggressively and may need to eat more, or reduce your calories incrementally.

Small, easy, permanent changes will serve you better in the long run than sudden harsh drops in intake.

I  agree. While on the subject, how precise are you in counting your calories? If you are playing too much on the safe side with your guesstimates, u could be undereating by quite a bit without knowing it.

Alternatively,  your calories could be from a lot of non-satiating sources. Like juice or alcohol. I rarely drink my calories as they leave me feeling hungry. I find proteins satiate me so I concentrate a lot on that. Eg two plain hardboiled eggs for breakfast (140 Cals) vs bowl of cereal and milk (~200-250 Cals) leaves me more satisfied for longer. I also like plain yogurt and high protein, high fibre granola.


Thank you Elaine for starting this thread! I've been watching the weight loss threads, but I feel this is the perfect time to jump in. I've had a couple of false starts in 2017 to lose weight, but I am more motivated than ever. I have a huge hiking trip planned in three months for which I need to get in shape, and I also have a wedding in September.

I've always been puzzled by the fact that I can track dollars and make budget cuts rather easily, but calories and food are a whole different ball game. Why is eating so much more emotionally-charged for me than making purchases? I've never had the ''rush'' of buying stuff, but getting some chocolate will definitely do the trick. I really want to figure out what makes me react this way to food, and how to re-organize my thinking in a healthier manner.

Glad to have u here!! I hear ya on the budget vs diet thing. I totally have the same issues.

So many awesome stories in this thread so far! I am super excited to see what we will accomplish in the year ahead!! One thing I have learned about weightloss for me - it works when I am in the right emotional state. When I am hating my body or shaming myself, I have a hard time losing weight. Also, when things are working well, it feels like I flicked a switch in my brain. I do try to force it to flick on, but oftentimes it is just a matter of hanging on until the switch gets flicked. When it happens, it's like magic and losing weight is pretty easy. My brain is weird.


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« Last Edit: January 01, 2018, 10:58:22 PM by elaine amj »

 

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