New to MyFitnessPal!!!

ladylarkspur1111

Hey, my name is Amber. I’m 25 and have struggled with being overweight since I was very young, like 9 or younger even. My weight has fluctuated over the years; at the lowest I was 160. I’ve reached this weight twice, once when I was very very sick and struggling with anorexia in tandem with another severe mental illness, and the second was after a year of homelessness and then unbeknownst to me I became pregnant while I was homeless. The day I had my daughter I was 234, no longer on the streets but I was still in a shelter, and the abuse I suffered while pregnant, (could have almost been on the first 48 if things went just a little differently. But I escaped) being a vulnerable adult, as well as the prior mentioned struggle with mental health caused me to lose guardianship of my daughter. They took her when she was 3 days old and as I was being discharged. About a week after I had my daughter I had already gained some weight and I realized that even though I was broke and really wasn’t eating I was going to continue to gain weight. Over the course of the next year I fought to complete my DCF case plan to get her back. All the while struggling with being kicked out of the homeless shelter because they were a shelter for women WITH children, not women who lost their children to DCF. I suppose they weren’t going to receive the government funding they wanted if my daughter wasn’t there with me. I also struggled with being 7 hours away from where I called home, having been abducted. And I was still reeling from the fresh trauma and constant fear and confusion as well as my mental illness which had just been amplified by the abuse I experienced.

I prayed and God did answer my prayers. I found a decent temporary job as a canvasser ($20-$40/hour with guaranteed 40 hour weeks. PRAISE JESUS! He answered my prayer) and was able to save up quickly to move back home, closer to my family who had my daughter. By my daughter’s 1st birthday, however, I had exceeded 300lbs as a 5’4” 24 year old woman and I knew things needed to change.

I honestly can’t say what happened. And the last time I weighed myself was around 6 months ago. But I can now fit into my size 18 denim shorts I wore when I was a waitress before my mental illness truly presented itself. The last time I weighed in I was 260, and I feel like I’ve lost weight since then because I can fit into clothing I wasn’t able to before.

I have recently acquired a tailoring tape measure, I still need a scale to get an idea of what my current progress looks like, but having struggled with weight this long I know just how much feeling better and eating healthy and just being mindful without being consumed by a number on a scale is more effective than fad diets or starving myself to see quick numbers progress but being disappointed when I gain weight back plus 3 or 4 pounds depending on what my body is going through.

MacLowCarbing

Hi & Welcome. Sounds like you've had a lot of hardship, for some of us that can mean comfort eating and stress eating. Good for you for putting your health as a priority right now.

I don't worry about what is or isn't a fad diet or a recommended 'sensible' diet anymore... my goal has been to find a healthy way of eating that works for me. I changed my macros (fats/carbs/proteins) for a while until I found the perfect balance for myself. Now how I eat is sustainable, improving all my labs, reversing my diabetes, making me feel better and satisfied with the way I eat overall, and got me losing weight.

Everyone's sweet spot is different so just start with a food plan that sounds doable to you and tweak it when necessary- add/lower macros 5-10% at a time till you find what works. Pay attention to your body.