Big and depressed

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krisakin9
krisakin9 Posts: 17 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all,
I finally have gotten the dreaded wake up call. I got a call from my doctor saying I am pre-diabetic and I had better do something about it. I have known that I needed to do something about my weight for a while now. It's just that I get so depressed when I see myself in a mirror or put on clothes and I see the size that I eat and I eat a lot. With this wake call I am hopeful that I can stay the course and make the right decisions. I do have support from my family and friends. So heres to me and at least 140 pounds... :-)
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Replies

  • silencioesoro
    silencioesoro Posts: 318 Member
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    You can do it! <3 You've already taken the biggest step: realizing that something needs to chance, and doing something about it.
  • Lemmynade
    Lemmynade Posts: 160 Member
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    You CAN do it!!! Take a look at the Success Stories on here, they're incredibly inspirational, plus you can learn a lot from them. Best of luck. It's hard work, but SO worth it!
  • ASchnadelbach
    ASchnadelbach Posts: 37
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    I know how you feel. But you've taken the first step. You can do this! Just keep telling yourself that you can.
  • faithfirst
    faithfirst Posts: 138 Member
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    You have already taken the biggest step! Congrats!! Go slow, be easy on yourself and lose it SLOWLY. This will increase your chances of keeping it off and minimize saggy skin (I speak from experience :-)..... you can do this I promise!! If I can, anyone can!
  • sinta7
    sinta7 Posts: 2
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    You are going to love this app! it is awesome! Good luck and you can do it!!!
  • Still_Fluffy
    Still_Fluffy Posts: 341 Member
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    I've been there. Look at my comparison pics and you can see I made the change, but I'm not done yet. In the end you need to commit to getting healthier. I work out a lot and try to eat better. Only you can make the choice to start working out and eating less. Once you start losing weight hopefully like me you'll get addicted to working out and be on your way to being healthier.

    Good luck
  • kelisueray
    kelisueray Posts: 78 Member
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    This is how I feel when I look in the mirror as well, however I know that when I look in the mirror and see the size I don't want to see, I use that as motivation to continue making good choices and exercising. The mirror is actually my biggest motivator, and each time I say to myself - soon - soon I will see what i want to see and it actually puts me in a good mood. You can do it!
  • magdalen13
    magdalen13 Posts: 62 Member
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    Put away the mirror, take the size tags off your clothes, and focus on the good things you are going to do :) There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment to help you feel better about yourself. Depression can be much more than just feeling bad about yourself though, if you are depressed, please also talk to your doctor about that :)
  • aszwarc
    aszwarc Posts: 200 Member
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    One step (and bite) at a time. You can do this! Just take it slowly, and make little changes at a time so you aren't overwhelmed.
  • meech2sandy
    meech2sandy Posts: 57
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    Do not be discouraged. It is all about taking the first step, and you have accomplished that! There is a great support system here, and we are all here for one another. You can do this.
  • RhonndaJ
    RhonndaJ Posts: 1,615 Member
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    Welcome and good luck, though I'm certain you can do this.

    Take it one step at a time and don't sweat any slips up, just pick yourself up and keep on going.
  • futuresoonermom
    futuresoonermom Posts: 8 Member
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    Put away the mirror, take the size tags off your clothes, and focus on the good things you are going to do :) There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment to help you feel better about yourself. Depression can be much more than just feeling bad about yourself though, if you are depressed, please also talk to your doctor about that :)


    I think the no mirror and no tags is a GREAT idea. Don't let those distract you from the true goal!
    I love this app, hopefully you will find it as useful as I do!

    Good luck!
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    A giant brain dump for you!
    I've probably included more than you can process now at the start of you journey... but these are the things that made my journey here easier.

    The good news is you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be better.

    ++Track for a week or two before worrying about losing. This way you'll see where you really stand odds are it is different than where you thought you were, which is actually good news...

    ++Be scrupulously honest... you can lie to your friends, you can lie in your diary, you can lie to yourself, but YOUR BODY KNOWS EVERYTHING YOU EAT. So you might as well be honest in your diary (keep it private if you like) but you need that info because you can't get where you are going if your are not honest about where you are right now.

    ++See where you can make small changes on things that aren't so important to you.
    (Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
    --Reducing quantities
    --Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

    ++Focus on what you should eat not what your shouldn't.
    Eating your nutritious foods first. Your body will be more satisfied and have less cravings.

    ++Small sustainable changes.
    Every couple of weeks see where you can make another couple of small changes.
    If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
    If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort, sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves. Also rather than having to think about everything all the time. You only have to think about a 2 or 3 new things to focus on.

    ++Rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me. (I swear this saved my life.) I was happier once I gave myself a range:

    ROCK BOTTOM: 1200 cal
    TARGET: MFP Calories for lose 1 lb a week (when that hit 1200 I changed to lose 1/2 lb per week)
    TOP OF RANGE: Maintain Calories for my GOAL Weight.
    (SAFETY VALVE: Maintain Calories for CURRENT Weight - remember to keep updating this number as you lose)

    ++Only worry about it 1 lb at a time.
    Forget I *NEED* to lose 20, 30, 50, 100 lbs. I'm only worried about 1 lb the next one. I'll worry about the others later.
    Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. )


    Food is not the enemy. You need nutrition to fuel your body and make it strong.

    Most vitamins are fat soluable... so remember to include plant and fish based fats (HAPPY FATS) so you can access the nutrients in your food.

    All of your foods fall into 1 or more of 3 macro nutrient categories
    FATS • CARBS • PROTIENS ... I personally think it's unwise to severely restrict any one of these categories.
    Instead of eliminating or limiting quantity focus on the quality...

    HAPPY FATS (Plant and fish bases)
    COMPLEX CARBS (un or minimally processed)
    LEAN PROTEINS

    Oddly enough, on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
    I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
    The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time, now the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.
  • Maris_Swan
    Maris_Swan Posts: 197 Member
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    You've taken an important first step---you're here!!! Best of luck to you. You CAN change your life :)
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
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    I was in your exact position 14 months ago. It took my doctor wanting to put me on meds for diabetes and high blood pressure that finally kicked me into gear. Like you, I knew I was in bad shape but I was too depressed and down on myself to do anything about it. Start slow, go for a walk and eat healthy. Don't jump in head first or you will set yourself up to fail. The weight didn't come on overnight and it's not going to come off overnight. You can do this. Do this for you and your health.

    We are here to help and cheer you on along the way. You can friend me if you want. Good luck!!
  • Billscrazygal
    Billscrazygal Posts: 9
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    I am in the same situation as you my wake up call was the same thing the dr told me I was borderline diabetic and had high cholesterol and I did not want to end up on all these meds. I am a big girl and need to reasonably loose about 100# and with myfitnesspal I know I can do it and I know you can do it to. . if you ever need some encouragement friend request me and I will be glad to message you back with kind words to keep you going.:happy:
  • RyanDryFly
    RyanDryFly Posts: 92 Member
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    That's exactly what happened to me about five weeks ago. My endocrinologist got very serious and told me she needed to track my diet to look into medication. She actually took my phone and put MFP app on it. I've lost almost 25 lbs since that day. My best advice is to log everything. That's the ammunition you need to correct the problem. Start with small goals...my first goal was to log good or bad. If I make a bad choice I still gotta log it. The act of logging helps to make better food choices and was my form of accountability. Get some friends that are active on here and stay active yourself. Motivating others will keep you pointed towards your goal. Early on I made a commitment to stay positive and active while trying to help as many of my friends do the same. I’ve found this is my biggest inspiration and makes me want to improve each week.

    I gradually added a calorie deficit and exercise. When I first started I could barely walk a mile…I had terrible back pain and was out of breath at the end. I kept at it and now am up to 6 miles in about an hour. I’ve decided to run a half marathon in December and am training every day to hit this goal. The points is, it’s not going to happen all at once but if you push yourself and stay positive and active with your friends you will be heading towards your goal.

    I’d be happy to be your friend along the way and give support. This is something anyone can do with a positive attitude and commitment. God bless.
  • krisakin9
    krisakin9 Posts: 17 Member
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    Well, It has been about 6 months since joining and I wanted to give an update. I had short hiatus over the holidays back in December. But with that exception I have been pretty true and committed. I have now lost 52 pounds and several inches around my waist. I am now more active than i have been in a long time (almost 15 yrs). Here as of late I have gotten several complements from people saying I am looking good. I gotta tell you that really helps one with depression.

    Well here is to the next 6 months.
  • Pmsylvester
    Pmsylvester Posts: 36 Member
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    Excellent progress!!! Great to hear the update. Congratulations!
  • dab1106
    dab1106 Posts: 5
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    Awesome progress! Stick with it.

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