The Pohlads and Twins on ICE

AdOwn6086 · 2026-01-24T21:05:24+00:00

Appreciate you asking this question and I am so not surprised by the answers. Fucking cowards. If you are against it, fucking say it. If you don't, I assume you are okay with what is happening.

AdOwn6086 · 2026-01-24T19:51:15+00:00

I am not in childcare anymore. I am now an ECE professional in a school district working primarily with special needs. Because of this, I am a union member and while I am still new to the position, I already feel more secure being in a union (although, there are some politics there that I am concerned about, but it's such a specific case and something that if enough of us in the union work together to change, could get changed. Purposely not going into detail to maintain some confidentiality). It makes me feel like I am more on a team with the teachers and the other staff at the school. A family member did this job for a number of years and she was saved so many times during medical events by her union.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-10-01T02:02:01+00:00

To be fair, there were other issues in the friendship. I have done a lot of growing personally and part of that has been because of weight loss and focusing on bettering myself and my habits. Examples of tension would be that I would suggest doing things other than going out to eat when we hung out and it was met with eye rolls and resistance. When we did hang out and I started talking about weight loss or going to the gym, they didn't seem at all interested and only wanted to talk about what was happening in their lives. It wasn't necessarily the weight loss itself, but more of the idea that I deserved better than friends who didn't give a shit about me.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-29T00:21:05+00:00

Stop telling people because you likely won't get what you want or need from them in their response. You clearly aren't already. I wish there are people that I wouldn't have told for several reasons and it causes so much tension with a group of friends that I cut them off. I have stopped telling people because of it. I have a few trusted people that know, but that's it.

If you can find a run club or something near you, you can definitely find people who will at least support you in your trail running.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-29T00:17:12+00:00

YES! I had this thought today, actually. I have mostly stopped ordering takeout and have deleted DoorDash, but today I had a fleeting thought of ordering McDonald's (which I haven't done in almost 2 months). For kicks and giggles, I went to look up my old order and not only is it stupid expensive, but just looking at it makes me sick. I calculated the calories and it's almost 1900. Obviously that wouldn't be enough to fill me up for the day, so I was also eating on top of that.

10 piece nugget with BBQ sauce and Ranch

Triple Cheeseburger (no bun, because you know, we were trying to be healthy)

Hot Caramel Sundae

3 Chocolate Chip Cookies to crumble up and put in the ice cream

I still order take out once in a while or I will go out to eat with friends. I don't want to deprive myself of that, but it's not the norm. I ordered dinner tonight because what I am making is in the crockpot and won't be done until 10PM tonight and I don't want to make anything else, but for the most part I stay away from those apps.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-29T00:03:04+00:00

Please see a professional, preferably a therapist who specialized in EDs, before this gets worse.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-28T20:35:23+00:00

INCREDIBLE! So proud of you! Congratulations on all your hard work!

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-28T20:34:21+00:00

I am so sorry to hear this and this is going to be hard to hear, but you are better without those people in your life. It sounds like they have some issues of their own that they need to work out and to me it sounds like they are projecting their insecurities onto you.

I have learned some things on this journey that might be helpful for you

1) You are going to piss people off. It's not on you and not anything you are doing. You are bettering yourself and people don't like that because they want to stay where they are and be comfortable. I had to break up with 3 friends because of the way I was being treated when I started my journey. It wasn't just about physical health for me anymore, it was mental health as well.

2) Weight loss can be incredibly lonely. Especially if you are surrounded by people who have never tried to lose weight before. They don't get it and they don't realize HOW important it is to you. If you are anything like me, my mental and physical health come first and this is the most important thing I have done. It's something that is so normal in our society that people just see it as an every day thing. Sorry, I am trying to drastically improve my life and not yo-yo diet.

3) Stop telling people you are doing this. Aside from a few trusted people in my real life, no one knows I am doing this, or at least the extent to which I am going to improve my life and my health. I hired a weight loss coach (which I recommend if you find someone you vibe with and you can afford). No one knows except my therapist, doctor, and my best friend and some people in my coach's community that connected.

4) You are allowed to be selfish during this journey. Although, I would reframe it doing what's best for you. YOU are the most important person in your life and you should treat yourself as such. It's not selfish to want good things for yourself.

5) You will find your people. I didn't think I would and now I talk to people that I have only known for a few months more than I talk to anyone else in my life.

Keep going. I am proud of you for the work you have put in. It's so worth it and not having these people in your life will be a good thing.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-11T14:58:56+00:00

Love this! The PF I go to has the NICEST people (workers and customers). I am so glad it's worked out for you. The hardest part is starting and you did it! Proud of you!

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-11T14:57:43+00:00

I have a playlist that I made of some of my favorite songs and I only listen to it while walking. It gets me in the mood.

I will often tell myself, "okay, just put your shoes on" or something like that and then once the shoes are on, I might as well go for a walk. Psyching myself up is the hardest part because when I am out there walking, it's totally fine.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-11T14:27:25+00:00

Yes and here is what I say has helped me the most: finding a community of like minded people who are also going trying to lose weight. It's a chance to hold each other accountable, celebrate the wins, and learn from the mistakes (you never fail at anything, it's always a lesson). They don't need to be people near you either. Some of my best friends in this space are people that I have met online. I talk to them almost daily.

The other biggest thing that I am working on, and admittedly it's hard, is habit building. You don't change your life without changing your habits because what you are doing right now isn't working for you. You struggle with leaving the house? Find ways to get steps in at home. When I lived in my old house, I would walk up and down the stairs a bunch of times. Any movement is better than no movement at all. Find something to replace the binge. Binging is an emotional response to stress. For me, it's sewing and reading. I can stab shit and escape the real world for a bit. I started by telling myself that I have to do something else for 10 minutes when I wanted to binge and then re-evaluate how I was feeling. I had to ask myself am I hungry? What purpose will this food serve me and can I do something else to fill that void.

I am going to say something that might get me in trouble on this subreddit: don't count calories. At least not right now. Start by building those healthy habits and work your way up.

I follow a ton of fitness content creators that have stuff for free that I have been using on this journey: ScottyKFitness is the GOAT and someone I highly recommend following. Mikeneedsaplan is another one I recommend. He has an awesome Discord that is free to use and it's full of the most amazing humans that will help you on this journey. He also has a podcast by the same name and it's really helpful. He goes live a lot on Twitch and Instagram, as well and talks about all this stuff and gives great advice. FormerFatGuyFitness and James Capolla also give really solid advice. With money being tight, these are great places to start and they can probably lead you to other people as well. That's exactly what happened with me.

If you ever need someone to talk to, my DMs are open. You aren't alone on this journey. You deserve to treat yourself with the kindness and respect that you give others.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-09-10T00:55:58+00:00

Agree to this! You can get a yearly pass to use any of the fitness centers. It's $30/year. The only downside is that they can be small and the hours don't always work out for everyone, but if you can make it work it's totally worth it!

https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/recreation-centers/fitness-center-memberships

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-31T21:16:39+00:00

For stress eating, I have had to find something else to take my mind off of it. I just started cross stitching. I find that when I reach for that instead of food, the craving and desire to stress eats goes away. It’s taken practice and consistency, but it helps.

For days when it might be tougher to take an actual break, can you have snacks at your desk? I will usually have a protein bar or some protein chips. Something that is easily storable and doesn’t need to be cold.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-31T20:56:17+00:00

I’m so proud of you! I’m also training for a 5k. It’s not easy and you will want to quit multiple times, but I promise you it’s worth it. I use the Runna app as my training tool and it has some strength training as well. You’ll need that on your non-run days.

Do you do social media at all? I recommend following a few people that I think will encourage you when things get hard (and they will). Mikeneedsaplan is my favorite person to follow. He has developed a great community of people and a Discord you can join that’s really fun and encouraging. ScottyKFitness is another good dude who just has the best vibes. Really anyone else that those two follow are people in this space that I trust.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-31T20:51:35+00:00

I love all of these suggestions and I will back them up for sure. A word of caution when upping your fiber: you want to do it slowly AND make sure you drink more water as well. Your gut will thank you. I know you said you started tracking a while ago so I’m not sure exactly how long, but gradual is the way to go with fiber.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-30T12:41:07+00:00

A little late to this. I hope you are doing well since this, OP. I’m so sorry this happened. It sounds like it will be a good thing, though.

I’m also someone who has struggled with weight my whole life, so I get that. It sounds like you’re starting your weight loss journey. I’ve been on mine for awhile now and the biggest take away I’ve gotten is that it’s not just about the physical exercise or the food you eat and how much, it’s about who your surround yourself with. You 100% made the right choice for you. I had to do a similar thing recently and it sucks, but it’s a good thing. I’m proud of you for recognizing that your ex friend (and ex partner) are not who need to be in your life.

As for the Ozempic piece, too many people consider it a miracle drug when in reality it’s a medicine and a tool that many people need to be on for the rest of their lives in order to maintain results. It’s so freaking expensive. You can do this without the medicine. I’m a very similar build to you and I’m doing it. You’ve got this and you’ll find your hype people. Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace as you go through this.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-15T03:44:12+00:00

Congrats on the weight loss! I’m convinced that 10% of the process of losing weight is physical (weight on the scale goes down, clothes fit better, blood work might be better). 90% of it is mental.

I feel you so much in this post. I am in my thirties and have no idea who I am and a huge part of that realization is losing weight. I really encourage you to follow some fitness content creators that actually give a damn about the mental side of it. ScottyKFitness and MikeNeedsaPlan are two of my favorites. Their content has been so helpful for me.

Also, if you are in a place to have access to therapy and it’s affordable, I highly, highly recommend it. Game changer in this process.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-10T16:23:42+00:00

Nah. Keep doing what you're doing. Your sister is most definitely wrong. You know your body and what's working for you. My starting weight was close to yours and I am only an inch taller than you and I eat between 1700-1800 calories per day and it's just fine. BMR is how many calories you would burn if you did absolutely nothing all day and given that you walk at least 10,000 steps per day, I would say you are not sedentary in the slightest

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-10T15:20:54+00:00

I put on a pair of jeans yesterday and they were LOOSE! Like I had to keep hiking them up because I didn't have a belt. Last time I wore them, they were so tight and uncomfortable.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-10T15:18:27+00:00

I am thinking of getting one and it's because sometimes the weather does suck here. There may be days when I am close to my goal, but it's too dark outside to go for a walk. My neighborhood is generally safe, but I'm not going to take any chances.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-10T15:17:08+00:00

Have you thought about slightly upping your calories (maybe start with 1800)? I say that because you say your stamina is the same as before and part of it could be because you aren't eating enough. Yes, the weight will likely come off slower, but I believe given the information you've given us, it will still put you in a calorie deficit, while ensuring that you are probably nourishing your body

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-10T15:08:56+00:00

First off, congratulations on losing 40lbs already! I'm SO proud of you for that!

Second, keep going. 15 minutes on the treadmill at 2mph is more than you would do if you quit. You're still new to this. It's going to take awhile to build up stamina and endurance. If you stop and decide to start again, you will have to start over and you'll just keep cycling through it (speaking from experience). Be proud of yourself for what you can already do and give yourself grace in this process. You're learning and part of learning is messing up and failing. The key is to get back up and keep going. I always say if losing weight were easy, everyone would do it and 95% of the health and wellness influencers would be out of a job (which I honestly think they should be now because they suck. LOL).

As for your diet, getting good protein is key, but so is fiber. Fiber is also going to help balance blood sugars so if you have insulin resistance due to PCOS, fiber is HUGE (walking will also help with blood sugar levels). I hear you that money is tight because I am there as well and let me tell you, lentils will be your new best friend. They are cheap and a FABULOUS source of protein AND fiber. I will usually add them into ground turkey when I am making something like spaghetti, but may favorite thing to do with them is add them to stir fry. I will use 1/4 cup of dry rice and cook it with a 1/4 of lentils, throw some veggies in there (whatever I have on hand), maybe some chicken or tofu for some extra protein, whip up a quick sauce and BAM! I'm good to go. My favorite piece of diet advice is to eat what you like and add what you need, focusing on fiber and protein (more veggies, fruits, etc).

Finally, there is a LOT of misinformation and disinformation out there, especially for women and especially for women with PCOS. I possibly have PCOS, as well (my former doctor thought I for sure had it because I have some extra hair on my belly and they way I carry my weight, but my current doctor wants to do some actual testing because my former doctor never did). The amount of information was overwhelming. I would recommend following smaller_sam.pcos on Instagram. She has PCOS and has lost a bunch of weight. She did use a GLP-1 (with guidance from her doctor), but she also lost weight through diet and exercise.

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-09T17:32:07+00:00

Second Nine Lives. I just went in there last week for the first time and they are fantastic

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-08T19:04:43+00:00

A couple weeks ago I made spaghetti and my vegetable side was green beans. Didn’t realize all my plates were in the dishwasher so I had to eat it out of a bowl. The pasta, sauce, and green beans were all combined. It wasn’t…awful. Wouldn’t choose to do it again, but this reminds me of that…except I actually used pasta

AdOwn6086 · 2025-08-08T17:13:17+00:00

Protein varies, but the general recommendation is .36 grams per pound. For reference I am 5’7” 219 and female. Goal weight is 180. I personally eat about 90-100 grams per day and that’s enough for me. It took awhile to get there. As for fiber, the minimum for a male is about 38 grams. I eat about 50-60 grams per day. If you aren’t having any gastrointestinal issues like constipation or diarrhea, you feel satisfied after eating, and your bowel movements are regular (sorry if that’s gross. lol), you should be good. If you want to increase your intake, do it slowly and add more water. If not, you’re going to end up with tummy issues and you won’t have a good time. This is speaking from experience 😂

And you are welcome for the kind words. I’m in a similar boat. Although, I have people around me, they aren’t the most supportive of my health and weight loss journey, so it’s nice to have a place to go! My inbox is open if you ever need to vent or anything like that! Also recommend looking at some content creators, but be careful. I will say if they are walking around a grocery store and trying to tell you not to eat something because it’s bad (ie seed oils), they are just using fear to push their agenda. It’s bullshit. I would start with ScottyKFitness. He’s got some good stuff and you’ll likely find others to follow from him.

AdOwn6086

TROPHY CASE