Welcome and Introduction
Replies
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Hi everyone, My name is Brianne and I am 29 yrs old and I am not new to MFP but I am to the forums. I have been obese just about all of my life and morbidly obese for most of that. I cannot even remember a time that I was thin. I hate looking at pictures of myself because I think that I look terrible. I have tried many fad diets and even tried on my own to lose weight, but every time I have lost weight and gained some back. Then lose a few more and gain all back that I had lost. I had a rough time in high school. People can be so cruel! About a year after graduation, my mother passed away in 2003 and I gained even more weight. I also worked in fast food... which didnt help one bit.
A few years ago, I got down to business for the 500th time and actually began a lifestyle change with the South Beach Diet. In about 4 months I had lost about 40 lbs. Talk about excitement! Then, the summer came around and with family gatherings, graduation parties for family members, and summer picnics I gained it all back and more.
I was at an all time low with my self esteem and self worth as well as an all time high with my weight! The highest I ever remember weighing was about 396 pounds. I knew I had to do something about this. For many reasons such as family genes, diabetes, high bp etc.. and so many others. Both of my parents were severly morbidly obese for many many years, both over the 400 lb mark. They both also had Vertical Gastric Banding a few years apart... my father still does well but has had some weight gain since. Anyway, this was beginning to take a toll on me... at about 400 pounds and size 32 clothes (which didnt fit comfortably), with a job that wasnt working out since I worked all night, I knew that something had to change AGAIN!
Last year, (Feb '13) I went to the doctor and asked for some suggestions of what I could do. She told me I had to try on my own again... Of course I wasnt happy but told her I would give it the old college try! What could I do, she is the doctor? Here again I weighed 396 lbs.
Over the course of the year, I will be honest, I really didnt do anything different until October in which I changed jobs to something more stressful but better and less than a month later, I broke my leg at work. I ended up with surgery and being off work for almost 14 weeks. But I was able to sleep at night and watch what I ate on a regular basis. I have been back to work since the middle of Feb and was able to switch to 2nd shft (not great but better). I returned to the Dr, 2 weeks ago and have lost 42 pounds in 14 months. Excited! I now use MFP on a regular basis from my phone (to scan barcodes) and plan to begin using the TurboFire program and walking every day!
I know I am not alone in my struggle and I could use all the help and encouragement I can get. Please feel free to add me as a friend! Cant wait to get started!0 -
Good day!! I'm Cari. I'm morbidly obese and have been on and off since about 1994 when I turned 21.
I was sexually assualted at the tender age of 17 on New Year's Eve at a party. Since that time I have used weight gain as a mechanism to keep people, especially men away from me. In 2009 I had the gastric band. I did nothing but get very ill with it and throw up every single meal I ate for almost 3 years until I had removed. In 2012, I had the VSG surgery. Lost about 65 with it, gained back 10. I was referred to this site by friends. I have been on and off here since September, mostly off due to an injured back. I had a cortisone shot on Friday 4/18. Now I am finally to the point I can actually walk again. I go on vacation on 04/30/14 for 5 days. Until then I am eating as mindfully as I can. Making sure to try my best to eat whole foods. On 05/05/14, I will be able to get back on line and go full speed ahead.
Looking forward to meeting new people and being a friend to those who want and need it.
Hugs,
Cari0 -
:flowerforyou: Hello, my name's Sandy. I'm 43yrs, 4'11" with a starting BMI of 57.8, Im married to the best husband in the world. Ive been obese most of my adult life. I took care of my handicap sister till she passed when I was 35. After she passed I gained more weight. Then finally got myself together and lost 91lbs! I was the smallest I had been since highschool. I met my husband and we gained weight together. Putting me at my highest 286lbs!!! Realty set in and I pulled myself together again and dropped some weight. Then I got pregnant! I had been trying for years,spent thousands at the fertility clinics, but I lost the baby (that was my third miscarriage)! After that I've spent the last year 1/2 in a fog. When i came out of that fog I was back up to 286lbs!!! I was just feeling so crappy after eating I just decided to tweek my diet a little. The next thing I know I'm on here all fire up to get healthy for me and my husband. I'm down 20lbs! with a BMI of 54 and feeling great! So excited for this journey!0
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Oh, thanks for making this thread a sticky one! Now I can get to know everyone. I'll add my own bio when not typing on my phone, but my story is similar to everyone's. So so so happy to be here in this group0
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Good Morning: I have lost a little weight, but my morning fasting bloodsugar was 201. On number going down and the other going up. I think this is called "can not win for losing". Have to work on my food intake better. I hope everyone has a great day.0
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I loved reading everyone's story--so many common threads--and am very happy we're all here working toward better future lives.
My own story is similar. I've been overweight since childhood (started about age 8), morbidly obese since high school, with times here and there when I'd lost a lot of weight but then gained it back. The thinnest I've been since childhood was 178 pounds at age 19 after a year living with a host family in Belgium. They never fed me, LOL, and I rode my bicycle an hour each way to schoool. The heaviest I've been was on February 20 of this year--492 pounds--my scale wouldn't weigh me, but I know this weight because I went in for an initial consult for bariatric surgery.
For most of my adult years, I've been in the 250-350 range and would call myself "fat fit." I climbed mountains, boogie boarded, swam, kayaked, biked, cross country skiied.... you name it, I did it. I love exercising! I love working up a good sweat and feeling the burn in muscles that have been worked well. My sister, who is three years younger and also morbidly obese, was a step aerobics instructor at 280 pounds. Crazy, I know, but we are big, powerful women. We were both molested as children by the son of a family friend, and I know now that our food addictions and eating disorders are linked to this trauma, and to the lack of acknowledgement or treatment for it for many, many years afterwards.
Ten years ago I was hit with a life changing sh#t storm called "Adult Onset Still's Disease." It's a periodic fever syndrome like Familial Mediterranean Fever (I get fever spikes daily, sometimes twice daily, that feel like the onset of flu or mono) in which my immune system attacks my joints, organs, mucous membranes, and skin. So basically it's like having Lupus, Eczema, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the flu all at once. Although many people with Still's have periodic remissions, mine is chronic and non-remitting, so for the past ten years I've been sick and often in debilitating pain. And I ate my way through it. Plus I've been on the corticosteroid prednisone for all of these years. If you've ever been on it, you know what I'm saying.... weight gain like nobody's business. I went from 330 to 490. Not overnight... just 30-40 pounds each year. I dieted as best I could, exercised when I could, lost some weight, but kept gaining it back plus more anyway.
Three years ago I hit rock bottom and was feeling very, very suicidal. I couldn't control my eating, the weight was making the joint pain in my knees, hips, and ankles unbearable, plus a ruptured disc in my back and a doctor who said surgery is not an option at 450+ pounds. I started to look for some online support for weight loss and began reading about eating disorders. This changed everything. I found myself an eating disorder therapist (diagnosis: binge eating disorder/compulsive overeater/eating disorder not otherwise specified). I went through a partial hospitalization program. I learned to look at and deal with my past trauma and the emotional triggers for eating. Then I begin trying to lose weight again, this time with new tools, and although I could successfully lose 30 or 40 pounds, I could never maintain the strict regimen it takes for me to lose the weight. Two years ago I was forced to give up my beloved teaching career (teaching all kinds of writing at a university) because of the Still's disease, chronic pain, and obesity. Finally, in February, my shrink suggested I look into bariatric surgery. I'd looked into it before but wasn't ready. I couldn't imagine never being able to eat a big meal again! Never binge again! No freaking way!!! This time, though, I was ready. I hadn't binged in almost two years, and although I still had trouble with compulsive overeating and portion control, I was working on those.
I am now in the process of jumping through all the hoops to qualify for sleeve gastrectomy. This means a ton of medical tests, nutrition counseling, sports medicine consults, and, of course, weight loss. In order to get the surgery, I need to get below 400 pounds so my BMI is at a low enough range for safety. In the first month after my consult , I lost 24 pounds. In the second month, I gained back 9. I am now entering month three and using MFP for the first time. I love it. I think it is the missing piece for me. I already exercise religiously (swimming, water aerobics, water zumba, chair yoga, etc.) and cook low carb. I'm learning to treat my food addiction and avoid foods that trigger me. I'm also learning to not give up, to ask for help when I need it, to realize I don't have to do this "perfectly"--I just need to keep doing it.
Karen0 -
Karen you are truly inspiring for not giving up even against the most formidable odds. I will be replying to others on this thread too.. I have just been busy trying to think up subjects to keep you guys amused!!
I can relate to being fit and fat too. I used to be able to do a lot of things despite my size until I took up ballet again at 279 lbs, for a few months I did okay, then one class back in February 2013 I made one wrong move, felt something give way in my pelvis, very painfully and this time I could not recover.
It seems age and years of obesity have taken their toll at last. I have now developed the detested fat waddle when I walk because of joint pain and stiffness from arthritis, I can no longer see my feet going downstairs and it is scary, too fat to ride my bike etc and so on. Going back to ballet I know won't happen unless I lose a considerable amount of weight.
Thank you for inspiring me today Karen and reminding me that as awful as I feel others are struggling too every single day. We are in this fight together.0 -
Hi all :-)
Ok, I'm Anne, 50 years old, and I'm morbidly obese. I'm married, hubby never used to be supportive, in fact just the opposite for many years, and we live in the glorious West Country of England. My elderly and disabled mum of 83 lives with us. I have type 2 diabetes, a knackered back and achilles tendon, and am tired, and ache, all the flipping time.
I have so much in common with most of you - done the roller coaster dieting, lost a chunk and put it back on over around 30 years, though the trend has always been steadily upwards until around 4 years ago.
I've always been big, though looking back at me as a teen I really wasn't and I'd give my right arm to be that size again! (UK size 16)
I've done all the diets, pretty much, and the pattern's the same. I start well and full of enthusiasm, and all goes well... then I have a bad day at work and decide to treat myself. And once I've had that bacon roll/bag of crisps/lump of cheese ... well... I've broken my diet, haven't I? So may as well now have a tin of rice pudding... a whole packet of biscuits.... a loaf and butter.... after all, if I'm 'being bad' then I may as well enjoy all the things I've been denying myself... bleh. Sure you know the feeling! Next day of course I hate myself, and I feel awful. I weight myself and I've gained, and then I hate myself more and .... yeah, that never ends well.
Anyway, 4 years ago I met someone who made me believe in myself. And I started to change my life around. I lost nearly 6 stone - I was up just over 24 stone at that point - and was doing great! Then my beloved brother died. He was 12 years older than me, and had always been there. He had Multiple Sclerosis, and had been steadily going downhill for around 3 years. He was in a nursing home around an hour away, and we visited him every other weekend.
At that same time, more or less, I'd found a lump in one breast. And my friend who was my inspiration deserted me.
Sooo.... guess what? Yeah, the weight loss stalled. I did manage to NOT put any back on. I guess I should be proud of that. I managed to keep exercising, and that kept the weight from going back on.
Anyway, fast forward to almost now. Last September I damaged my back, and tore some muscles. I was home for some weeks, and comfort ate. I put a stone and a half on. Then just as I got over that, and got back to the gym, I damaged my Achilles tendon somehow. I *think* that I'd been doing too much on the treadmill. I have a job that involves me going up and down stairs all day - I do the cleaning and maintenance of the communal areas in blocks of flats for a housing organisation - and I'd been trying to do some running on the treadmill. I was managing a minute of running and 5 minutes of walking, and was enjoying it, but I'm pretty sure I was just way too heavy for it.
Anyway, my tendon is bowed and swollen, and I've been having investigations into how to treat it. I've finally got a consultant's appointment for next week, fingers crossed he actually can DO something! So, I've been doing a modified programme at the gym.
Then Easter weekend, I hurt my back again and had to stay home last week. Mega despair!!! However... I joined here. And refused to over eat. Refused to let my mum buy me Danish Pastries or sausage rolls!
At the weekend when I felt more able to move, I dragged out my Wii and weighed myself, and found I was actually 13lbs lighter than the last time I weighed! That was a HUGE psychological boost - I don't think anyone who hasn't been where we are can possibly understand the sheer joy I got from that! And it's inspiring me still. This week I am making my own lunches for work. They are small, compared to what I've been used to. But then I've been used to stuffing myself til I actually felt a bit ill, and way too tired to do any work!
Anyways, I AM going to keep going this time, one step at a time. After all, just one foot after another is what we do to get from one room to another. I can do that. So, I can do this. Just focus on one step, and then another step. Keep stepping. :drinker: We WILL do this.0 -
Anne - While I am a firm advocate of exercise, and I believe it has made a big difference to my weight loss this time, I read a blog earlier today that reminded me that you can lose weight without exercise (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/stroutman81/view/calories-from-food-vs-calories-from-exercise-654463).
Take the time that you need to let your body heal, but that doesn't mean your weight loss journey has to stall. You can still log, weigh your food, eat at a deficit and lose weight.
Once your doctor clears you for exercise again, or tells you what forms are safe while you heal, then you can add exercise into the mix.
Keep up your spirits and focus on what you can do right now to make a difference for tomorrow.0 -
Anne reading your story was like reading my own and seems to be a common theme around here. What I am hoping for is that we can all overcome the roller coaster here and that when things get in our way we find a way round them and carry on. I am absolutely no exception to that.0
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And I forgot to add your accent also made me nostalgic.. yes.. I can hear the English. I have lived in the USA for over 11 years now, my children and grandchildren and the rest of my family live there, I have a 2 year old granddaughter I haven't met yet and my daughter is having another little girl in September. I can't wait until we can afford for me to go over and see them all.0
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Hi I'm josh, I'm 25 years old and I started gaining weight when I was 7 it was because I was put into foster care at a young age and the depressive side got to me. But when i got to around age 17 my whole depression phase ended and i tried losing the weight but its so hard to drop it. I'm currently 378 pounds and I plan on going to get a gym membership on May 5th of 2014.
Hey Josh--I also started at over 400. And ate through a lot of childhood trauma Good to see you here.0 -
Hiii! I'm Lori, I'm about to be 24, I'm 5'10" and I'm about 315 pounds. I've been using Myfitnesspal since basically the beginning of the year, and I'm pretty happy that I've been keeping up with my food, even when I go over. And it's help, because I am about 15lbs down from where I started.
I started gaining weight when I was 9, and it's just been going downhill since then, and so now here I am, about to start my mid20s morbidly obese, which is something I never wanted to do. Hopefully I can solve this problem before my late 20s.
I do this thing called boredom eat. I just eat when I have nothing to do, and I will eat and eat and eat just to pass time. It's a mindless thing, and if I can reach food... I probably do it. However, I have got a loooot better. I track my food, I portion my snack foods, which I discover help.
But anyway, I was invited into this group, and I love it. I mean, it's nice to find other people on here that are not just trying to lose those last couple pounds, or like 10 pounds or something. It's nice to see people working and fighting on the same journey that I am.0 -
Welcome Lori! I invited you. There is no way to promote a group on MFP so I have taken to looking for people I think might benefit from being in this group.
I can boredom eat too. Sometimes I think it is because we don't stop and think.. what else could I do? Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. I hope you get something out of being here, it seems like we have a great bunch of people.0 -
Hi guys! My name is Caitlin and I am currently at 230 pounds, down from 300. (70 down so far!) My goal is the 140-150 range, since this is where I should be for my height at 5'6". I am 25 years old, I have a two year old daughter, and I have been using myfitnesspal for over a year now.
It has not been an easy journey. I work, go to school, and find time with my daughter, so where is the chance to eat healthy? Well, I guess I am lazy and just do the easy food. (Make a huge salad and eat off of it for days along with quick sandwiches and stuff) Soup is my best friend!
Anyway, hello everyone and I look forward to being good friends with you guys! Thanks for the invite, Julie!0 -
Hello! My name in Jeni. I have been off and on MFP for the last few years. But the last few month have really hit me that it is finally time to start making changes and start moving to a new period of my life. I'm excited to be here and on this journey with all of you.0
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Hello Everyone!!
My name is Claudia, I’m 51 Yrs old, divorced and have two adult sons. First, I want to thank Julie for getting this group together. I read about it through another post and thankful to be invited and be a part of this. It’s amazing the people God puts in your life!!! I started MFP in September 2013. My SW was 273 (BMI of 44%) and my GW is 180.
Reading everyone’s stories makes me feel as if I know you all, and how similar our journeys and struggles have been and still are. I’ve been overweight my whole life and have tried almost everything and anything to lose it, only to gain it all back over and over again.
Becoming healthy was not always a priority for me, which can explain (or be an excuse for) why I didn’t take it very seriously when I was younger –even with 2 small children to think of!! I was too busy working and trying to take care of my family – not thinking of myself so much. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. Now, my mother is getting older and suffering from Dementia, still dealing with loss my older brother to heart disease 5 years ago (he was only 48), which my younger brother now has (on top of other health issues), and then my two sisters with their goings-on. So much is going on that I have to stop and take control of myself and that starts with getting my weight under control. My last attempt was 3 years ago on WW where I lost 46 lbs, which I gained back the following year, and so here I am on MFP.
I can be my worst enemy, which is probably why I haven’t seen my goal weight since I was 19! Every year I make the same promises that I know I won’t keep. I tell myself that THIS year will be the year that I stop making excuses, stop giving into cravings, emotional eating, and “start-overs” (I’ve already had too many since January) only to find myself right where I always start – looking in the mirror or lying in bed wondering why I’m still not where I want to be, crying and having a pity party. Now it’s a matter of I HAVE to and it’s turning out to be the HARDEST time off all, suffering from arthritis in my knees and ankles, menopause is kicking me in the butt, and vertigo. My progress has been slow so far, but I am determined to get there and looking forward to getting to know everyone.
:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0 -
Hi, I am Heather. I am 36, 5'9. CW 315, HW 405. GW 160. - And I am the ULTIMATE YO-YO Dieter.
Here is a history of my weight struggles. I copied it from my blog last year so it is kind of long and I will add on to it at the end because OF COURSE I gained weight after I lost weight last year and here I am again. ---
I was a fat kid from about 5 yrs old on. I was thin when I was 4 and beautiful for a 4 year old. I look at my kindergarten picture though and can see I was overweight. It just got worse and worse as I got older. I hated it. I wasn’t THE fattest girl in school so I didn’t get a lot of the teasing but there was nothing worse than how I tormented myself growing up. I was my own worst bully. I would look at my thin, beautiful older sister and how popular she was and just long for what she had. I thought if I could only be skinny, I could have it all.
When I turned 15 my Mom and I joined Jenny Craig. I lost 67lbs in about 4-6 months and I became a swan. Boys were starting to come around and I loved it. I had the attention I was finally looking to get and it felt great. I never got down to my goal weight, EVER, but pretty close. When I was 16-18yrs old, I gained 50 of those pounds back. So, as I was working and in college, I got back on Jenny Craig and lost 60. I kept that off for a year or so and then the weight started creeping back up. Then, my world fell apart my last semester in college. I lost my job, boyfriend, home. Deep, deep depression hit me like a brick. I spent the next 4 years hidden away in my bedroom only getting out of bed to go to work. I would eat and watch tv and sleep and sleep and sleep. I gained at LEAST 170lbs. Yikes. I was damn near suicidal. When I turned 27 I got into some really bad things that, at the time seemed like the only thing to bring me out of my depression. I started taking drugs and before I knew it, I was up and moving around like a mad woman. I rarely ate so, of course the weight started coming off. I spent 3 years spiraling out of control on drugs gaining and losing weight as I would stop and then relapse off the drugs. Altogether, I lost 125lbs over that period.
I was 30 when I went to rehab and boy did that weight come right back on. By the time I was 31, I had gained all the weight back. I gained 127lbs in one year! Boy when I do something, I don’t do it half-assed at all. I don’t just gain a pound or two a here and there, it is gain 15 a month or lose 15 a month. There is no in between.
When I turned 32 I was sinking into that deep deep depression again and at my highest weight ever. I couldn’t even stand long enough to load dishes in the dishwasher without my back feeling like it is going to break from carrying all that weight. Grocery shopping was pure torture. Even with a cart it hurt so bad to walk the isles. By the time I got to the check out, I was almost in tears pleading with the checker to hurry up so I could get out of there and sit down. I refused to get in one of those riding carts. I finally had to do something. In February of 2009, I started my cabbage soup diet. I did that for I think a couple weeks and then switched to healthy eating and tracking my food on myfitnesspal.com. What a great site! I also started exercising. I lost 80lbs in 4 months. I felt great and was determined to keep doing it as I was still 160lbs or so overweight. But, I got a job, I got lazy and just managed to maintain and gain 20 lbs for a year or so doing various diets. Protein shakes, nutrisystem, more cabbage soup. Then in July of 2010 I found out I was pregnant. I had just finished a diet challenge at work the week before and had lost another 40 pounds.
Along came the baby, along came the weight. I went off ALL diets and gave myself a free pass to finally gorge on whatever I liked, whenever I liked. Potatoes were my comfort, especially fried! I gained 100 lbs by the end of the pregnancy. Yikes. I struggled with that for a while and then between August 2011 and August 2012, I had managed to lose 125lbs by doing weight watchers, cabbage soup and juicing. Most of it was from weight watchers.
Then, my husband ended up in the hospital for a week and I just stopped dieting. I kept saying I would get back on soon because I knew I was gaining the weight back. Fast forward to today, some 9 months later and I have gained 61lbs back. Holy ****. I really need to chart this destructive way I have treated my body to summarize this.
Voilà! Here it is. Basically what it comes down to is in the last 20 years, I have gained and lost over 567 of the same pounds! Now, I never weighed that much but you can see the extreme yo-yo'ing has taken a toll. I wonder how many other people out there are like me? Not you gain and lose the same 50 lbs over the years, I am talking massive gains and losses in a short period of time for a very long time. What a miserable life this must have been. Yes, there has been many many struggles. No wonder I had been so depressed. It seems like I am always reaching, giving up, reaching, giving up. And I try so hard and I give up so hard. I really do. Everyone always praises me for the massive amounts of weight I lose, but what does that say about the massive amounts of weight I gain? That I am a big fat failure. I don't think so. I think it just means I am obviously still not doing it right. I am still relatively young, I don't want to go through another 30 years of this dieting hell.
****
So, that was written on 4/9/2013 - About a year ago. I think I ended up losing 57lbs after I wrote that, then I gained it all back within 6 months and here I am today. I have lost 21lbs of that gain in 25 days. As I said above, I can't seem to do anything half way. I noticed a pattern this time though. Almost to the DAY I came back here the same EXACT weight as last year having gained the same amount of weight after quitting after the same amount of time. So basically, I go hard for about 4 months out of the year, give up and put it all back on. What the heck? How am I ever to reach goal that way? What I REALLY need is a really good friend who is in this with me. Who will be there with me 3-4 months down the road when I am likely to fall off.
I am now at 635+ lbs lost/gained and I am so over it.
I have read everyone's intros here and they have truly touched me. Thank you so much for creating this group.0 -
Hi Heather.. you have touched me.. you are precisely the kind of person I created this group for and there are a lot of us here! I hope to recruit more.
I can relate, I don't know that I have yo yo'd to the level you have but I am older and it is definitely taking it's toll now. I think one of the most important things I see in your intro is that you need to work on getting off the extremes Merry Go Round and believe me I understand it as do many others here.
That is why the biggest thing I want to do here is remove guilt and the idea of being ON with losing weight or OFF. I want the goal to be healthy eating and exercising and finding passions and goals that replace food as being that important. I am striving for everyone to feel balanced in their approach and that they are NOT helpless but have choices.0 -
Thank you! I straight up have told my doctor, if I am not 100% on a diet, I am gaining. She just looked at me like I am crazy. I hope THIS time I can actually make some long lasting changes rather than go to extremes that don't last no matter how much I want it ALL off like...yesterday.0
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Welcome to the group Heather! I can relate in the yo-yoing to the extreme. I have gained and lost so much weight. The highest I have weighed is 328 so I am still knocking on that door. I lost 80 pounds in about 6 months about 10 years ago, then got remarried, lazy and gained it all back plus more. I have always been overweight though. Right before I met my now husband, I did the same thing, lost about 80 pounds after I divorced ( LOL it always seems so much easier to lose weight after I get divorced
), then gained it all back plus more...I think I gained at least 100 pounds that first year alone after we got married, and have steadily packed more on since then. I will diet and lose, and then just give up and gain it all back and more to go along with it. Know that you aren't alone here and we feel your pain because we are going through it with you. I hope you are able to get some wonderful motivation from these great people on this group. 0 -
Having a hard time trying to figure out how to add friends on here. Can someone help me please? Thanks!0
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Bailey, just click the name of the person you want to add and then it will go to their profile and there should be a link right on there to add them Hopefully this helps! 0
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Hi everyone I am Natasha, just turned 37, married in Canada but from the UK and my current weight is 237 though when I started my current weight loss 'journey' I was at 296. When I realised how close I was to 300 something happened inside. I rejoined WW but money is tight for us so after 3 months came to MFP. Stayed on track for 6 months then lost focus and spent 6 months not being completely honest with myself. Thankfully did not completely give up, put on 10 pounds then slapped myself metaphorically and came back at the end of Jan this year. I am a slow loser which is why I always end up giving up. I have always been fat. I have a 5 year old I want to be able to do more with, I have been put on cholesterol and blood pressure meds and I am pre-diabetic. I need to get control back. But each day is a battle, sometimes each hour. I do not know if it is addiction or emotional or any of that. I just know I love eating, I love the taste of foods, when I am half way through a meal I get a moment of sadness that my food is half gone. Never told anyone that. Sounds silly.
Anyway I have made some permanent changes in how I cook, we eat brown rice, I don't like brown pasta so we eat the smart kind. I eat wholegrain white bread. 1% milk, less cheese. We try to always have fresh fruit and veg in the fridge, I cut down on salt, and if I have a sweet craving I try things like Dark choc, the fibre 1 bars, a couple of big marshmallows, strawberries and light cool whip, 321 cake. I try hard to avoid junk that I love, chips, milk choc, take out, cake. I use MFP not to track food I have eaten, but to plan the food I am going to eat. Then at the end of the day I adjust if I made changes. I wanted to get to 200 by the end of this year, but at the rate I have been going it is not likely. It just gets so exhausting, doesn't it? The constant thinking about how you look, trying to get in exercise, planning, tracking, trying to keep yourself motivated and positive, over such a long time frame. Losing the kind of weight we have does not happen in a few months, not for most of us. And then even if I manage to reach a weight I can live with I will probably have skin I cannot afford to do anything about, not even cheaply to Thailand, and I will always have to watch what I eat as it would be easy to relax and put it back on. The thought that I will be part of that high percentage of people who not only put it back on but more on top sometimes gets me pretty low.
Sorry got a little negative there! But then I look at my son and I remember why I am doing it. I want to do more with him, and he deserves to have a mum he can play with. I need to be a role model for him on how to balance treats with good food. He is average sized for his age, and I want him to stay healthy, not slip into my old bad habits and have to deal with the hurts I have over the years.
So that's me lol 0 -
Welcome Natasha! Please spend some time looking around here and reading, I hope you will find inspiration and support here that will take you all the way to goal. Great to have you here!0
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Thank you for adding me to the group! A little about me....
My name is Nicole, I'm 31. I have been overweight my whole life. Growing up my mom prepared food that was cheap and easy (therefore not the healthiest) So now, here I am as an adult trying to undo a lifetime of bad eating habits. It hasn't been easy, but I must say that seeing results makes me want to keep going. I look forward to getting to know all of you and offering support!!0 -
Welcome Natasha and Nicole! This is an awesome group of people, and a wonderful place to work on some of the issues that have held us back from lasting, healthy, weight loss.
I don't think any of what you say or think about food issues (like feeling sad that half your plate is empty) is foolish or unimportant. I think these types of thoughts and emotions are pretty common among all of us, that we all have dysfunctional relationships with food or we wouldn't be morbidly obese! I'd like a seat at your table, and I'll weep when we run out of biscuits, LOL!!!
Karen0 -
Hello all,
I just turned 35. I started out at 291, my goal weight is 123. for a total of 168pounds to lose. I am currently at 245. I look forward to reaching our goals together.0 -
Hey there Pirate Chick.. welcome aboard! Please take a look around, read and jump in!0
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Hi everyone. I am Michelle. I am have a BMI of 49. I started at 336.8 and I am at 328.4 today. I have been working to change my eating habits and lifestyle. I have lost a few pounds but over all I am still in the morbid range. I recently moved cross country from Georgia to North Dakota. I hope to meet other like minded individuals and lose some pounds so that I can feel good about me, I am still aiming to get to the place where you love the skin that your in.0
