Getting Back in Shape After 80 Pound Pandemic Weight Gain - Please Help!

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CurvyEmmy
CurvyEmmy Posts: 225 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi,

I can't believe I'm posting this but I really need help... :'(

The pandemic really, really scared the crap out of me. They let us work from home and I was afraid to go out. I don't know how to cook and I ordered delivery from restaurants every night. I was already kind of sedentary before the pandemic but normally I would get exercise from walking during my commute or walking around stores... but then for months I didn't even get that.

There were a lot of days I barely got out of bed or off the couch. I was glued to the TV a lot watching all the news. I felt super stressed and food was a big coping mechanism and source of comfort for me.

I felt tired all the time and my productivity dropped but my work was super understanding because they knew everybody was under a lot of stress. They didn't check in on us a lot. I definitely started to feel lazy and I got used to taking a lot of naps.

Now, they are making us go back to the office and expecting a ton more productivity, like the pandemic never happened. I am really struggling to adjust because I still feel scared and feel weird about going outside without a mask.

I'm out of shape. When I started to put on weight in the first months of the pandemic, I didn't worry about it because I was trying to be kind to my self since I already felt stressed and worrying about weight would only add to that stress. I stopped checking the scale or my measurements until recently.

Now I feel shocked :'( I am 5'5" and was a healthy 160 pounds at the start of the pandemic. Now... 242 pounds. :o

I am noticing changes like not being able to walk as far without feeling out of breath. The first time back at work I felt faint and dizzy when I was going up the stairs, and had to stop to catch my breath. It was really embarrassing and scary. But I hadn't really done stairs in SO long so I guess I need to get used to it again. Now I feel afraid to do the stairs too much so I walk to the other end of the hall to use the elevator even though it takes longer.

I am always tired and after lunch time all I want to do is lie down. My muscles feel sore all the time even though I'm not even using them much.

I feel so overwhelmed I just want to quit. My friend said I should get a gym membership. But if I'm struggling this tired out walking around the office I don't feel like I can handle the gym.

I'm not an athletic girl - I've always been more of curvy and thick girl. I'm apple shape so I've always had a belly, but I used to carry my weight better and I could hide the tummy fat with spanx and high waisted pants. But now my fat is just really noticeable and I can't hide it. My waist is a lot bigger and I went up 4 dress sizes. I did a lot of online shopping when I was staying home but I can't fit into most of it comfortable anymore. I have rolls on my arms and back now. I am trying to accept my self and I am okay with how my legs, butt, and arms look... but my belly area is a big insecurity for me.

I have no clue where to start to get in shape again. I need something EASY because "just hit the gym" is not really do-able for me.

Here are before/after pics and the teal dress I wore to work. It's taking a lot of courage to post these so PLEASE be nice. I want to feel beautiful again but I'm really struggling.

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Replies

  • CurvyEmmy
    CurvyEmmy Posts: 225 Member
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    itsbritneybetch91 wrote: »
    Girl I hear you! I gained at least 30lbs in the last year and 100 additional lbs in the last 5 years. It sucks. Start small. I find swimming as a great low impact activity. I joined LA fitness for the pool. Feel free to add me.

    Thank you!! :) Good idea but swimming is exhausting! :# I also don't have a swimsuit that fits anymore and trying to find one I'm comfortable with feels emotionally exhausting. Ugh :/
  • ravengirl2014
    ravengirl2014 Posts: 74 Member
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    You poor girl... seriously...I feel it...I have put on about 30 pds or so after losing it about 3 years ago...I have issues with binging... anxiety and sugar/carb cravings too ..so if you want to add me I would be happy to share my journey with you..
  • thynnlynn
    thynnlynn Posts: 1 Member
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    I also need help. I had surgery at 235. Thought I looked great at 104 but I was a 5'6" skeleton. My doctor was horrified and told me to gain weight and I did. I am good at 135-145 but got carried away and am 175!

    I need to get back to good weight. Here is what I am thinking. Breakfast of 3 poached eggs and a slice of whole grain, sprouted thin sliced bread, toasted. Lunch will be V8 with lemon and unflavored pea protein. Dinner is with my husband so it cannot look like diet food. I can use skinless chicken and lots of spices. He does like vegetables and mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes.

    How does this sound,

    My bypass was in 2013.
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    Sorry you are having such a tough time from the pandemic CurvyEmmy. A few things in your post stood out to me.

    "I am really struggling to adjust because I still feel scared and feel weird about going outside without a mask." - The best thing you can do to protect yourself is get vaccinated if possible. I was super scared about getting COVID before, then I actually got in anyway despite being really careful thanks to one person in our bubble, but I was really lucky to have a mild case. I was still worried since people have gotten it more than once, but being fully vaccinated has lifted that stress entirely. I might still get it again one day, but the risk of serious illness and death from COVID is now miniscule. It sounds like you seriously need to reduce your stress, so I'm suggesting you get vaccinated if you haven't already. If you have, look at the statistics and see how you are going to be okay. The other thing with having this stress lifted is I sleep better. Part of it is I'm not obsessed with the news. Sleep is so important for all of what you are experiencing. Sorry if what I've said here doesn't help.

    "My muscles feel sore all the time even though I'm not even using them much." - This is totally me and all about being tense all the time. I have gone for a couple of massages recently and I'm starting focus on stretching and using a massage ball/foam roller.

    "My friend said I should get a gym membership." Unless you solicited advice, your friend needs to shut up. Diet is much more important that exercise for losing fat. If you have been sedentary so long, like me, we need to really ease back into things to not get injured. Try to get moving a little and again, do some stretches.

    I had a tough time staying with my parents for 10 months of the pandemic so they could watch my girls (out of daycare) while I worked online. I teach university and work was grueling, so I was always exhausted and I ate what they ate - my father was constantly buying all kinds of high carb stuff that packs the pounds on me. I'm back at my house with girls back in daycare and in control again, so going low carb/keto. Having control over what I eat helps me generally. If you feel this is an area you can work on, maybe try it. If you still want lots of takeout (no judgement here), pick a time when you aren't hungry to meal plan and work out a list of possible takeout meals you can order that fit your goals - and look at what meals might need to be portioned out. I will sometimes get restaurant meals that are going to be divided up into 2 or 3 meals and I do that right while I am plating. Restaurants use a lot of fat in their cooking (that's why everything tastes so good), so you have to be careful if you are ordering out a lot - hopefully, it's a from places that have their nutrition information available online!

    Good luck!
  • CurvyEmmy
    CurvyEmmy Posts: 225 Member
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    @Mellie289 Thank you SO much! Your comment was actually helpful and not judgmental like a lot of people I’ve talked to on here.

    I am fully vaccinated but it’s hard to just return to normal life like the flick of a switch. I was really, really scared by the pandemic and after feeling terrified for months it’s hard to just let that go. I am slowly starting to feel more comfortable. I still wear a mask around other people and I feel embarrassed because I’m the only one but it helps me feel safer.

    It’s hard to talk about this with people because people make fun of me, especially online. :(

    It really bugs me that everyone just acts like the pandemic was no big deal. For a lot of people it really shook their mental health but they’re afraid to talk about it.

    I still order meal delivery because I’m don’t have the skills or energy to cook. I am trying to choose healthier options.

    I am constantly stiff and have almost no flexibility. I can barely bend over lol. Stretching will be good and it will help me move my body more without it being too exhausting.

    Can I add you as a friend so we can keep in touch?
  • Lizard863
    Lizard863 Posts: 26 Member
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    You’ve taken some important steps. That’s important!! The pandemic did a number on a lot of people.

    Feel free to add me!!

    I can help you with encouragement and help you learn how to cook simple things. My motto is if you can read, you can cook. 😀
  • karjoy58
    karjoy58 Posts: 4 Member
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    I have 80# to lose to, and I have started logging everything again. I'm 5'1" and weighed 218# this morning! I'm on Prednisone every day for Rheumatoid Arthritis and lots of walking, etc. are out the door, because my feet can't take it and my Dr. advised me to not walk anymore than 10 minutes for exercise, so.... I've tried swimming and that was wonderful, but my hands couldn't take taking the wet suit off! So I really need to zero in on my eating. I am replacing chips, cookies, buttered popcorn, etc., with fruit and veggies and eating lean protein instead of deep-fried chicken, etc. It's going to come off slow because of being 62. and disabled, but it's best to have it come off slow. Lots of water and some diet pops. Good luck to you and I'm going to add you and root you on big-time. Oh, and I'm the one with the big tummy! Hugs to you!
  • BendableButMendable
    BendableButMendable Posts: 60 Member
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    CurvyEmmy wrote: »
    @Mellie289 Thank you SO much! Your comment was actually helpful and not judgmental like a lot of people I’ve talked to on here.

    I am fully vaccinated but it’s hard to just return to normal life like the flick of a switch. I was really, really scared by the pandemic and after feeling terrified for months it’s hard to just let that go. I am slowly starting to feel more comfortable. I still wear a mask around other people and I feel embarrassed because I’m the only one but it helps me feel safer.

    It’s hard to talk about this with people because people make fun of me, especially online. :(

    It really bugs me that everyone just acts like the pandemic was no big deal. For a lot of people it really shook their mental health but they’re afraid to talk about it.

    I still order meal delivery because I’m don’t have the skills or energy to cook. I am trying to choose healthier options.

    I am constantly stiff and have almost no flexibility. I can barely bend over lol. Stretching will be good and it will help me move my body more without it being too exhausting.

    Can I add you as a friend so we can keep in touch?

    I'm sorry that you've encountered judgmental people or comments on here, you shouldn't have to deal with that. I hope nothing in my previous comment came across that way, I certainly didn't mean it to.

    You shouldn't feel embarrassed about the pandemic affecting you or your continued use of a mask. People have tried (and to some extent succeeded) to make COVID an ideological or political issue when it's not, it's pure science. I'm speaking as someone who used to make a living in vaccine development, the pandemic was, and still is, a very serious issue. It's still hitting the unvaccinated population hard and is likely to continue doing so as we see more variants. If you feel more comfortable wearing a mask even though you are vaccinated, keep wearing them and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. I am no longer wearing them as where I live there is a high vaccination rate and low case count. But I'm keeping my eye on things and will join you in the "mask wearing vaccinated club" if I see case counts in my area rise enough, especially with the Delta variant. When I go to the gym or the grocery store I see more people wearing masks now than I did at any time except for the summer peak. You aren't alone in feeling better with a mask.

    If you want tips on easy cooking I'm sure there are plenty of people here willing to help, there are probably a bunch of threads on easy meal prep and things like that on this forum as well. I used to almost solely live on delivery pizza but I stopped when COVID hit because I didn't trust having anyone else make my food. Since then I have been eating a lot of oatmeal with peanut butter, rice and beans or lentils with hummus, baked potatoes with cottage cheese and salsa, and even pasta. It's nothing fancy but it's all easy to make and inexpensive. I can make most of it in batches so putting meals together is easy and it's simple to track the calories using my kitchen scale. I'm a vegetarian but I'm sure there are plenty of easy ways to batch cook meat if you happen to be more carnivorous than I am.

    Hang in there and don't feel pressured to get back to "normal life" before you're ready. Frankly, life isn't normal right now anyway.
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
    Options
    CurvyEmmy wrote: »
    Hi,

    I can't believe I'm posting this but I really need help... :'(

    The pandemic really, really scared the crap out of me. They let us work from home and I was afraid to go out. I don't know how to cook and I ordered delivery from restaurants every night. I was already kind of sedentary before the pandemic but normally I would get exercise from walking during my commute or walking around stores... but then for months I didn't even get that.

    There were a lot of days I barely got out of bed or off the couch. I was glued to the TV a lot watching all the news. I felt super stressed and food was a big coping mechanism and source of comfort for me.

    I felt tired all the time and my productivity dropped but my work was super understanding because they knew everybody was under a lot of stress. They didn't check in on us a lot. I definitely started to feel lazy and I got used to taking a lot of naps.

    Now, they are making us go back to the office and expecting a ton more productivity, like the pandemic never happened. I am really struggling to adjust because I still feel scared and feel weird about going outside without a mask.

    I'm out of shape. When I started to put on weight in the first months of the pandemic, I didn't worry about it because I was trying to be kind to my self since I already felt stressed and worrying about weight would only add to that stress. I stopped checking the scale or my measurements until recently.

    Now I feel shocked :'( I am 5'5" and was a healthy 160 pounds at the start of the pandemic. Now... 242 pounds. :o

    I am noticing changes like not being able to walk as far without feeling out of breath. The first time back at work I felt faint and dizzy when I was going up the stairs, and had to stop to catch my breath. It was really embarrassing and scary. But I hadn't really done stairs in SO long so I guess I need to get used to it again. Now I feel afraid to do the stairs too much so I walk to the other end of the hall to use the elevator even though it takes longer.

    I am always tired and after lunch time all I want to do is lie down. My muscles feel sore all the time even though I'm not even using them much.

    I feel so overwhelmed I just want to quit. My friend said I should get a gym membership. But if I'm struggling this tired out walking around the office I don't feel like I can handle the gym.

    I'm not an athletic girl - I've always been more of curvy and thick girl. I'm apple shape so I've always had a belly, but I used to carry my weight better and I could hide the tummy fat with spanx and high waisted pants. But now my fat is just really noticeable and I can't hide it. My waist is a lot bigger and I went up 4 dress sizes. I did a lot of online shopping when I was staying home but I can't fit into most of it comfortable anymore. I have rolls on my arms and back now. I am trying to accept my self and I am okay with how my legs, butt, and arms look... but my belly area is a big insecurity for me.

    I have no clue where to start to get in shape again. I need something EASY because "just hit the gym" is not really do-able for me.

    Here are before/after pics and the teal dress I wore to work. It's taking a lot of courage to post these so PLEASE be nice. I want to feel beautiful again but I'm really struggling.

    c3pcxftz35fe.jpeg
    r0ess0qafpvw.jpeg
    2fixpmfmxspm.jpeg

    Love your tatoo, you can do this one day at a time. It's taken my 11 months to go from 243lbs to 191 lbs some would say slow but I'm older than you and given your young things might go a little quicker. But no rush take the good advice and utilize everything this site has to offer, specifically counting calories, logging and measuring your food staying hydrated with water and your well on your way to success. The pandenmic scared us all and it still scares me since my mom and I had it and our systems are a bit more vulnerable because of diabetes and other stuff, but we must live the healthiest and best life we can. So start here, as you can see plenty of people willing to offer a helping hand. Best of care you got this.
  • yrc_pr
    yrc_pr Posts: 204 Member
    Options
    Hello!

    I relate to your struggles in a lot of ways; weight loss is hard but we can do this. Here are some tips that I think has helped me now and in the past:

    1. As many people here have suggested, I too recommend logging your calorie intake; this really helps. I know you said you struggle with this, but no one needs to see it, this is just for yourself so you can evaluate and make better choices. The way I do it is I log the food the night before of what I think I'm going to be eating the next day and I try to stick to that as much as possible (meal prepping will help with this); I find that it helps if I already know the food/calories that I will be intaking upfront instead of logging as I eat because its easier to overeat when logging the same day as you go or at the end of the day.

    2. Preparing your meals really helps because you know exactly what's in it. If you are not that good on the stove, try getting an air fryer or one of those little counter ovens. Look up some simple recipes that only have a few ingredients; try 1 or 2 recipes and see how it goes. You can also aim for the no-cook meals; I do these a lot, it saves time and its easy, and most of the time they are pretty healthy. If you just need to eat out try to chose the best option available.

    3. Cravings are the worst, I know. But once you start eating healthier and making better choices with food, those cravings start to fade away; it takes a bit of time but you wont have them as bad or as frequent. My biggest tip here is don't keep junk food in the house. I know its hard to just stop eating those things so try little by little eliminating these items. You can even try to find healthier choices to replace the not so healthy things that you like. Remember its all about balance.

    4. As for exercise just start easy, you don't want to go hard in the beginning and injure yourself. If getting a gym membership does not work for you then don't get it; there is many other ways that you can exercise. Some things I'm doing is walking 20-30 minutes before or after work or some days I do a workout video; I like any dance workout videos like Zumba, I also like Kickboxing exercise videos, just any exercise video around 20-30 minutes that looks fun I'll try. Just keep it simple in the beginning and then move on to more challenging things as you progress.

    5. Don't drink your calories (sodas, juices, etc.) Instead try drinking unsweet tea (you can add stevia if you like that), sparkling water (you can add those zero calorie flavors to it) or even diet sodas.

    6. Drink lost of water and get your beauty rest every day.

    7. If you need to take a day to indulge because you are going to celebrate a special occasion like your birthday or a holiday like Christmas, just enjoy that day stress free and then the next day just get back on track.

    8. Don't give up. Some days will be easier than others but the important thing is to keep trying and to give your best. Don't strive for perfection because that does not exist, just strive for progress. I suggest you set yourself some short terms goals instead of focusing on the end goal (be honest with yourself and set realistic goals so you don't set yourself up for failure). This makes the ride more enjoyable and sustainable.

    I hope these tips help. Keep connected here with us; we are all here to support each other along the way.

    Take care :)

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