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.