Desperately seeking skinny

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TheresaOrtiz3
TheresaOrtiz3 Posts: 28 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I have 140 lbs to lose. I'm 5' 4" and weigh 293lbs. I do not have high blood pressure or diabetes or anything like that. I've been doing weight watchers for 5 years. I've never actually tried calorie counting. I have exercise limitations due to arthritis in my ankle and foot. This is my last attempt before I move forward with gastric sleeve surgery. I REALLY need motivation and and discipline!!

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  • abitofbliss
    abitofbliss Posts: 198 Member
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    What she said!
  • tierraajon
    tierraajon Posts: 16 Member
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    I feel the same way. My life is so busy and I work at a desk it is so hard to lose weight however I just started. I weighed in at 232 and in 2 weeks I am now 228. Slow progress but at least it is progress
  • TheresaOrtiz3
    TheresaOrtiz3 Posts: 28 Member
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    Life is busy!! I agree 100%. I have 3 kids and I'm always on the go. But I am going to start prepping meals on Sunday to prevent eating out or eating from a box! I can already tell MFP is a great tool to help me make decisions. I'm not used to having to log fruits and veggies and after not paying attention for years on how many calories are in a piece of fruit... It's eye opening for sure!!
  • SkinnyGirlCarrie
    SkinnyGirlCarrie Posts: 259 Member
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    Consistency is key! Making logging a habit works wonders...even if I have a "bad" day I am usually still logging and therefore accountable. It also helped me to think that I wasn't looking for instant results, I was looking to be healthier overall. That makes it easier to not set instant expectations - all the other times I tried I was always looking for a "jump start" or some other fool thing that just made the weight plus come back on. Although not necessarily exactly where I want to be, I have managed to keep about 30lbs off for over 2 years now. Mostly due to habit - logging and exercise (find something you love and do it for health and then as a bonus you get to eat more!).

    Good luck!
  • itsthehumidity
    itsthehumidity Posts: 351 Member
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    Welcome! There are many who are in the same boat. The good news is, weight loss or gain is a matter of calories, and that's it. Once you dial in your calories, no matter what foods make them up, you'll lose weight.

    Do that for a little while. Prepare yourself to lose a ton of weight right away, only for all of it to seemingly come back. That's a normal fluid flux that happens to everybody. Ignore it, don't get discouraged, and keep going, sticking to your calories.

    When you're comfortable with your new calorie target, start thinking about macronutrient splits (how much of your diet consists of protein, fat, and carbs). Don't avoid fat or carbs. Your body needs all three for good health and bodily function. Get enough fiber too!

    Once you start thinking about these percentages, and how much protein you want, and so on, you'll start to see that there's no such thing as a bad food. Cake, cookies, ice cream, pizza, none of it is bad. It just has so many calories that it will make it hard to stay anywhere near those macronutrient percentages you set up. But again, worry about all that later. Just get your calories in order for now.

    I recommend you don't go overboard adding too many vegetables all at once. That's the type of thing that makes people quit. They're great, don't get me wrong, but add them in gradually. It's baby steps, small changes, and iterative progress that leads people down the road of long term, sustainable success.

    Good luck!
  • NikkiShells81
    NikkiShells81 Posts: 24 Member
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    Theresa, I can tell you that it is definitely doable. I have lost 167 lbs in 21 months so far. No surgeries, diets, pills, wraps or magic either. I want to lose about 33 more lbs because I'm only 5'4''. I never set out to be skinny, only healthy. I can do things I never imagined. I started running a year ago and have several 5k's under my belt. I recently started training for a 10k. I can run up stairs, go to amusement parks and not worry about fitting on rides, not worry about breaking chairs, just normal everyday things.

    It doesn't require surgery, diets, pills, wraps, or magic. What it does require is commitment to yourself, lifestyle changes, time, and consistent effort. You can do it. You have to believe in yourself. It takes time. But the time will pass anyways. You have to be honest with yourself about the effort you are making. You have to retrain your brain and ways of thinking about food. It is not a diet. It is how you will eat the rest of your life. Start small. Make one change at a time. My first change was giving up sodas. I had a BAD habit and was drinking over 1,000 calories a day just in soda. Next I started doing Tae-bo about 3 times a week. I joined a gym after losing 50 lbs. But it doesn't require a gym. You do what you can with what you have. As you start to lose some of the weight you will feel so much better. I have become addicted to working out. It's harder for me to take a rest day now than it is to workout. Never thought I would be one of those people in a million years.

    Yes, you will mess up. You will have bad days (maybe weeks). You will gain some and lose some on the way. It's a process. And it's not easy, but I can tell you it is so worth it. I feel like a new person and like I am finally living my life at 34 years old. I turn 35 next month and hope to be able to have a child in the next few years. I want to be as healthy as possible.

    Feel free to add me on here for support. My diary is open to friends. My friends on MFP have been so supportive to me and this app has really helped me stay on track and become aware of how and what I eat as well as my activity levels.

    Just remember that you CAN do this. No doubt, it is going to be one of, if not the most difficult thing you will ever do. But I promise you it will be so worth it.

    Good luck to you!

    ~Shelley

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