Need a Buddy
 

I am 35 years old and I am looking for a buddy that can offer support, motivation, weekly weigh-ins and share meal plans. I have been there done that and weight loss seems to be part of my life's struggles and I must be humble and also say successes since I have been blessed with many successes.
Maintenance seems to be the hard part for me and I am constantly looking for ways to stay motivated. I have hit a road bump again and need a Buddy to keep me on it. I am currently about 168 pounds and want to go back down to 140. I have been at 365 pounds at one point and have lost over 275 pounds. Was hoping to find someone to join me on my next weight loss journey of 28 pounds. Thank you! :)

I think I could also benefit from having a buddy. I'm heavier now than when you started off, but I find your weight loss super inspiring. I'd love to help you out, and also be motivated by you! What motivates you? So far, what works for me is talking about the good changes I'm making. Getting that reaffirmation from another person that I'm doing well makes me feel like I can keep going. I also really enjoy swapping photos of meals and meal plans. If you're interested, just let me know!

Definitely interested. I am not too tech savvy so I hope I am able to keep up with meal photos. Think what motivates me is having a buddy because that keeps me accountable and in a sense keeps me oblighted to my buddy. What has helped me is planning...meals, exercise, and preparing for days that a celebration might be happening where there is going to be lots of food and cake. WeighING in weekly also helps. I want to weigh in every Friday so that the weekly results can motivate me for the weekend. I just joined the gym. I came home right after and made my gym plan as well as my meal plan.

I need a buddy too
 

Hi PurplePetal,

I too am looking for a weight loss buddy. I am 39, married with a 10 year old daughter. Over the last 3 years I have gone from 11st down to 9st and all the way back up to 11st. I now find myself feeling despondent and not knowing how to start to get a grip on my spiralling weight. What is getting to me more than the extra weight itself is how it is making me feel and I am desperate to do something about it.

I plan to weigh and measure myself once a week (starting tomorrow) and stick to a balanced diet with daily exercise. I plan to log my food and drink intake and my exercise on a daily basis.

I haven't had a diet buddy before as I always felt able to go it alone but this time I can see I am going to need the support and motivation of someone in a similar position if I am going to reach my goals.

Would you be interested in buddying up with me? I work from home and so will be available to offer support to you in return whenever you need it.

Best wishes.

Hi cocopops
 

Sounds like a great idea! Would like to offer as well as receive support. I don't work from home but I am still able to monitor myself since I take my lunch and breakfast to work. May I ask, what is 11st and 9st? Is that a type of weight system? I will weight myself today which makes me nervous because I had a big binge yesterday. :( I will weigh myself every Friday therafter in order to keep my motivated for the weekend. I will also follow the meal plan that I prepared for the week yesterday as well as the exercise plan which consist of me going to the gym after work. I will post how my day went at the end of the day. Feel free to reach out whenever you want and I will make it a point to reply. :) Give me a few and I will post my weight and a bit later my meal plan. Thank you so much for being so kind to offer your support. This is doable and we can do it!!!! :D

Hi,

Thank you so much for agreeing to buddy up and help each other.

I will weigh and measure myself in the morning and post my results.

Sorry for not clarifying my weights, I am currently 11 stone and my goal is 9 stone (I still use imperial measurements!). 11 stone is 70.5kg or 155 pounds. 9 stone is 57.3kg or 126 pounds.

I have put together a training plan consisting of cardio and weights. The cardio will be 30 mins of intervals on the treadmill 3 days a week and 20 mins of cycling intervals 3 days a week. After each cardio workout I will be doing either an upper or lower body weight/toning circuit with the aim being that I train for approx 60 mins in total, 6 days a week. I am lucky in that I have a gym at home so it is convenient - and I'm sure now that I have someone to check in with each day, I will be more likely to stick with it.

Are you following a particular diet or just generally trying to eat healthier?

What areas of weight loss do you generally struggle with? I am a notorious comfort eater and I have also recently realised that I self-sabotage my dieting efforts. I explored this recently with a hypnotherapist which I feel was beneficial and very interesting.

What type of exercise do you do when you go to the gym?

I'm really glad we can support each other on our journeys - I have every faith that we will both succeed.

Weight and meal plan
 

So my weight is at 168.5...I think that what the picture showed. My eating plan today is:

Breakfast:
Half a grapefruit
Toast with peanut butter
2 scrambled eggs

Snack:
Peach

Lunch:
Tuna salad...prepared with celery, light mayo, mustard
Lettuce
Tomato
Carrots
Boiled egg

Dinner:
Chicken
Mixed vegetables
Sugar free jell-o

I tried to post a picture but don't think it worked. Trying it again.

Coco:
I am definitely an emotional eater. The problem is no matter what emotion I am feeling, I want to eat. I rarely include exercise in my diets. Usually I am just very strict with my eating since I don't exercise. But this time I plan to include 15 of stair master and 30 mins of treadmill today. I will give you daily info since my schedule is always changing. As for my eating, I wrote down my eating plan for the next two weeks. Focusing mostly on protein, low carb. I am excited and ready to lose those dreaded 25 pounds!!! :D

Your meal plan for today was impressive, a good balance of foods. You'll have to let me know how you get on at the gym after work.

I am keen to get started in the morning and am feeling very positive that together we can each lose the 25 pounds.

I am a little nervous about what my starting weight and measurements will be when I record them for the first time in the morning...eek!

I was so nervous too. I thought I was a little heavier actually. But I'm motivated!! Did my picture go through of the scale?

No, I haven't received your photo. Having said that, I am new to the site so maybe I'm looking in the wrong place? I will have some spare time tomorrow so will try and get to grips with the site layout and update my profile fully.

No worries. I am totally new to it too. So today my coworkers are having lunch at a buffet for a co-worker's birthday. The buffet they are going to has absolutely nothing healthy to eat. I had to sort lie and said I had an appointment because if not they would have begged me to go with them and my meal plan would be ruined. :( It is rough but I really want to do this and it is going to take sacrifices. On Saturday we have a play to go to and then dinner after. I want to focus on protein on that day. I have to make this happen somehow. See your support is already helping because with those events on calendar I would have already given up and just started next week which would have added another 5 pounds on me. So thank you! :)

You're doing great, well done on swerving the buffet lunch. You must be very proud of yourself for doing that. You've definitely got the right attitude towards making this plan work - basing your meals on the day of the play round protein will help keep any hunger pangs at bay. If you know where you are going for dinner afterwards maybe you could have a look at the menu and decide in advance what you will eat. You seem super organised.

Yes I am a planner. If I don't plan, I will not make it right through the day. Great idea on looking at the menu in advance! I will do that!!!! Yay!!! I really can't thank you enough for the support. You know my husband just finished a weightloss challenge and lost 55 pounds. He did amazing. I just cant use him for support because with me he is so biased he wouldn't hold me accountable. He says I don't need to lose weight but I feel I do. Then again he did meet me when I was almost 400 pounds. So I guess anything under that is good with him. Lol :D

So it is only 6pm so I can't say the day is over. But I am happy to say I have followed my meal plan perfectly. And I just left the gym. Unfortunately I only did 30 mins of treadmill. The stair master was full and I got tired of waiting. The negative part about having to go to the gym...Sometimes it is full sometimes not. I have to find a time that is not too busy but bad thing is that it is so easy to go after work because I still have energy and it is 2 mins from my workplace. I am going to be so excited to get through the day bring that I been on a binge for almost two weeks and haven't been successful on a full day since then.

So I made it through my first day. That was huge since I haven't been able to do a whole day for almost 2 weeks causing me to gain an additional 6 pounds. :( I really think that having a buddy and being accountable works. I am nervous but at the same time a little excited to weigh in. I was going to weigh in friday morning but I would be home that morning so I won't have my scale. I will weigh in first thing saturday morning. Saturday will probably be difficult but I am going to try my best to make it. How are you doing? How are you feeling?

Hello. Sorry for not getting back in touch sooner - it has been one of those days. However, despite being hugely busy and having a filling at the dentist, you'll be pleased to know that I started and have stuck with my diet/exercise plan for the day. I did a 30 minute interval run on the treadmill followed by an upper body toning circuit. I was really pleased with myself and proud that I'd made a good start. Food wise it has been a good day too, no snacking and making healthy choices. My weight this morning, so my start weight, is 155.4lb. But I am looking at it this way....today is the last time I will EVER see that weight on the scales. Things can only get better.

How has your day been? I agree with what you said yesterday about planning being the key to success - I have planned my exercise and food for tomorrow and have allotted 30 minutes in the afternoon for some 'me time'.

That's great!! You are doin amazing!!! Yeah the snacking in between is the hardest for me. I had a headache yesterday night because I am so used to snacking on sweet stuff. I even forced myself to go to sleep because I didn't want to get tempted. When I woke up in the morning I felt so happy to know I had one day behind me. Keep it up!!! You are making it happen!!

For today I had:
Oatmeal
1/2 grapefruit

Snack:
Large nectarine

Lunch:
Chicken with bellpepper and onions and home made salsa

Dinner:
Salmon
Mixed veggoes
Low carb vanilla yogurt (always need something sweet at the end of the day)

I brought my gym clothes to change at my office and go to the gym right after work. The exercise is the hard part for me. I am always on the move but it's not actual exercise so getting it in there is rough...but doable!!! :)

Hi again. You did absolutely brilliantly yesterday, both with your food and exercise. Don't knock yourself for not getting on the stair master, you still did 30 mins on the treadmill which is fantastic. I'm nowhere near being able to run for 30 minutes straight - I am doing a 'couch to 5k' plan which I found online. Today's session involved a 90 seconds run followed by a 2 minute walk, repeated for 30 minutes. I got through it without too much difficulty but I was ready to get off the treadmill when the time was up! I much prefer weight training/circuits, always have. At my fittest, a couple of years ago, the majority of my training was based around timed weight/circuit challenges. I am nowhere near fit enough to do those at the minute but I'm thinking that if I stick with the running and cycling intervals for a month or so, with some weight training too, I will soon be able to tackle my old challenges again. I like the timed aspect of challenges as it stops me from slowing the pace. Do you go to the gym alone or with a friend?

It's lovely that your husband loves you just the way you are. I know what you mean though about him not therefore being able to push you and hold you accountable. Did he find it quite easy to do the weight loss challenge? My hubbie is a real fitness fanatic. He trains heavy weights 5/6 times a week and has amazing willpower when it comes to food. He doesn't bat an eyelid when he turns dessert down in a restaurant and he can make a box of chocolate last forever - he literally has one small square of chocolate if he fancies some then puts the rest back in the fridge. How on earth he can do that I have no idea - if I start I just can't stop. I have had really terrible binges for the past few months and felt very out of control. Thankfully now I feel like I am taking back control of my life through my diet and exercise and I feel better for it even though this is only day one.

What helped me enormously this morning with both the weigh in and my exercise was knowing that I'd promised to check in with you. The thought of letting you down spurred me on to stick with it and see the first day through. Likewise, when I read that you've done so well, it encourages me even more, knowing that it is doable.

Your meal plan for today sounds great, again. You certainly seem to have a good idea of what a healthy and balanced diet looks like. Have you had any hunger pangs in between meals?

Day 2 gone and going strong. Yay!!!!! I went to the gym and did 45 mins of treadmill due to the stair master being packed again. I feel good. Couldn't sleep last night but didn't snack which was great. Day 3 today and I am feel strong and motivated. Going to the gym again after work.

Meal plan for today:

Toast with organic jam
Oatmeal
Sliced strawberries

Snack:
Boiled egg
Half grape fruit

Dinner:
Ground turkey
Green beans
Je-llo pudding sugar-free

Exercise: 45 mins of treadmill

What's on your schedule?
How are you doing?
How are you feeling most importantly?

Also 155 is not bad at all!!! Wish I was there. Eager to weigh in Saturday morning. I sure hope my sacrifices have been worth it.

If you only knew all I ate before you would gasp!! Yikes!!!!

Well done on your achievements and brilliant determination. You're doing really well and seem to be super motivated. 45 mins on the treadmill is great. This morning I did a HIIT interval on the bike followed by a lower body weights circuit. It was hard but I felt great for sticking with it.

I'm just on my way to bed now so that's day 2 completed. No snacking again today and even though I had massive cravings mid morning and a feeing of missing out, I didn't give in and I feel all the more strong for it. Tomorrow we are heading over to York to look at a new bulldozer that we wish to buy so I will have to think carefully what I will be eating seeing as I won't be at home.

Looking forward to hearing about your day...

Hello buddy.
I must be honest when I say I am feeling a little down and discouraged today. I had such a hard time yesterday. My mood turned down and mean and I was short with my husband and only halfway there with my kiddos. I apologized to my husband last night and he just hugged me and told me not to stress so much. I am sad to say that I didn't follow my meal plan as I planned. I ended up eating a slice of lite bell cheese...45 calories and a piece of caramel chocolate. :( :( My husband made me sit down and think about something positive and because I was moody and wanted to be a brat I refused for a long while. Then I said, "usually when I mess up, I take it as the day is ruined and I think to myself if I ruined it might as well ruin it all the way. Then I would open up a pack of cookies, a pint of ice cream and a family sized bag of chips and eat it all up and more. This time I didnt. I stopped myself which is very hard for me. There, you happy!? I said something positive." He smiled and said, yes you did stop yourself and that was awesome. I guess he is right...if I want to look at the bright side. It is just hard for me to do that. I am usually really strict on myself. It is what helps keep me motivated.

Today's another day and I need to continue
Yesterday is gone and it is time to get focused again. I have a big meeting outside of the office with breakfast and lunch being catered by this fancy place. I am going to be very selective and plan to go to the gym after the meeting and after I drop off my coworkers.

For now, 1/2 a grapefruit, toast and coffee.

I hope I didn't let you down or uninspire you any. I promise to work extremely hard to make it through the weekend.

Really sending you lots of strength and faith to make it through too. :)

Oh and absolutely no excuses but I think what was different is that we stay at my moms for the night where it is like dessert central. Snice everyone always comes visit she always has soda, snacks, chocolate...all the bad stuff that is just so good. So now I know when I am there I need to be extra focused.

Super proud of you
 

Hello my awesome buddy,

I am super proud of you for not turning to the ice cream and chips last night. It sounds like you had a really tough day yesterday and to come through it with a positive outcome and a willingness to make today a positive and focused new day is excellent.

We all have bad days but what I have learnt only recently is that it is how we 'self-talk' about the situations that cause us to give up and binge. You said in your previous message that I'd be shocked about your binges in the past but I get the impression we were very similar. Like you, I have previously had a very 'all or nothing' kind of attitude. I am very strict on myself and have extremely high expectations - to the point where I considered myself worthless and a failure simply for not being perfect with my eating. It's strange because I certainly don't hold anyone else to the extreme high standards that I expect from myself. Just like you, if I was to eat even something slightly 'bad', I would be really harsh with myself about what a let-down I was and how much of a failure that made me as a dieter, a wife, a mother etc. I would then get in the car (i have never admitted this to anyone) and drive to the local shop where I would buy a family size Dairy Milk bar, 2 cans of Red Bull, a cake and biscuits. Devouring them all in a kind of frenzied state, hiding the wrappers at the bottom of the bin and then spending the rest of the day feeling depressed and disappointed. The thing is, I always took it a step even further - I could never mess up mid-week and simply get back on track the day after, I would give up for the entire week and start again the following Monday. Even just typing this now I can see how ridiculous it sounds but when you're gripped in the never-ending self-destructive cycle that I was, I just couldn't make logical choices.

As I mentioned earlier, we've been out this morning looking at a potential new bulldozer. I knew there was a chance we wouldn't be home by lunch time so I quickly threw a packet of chicken and an apple in the car with us. I'm glad I did as, on the way home, hubbie suggested we call at McDonalds for a coffee - I was tempted to order food while I was there but I resisted and told myself that the chicken would satiate me until we got home - which it did. Then, when we arrived home (and probably because I still felt a little peeved at not getting a McDonalds meal) I had an overwhelming desire to eat the remainder of my daughter's chocolate. However, (and this is the eureka moment), on my way to the cupboard where the chocolate is, I thought about what I would tell you and how disappointed you would be with me if I caved in so easily. The thought of letting you down was enough to make me opt for some tomato soup with 3 plain rice cakes instead. So I really do owe you a debt of gratitude for giving me the inspiration to stick with my plan.

We are very fortunate to have found each other on this site. We seem to have a lot in common in our personalities and eating styles and it makes a huge difference knowing that if I am struggling I can log on and speak to you - and hopefully you feel the same way.

Another positive is that you have acknowledged that the issue was probably being at your mum's house with all the temptations. By recognising this trigger point you will be in a far better position to resist the next time you find yourself in that scenario.


Keep me posted on how you get on today at the meeting. Sending you lots of warm wishes and encouragement :)

Oh my God Coco...we sound like twins!!!! Still at my meeting but I will explain later. For now, stay strong my friend. You are rocking it!!!! We are and will do great!!!!!!

I say we are twins because I too have always been hard on myself. I come from a hispanic old fashioned fathER and mother. My father showed/shows me so much love, my mom hasn't learned how with her words but I know she loves me by her actions. My mom gave me tough love in which others would interpret as extreme mental abuse. However, I always knew it was out of love aND fear and lack of knowledge. Long story short, I was 1 of 11 children. 5 beautiful, thin, radiant daughters, 5 tall, fit and handsome sons and me. The only heavy set child...the fat one. She had no worries with her other daughters because they would find men/husband with no problems but me...who would love me. So I was taken away from my childhood and play time to learn how to cook, clean, wash, sow because I needed other things that men could learn to love me for because It wasn't going to happen with my looks. I also needed to be extra nice and never say no because I needed people to like me. As a child you don't know how to interpret it all and I grew up being taken advantage of by people and men. And no matter the abuse or pain, I felt lucky that anyone even wanted to deal with me. Sounds like a cruel mom but trust me when I say it was out of love and I understand it now. Wasn't right, but she tried.
Needless to say I grew up really hard on myself, never feelING worthy, never giving myself any credit or confidence or love. To date, I find it hard. But I have come a long way. No matter how hard my mom tried she couldn't get me skinny. Not even me Asking at the age 8 if I was ugly and getting a quick "yes, very!" Couldn't "fix" me either. It was until I was 27 years old and woke up one day with my 31 year old 650 pound husband laying next to me dead of a heart attack that I became fearful of my health and life. Then it still took another 2 years for my current husband to come into my life and fill me full of love, wOrth and confidence that I transformed myself physically. I am still learning and fixing the inside but as I have said I have come so far and I am so grateful. Every day is a struggle as a daughter, as a wife as a mother of 3 yr old twin boys, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. But i have an amazing, supporting husband who i feel saved my life and continues to do it every day. And I am more transformed from the inside than the transformation of my body after losing 275 pounds. Me in a nutshell. :)

So I made it through another day. It was a rough one but I made it. I am exhausted but I think keeping busy helped keep my mind off of food. I went to the gym after for 35 mins on the treadmill.

I decided to wait until Tuesday to weigh in. I feel excited about seeing the numbers it is actually motivating me to extend it. I hope thats okay.

I am glad I can be of motivation to you too. I feel grateful for meeting you. And all the way from here I want to give you a high five for staying strong and focused. Lets keep it going!!! :D

PurplePetal you are AMAZING
 

Hi my truly amazing friend. I don't even know where to start in reply to your last message. I had no idea you had been through so much in your short life. To come through the death of a husband so young and what sounds like a really tough childhood yet still be such an awesome person is incredible. You seem to be able to look back on your childhood and how your mum treat you with quite a clear and balanced mind, I really don't think I would be able to do the same. I wonder about your mum's own childhood and her relationship with her parents. It almost sounds like she was transposing her own worries and fears onto you through fear of you experiencing something she herself had, if that makes sense? As we both know from being mums ourselves, we all want the best for our children - some of us are just better at handling the practicalities of that.

Your husband sounds like a lovely man - you always speak of him in such warm and grateful terms. However, if he is such a truly wonderful man (which I believe he is), then that obviously makes you a truly wonderful woman as, let's face it, he wouldn't be with you otherwise. When you met, he obviously saw a glimmer of the real you, which I too can see from the messages we have exchanged. You have been so supportive of me this week while at the same time working through your own battles with food etc. Your kindness really does shine through - you are always upbeat in your messages (despite having had a bad day or two) and you really do bring out the best in me too. In my opinion, your husband is just as lucky to have you in his life as you are to have him, a perfect match. I hope you mum now sees that you have a million brilliant attributes and that you are a wonderful person. She should be very proud of her daughter. I hope that you can start to show yourself some much needed love. In fact, I think you should tell me 3 things that you love about yourself in your next message - and I won't take no for an answer! :hug:

How did you get on during the meeting with the food being provided by outside caterers? Did you stick with the healthy options? You did really well still going to the gym after work. You must have felt awesome afterwards though as it would have been very easy to give it a miss after a hard day at work.

What do you have planned for this weekend?

I went in the gym again this morning and did an interval circuit on the treadmill followed by an upper body weight circuit and then a stretching session as my legs were aching from the other day.

Last night, while watching TV after dinner, I allowed myself a couple of handfuls of dried tropical fruit. It tasted so good as a treat and all the while I knew it was a good choice, especially compared to the chocolate, crisps, cakes etc I would have had in the past.

Let me start off with those 3 things you asked for before I lose my courage...lol
Well 1. Would probably be courage. No matter how hard things get, I never get scared. I face things head on. Especially when it comes to my family, I feel like a warrior when it comes to protecting them. And I think with what I have gone through, I wouldn't have made it without courage.
2. I love my fairness. I love being equal and fair to everyone and every situation. I think that is what has put a lot of blessings in my life. People have a lot of respect and admiration for me and thus has opened many doors and opportunities in which I have been blessed to have taken and thrived. I treat everyone with respect at my job whe the they are the janitors or the vice president and I stay consistent every day regardless of what I am going through.
3. I love my determination. People don't doubt me when i say I am going to do something. When I am determined I make things happen. Even my mom who has been my biggest critic has admitted That I actually did it with my weightoss like I said I was 5 years ago. She now believes this is a forever change and not just a temperate change. Not matter how difficult things get, if I have promised something I come through.


Hope those 3 things are what you were asking for. :)

Well, with regards to my meeting, I decided to serve myself a salad no dressing and some chicken and I took it back to the meeting room in order not to get tempted with the rest and dessert. I drank lots of water which I hardly drink...I know that's bad. I also volunteered to help so That I could stay busy. They day went by quick. The night was rough but I madeit. This morning I had my coffee and oatmeal. For lunch two pieces of chicharones in which I made for my in laws. It's their favorite and have been askin for it. Now we are on our way to a play with my brother and sister in law then dinner after. I plan to order a salad with tomato, feta cheese, olives, Brussel sprouts and no dressing. May add a pice of my husband's grilled chicken for protein. Water for drink. I am so eager to make it through the weekend.

I am so proud of you for making it through yesterday. It sounds like you are doing great. I truly appreciate your encouragement and faith in me.

As for what I went through, I know it seems rough...and it was...but reality is it actually got me where I belong and has transformed me and helped me obtained my courage, determination and appreciation and true friends.
Thank you for helping me remember the good things.

I will keep you in mind tonight to give me extra strength. :)

How did your evening go with your brother, did you enjoy the play? More importantly, did you order the salad that you had planned? I am very impressed with how focused and strict you were with yourself at the meeting, keeping yourself busy, moving away from the tempting food after you'd made your selection - you're a pro at this :)

Like you, I am not a huge fan of water so I make up a 1.5 litre jug of weak cordial in a morning and aim to drink it all by the end of the day. It's surprising how much of a difference it makes to how much I drink if there's a touch of flavour to it. When hubbie came home from work last night, he fancied a takeaway so we ordered an Indian. I chose lamb tikka massala but only served myself half of the rice and half of the sauce so I am very pleased with that.

I am taking a day off the gym today, give my legs chance to recover before my session tomorrow.

We seem to have the same moral compass when it comes to our values. Like you, I strive to treat everyone equally and fairly and I will stand up to inequality and injustice. Until the last year or two I was always quite determined, whether that was to gain a personal best in the gym or to master new challenges at work and I always used to strive to be the best version of me that I could possibly be. Since gaining the additional 2 stone though I have felt that determination ebb away in all aspects of my life. Looking back at the last year with my now more positive mindset, I can see that I had started to approach all aspects of my life with trepidation and despondency - if I went in the gym, I would beat myself up for not running far enough, for being out of breath, for having cellulite, for not looking model-like etc etc, instead of praising myself for actually making it to the gym. My self-esteem has really taken a nose-dive this past 12 months.

Now that I have started losing weight steadily and have your support to keep me focused, I can feel positivity and determination creeping back into my life - it's like a glimmer of light poking through the darkness and it is making me feel very hopeful for the coming months.

What do you have planned for the coming week? Any social events or visits to your mother's house?

That is great!!! Looks like you has a successful day too. Yay!!!! Especially because it sounds so yummy I probably would have wanted to eat it all. You are devouring your goal!!!! :D. Yeah the water thing is rough. I am really bad at it. I agree a littlr flavor makes a difference with me as well.

I also understand what you mean about the feeling of steErin away from determination when the weigh packs on. This pretty depression and a big deterrence to your confidence
But we found it again and are taking control. Yup!!!! :D

The play was good...it made my brain hurt though. Lol i didn't want to think so much. Dinner was rough!! But not even through temptation which not sure if that was good or bad. Our waitress was really sweet but was really having a rough day I think. She brought me the wrong drink two times. I order unsweetened ice tea and first she served me coke and then sweet tea so stuck with the water. She brought me my salad with the items I asked for but drenched in dressing. I mean galore. Felt bad because I think her manager was becoming aware of all her mistakes so my brother in law who thought the salad looked so good decided to eat it so I told her that she didn't have to return but I wanted to reorder my salad. She brought it with the dressing on the side but the salad now had avocado, bacon, about two dozen croutons and an oily slaw on the side. I was like "what the heck!" So I had to pick at it leaving me a little hunger. :( Husband tried to get me to order something at a fast food on out way home but I stuck with it and said no. I went home hungry but also exhausted so I let the exhaustion force me to sleep. My husband and I woke up and since the kids are with my sister we decided to go to the gym together in the morning which I really enjoyed. Came home and just had half a grapefruit, egg whites with mushrooms and Chedder cheese, a toast with a little peanut butter and my black coffee. I called my sister and told her we would be heading for the kids soon. She said to and stay for a bit and we can order something to eat and get a cake for her husband whose celebrating his bday this coming Wednesday. Yikes!!! I love cake. My sister has gained a lot of weight. She had a gorgeous body that men could not stop staring at her. She is still gorgeous but after her daughter she is now about 90 pounds heavier. It's rough. So got to strategize before we get there so I can stay focus.

I will keep you posted. For now, enjoy your day and stay strong my beautiful buddy. ♡

Hi. Thanks for your message. How are things with you today? Did you manage to avoid the cake at your sisters? I am super proud of you for not giving in when the entire meal after the plat the other night seemed to go wrong for you. You poor thing. It shows a steely determination to have resisted the fast food offer on the way home.

Day 6 for me and I am still going strong. I didn't deviate at all over the weekend and feel to be getting stronger every day. I've really noticed a improvement in my concentration and energy levels, no doubt a combination of my increased water intake, better diet and exercise.

To top the weekend off, as we were driving home last night we were discussing what to have for tea and my husband said he was really proud of me for my efforts with my diet and exercise. I hadn't actually told him I was doing so - he must have just picked up on my food choices and the fact that my gym gear was out!

How are things with you today? Are you still going strong?

Speak soon. ;)

I woke up feeling extra down today. Sometimes the motivation and excitement of what I'm doing so right still can't overpower the sad emotions. Had a long talk with my husband last night on the way back from my sisters. I can tell he was trying really hard to keep me positive. I feel bad that he wasted his energy, his words. I did eat a taco that had chicken and cheese in it. Nothing to throw me off thank God. No cake and no ice cream. Guess sometimes it's difficult to feel like I'm being controlled again like I feel I have been all my life by people and situations. Honestly I think what really got to me was some of the stuff that I heard my sister say yesterday. She's my little sister and we're very close. Unfortunately although we always talked about living right next door to each other she moved about an hour and 15 minutes away. Needless to say with such a busy life on both ends it is really difficult to get together often. I try to stay away from all the drama that goes on with the family by not coming around my mom's so much. It's kind of a win and lose situation. Because we miss family time and my kids missed their grandparents who they love extremely and don't get to play with her cousins as often. But at the same time it's a win situation because you don't have to see all the tension between the sister-in-laws or hear all the words exchanged by brothers and sisters. I'm pretI felt like my sister wanted to vent yesterday. She started talking to me about some of the stuff that my brothers were doing and other stuff that my sisters were allowing their husbands to do and although I pretty much sat there and listened I felt like I took it in like poison that made my stomach burn and my mind go wild. I don't like drama nor tension and disrespect... Especially not towards my parents. So when I hear that it happened it's truly makes me angry. Saturday I left my sister's house feeling drained and sad. I don't want these emotions to make me lose focus on what I'm doing. I want to make sure I stay focused. The morning and afternoon will be rough because I didn't prepare my meals last night. So I'm actually coming into the office with no breakfast and no lunch. I don't do well with not being prepared. Even if I go out and get some type of healthy salad I feel like since it was not in the meal plan that I'm pretty much open for anything. So I'm really going to try to stay focused here and get through the day. I'm keeping my husband and kids in mind and you as well to help keep me motivated and focused. I'm a little afraid but for now I can honestly say that I feel like I can do it. Going to take a few minutes as soon as I come into the office and strategize and try to figure something out. If I get a chance I may even hit home and prepare a quick lunch. At least knowing that it's coming from my home where I purchased all the healthy stuff I know I can eat will make me feel better. I am hoping you are having a good day/night. I am hoping that you are full of energy and motivation and that your meal prep comes easy. It would make me feel a lot better to know that one of us has it going good today. And I promise you that I will catch up.;)
Thank you for allowing me to vent. Believe It or Not sometimes that is all that I need. Many times my words sound more horrible than they really are. So don't worry much about me. Sometimes it just takes me getting through the first day of the week to realize that it's all going to be okay and get me back going again. Don't count me out because I am still way in. :D

I just actually read your message and hit it pumped me up even more to make the day successful. 6 days and going strong!! That is amazing. Keep it up!!! Thank you for being my rock!!! After making it through this weekend I know this coming weekend will be a lot better. Thank you for being so amazing!!!

Here is too a successful Monday!!!

P.S. I did bring my gym clothes. So I'm ready for the gym right after work! ;)

Hello my dear friend!! Hope you had a great and healthy day!



I am feeling much better today. Well………I wasn’t really in the morning but then I looked at the positive. I know I probably sound like I am a negative person but believe it or not I am actually always very happy. I tend to be very hard on myself and thus more negative but I am getting better. So……..I weighed in. 5 pounds off. At first I was discouraged. But then I rationalized things. See, I am used to losing 10 to 15 pounds a week. This is because I literally starve myself. I eat about two crackers a day and that is about it. I would take water pills which would leave me weak because I don’t drink water and they were draining the little I had out of my body causing me to dehydrate and to cramp. I couldn’t exercise because I was always too weak. Then there would come a point where I would become so hungry I would binge and eat everything in sight for two weeks straight causing me to gain it back and more. Then I would start the cycle again. This time I want to do it right. I want to eat healthy, be healthy, have energy to exercise and to live. So I will take the five pounds and be happy and keep it going. I am now 20 pounds from my goal and feeling confident and slowly but surely I will get there. At the least I have accepted the slow transition and I am great with it.



I am proud to say that I did good yesterday. Stuck with it. For breakfast I had a yogurt and a banana.



For Lunch I asked my coworker to please bring my a side salad from a restaurant nearby. She insisted I get something in addition to but I did. I probably should have grabbed some chicken or something because the salad was really tiny and I was left hungry and almost wanted to veer towards the pastries here. But I didn’t. After work I went to the gym and did 45 mins of treadmill and 15 of the bike. Funny when I got there I was ready to give up and go home after waiting for a parking about 20 mins. I wondered why it was so full when usually at that time there is not so many people. Well it turns out they have pizza night the 2nd Monday of every week of the month and bagel mornings the 1st Tuesdays of every month. Really??? I walked in there and there were about 80 pizzas on a table and people devouring it. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? But maybe it is a treat for those who have been working hard. I am thinking of maybe having a treat when I hit 10 pounds???? Lol After the gym I went home and had grilled chicken and broccoli topped with homemade salsa and water to drink. I had a sugar free jell-o as a dessert and that’s it. I felt really good about it.



Today I came prepared. I brought the following:



Breakfast:

½ grapefruit

Toast

Egg whites with mushroom and cheddar cheese



Lunch:

Lentils and grilled chicken

Salsa



Dinner will be a large salad with tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, a scoop of tuna with light mayo and I boiled egg.



After work I plan to go to the gym again.



How are you doing my friend? I can’t tell you enough how reinforcing it is to have someone to share this with. It really does make a difference tremendously. Every time I think of going astray, I think about you and your efforts and I don’t want to let you down. It is a great feeling when I don’t fall into the temptation. Sending you lots of good vibes and lots of strength so that you can make it through another beautiful and successful day. :)

Amazing results
 

Hi my amazingly dedicated friend,:wave:

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner today - it's been one of those days! It got to the point mid afternoon when my hubbie phoned for the millionth time with yet another work related job for me to do that I had to tell him my notepad was full!

Congratulations on your absolutely fantastic weight loss at weight in. 5 pounds is brilliant for your first week. The 'experts' say anything between half and 2 pounds a week (after the first week or two) is a good rate at which to lose weight as you've more chance of keeping it off. Slow and steady wins the race! If I've lost as much as you tomorrow when I am due to weigh in I will be over the moon.

I love how honest we are with each other - some people would gloss over some of their more extreme eating habits but we are happy to share them with each other. It is really great that you can recognise that you (any my) old eating habits were not healthy or sustainable - you are doing tremendously well as you are not only eating better, exercising more but you are also changing your whole dieting mindset, which is possibly the hardest of the 3.

When I read your previous message, when you spoke about your family and feelings, I felt awful for not having seen it straight away and responded as you sounded like you could have done with a friendly message to cheer you up. It is always hard to hear negative comments both from and about our close relatives and I fully empathise with how it made you feel.

You have such a kind and lovely nature and I don't mind admitting that you inspire me to always see the good in people and situations. You don't come across as a negative person at all - I recognised early on in our friendship that you are very harsh on yourself yet very kind and thoughtful towards others. That is a trait we share.

My start weight last Wednesday (if i'm remembering correctly - i'll have to check my book later) was 155 pounds. My goal weight is 126 pounds - but this may alter depending on how my shape changes from the increased exercise. So I'm a little nervous about my weight in tomorrow but also excited too to see my loss. I will let you know as soon as I've been on the scales!

Today has been another positive day. I've taken to buying sushi from the supermarket - it makes a really tasty lunch and keeps me full until dinner. Tonight we are having honey soy chicken breast with wholegrain rice and asparagus. I find that now my body has gotten used to not having processed foods and refined sugars in the quantities I used to eat them, I now enjoy the taste of my food more.

Have you noticed an increase in your energy levels since you started your healthy eating? I have and the difference is astounding. Sometimes my hubbie used to tease me that I was like a sloth some days - I now see that I probably was! Today I have litterally not stopped all day, it's been manic, yet I'm not lacking energy even though it's 6pm.

Which part of America do you live? I'm trying to work out the time differences when we message :)

Also, can I ask your name? It's fine if you don't want to say on here, just thought I'd ask. My name is Corinne.

Pizza ans bagel sessions at the gym sounds like a ridiculous idea to me. I understand that it might work for some people as a treat but if the pizza day doesn't fall on someone's weigh in day then it could seriously jeopardise their resolve, just the smell of pizza and bagels would start my mouth watering. You did well to resist it, well done you.

I can't wait to hear how today has been for you. I hope it was an easier day for you as you sound to have had a rough couple of days lately.

Stay strong and remember that together we can achieve anything and everything that we set our minds to. I know I've said it before but how lucky we are to have logged on to this site on the same day and found each other - I feel like I could talk to you for hours.

Speak soon. Take care. :hug:

Beautiful Days
 

Hello Buddy,



I totally agree on the pizza and bagels. It wasn’t a deterrence to me luckily. But it definitely may have been for others. Yeah pizza and bagels inside a gym doesn’t go.



I am sure you are going to do totally great with your weigh in tomorrow. And I agree with the weight loss, slow will guarantee a better chance of keeping it off…and it is healthy.



I like our honesty as well. I feel comfortable being honest with you and telling you exactly how food makes me feel, what I used to eat and how weak I can get sometimes. I also like sharing my strengths and successes that remind me that I have done it before and that I am doing it again. I am extremely excited that we met and that we are doing this together. As I said before, I honestly feel that I would not be doing this well without you. J



I am glad to you understand and believe that I am really a positive person. Sometimes I tend to find someone I feel comfortable venting with and it seems I am always eager to share the negative. Not that positive doesn’t exist. It is just that you don’t feel comfortable sharing certain emotions with everyone so that one person seems to hear most of it. I know you understand what I am saying. I am actually the happiest I have ever been in my life thank God and I am extremely grateful for everyone and everything I have in my life. It isn’t perfect, but I am right where I belong and after being lost for so long, it feels magical.



As for my energy levels I do see a difference. I am definitely more energized and tend to be able to make it longer through the night than before. I do notice I can go to sleep faster too. I guess once my energy subsides, I knock out and sleep well. But I have also been waking up more refreshed and energized. I am sure the food we are eating right now has a lot to do with it as well.



Of course I don’t mind answering those questions. I am from California, Los Angeles, California to be exact. My name is Sandra. Most people call me Sandy. J



I plan to stay strong and focused today along with you. I can’t wait to make it through another day and week. Like I said, I am sure you are going to do great tomorrow. 126…I only hit that weight once before. Then I bounced up the 135. I don’t think my body was feeling it at that weight since it is so tiny. But I will tell you, I enjoyed the two three days that it lasted!!! lol How tall are you? I am thinking once I get to 140 I want to see how I feel. If I am able to, I would like to try for 135. I just need to be careful. It seems like when I get down to a certain weight my body doesn’t feel as well. The whole point is to feel good. I want to feel good. Plus, once I hit my ideal weight, I still need to go into surgery because I have a lot of excess skin from when I lost the 275 pounds. I have it around my stomach, my arms and legs. My surgeon says that I have 17 to 20 pounds of excess skin!!!! And it is too much for me to be able to work out and tighten on my own. I am thinking if all goes well and I am able to stay consistent with my weight for 6 months after I hit my goal, I will start the surgery process. I figure, if I have lost the weight and gotten this far, might as well take it all the way. I am 35 years old but this excess skin makes me feel and look like an old granny…all wrinkled. I don’t even wear sleeveless dresses or blouses and I really want to. :)



Well, my beautiful buddy, I will let you go for now. Hope your day end in success and can’t wait to hear from you soon.

Hi Sandy (lovely name by the way). Well, guess what? We can add another item to the list of things we have in common.....I have lost 5 pounds in my first week too! I was 150 pounds this morning and I am over the moon with it. I am so happy. I know subsequent weeks the weight loss will be slower as my body settles into it but I am so happy. When I set out on Day 1 I told myself that I would treat myself (not with food!) for every 5 pounds I lose. I was expecting to have to wait at least a fortnight.

I didn't go in the gym this morning as my chosen 'treat' was to go in the sauna so I did that instead. I got my daughter off to school then took myself down into the sauna with a book to read - it was blissful and I enjoyed it more because I felt like I really deserved it. My parents called round for a coffee and a catch up afterwards and I've kept myself busy in between with work. If I had missed a training session in the past, I would have used that as an excuse to say 'oh well, I've failed on my exercise so I might as well fail on my diet today too'. But today I haven't, it was a conscious decision not to train and I will be straight back in the gym at 6.30 tomorrow so all is good.

Lunch today is smoked salmon, cucumber and low fat soft cheese on seeded bread. Dinner today is one of my favourites - beef bourgignon.

I'm 5ft 5inch tall (165cm). Do you think 126 pounds it too low? I think I will adopt a more fluid approach to my end goal as you are. I'll get down to 140 pounds and then take stock and decide how I feel then. I have been 126 pounds at several points in my life and been happy at that weight. I know once when I dropped below that I started to look dreadful - really gaunt and not healthy. So maybe 130 would be a better target? How tall are you?

I think your plan of looking into the surgery once you've maintained for 6 months is a good one. It will show to your surgeon that you're able to stick with a healthy diet/weight but it will also allow your body a few month's time to adjust to it's new weight before undergoing surgery. Is it a long procedure to remove the excess skin? It isn't something I know too much about I'm afraid but I understand that it must hold you back, especially as you say in your choice of clothing.

I have promised myself that when I reach my ideal weight, my reward will be to go shopping with my hubbie for a whole new wardrobe of clothes. He loves buying me new clothes and has a really good eye for what suits me but this past year or so I've refused to go shopping and try anything on in front of him as I've felt so gross about myself. It will feel fantastic to be able to shop together like we used to. :)

I've just looked online and it seems the UK is 8 hours in front of you so I'm guessing you will still be asleep while I'm typing this but I hope that your day starts well and continues to be a happy and positive one.

Bye for now. Corinne

Woooo whoooo!!!!!!! Great work!!!! I am soooo happy for you Corinne!!! It totally made my morning bright and exciting to hear your results!!! We are doing so great!!!!



So, I am 5’5 too. We are twins in all ways! Lol It is all depending how you feel. I am definite big boned and curvy. It is genetic with me. Plus after the surgery when they remove the 20 pounds I will only be 120. Honestly at 125 people told me I looked sick. :/ But then again, your body and my body might carry different. Like I said I am thick boned…a typical Hispanic. Lol When I am about 150 to 155 people tend to say I look great and comment that I should stay exactly like that. Funny thing is that when I was about 5 months pregnant with my daughter and I was in my 150s everyone was telling me I looked great and should remain at that weight. They didn’t know I was pregnant. I prefer maybe 140. I feel good at 140. It is whatever weight you feel good at. The evaluation when you hit 140 sound good. See how to feel and go from there.



It is so awesome how we are able to stay strong just knowing that there is someone thousands of miles away rooting you on and vice versa. It is so powerful and so great!! And I know exactly what you mean about if one thing changes whether it be the gym or a food item it feels like you are thrown off and might as well let everything go to shambles.



Another thing we have in common, clothes! My husband suggested the same thing after I had my daughter and said I should buy a new outfit every time I hit a 15 pound goal. Once I hit the goal and got the outfit, I would wear it on a date out with him. That was lots of fun!!! Maybe we will do that again.



Your lunches sound so yummy!!! And on our previous message you mentioned sushi…I love sushi! I try to have it as often as I can. I do most of the cooking all week. Maybe have something out once a week or once every other week. But most times I cook all our meals. I also prepare lunches for work for both my husband and I. Both to save on spending to buy meals but main to also to keep track of what we eat. Again, if I don’t plan it, I don’t tend to select the best foods at the last minute. Having my lunch bag with what I am going to eat allows me to know what I have and that once it is empty, I am done.



Surgery would probably keep me out of commission for at least 3 weeks. It will also keep me on lite duty for an additional month or so. Luckily my job is not too physical so I should be okay coming back full force. I figure, if I did the sacrifice with losing the weight and basically kept it off for over 5 years, I might as well take it all the way. I still feel young enough to feel I deserve it. Not planning on any more children so soon would be a good thing.



My meal plan for today is the following:



Breakfast:

½ grapefruit

Toast with peanut butter

2 eggs with soyrizo



Lunch:

Chicken with Chili lime green beans



Dinner:

Lettuce wraps with ground turkey, peanuts and sesame spicy sauce



I love spicy food and add more spice to all my foods.



For dessert I will probably have a sugar-free jell-o pudding.



I have been trying to drink more water. So far so good.



Right now you are probably finishing up with dinner and hopefully getting ready to relax for the night. I hope your day went smooth and healthy. J



Now I can’t wait until Tuesday so I can see what the scale has to say. Another 5 pounds would be great but I know what you mean about it may be slowing down. I am okay with that and will keep it in mind so I don’t get discouraged.



Wishing you’re a beautiful night and another successful morning.

Having a tough day
 

Hi Sandy,

Thank you for your lovely message of support, it means a lot.

Randomly I am having quite a tough time today. I still made it into the gym at 6.30am and did a good training session (HIIT on the bike then a lower body weight circuit) but have really struggled all day with feeling lethargic, snappy and seriously craving chocolate. I'm sure it is just my hormones as it is coming up to that time of the month but honestly, it's really hard staying focused today.

It will be the school run time shortly so I'm going to have a glass of water now and hopefully, once my daughter is home I will be too busy to be craving chocolate! I don't feel hungry at all so I know it is simply a craving....must distract myself.

How was your day yesterday? Are you still beaming from the brilliant weight loss?

Food wise, we generally eat out at a restaurant once a fortnight and will have a takeaway once a fortnight. The rest of the time, I cook our meals from scratch at home. It's far easier to know what goes into your meals if you've made them yourself. Plus pre-packed meals are often tasteless.

What do you have planned for today? I'm looking forward to hearing all about your progress - I'm sure it will help to lift my mood.

Hang in there...
 

Hello My Strong and Amazing Buddy,



As I type this I am praying and hoping that you fought through your cravings and made it through yet another successful day in the healthy world we are creating. I guess one thing to keep in mind when we do veer off or when we do give in to a temptation is that it is not the end of the world and that we just need to get back on it. Every day is a new day. So even if you did have your taste for a piece of chocolate I think the change and the success is that you had it in moderation…a small piece just to quench the craving and that right after you jumped back on it and stuck to the plan. Yesterday after dinner I was craving my favorite cereal and I had some. My change was that I grabbed one of the daughters small bowls served myself exactly ½ cup, a splash of milk and took my time enjoying it. After, I washed my dish and I was content. Sometimes you just need a little taste or maybe it is just a mind thing. In the past if I was going to give in I was going to do it “RIGHT.” I huge bowl, a huge spoon and I would sit there with the whole box of cereal and the whole gallon of milk and serve myself two to three times. Then since I already felt like a failure, I would break into the cookies, the bag of chocolates, the chips. I am a sweet AND sour person. It felt good to have a little and move on. So, don’t get too hard on yourself if you quench a craving sometimes. If you didn’t give in to the chocolate, great! If you did, you quenched the craving hopefully in a small moderate portion and moved on.



Yesterday went great thank God. Ate as planned plus my mini bowl of cereal, went to the gym did my 45 minutes of treadmill and 15 minutes of bicycling then went home to make dinner. I felt energized and pumped. I do hit a specific time maybe 10:00pm where I become extra tired and call it a night. Usually I am up a lot later. But I still think the energy levels are better because I have energy through the whole day when before I used to die out by 5:00pm and drag myself through the rest. And when I stood up past 11:00pm it was mainly to watch television and eat. Now I tend to sleep better and wake up more refreshed. I too sometimes feel tired though. Our body are going through lots of different changes. Another thing to remember is that this is a lifestyle not a temporary thing. Once we hit our goal comes the hard part, maintaining. That has always been the roughest for me…maintenance. So there is really no destination, only a never ending journey. But I look at my husband and my kiddos and I realize that it is well worth always staying on top of it. Because I want to be around for them for a long, long time.



Food plan for today:



½ half grapefruit

White whites, spinach and cheddar cheese

1 dry toast



Large salad with cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, and 2 boiled eggs blended with light mayo, relish and some spicy mustard



Chicken breast

Green Squash

Black Beans



Dessert: Sugar-free Jell-o topped with 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream



Planning on going to the gym after work for another hour’s worth of workout.



Tomorrow I have a doctor’s appointment which I am kind of bummed about because I don’t want to weigh in yet. But I won’t look and tell them not to tell me. I want to wait until Tuesday.



I am sort of dreading the weekend but not much. My family is having the fights at my mom’s house but we opted not to go because of the food distractions and because I have a lot of studying to do. So at the least I don’t have to worry about the distraction. Sunday we are having a picnic with the kids where I will pack healthy snacks. Moving around with them will be a good distraction. That is another thing that I have noticed. If you stay busy, you seem to think less about food. You have to keep your mind busy. Plus feeling your body lighter and easier to work with is a good motivation as well.



I am sending you lots of strength and good positive vibes so that you can finish off the day strong. You are doing amazing and are now 5 pounds plus closer to your goal. In a week that is amazing! Keep it in mind and let it motivate you to get you to the next 5 pound goal. You will get there. We will get there!!!!



Your Fan, Sandy