What's Your Excuse?

truelove7

We all have excuses, don't we?

I work full-time. I commute 2 hours a day. I have 5 kids. Cooking healthy meals takes too long. I'm not a morning person.

I've used all these excuses plenty of times. Until I got sick of hearing myself use them over and over and over. I got so sick and tired of being sick and tired and FAT.

At 306 lbs, I decided enough was enough. I took control of my life and my eating habits. I got rid of all the negative self talk and replaced it with words of encouragement.

I'm not posting this on the Success Story board because I'm not there yet...but I wanted to cheer you all on...especially the morbidly obese and hopeless. If I can do it, so can you. I eat between 1580-1800 calories a day and eat back most of my exercise calories. Fuel your body, eat well and get out and move. You don't have to punish yourself with "dieting" and deprive yourself of the things you like to eat. It's all about moderation and accountability...be honest with yourself above all else.

So far, I'm down 23 lbs. I still have a long way to go until I reach a healthier weight, but I wanted to offer my support and encouragement to those like me. Get rid of the excuses...you can do it!

osothefinn

I posted this once before. This seems like an ok place to repost it.

I was afraid of change. My whole life has basically been me reacting as little as possible to the events that took place. I was dreadfully shy, especially around girls, and the weight made it easier to be ignored by them, so I ate, which gave me an excuse to put my fear of rejection as an issue with them (they won't like me because I'm fat). I wanted to be in the military, then a police officer, but my fear of the unknown had me eat to make those goals unavailable to me. Again, my brain said, it's not my fault.

I met a girl and was sort of happy, lost a bit of the weight, got married, had a child, then had medical issues that caused depression, plus the undiagnosed apnea. Ballooned.

Got the apnea treated, but by then I was 485. The idea of losing weight seemed so big and impossible I didn't even want to try, but kept the weight steady at least.

The last straw for me was finally having my years of eating catch up to me. My fasting blood sugar after a morning surgery was 260. Found out my pre-op test 4 hours after lunch was 385. My grandmother ended up blind and legless from Type 2 and I decided that wasn't going to happen to me. Same week I ended up in the ER with premature ventricular contractions from lipitor I had just started taking. I was done. I wanted to live to play with my kids, and my grandkids.

Started in March with MFP. 60 pounds lost since then. Have an exercise bike at home so I can't let lazy be an excuse to not workout (it's too cold to go to the gym, etc) I ride for 45 minutes 6 times a week. Off the prozac, off the lipitor, off the metformin (hi2u morning sugar of 85), off the vertigo meds I used to take, CPAP pressure is reduced by 30%.

I just wanted to let you know I am you, but enough about me.

You can hear platitudes from me, or anyone else, but until you decide to change it's not going to help much. You have to want to get better. What you're feeling is fear, cold naked fear. Being fat is like wearing armor, a feeling proof vest sometimes. It's an excuse not to try new things, not to approach new people, not to risk failure because you don't have to try at all. Food is like a friend. Food never tells you you're fat, or calls you stupid, or thinks you're weird. Unfortunately, food isn't your friend. It's keeping you from being the person you were born to be, from being the bright light in people's lives you can be, and the fat isn't really armor, but the walls of a prison.

MFP is the key to open the door to the prison cell, and the healthy people in your life who support you are your friends, whether in meatspace or on here. Yes, by opening the cell you might be hurt emotionally, and may be hungry, and sore from exercise, but staying in the fat cell I can promise you that you will get hurt, and feel ashamed, and sad, and depressed, and sore from the weight every single day.

Please open the cell and come out into the sunlight, and be the person that God <insert other belief system as necessary here> has always meant you to be. Out here are people and activities that can fill the food sized black hole in your soul, and people who need you to fill that hole for them. All of us are special (except lawyers, because screw those people ;-) and we're needed, and wanted, and loved.

BTW, all you lawyers, I'm just teasing. :laugh:

DefyGravity1977

Looking fabulous, darling!!! I am a mom of three working from home with two of the three with special needs and I have gone from a size 24-26 to a 14-16. I have lost 60 pounds but many more inches and feel much stronger. There should be no excuse to take care of yourself.

Samstan101

My biggest excuse was that I was doing the things I wanted so couldn't be that overweight. It then dawned on me that I was paying lip-service to what I wanted to do. 15mins kayaking and I was exhausted, camping 1 night was enough. I'm now 60lbs lighter (but with a long way to go) and fitter already than I've been for 25 years.

This was a couple of years ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samstan1/9789676325/

This was last week: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samstan1/9789665263/

ninjakitty419

My excuses were:

*Husband won't let me spend part of the grocery budget on healthy things that he wont eat
*Not enough time to work out (commute, full work day, supper, chores, kids, etc)
*Kids wont leave me alone long enough to work out even if I did have time
*Too out of shape to even know where to start
*TOO LAZY (just being honest)
*No self control (too many sweets, fast food, pop, etc)

And then one day a couple months ago, boom. It clicked. I bring healthier meals to work and eat what my husband likes for supper just less of it. I find time to work out, not every day, but most days. Started seeing results and am motivated to see more. And after a few weeks, the new habits replaced the old ones and now I know it is possible, therefore I have hope of replacing the not so awesome habits I still have.

hmseals77

You are doing an amazing job!! I am so proud of you!!

Lizzy622

The change is amazing and your smile looks happier. I found my excuses fly out the window when I started losing. I now have the energy to do more and getting up early isn't as hard because I am sleeping better. My children come along with me on walks and we get a chance to talk and bond. I found some great recipes online that are healthy and flavorful enough to make the whole family happy.

stephiehampshire

My excuses were that I was tired from working all day and I had housework to do and food to cook

I found that turning the TV off freed up more than enough time for 1-2 hours of cardio a day as well as chores!

BobcatGirl110

First of all you look fabulous in the weight you've lost so far OP Your smile says you are uber proud so keep up the good work. My biggest excuses were that I was too busy being responsible for two daughter who are both active and I needed to be at their games and driving them to where they needed to be.....second excuse was definitely that I was too tired and didn't know where to start.

Hint to the new....start moving and logging what you eat. My first 20lbs was strictly walking and staying at my calorie level. Just move guys!