MegHammy's Daring Journey

[meghammy]

Hello all! My name is Megan, and this is where I will be chronicling my weight loss journey! This is purely for my own use, but I do welcome comments and questions, as this is something we are all working on. Here's to better health ahead!

The Goal: To lose 52 Pounds before my next Disney Vacation, October 2016, goal weight is 221
The Method(s): Varied, see below
The Reason(s): Many reasons, see below]
What I Know DOESN'T WORK:

• I hate using things like MyFitnessPal, which I know some people love, but I find myself using it for a week then completely forgetting about it. I also find myself not including certain items I eat or overestimating my workout to make things look better. I also start to feel ashamed of this, which leads to not using the app.
• Running. I hate running. I have said for years now, however, that Disney would be the only thing that could make me run, so maybe there's potential in here...

Starting Photo: Taken May 2015


I'll update soon, but I must dash off to work now.

 

[meghammy]

The Method(s):
I believe variety is the spice of life! Okay, actually, I just get really distracted if I do one thing too often/too much/too long and wander onto something new and fresh and exciting!

I am currently working on the following:

• Drinking more Water
• Moving more
• Sleeping more
• Eating less Fast Food

Next Steps:

• Eating less candy and desserts
• Regularly-scheduled physical activity
• Begin taking vitamins
• Buy and use a FitBit (or something similar)

Later Steps:

• No fast food!
• Cooking meals for at least 25 days each month
• Begin weight-lifting again
• Run?? If I run, it will be with the goal of doing a RunDisney event, that's the only run I can see myself actually enjoying.

I will update this as I think of more steps I can take to improve my health and well-being.

 

[LSUlakes]

Congrats on making the decision to make some changes to improve your health. I think you have very realistic goals and a good plan to get you there. I am a big fan of the myfitnesspal and used it successfully to drop 45 lbs. One thing I used as a rule with it was not to credit myself with the extra calories from exercise activities (Until I started runs over 13 miles) and if I couldn't scan it or accurately measure it to input it into the app is did not eat it. Doing those things did a few things for me. It eliminated any guess work on calories burned on exercise to eat extra, and kept a lot of bad eating decision from happening. The first few weeks are not any fun while getting accustomed to the new lifestyle, but as weight starts to come off and you start seeing results yourself, you will motivated to keep with it. Good luck with your journey and I hope you are very successful.

 

[meghammy]

Congrats on making the decision to make some changes to improve your health. I think you have very realistic goals and a good plan to get you there. I am a big fan of the myfitnesspal and used it successfully to drop 45 lbs. One thing I used as a rule with it was not to credit myself with the extra calories from exercise activities (Until I started runs over 13 miles) and if I couldn't scan it or accurately measure it to input it into the app is did not eat it. Doing those things did a few things for me. It eliminated any guess work on calories burned on exercise to eat extra, and kept a lot of bad eating decision from happening. The first few weeks are not any fun while getting accustomed to the new lifestyle, but as weight starts to come off and you start seeing results yourself, you will motivated to keep with it. Good luck with your journey and I hope you are very successful.

I may try using myfitnesspal again once I am a little further along, but I am glad it worked so well for you! Thank you for your support and kind wishes

 

[meghammy]

The Reason(s):
There are many, some which have a lot of background to them , some which just...are.

Number 1: I have always wanted to work in healthcare, particularly with athletes. There is something innately uncredible about an overweight athletic trainer.

Number 2: I hate boob sweat! I can be sitting in an air conditioned office, not exerting myself, and feel the underside of my boobs getting sweaty and gross.

Number 3: I HATE seeing myself in photos of my family. The rest of them are all average size, if not entirely skinny. For reference:
While I tend to not think of myself as fat when I picture myself in my head, I see pictures and then it hits me. Usually pretty hard.

Number 4: I know the health risks that come with being overweight, obese, and morbidly obese. There is also history of diabetes, heart disease, and liver disease in my family. I do not need to increase the chances of any of those happening to me.

Number 5: When I was in Orlando in August 2014, I was unable to ride the Dragon Challenge at UO. This almost brought me to tears in the middle of the crowded park. I was also unable to ride multiple rides at the local amusement park this past summer.

Number 6: Clothes shopping sucks. I hate shopping for clothes in a good day, let alone when it's because my current clothes are too small.

There are more, but these are the ones most prevalent right now.

 

[meghammy]

BMI & Weight Goals:

Extremely Obese:

• BMI 44: 289 - Starting Weight, October 2015
• BMI 40: 262

Obese:

• BMI 39: 256
• BMI 30: 197

Overweight:

• BMI 29: 190
• BMI 25: 164

Normal Weight:

• BMI 24: 158 pounds

 

[meghammy]

Monthly check-in: 270.3 pounds! That's a total of 3 pounds since starting this journal and 19 pounds since starting the journey!

Positives:

• I can see a change, though the weight isn't coming off where I want it to.
• I am optimistic that the weight will continue to drop if I continue doing what I have been.
• I am working more hours, running around like mad, because of the holiday season.

Negatives:

• I have not been able to completely cut out fast food, though I have noticed it doesn't taste as good to me anymore.
• I still am a sucker for desserts, and the holiday season brings so many!
• It's cold and snowy out now, so I don't like to go outside.

 

[Ariel484]

Hi Megan! Sounds like you are doing great so far!

I still am a sucker for desserts, and the holiday season brings so many!

I totally feel your pain on this one. If you figure out a way to resist, let me know!!

 

[meghammy]

Hi Megan! Sounds like you are doing great so far!

I totally feel your pain on this one. If you figure out a way to resist, let me know!!

Thank you! Trust me, if I find a solution, I will be shouting it from the rooftops!