Hello from the PACNW

[samhain13]

Hello to everyone,

 

I'm 45 years old, living in the glorious Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and I've reached the end of my rope.  

 

A bit of background on me.  I started my weight loss journey back in 2009 when I weighed about 425lbs.  After emergency gall-bladder surgery, I made a pact with myself to get into better shape.  Within about a year, I was able to drop below 300lbs.  I was extremely motivated.  Up until a year ago, I was up and down, making my way down to my "career best" of 246 lbs last July.  Since then, I've gained all the way back up to 290 lbs several months ago and I'm currently sitting at 263 lbs as of this morning.  I've been hovering in the 260s since May and it's frustrating as hell.  

 

I'm not what I would consider sedentary.  I jog on the treadmill 5 - 6 days a week, clocking in-between 2.5 and 3 miles in a 30 minute period.  All total, with my FitBit, I clock in a minimum of 5 miles/day.  I try to eat healthy, however temptation is a big part of my life since I spent many years in the 300-400 lb range.  Let's just say I was fast food's bitch.  These days, I don't eat much fast food (maybe once every couple of weeks) but I do still love the Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream (by the pint) and pasta with butter/garlic.  Of course, since I live in the Pacific NW, I also enjoy the local brews and a bit of the local vodka as well.

 

I have a goal for myself to reach/maintain 199 lbs within the next year.  Honestly, I would love to see the 240s before October 1st when I have a trip planned with a group of friends to DisneyWorld.  Flying isn't so much of an issue, I can buckle the belt and am relatively comfortable.  I would just like to be more comfortable.

 

Looking for a bit of help from those of you who started large and have lost/maintained at or near goal.  I'm not a gym person and would prefer to keep my working out regiment (aside from my outside walks) solo.  I'm a full time college student with limited funds so I'm looking more in the direction of body weight exercising, continuing my morning runs, etc.  I think my big hurdle is the food side of things.

 

Any input would be awesome, and I look forward to the conversations that follow.

 

Thanks for listening.

 

~RJ

[Elastigirl]

HI, I am also from the Pacific NW. And you are going to Disneyworld! We went last year, so much fun! Even though  only a small amount to lose, I can relate to how hard it is to chamge eating habits. 

 

Some things that helped me

1) Being on this board and being accountable and supported

 

2)Going low carb and Paleo-for me it works better to just say no to the stuff, once I start eating it it is really hard. Now after a couple of years, I do allow myself once serving of my favorite treat. But even then I keep it to situation where it would be embarrassing to go back for seconds and I really don't keep much junk around

 

3) Writing a food diary-what you eat, how you were feeling, then when you figure out why you are eating besides hunger addressing those issues

 

4) Doing some BW strength work

 

5) and on the journey when you mess up and have too much ice cream( because  it is hard to break old habits) be nice to yourself, realize it was one mistake, and resolve to eat healthy the rest of the day. I like Steve's rule here-Never twice in a row. Instead of thinking I goofed up, the day is ruined, think, ok that happened, now the next time I eat it will be healthy and a correct serving size.

[DerekP]

Hey Samhain. Derek here in seattle. 425 to 263 is awesome!!!! That's so freaking tremendous. Good game!

 

Stalls are super frustrating.

 

1 - They're only temporary

2 - They're only temporary

3 - Ummm... They're only temporary

 

Focusing on losing weight for your trip might be more of source of frustration than inspiration for you. Remember that in a year from now it won't have mattered whether you were 255 or 247 for you trip. You'll probably have an awesome time on vacation no matter what your scale says. When your kids are beaming with joy while splashing in the water I guarantee you won't be thinking, "Man, if I were only 6 pounds smaller this would be awesome!" We're getting healthier to enjoy a better life; to chase our kids, walk all day through parks, have more sex, be more focused at work and school, and have more energy to pursue passions. Try not to let a temporary milestone goal distract you from the beauty of the moment - those moments are a big part of the reason we're changing our lives. 240's may be doable by 10/1, maybe not. You'll have a great trip either way.

 

 

 

For your momentary stall...

 

Has anything changed in the last couple months? It's easy to lose track of little habits that creep into your daily life.

 

What's been your general food strategy to date? What are a couple successful mindset habits you've used to keep yourself on track?