Starting Today with high goals set by Dr.

danifriend

Ok, here I am on day one. I have to lose 20-30 pounds by Sept 20th in order to avoid gastric bypass surgery. I am currently 40 years old, 5'6' tall and weighed 265 in doctor's office yesterday. 268 lbs on my WII at home. My weight is causing all kinds of problems with health including: Diabetes, high blood pressure, chest pains, edema, and basic tiredness. All this on top of the fact that I hate the way that I look. I am determined to count calories, cut out sodas and lose the weight. That being said, I am doing this alone because I live with a 6 year old who doesnt understand dieting and two aging parents who snack all the time. I need tons of motivation and maybe someone to talk to keep me going. This has to work because surgery is way to expensive.


Danielle::sad: :frown:

jrich1

You can do it, just count the calories, exercise when you can I know you can do it!

CFaye

Danielle! It will work if you stick to it. Please stick to it! You will do great! I promise, this is the best thing i have done and i have only been here going on two weeks. I have lost 4.5 pounds in one week.
You can do this!!

Ms_Natalie

You CAN do this...and that's what we are here for...to help, advise and ease any stress or queries. Good Luck :flowerforyou:

melodyg

Personally, I'd seek a second opinion on that. I have a doctor who seems to think that losing 30 pounds in 3 months is reasonable too... but he at least isn't threatening surgery at me (and he's an ob/gyn so he couldn't do that anyway!). That is above the range for healthy weight loss, even if just by a little.

That being said, WELCOME! I have loved being on MFP for the last month or so and you will find it a very encouraging and helpful place. I hope you enjoy being here and meet your goals!

Edited: Oops! I read your goal date as September 1st initially! Those extra 3 weeks will help a lot but I'd still talk to another doctor before agreeing to do surgery!

Melanie1967

You can do it! In January, I weighed 255lbs, with several health issues including my second extremely large hernia. I got down to 247lbs on my own by March. My niece told me about this site, and I joined 3/18. I am now 205lbs. With some will power, and lots of friends for support, you can do it! This place is a big help!! Feel free to add me as a friend!

elzettel

Congratulations on taking the first step...remember not be too hard on yourself. None of us got to this point overnight so it is a process to retrain your body and mind. Try to look at this as an opportunity to teach the 6 year old and your parents healthy ways to snack...lead by example. I have a 4 year old at home and my husband (while always supportive) didn't stick to a strict diet or calorie count when I started. It's been about 2 months for me and hubby is slowly coming around. I decided I needed to do this whether or not they were doing exactly as I am. I have a TON more energy and mood-wise am the happiest I've been in a long time. I still have bad days but I don't beat myself up and just continue on. Good luck!

miqisha

You can do this man.....this site is so awesome,.....try and excercise atleast 3 days a week for atleast 30 minutes.....dont go out side and starting running up and down...it takes time to build up.....walk your dog...go fo a stroll...something to get your body moving

Be honest will all the meals you log and the excercises you do

Also, get someone to measure you as well....becasue there will be times you may not lose any weight but may lose inches

Understand up front that you may not lose any weight the 1st week but keep pushing, because even if the pounds are slow in coming off, if you are working out atleast you are getting healthy

Also if you can try and add weight training to your workout....

Eat lots of fruits and veggies, drink lots of water, water is very important....A fellow MFP just posted this link about water

http://www.dwlz.com/WWinfo/water.html

Have fun with it

Goodluck

Mariettarose

This is a good place to get help and support. Sounds like you're making a good choice for you and your son. Healthy living is a good thing. Losing the sodas may be a good first step.

I do agree with getting a second opinion though. Doctors should never threaten with surgery and specially not with that one. I know that the mind set needs to be there for that surgery to make it through on the other side or you'll still have the same problems or worse. Healthy living is the only answer for you and the six year old that needs to have a healthy role model for the rest of his life. You can be that person....I know it!!!:flowerforyou:

vineas

That was pretty much me a few months ago - I'm also 5'6" and was 265 when I started trying to lose weight. I was on the verge of several of the same problems as you have, but not quite there. The Dr. wasn't quite as drastic about me losing weight as needing a gastric bypass, but definitely said that I should lose quite a bit.

From my experience, counting calories does more than exercise to lose the weight, especially at first when you're having problems due to your weight. Once you get some pounds off, exercise will come much easier and you can get more and more done. I'm currently doing the couch to 5k program (week 5), something there is no way I could have done had I tried to do it right out of the gate.

You're taking a great first step - this site and people in it are a great resource and great motivation. You'll get there!

noneya2010

Hi and welcome! I totally can relate with you. I have a 4-year old in the house, and an aging in-law. My DH and his mom are from India and although the foods they eat are healthy -- my m-i-l cooks with soooo much oil!! Not only that but food is such a huge part of their culture and she gets really irritated when I don't eat what she cooks. I had to tell my husband to explain I just cannot eat all that stuff!! So, since eating my way now, my 4-year-old wants to eat what I'm eating! he's always been a great, healthy eater, but now he's all about having the same things I"m having -- including salads, fish, sushi!!

So don't worry about your 6 year old -- by making healthier choices for yourself, you are modeling that to your child and teaching them to eat healthy and make better choices too.

I have several weight watchers cook books and when I cook a recipe out of there for dinner and serve it to everyone, they don't even know it's "healthy!"

I think 30 pounds by the end of September is do-able if you really are serious and log every single thing that enters your mouth and you drink lots and lots of water and start exercising. My brother had gastric bypass a couple months ago and although he has lost a total of 60 or so pounds, it made him look about 15 years older. His loss was good initially and then it slowed down. But I was shocked at how much it "aged" him.

Good luck on your journey! You can do this!

Michelle_J

You've come to the right place. Lots of support here. We're all here for the same reason

KatieM7

Welcome to MFP! I love this website it will work for you if you put in the effort to input everything so it's up to you on how committed you are. Just remember you can do anything you put your mind to. Feel free to add me as a friend if you would like to.

spiralgirl71

Try to log in here every day at the same time (so it becomes a habit) and you'll never feel alone in your journey.

blondageh

You CAN do this. I thought that the ONLY way I would ever get over being SO heavy (I was 400lbs!) was by Gastric bypass. But, with no way to pay for it, I had given up. Then, something in me changed and I decided, screw this, I can at least lose a little bit of weight so it isn't so hard to walk and stand.

Next thing I knew, I lost 80lbs in about 5 months. Some may say that is too quick, but I did it the right way, diet and exercise. I felt 80% better by just losing 30-40lbs.

I've tried EVERY diet out there. The only thing that has worked for me is site like these where you can journal everything you eat. AND it is FREE to boot.

When I lost those 80lbs, I was living with my fiancee who has high BP (VERY HIGH) and diabetes and still wanted to live on cheeseburgers. I got through it though. Now, he is doing it with me and has lost over 50lbs himself.

Baby steps. The hardest part is starting. Give it 2 weeks. Honest to God. Don't think of it as a lifetime thing right now. Just say, I will eat healthy and get some sort of daily activity in for the next 2 weeks. Guaranteed, after those 2 weeks, you'll want to continue.

Best of luck!

MzMolly

Welcome to MFP! I agree with everyone, this is a wonderful site. You get tons of support and logging your food is a valuable tool, it really opens your eyes as to how much you are eating. My doc and dietician have me on 1500 calories a day and keeping my carbs under 170 for the day and trying to avoid saturated fat as much as possible. I have lost 64 pounds since mid Feburary and I have not felt this wonderful in years. I want to lose over 100 pounds and I really rely on this site and the support I get from everyone here. Be honest with yourself and ask for support from your family and friends. You can also take this opprotunity to educate your 6 year old on eating healthy.
Please reach out to all of us for help, we are here for you, YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

anna_b1

I do agree that gastric bypass is extreme, but I'm by no means a doctor nor do I know all your medical history so I'm not going to judge your doctor too harshly.

Ditto what everyone said about how incredible this place is. I love it! Welcome! You've come to the right place.

Please add me as a friend. I'll be your cheerleader whenever you need one.

angela75022

Welcome...

just remember, it's not going to be easy... you're going to want to give up a dozen times
(esp. when you see ppl eating things you LOVE and you know its a NO NO)
reading labels and counting calories becomes addictive after a while, and you'll drive ppl crazy with
"OMG!! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN THAT!?!?" lol

Any support and motivation you need... come here... we're with you.. we understand

again WELCOME:flowerforyou:

amy1612

You certainly can do it,for yourself and for your son...setting a great example will set him up for life.
I agree with everyone else....new habits will form,and you'll become a whole new person, eating well makes you feel healthier,fitter,but also happier, because you dont get the moods associated with eating junk foods. Everyone is here to support you,you've taken the first step, the rest will soon follow