Fighting For My Life

JesusMartinez46

Hello folks
My name is Jesus Bear Martinez, 48 years old, and at the weight of 500 pounds. I have always been a heavy person but things got worse after a forced retirement. I fell into a deep depression and found comfort in food. Now I am ready to fight for my life. I figure at the rate I'm dying anyway, better to die trying.

BewitchedBelinda99

Good luck! This is a great app x

Odilerubia

Hola Jesus, madre mia, que cuenta! If you stay focused and get in touch with some nice people here, for sure you will lose the weight, no problem! If you do have time during the day, start a profile on Pinterest and find interesting articles on health. (you might want to follow me on Odile Horjus and start reading my albums Work that body and Healthy food) it will give you all the information you will need. Make your health your project and make a businessplan! sounds crazy, but if you always worked, its easy to make and it will keep you organised and less risk of giving up. You can add me as a friend and meet some really nice people through my profile. I just started Monday and made some real nice contacts! ciao ciao

try2again

Glad you are choosing life. And really, you have no idea how different & better your life will be at a more reasonable weight. Have you entered your stats and your weight loss goal and gotten your calorie recommendation? For the time being, just log what you eat and stick to your number. Don't be tempted to make drastic changes or to eat even less than the recommendation. This alone would get the job done eventually, but in time you may want to start making small changes that make it easier to meat your calorie & nutrition goals and gradually add in some exercise. That's it. You can totally do this and you won't have to be deprived. Wishing you the best

davefromsask1

Hi Jesus, I struggle with mental health as well. I have been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Have you had a chance to talk to someone about your depression or look at treatment options? You may find that if you start making progress with your depression that it may help with weight loss. Food has been always a source of comfort for me as well.

The one thing I found worked for me was to start with small changes, not to make drastic changes, it rarely works. I've tried crash diets and I always ended up getting so hungry that I rebounded. For me, MFP worked good because it gave me a chance to see the calorie values of things and nutrition.

An example of a small change would be to try to swap something in a meal for something else. For example, if you enjoy a good restaurant meal, see if you can swap french fries for a baked potato. The main thing is to get your body eased into reduced calories not do it all at once. Also, keep track of the positive changes you did. Then, when you're feeling discouraged you can look at all the changes you did to help pick you up.

Another strategy is to look at at more filling foods. The great thing is that filling foods are easy to find. You are looking for fiber and protein. Fiber is usual found in fruit and vegtables, and with whole grain bread / rice. Some examples of filling foods I try are wholewheat pasta (I love spahetti), brown bread, and oranges. On the protein side I try to eat chicken and turkey and lean ground beef. I don't know about you, but wholewheat spaghetti with meatsauce doesn't seem too bad for a lifestyle change. Using MFP you can then see what each of these add up to for calories and adjust portion sizes accordingly.

You're in the right place with folks just like you trying to be a healthier person. I find MFP such a supportive environment.

LindaAntons

Welcome Jesus.

I'm a newbie here myself, but I have found a very supportive environment here and I find the logging and counting suprisingly fun. I'm amazed at how easy it was to change my diet and add some walking to my day and not only have I started to lose weight but my son has too just through my newfound enthusiasm.

I have suffered from bipolar disorder for 25 years and likely will for the rest of my life, so I now the absolute hell of depression, but you have already started, you're here.

Make sure you seek medical help with the depression and it is very good to have a good medical doctor keep an eye out for you as you start making changes.

As others have said, start small, remember that changes take time and that we need to change things for good, not just for the short term. We truly are fighting for our lives.

All the best
Linda