Goals and Progress Thread

[Georgiana]

It's the goals thread!  Post here for:

• Any goals you have
• Any milestones you meet
• Any goals you achieve 
• Any questions you have about setting goals (goal setting isn't always intuitive!)

This doesn't have to be major!  If your goal is to cut out soda and you didn't make Pepsi your idol at lunch, THAT COUNTS!  Whenever YOU have something you are proud of, post it here!

[MayMay1123]

yay! hey y'all! i always forget how to get back to my clubs, so forgive me if i disappear until i find my way back. in 2002 i weighed 203 pounds, at 5' tall. yeah, i was...chubby. i used to tell people my body shape was danny devito LOL over a period of 10 years i slooooowly lost 80 pounds and in 2013 i was 123 pounds at my son's wedding. and people started telling me i was too thin...what? um, no. anyway, it was right about then that i had to have back surgery and i found out during prelim tests that i was diabetic. oh, cool, lose a bunch of weight and get sick...just like when i quit smoking 3 years ago and got asthma last year. i roll my eyes...a lot. now i have a bunch of other crap wrong, including some nasty arthritis, and i had let my weight creep back up to 150 because its so hard to move. so i am once again trying to get back down to 125, preferably by my cruise in august. i'm better at losing weight if i have a specific goal and time! i have lost 10 pounds in about 3 months so far, but dang, it feels like it is really going slow. i eat salad with some cheese and bacos for lunch every week day and a variety of things for dinner, small portions, and one tiny "treat" because i just can't go without totally. i drink unsweetened ice tea and coffee just a couple of times a week. its so hard to go to our shop and see pastries and cakes and cookies and ice cream ::sob:: how do you resist that kind of temptation? and that's my story...

[wild little fox]

MayMay1123, you are doing fantastic! 

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

Currently sitting at 210, but official weigh in day is tomorrow. I was 230 on 1/1/18 and 240 at my heaviest a few years ago. I’m seriously  making a go at this after I had my gallbladder removed. It was the wake up call I needed about damaging my body. My sugar readings are just below pre diabetic, so I’m working to getting that down along with my weight. 

I was doing well, but then the last two weeks haven’t been great. I really need to get back on my game. I don’t work summers, and being out of routine has messed with my plan more than I had anticipated.

I think I’ll miss my goal of being 200 on my delayed honeymoon. We’re leaving too soon to get rid of those last ten pounds. Hopefully after so much walking, I’ll come back at 200. The ultimate  goal is to be 170 and maintain. I’d like to do that by my birthday in January. 

[klein_roeschen]

My personal weight loss journey started 3 years ago with 365 lb at nearly 6 ft tall. I was allways overweight since early childhood and food became my way to deal with the shit of my neglecting, alcoholic parents and mobbing at school. I literaly swallowed everything down with unhealthy food while escaping into the world of books. And as a young woman, I also started my diet career, losing 10 lb, gaining 15 lb back and so on. 5 years ago I was also diagnosed with hyothyreosis and finally threated against that. With this history, finally having enough and feeling the first strains of the immense weight, I sat 3 years ago at the surgical center to discuss weight loss surgery. The female surgeon made it pretty clear that my chances to loose weight non-surgical are pretty slim, as statistics show. So I got part of their program with my health insurance and got weekly sport sessions and monthly sessions with a diatrician. 9 months later and 19 lb slimer, I got my gastric sleeve. Now, 2 years after the surgery, I lost 110 lb and celebrated every lb I lost. But with the weight loss, other problems came to surface and I finally tackled my anxiety with therapy instead of food. I'm still not at the end of my weight loss journey, but 40 lb at least still have to go. But I eat healthier and my portions are much smaller and I exercise every evening on my hometrainer.

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

Weigh in this morning was 208.2, so at least I’m moving back in the right direction! I’m back to where I was before my crazy two weeks of eating all the things.  The goal this week is to me 100% under the calorie allotment on My Fitness Pal and exersice at least four times. 

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

I am 204.6lbs as of this morning, down about 6lbs from when I decided to start really doing this on May 15th.  My highest recorded weight was 216 and my lowest 93.  I have a long tangled history of disordered eating, anxiety, physical illnesses, and medications that muck things up.  My goal is to be between 155 (highest I can be for a healthy BMI) and 135 (when I felt the healthiest).  I don't know if the latter is achievable but I've come to terms with that.  I mainly am just tired of my clothes not fitting, knowing I am damaging my body and making it harder on myself just to get around.  I am also working on the psychological issues involved, which is really hard, especially when I use food to comfort myself and hide.

My short term goal is to be below 200lbs/90kgs because I've been there before, and lost it and kept it off for awhile, so I feel like that's charted territory.  Right now I still have a demon in my ear telling me I will never be able to lose.

I am pre-diabetic and have PCOS but my endocrinologist told me that for now I don't need to go low carb, I have digestive issues that make eating fiber/whole grains/fruits and vegetables difficult.  It's really annoyed because I crave the healthier stuff but I have to balance the nutrition with pain - too much pain it's back to plain noodles and baked potatoes for awhile.  

Because of my history I am not currently counting calories, but if I get stuck, I will start.  I know basic calorie counts and I weigh many things on the kitchen scale but I'm not keeping a record of it for now.  I am eating smaller portions most of the time and making healthier choices when and where I can.  

I can't exercise as much as I'd like because of my illnesses (fibro, aftermath of an untreated tick bourne infection that was misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome in the US) but I am making more of an effort to spend my energy on doing some yoga or walking instead of housework.  We also got one of those twist & shape exercisers this weekend and I am hoping that will help with strengthening my back at least.

 

 

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

This is sort of a question about achieving a goal - does anyone have any tips about dealing with caffiene withdrawl?  I am trying to sub black tea for my coffee because of the lower acids + I can drink tea black but take milk in my coffee and want to save those calories (and sometimes I do the vegan before 5 thing).  I usually have 2 cups of coffee, this morning I had 1 followed by 1 tea, but 30 minutes later I wound up needing the 2nd coffee anyway.  So now I have even more caffiene in me LOL

I've gone totally caffiene free before to see if it had an effect on my insomnia (it didn't and it was about a week of hell.  I expect it to be a little easier and shorter this time since I am not giving it up completely, but is there a way to help with the headaches and that foggy feeling?  I drink a lot of water.

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

I usually just push through the caffeine withdrawal. I just time it so I feel gross on the weekend and can be functional for work. Excedrin works great for me, but I don’t now if that is an option for you. 

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

On 6/25/2018 at 2:57 PM, Quiver Full of Kittens said:

I usually just push through the caffeine withdrawal. I just time it so I feel gross on the weekend and can be functional for work. Excedrin works great for me, but I don’t now if that is an option for you. 

I saw my doctor yesterday for something else and she said to just push through it and take a plain paracetamol if needed. Today is my first day no coffee and I am not going to cave!  I purposely made a half pot for my husband that is much weaker than I like so I wouldn't be tempted (he likes weak coffee fine as long as he has his sugar, I am not being mean).  I had two cups of lady grey, one without milk and then one with because I liked the taste of the black tea but the tannins made my teeth feel weird.  I'm such a baby sometimes LOL.  The good news is like the tea has less caffiene than the coffee, I take much less milk in my tea so I'm still cutting back.

I excercised yesterday but so much (for me) I'm terribly sore.  I will still do some today though.

@klein_roeschen I always like reading your meals on the Lori thread.  It seems like you don't cut out things completely and eat in moderation, after years of doing one diet plan after another and cutting out whole food groups I am trying the approach of nothing is absolutely forbidden, just eat less of it.  We had fries last night for dinner (Belgians apparently eat 75kgs of fries per year per person, they're not going anywhere) but I made half as many as I used to, served them with grilled chicken, skipped any dessert or alcohol, was satisfied, and while the scale didn't go down today, it didn't go up either.

[klein_roeschen]

@IntrinsicallyDisordered Oh my god, I could never, ever live without coffee, that would be the worst case scenario.

I tried Low Carb and even No Carb, but that was shit, I became really grumpy and it wreaked havoc on my digestion. And didn't lost even much weight. Now I stick to whole grain and multi grain for bread. I look after my protein intake with dairy and I alowe me one tread per day. I took a liking to cooking and baking, but don't beat me over when I get some convinience food instead of cooking fresh. I chilled a lot down, thanks to the dieticin and my therapy. And I'm used to a slight gain of 2 kg on certian days of my cycle and getting them lost on other days. So no freak out any more. And now I want some belgium fries, or a belgium waffle.

A TV cook once said "Food is the erotica of the everyday life" and he is right.

[FecundFundieFundus]

This is my first time attempting to lose weight by counting calories. We used to eat keto, but it was too difficult to maintain when we had carb-eating kids in the house*. Up until recently, I've been more or less bed bound from illness/pain, so I'm extremely out of shape and have muscle atrophy. This week I started a new medication that has constant hunger as a side effect. I guess that's the push I needed to finally diet... Right now my goal is to stay under the allotted calories for slow weight loss and get in the habit of tracking my food. It sucks, but I'd still be hungry even if I was eating 3000 calories a day, so I guess this is as good a time as any. 
*GOLDFISH. Nothing looks better when all you eat is meat and veggies and cheese than a crunchy, salty goldfish cracker, I swear. That and fresh fruit. 

[FecundFundieFundus]

So how is everyone doing? @klein_roeschen @IntrinsicallyDisordered @Quiver Full of Kittens @MayMay1123 ?

I set up My Fitness Pal to a calorie limit that would help me lose about a pound a week. I'm not sure if it's working yet. The last time I stepped on the scale I was down three pounds, but I also had a horrible stomach bug and was dehydrated as hell. I've gone over my limit slightly twice since starting and today I went WAY over. Horrible mood, fatigue and hunger headache = macaroni and cheese for supper and indulging in sweets. 
A relative was in the hospital so I hopped in my car and left home. The restaurants around here don't have much to eat below 800 calories, so I've been skipping breakfast to not go over my calorie limit. Definitely learned from today that I can't do that more than one or two days in a row! I'm going to buy packets of instant oatmeal, a small jar of PB and some crackers to keep in my car for emergency trips like this. 

[Firebird]

I lost 13 pounds in the first month!  I feel better, my cycle is starting to get regular, and I don't feel as depressed! I'm meeting with my OBGYN this week after having a HSG xray. I'm hoping babies might happen soon!

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

I stalled out last week. Right now we’re on a our big multi country honeymoon, so right before we left we were eating take out and generally running around like headless chickens. However, I have to imagine I’m starting to go down again. We’re walking an average of 12-14 miles a day, not to mention just being dehydrated. We can’t seem to drink enough. :/ 

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

I have lost a further 2lbs or so, but hurt myself exercising (who would have thought that my abdominal "muscles" would have a problem being exercisec for the first time in 40 years LOL) and that gave me a mental blow.  I was starting to feel a change in my body, holding myself different, feeling stronger, and instead of listening to my body and some soreness, I pushed through and strained a muscle.  It's feeling much better (no more sharp pain) but still aches when I move certain ways, so I am easing back into it.

We've also been having a monster heat wave that makes sleeping near impossible.  I've had chronic insonmia since my teens and am used to sleepless nights and bad dreams when I do sleep, but am at a point where I can't think well at all and can barely function during the day and it slows my digestion to a crawl.  BUT I have done very well not going for overeating and junky food to soothe those feelings as I have in the past.

I haven't lost very much but I also haven't gained, so that is good.  I have to keep reminding myself I need to do this slowly - I've done it fast in the past, and it's very tempting to cut back on my food more than I have and see those numbers go down quickly, but I know from experience that my body will put it all back on plus some.  I am trying very hard to eat in a way that is sustainable for the rest of my life. @Firebird what you have done is amazing, as a fellow pcos sufferer I know how difficult it is to battle your body and achieve those kinds of results.

I also got a real period this month for the first time in 3 or so years, so that was something.  I both loved it (I always feel like I am going to get one and then don't which leaves me feeling strange and unnatural and very cranky and bloated) and hated it (it's been so long I forgot exactly what cramps feel like, omg, and it lasted 12 days which, no thank you, nature). 

I am a bit frustrated because as I mentioned in a previous post, I feel like 200lbs is a mental line for me, as I have previously been there and got back down to 150lbs before.  So I feel like once I can reach that I won't have this gnawing "you are never going to be successful" demon on my back.  I got down to 200 grams above 200lbs yesterday, ate healthily and reasonable amounts, and today was up 500 grams (about a pound, I weigh in kilos and convert). This wouldn't bother me so much if I wasn't at exactly the same numbers last week...91.5 kg worked it back down all week to 91, and then it flies right back up.   *eternal sigh*

@Quiver Full of Kittens congrats on you marriage!  Enjoy the honeymoon

[Firebird]

@IntrinsicallyDisordered good for you for doing it the slow and right way! I understand about wanting to hit 200lbs. I'm still over it myself. I told myself I would never let myself get this heavy and I did. It gets quite discouraging, but keep at it! 

[Firebird]

Right now I'm doing Paleo ( with minor variations because it is an awful diet). My plan is to slowly reintroduce carbs as I get closer to my goal. I started out at 215. I'm at 202. I'd like to be around 140, but I'm not going to hold my breath. My ultimate goal is to get pregnant. I'm realizing how much damage I did to myself by allowing myself to stress eat during nursing school and my first few years working med-surg. I feel so much better without all the processed carbs and sugars. It's hard and expensive to eat so much protein and vegetables so I don't think it is sustainable long term. I'm trying to figure out a way to make this budget friendly.  

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

I would love to do something like Paleo, and sometimes think I could do something like that as a permanent plan, but right now my digestive system is so wonky and sensitive I have a lot of problems with large amounts of protein and fiber.  And I am allergic to nuts and sensitive to soy and other legumes (fine with something like soy sauce, but a chunk of tofu will make me feel ill).  To much fiber from grains or vegetables gives me terrible pain.  I can handle some veg and a certain amount of fruit before the acids in the fruit become too much.

Right now I eat as many potatoes as I want - a less starchy yukon gold type variety boiled and eaten either cold or reheated in a pan with a small amount of healthy fat.  They don't seem to spike my blood sugar and my body can digest them fine.  I limit bread to a few times a week.  I eat rice and pasta but smaller portions and if I am going to have a more carb heavy dinner I don't eat any bread/pasta/rice during the day.

I have the occasional beer or glass of wine, but on those days I don't have dessert.  If I have dessert it's weighed and measured, only a couple times a week, and more likely to be a popcicle now than a bowl of ice cream.  I've cut way down in the amount of cheese, butter, and mayo I eat.  The only thing I ruled out completely is soda, I rarely drank it anyway but now will be a person that doesn't drink it at all.

I'm still overeating at some meals and should be eating even less overall, but my portions are much smaller and I am learning it's okay to leave something.  My body isn't a trash can.  I do have a problem with eating lightly through the day and then a large dinner, but honestly, I don't think that is going to change.  It's a lifelong habit.  If I eat a good sized breakfast and lunch I feel sick plus am even hungrier at dinner and wind up eating just as much as usual or more, my sister and I call them "eating days" lol  she is very active though so doesn't have the weight problem I do.

Breakfast most days is fruit, lunch is potatoes or pasta (65 grams) with vegetables and a small amount of parmesan or butter, dinner is whatever but smaller amounts.  Snacks are fruit, homemade granola, or plain yogurt.  

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

Thanks @IntrinsicallyDisordered! We were married last July and are now finally able to take our trip. It’s been a.maz.ing

 

@Firebird it’s doable on a budget. Aldi was super helpful for me during the counting every penny years. I also used Pinterest to come up with cheap healthy meals to add variety to the like four I knew how to do already. 

[Firebird]

@Quiver Full of Kittens thanks for the aldis tip. It was a goldmine!

 

down to 198.2 on the doctor's office scale!

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

2 minutes ago, Firebird said:

@Quiver Full of Kittens thanks for the aldis tip. It was a goldmine!

 

down to 198.2 on the doctor's office scale!

You’re welcome! I’m glad it work for you. 

 

Way to go! Under 200 is a milestone for sure! 

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

That's fantastic, @Firebird!  Way to go!

I was 200.2 yesterday and today, for the 3rd time in two weeks.  I can't seem to break through, and it's tempting to fast for a few days just to see the numbers go down, but I know that wouldn't be a real accomplishment.  So I will just keep doing what I'm doing

I was able to exercise a little more this week, so I can feel good about that

[IntrinsicallyDisordered]

90.7kg/199.54lbs this morning!  

I am surprised because I can tell I am retaining water and my dinner last night wasnt't the smallest or healthiest.  I am sure I will see a rise over 200 again in the coming days, but this is a nice psychological boost.

I did find an old food/weight diary from 2009 and saw my previously known high weight was 89.9kg (197.78lbs) and realized it was 90kgs I hadn't wanted to go over, not 200lbs, which threw me, but this is still good!  89kg can be my next short term goal

I have now lost 10.12lbs since getting serious on May 15th and 17.16lbs from my highest recorded weight in 2017.

[Firebird]

I got the official PCOS diagnosis this past week. It's kinda bumming me out. They said I had shown signs on my ultrasound of periods of anovulation. I just got started on metformin, which makes my stomach hurt and makes me exhausted. I know plenty of people get pregnant with PCOS, but I felt like it took the wind out of my sails to hear that I dont ovulate much. They are going to start clomid after I can comvince my husband that having the sperm count test isn't the worst thing to ever happen to him. Is it stupid that I almost feel like a failure because I don't ovulate?