I'm a "rather inspirational lady"

This morning, I looked at my phone and saw a funny little symbol at the top, where text message and Facebook notification icons usually appear.  It turned out that I had a My Fitness Pal message from someone I had a class with the first semester I was losing weight.  This is a super quick copy/paste post, but... I'm feeling entitled to it.

Just wanted to write because I am coming back to my fitness pal for reals starting July 1st - AND I just wanted to say fantastic work! Along with that too, I wanted to know how you do it? Through my fitness pal was when I reached the closest to my fitness goals but then, I dunno, life happened? There are so many temptations and I lost track. I was just curious if you had some helpful wisdom for a someone struggling. Sorry if this seems sorta out of the blue but I have to say, you're rather inspirational lady. Thanks for letting me babble a bit. 

Hey, [MFP friend]! 

Feel free to "Friend" me on MFP - yvonnster88

There's no reason to apologize for being out of the blue, especially since you're paying me such high compliments in the process! ;) Honestly? I'm not feeling all that inspirational lately. I'm feeling lazy, bloated, and unmotivated, so your message has made my day LOADS better already! I gained back about 15 pounds from my lowest weight so far, so I understand "life happening." However, my gains were more because I just got sick of feeling controlled by calorie counting. I don't know if that makes sense to you or not. I just started to feel obsessed and a bit crazy for always having to be on top of my game, but now I'm coming back to the realization that I need something to focus on in order to keep myself on track and my weight in check. 

From what I remember of your MFP updates, you're really good about exercising when you get going. That, my friend, is FANTASTIC. I wish I had that motivation - in fact, I'm working on it currently! The truth is that losing weight is really bizarre. See this. We often lament how difficult it is - physically, but fail to recognize that it plays with our minds, too. It's just a strange thing. Physical pieces of your body DISAPPEAR. 

Anyway, by best advice is in that blog, but here are some add-ons: Don't be ashamed - if you're eating in a restaurant, don't be afraid to cut your food into smaller portions (i.e. halves or quarters of the whole) and to save it for later. Don't get mad at yourself - I often get upset when I realize I over ate or forgot to add something to MFP, but the truth is that you can make up for it tomorrow! Don't tell yourself you can eat things "later" (i.e. after you've lost it all) - the truth is that you'll always have to watch stuff and be honest with yourself. 

Also, you should check out Reddit.com's weight loss forum - r/loseit (just type "loseit" into the search bar). It's full of fantastic people losing weight. Reddit also has a lot of subreddits that are helpful - r/motivation, r/fitness, r/C25K, etc. If you can think of it, Reddit probably has SOMETHING... and it's generally more honest and less gimmicky and commercial than, say, a Google search (though, of course, Google rocks, too!). 

I'm just getting back on track, too! Right now, I'm looking to start an intense (for me - my right ankle is bad, as is my left knee) exercise regimen of walking at 4 mph for 75 minutes each day, plus an hour or so of yoga each day, 6 days a week. I'm hoping that plus my 1200 calorie/day diet will help me bust through the plateau and reach my goal weight without too much frustration. I'd like to be the fittest I've ever been as a 25th birthday (October 1st) present to myself. :) 

Here's what I suggest: Let's make our food diaries visible to our friends. Let's hold each other accountable. Let's be respectful and encouraging. LET'S DO THIS! 

Good luck! 
-Yvonne 

P.S.: Thanks for letting ME babble a bit!

Now I'm feeling all inspirational and proud and excited about this next stage and I just had to share!  Even if I'm beating the horse whose saddle I'm in, this is the next phase and I'd love to help out anyone who's looking for help!  If you need tips or encouragement, see my previous weight loss blog, "friend" me on My Fitness Pal, and we can do this together!  I know I'm going to have a hard time keeping myself in check, but I believe I'm worth it.

Then again, maybe I just had a fantastic breakfast with a lot of coffee and the caffeine hasn't worn off yet... Either way, I'm looking forward to a long walk on Monday morning, followed by job applications, dinner making, and solo yoga!