Mission Improbable

Dandman1990

Sooooooo. After being overweight for a number of years I figured it's about time to get myself sorted out. I'm hoping to join the army in 18 months or so after finishing my degree and shifting another 80lbs & raising my physical fitness levels from pretty much sedentiary 24/7 to somebody with a good degree of endurance and fitness (urgh, cardio). Sadly before I can work on the fitness aspect too much I have to get surgery and then go through a couple of months of rehab so it's going to be a bit of a struggle for the next few months.

I was wondering how many other people had goals that seem almost impossible as we look at them now?

TavistockToad

so work on losing weight while you cant do much exercise... it'll be easier to get fit without the excess weight anyway.

think in terms of what you CAN do, not what you CAN'T do....

Dandman1990

I know, that's what I'm doing :-). Was just wondering about other peoples' goals for weight loss.

Wilhellmina

think in terms of what you CAN do, not what you CAN'T do....

Agree! Telling yourself "I can't!" too often and it will not happen. Focus on what you can do! Maybe even light adjusted work outs. What kind of surgery do you get?

Dandman1990

It's on my left leg. They already did my right leg and essentially they're operating on the backs of my knees where muscle is cutting across the artery (unrelated to my weight, just unfortunate). Takes a few weeks on crutches and some rehab.

Wilhellmina

Could it be possible to moderately exercise the upperbody or do you need complete rest? Maybe you could ask that your doctors.

Dandman1990

Nope. I can totally exercise the upper body. I do basic dumbell exercises (though not as often as I should - laziness on my part). There are a few things I can't do because maintaining positions is difficult.
I'm a lil' sad nobody has revealed their weight loss motivations/ aspirations. :P

Kookyk9s

If you read the success stories you will find many people who started with seemingly impossible goals and who are achieving them. For me, I started with more than 100 lbs to lose and have lost 32 lbs so far. This is not the first time I have done this so I am not proud of my history. That said, I am trying to just do what needs to be done each and every day with no excuses and if I do that, the big picture will take care of itself. It is not about comparing my fight to anyone else. They have their own demons and I run the risk of thinking things like - so and so is losing x pounds per week and I am not losing it that fast so I must be a failure and if I am a failure why try. This fight between my ears is the one I want to win in the worst way. I do think that Henry Ford had it right when he said that " if you can you are right and if you cannot you are also right." I am trying to live as though I can and faking it till I make it.

Good luck on your fight.

Wilhellmina

I know the feeling of mission impossible. Here I was, not even so much overweight and suddenly the perimenopause hits in, I kept on gaining. I felt like no matter what I do, it has no use, but now I know I didn't try hard enough, I was just giving up. LCHF works for me and in the last 3 weeks I lost 6.5 pounds with it, making me more determined then ever before. Dieting is a personal thing tho, what could work for me, doesn't have to work for you. Just try to find your way in it. But if you want advice: Atkins is called the diet for lazy people, not that we are of course, but if you are not capable to exercise fully with your injuries you could look into it.

Dandman1990

xD thanks for the info'. Atm I'm doing ok with just eating less (22lbs in 7 weeks with almost no exercise). I get nervous about things like Atkins and juice 'cleanses' etc because I figure as soon as I come off them (and I don't plan on continuing on them forever) I'll probably pile weight back on.

Also, congrats to both of you. i suppose for you kooky at least you know you can do it having managed to put in all the work before. Just a matter of maintaining it once you get there.

Wilhellmina

xD thanks for the info'. Atm I'm doing ok with just eating less (22lbs in 7 weeks with almost no exercise). I get nervous about things like Atkins and juice 'cleanses' etc because I figure as soon as I come off them (and I don't plan on continuing on them forever) I'll probably pile weight back on.

Opinions differ of course, that's okay, that's a good thing. But personally I have the impression that many people who went on a diet, go back to old habits once they reached their goal. When it made them gain back them, it will make them gain this time as well. Diet is just so wrong, one should change the lifestyle permanently. Once I have reached my goal, I am not planning to go back to old habits, but adjust it to maintenance.

MyJourney1960

Nope. I can totally exercise the upper body. I do basic dumbell exercises (though not as often as I should - laziness on my part). There are a few things I can't do because maintaining positions is difficult.
I'm a lil' sad nobody has revealed their weight loss motivations/ aspirations. :P

everyone's story is different. I agree that you should go to the 'success stories' tab because some of the guys are incredibly awesome. your challenges don't sound too impossible to ME but then again, i am looking at it from MY point of view so everyone is different.

just start. one foot in front of the other. eating less is a great place to start, and after your surgery and rehab you'll get cracking on the exercise. you can do this!

Dandman1990

Idk. The way I look at it is if you cut out certain elements from your diet (such as carbs for Atkins), it seems to me to be only natural that your body wants to hold onto them for as long as possible when you go back to eating them as it doesn't know when it's going to receive more of an element fairly crucial for day-to-day living.
Clearly as you say opinions differ and I haven't researched this so I could very well be talking absolute rubbish. :P Just kind of what I came up with while I was considering it.

Dandman1990

I pretty much live there at the moment xD. Just read an amazing one about a guy that shifted over 300lbs. I see we're losing a similar amount of weight and have also lost a similar amount so far xD. Good Luck!

Wilhellmina

Idk. The way I look at it is if you cut out certain elements from your diet (such as carbs for Atkins), it seems to me to be only natural that your body wants to hold onto them for as long as possible when you go back to eating them as it doesn't know when it's going to receive more of an element fairly crucial for day-to-day living.
Clearly as you say opinions differ and I haven't researched this so I could very well be talking absolute rubbish. :P Just kind of what I came up with while I was considering it.

I have been thinking of it and with our modern day technology I wonder if we really still need all that energy and thus so many carbs. I am into primal and looking to the people who lived here in pre history, they lived mainly from fish and meat, because 6 months a year you can't grow anything, due to the snow and frost. The season for growing crops is just short and I agree that those couple of thousand years is pretty short for modern day humans to completely addapt to relatively modern day foods, like grains. But then I can be pretty much a p**ptalker as well hehe... Just see for yourself what works. I have seen tho that many people think we restrict ourselves from fruits and vegetables for example, that is not true! We just eat less carbo rich options, like berries, spinach, etc...

JessiBelleW

I sometimes feel like my weight loss goals are mission improbable! I started out at 85kg (187lbs) and am now down to 77 /170. I was at 85kg for five years and had sort've begun to feel like that was it, that was the weight and shape my body wanted to be forever. That 8kg came off with relative ease (there was some great days, some rough days and some days where it felt like I hd eaten a house!), and I've now hovered at 77kg long enough that its starting to feel like losing more is improbable!!

I understand that it must seem like a drop in the bucket when you feel you have so much to lose - but I am only 163cm tall and so should be another 15kgs or so lighter than I am to even begin to be healthy, some days that 15kgs seems light years away.