Good morning

tammypierson52

This is my first time paying for FitnessPal. I lost about 50 pounds last year following OPTAVIA before my wedding in Oct 2024 but have gained every pound back. Since I’m perimenopausal, I feel like each pound is doubled in discomfort & pain. My back, hips, legs, etc all hurt. I’m miserable & sad most of the time despite a great marriage & good friends. I eat from stress, boredom, & pain. Oh and anxiety which is off the charts. I’m extremely overwhelmed at the amount of weight I need to lose. I weighed today at 288. Not my heighest weight but close. Too close. Looking for motivation & support.

AnnPT77

Hi, Tammy!

Funny thing, I used to have that same surname. 🙂

It sounds like you have a lot of complicated things going on. I think you can make progress with your health goals, if you can chip away patiently at the various aspects, stick with it, and give yourself some grace if everything isn't perfect all the time.

"Always perfect" isn't realistic. "Pretty good on average most of the time" works out OK in the long run, and "gradually better more of the time" is a way to get there. Can you speak to yourself as you would to a friend who asked for your help? (Sometimes we are our own harshest critics!)

I was in menopause and severely hypothyroid (medicated) when I used MFP to lose from an obese BMI to a healthy weight, and I've been maintaining a healthy weight for 9+ years since. I figure that if a hedonistic aging-hippie flake like me can do it - a woman with a near-zero budget of willpower, discipline or motivation - then probably most any functional adult can. Yes, quality of life improved a lot, at least for me.

If stress, boredom, pain and anxiety are some of the underlying issues, then working more directly on those is likely to be helpful. As I'm sure you know, eating is a way to paper over those feelings, not a way to fix them.

I'm cheering for you to succeed: The results can be very much worth the effort. Best wishes!