My first of, I hope, of many posts

  • OK. I am - 47. Married, children, sahm/homeschooler.
    I have enough time to take care of myself...but I find I do not do a good job of that.
    This is the fifth time I have tried to lose weight in the past 20 years or so. I tried low-fat, low-carb twice and. most recently, WW. Each time I have gotten close (once I even made it past!!!) 200 pounds and then...I just couldn't/didn't keep it up and I gained it back, gradually. The first two times I gained extra, but the last three times I just stopped here at around 250.

    My goal right now is 199...because I am thinking in terms of 10% at a time. First I want to lose 25, then 22, which will bring me to 199. If I keep it up, I would like to get down to 146 (three more 10%s of 20, 17 and 16), which would mean an entire 100 POUNDS!

    But - I am too scared to think that way yet. And getting down to 199 would be a great thing in and of itself.

    While my sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides are good, my BP is slightly elevated and my arthritis is getting worse. So I do have some specific physical issues I want to improve.

    My plan. Well....the only way I felt comfortable about trying again is to be very realistic with myself. So, I have slightly modified the "No S diet" - adding no starches (so I can stick with low-carb, which is what I felt best doing before), removing no snacks (I want to be able to have nuts, cheese, a little fruit) and keeping the "No sugar or seconds". Knowing that I can be a little freer on the weekend, or at a birthday party, makes me feel like I can stick to this.

    I am also exercising. First, a whole body workout with handweights 3 mornings a week - I have been doing this for three weeks and it feels really good. Today I moved up from two-pound weights to three pounders I am also walking more in two ways. First, I bought a pedometer, learned that I can easily walk only 2,000 steps on an average day, and have been doing what I can o bump it up to 4-5,000 steps instead. Next, I have been going for longer walks 3-4 times a week. I don't drive and my neighborhood is very walkable, so I am walking for 20m or so before I catch the bus to wherever I am heading. I am also purposely buying a little less so I have to go out to pick up fresh veg more often - the walk to the supermarket, around the store, and back is about 2 miles, so I am trying to do that at least twice a week.

    Well - that was a lot. I do not know if being part of a forum like this will help, but I am willing to give it my best shot!

    Oh, one more thing. I no longer own a scale and I am not planning to get one (I have one daughter with some issues and her dr. recommended not having a scale) so I will only be weighing myself at the drs office. Not ideal but...it is what it is. So I took some measurements and I will measure myself once a month.

    Thanks for reading.
  • Sorry about the double post - and I can't figure out to delete it!


  • I didn't know where to post, so I thought here was best!

    Good on you for getting back into losing weight again. If you do this, try not to think of your earlier attempts as failures. I think they mean we weren't quite ready to make the final change to our lifestyle, rather than viewing them as negatives. I'm trying MyFitnessPal as of yesterday and so far it's confusing (I only know the metric system, but this is mostly in imperial ) and I don't know if I'm getting it right. Anyway lol

    Remember to take it one day at a time. If I could, I wouldn't have scales. During weight loss, you are allowed to have bad days and binge days. Weight loss is a lifestyle change and is meant to become how you eat all of the time. If you need help of any kind (you feel like you are slipping or someone really peeved you off), post in the appropriate forums and we'll do our best to help you out. There are recipes too that you might like to look at in the diet section.

    Good luck with your journey. You'll get to your goal this time
  • Welcome! I am also new here but wanted to pass along a phrase I saw in someone's siggy on this forum. It said, "I may not be able to lose 100 pounds, but I can lose 5 pounds 20 times."

    Best of luck on your journey!
  • Thanks for the greetings!

    I really like that phrase...I need to start thinking this way. 5 pounds is doable, isn't it!
  • Welcome Sparks! I hope you like the forum as much as I do. Tons of information and support. Try joining a challenge in Chicks Up for a Challenge. They all say 10 lbs or so but feel free to make your own goal of more or less. Welcome!
  • Welcome welcome!!! Lots of support here!!
  • Welcome and good luck on your journey!!!