Heaviest ever :(

I'm a quarter of a pound shy of 200lbs. This is the biggest I've ever been. I know my diet is bad and I try to track but give up when I realise there is no way I can fit in my calories for the day. I did once lose 22lbs but since putting it back on starting again seems impossible. I feel so low because I feel unattractive. My thighs, tops of arms, neck and stomach are all beyond a size I've ever known.

I need some help. Tips, advise, motivation.

I need to know it's possible for me (I've looked through so many weight loss photos on here I know it's possible for people!)

I feel ashamed.

Sigh.

Replies

  • catherinet89
    catherinet89 Posts: 60 Member
    I just posted a similar thread. I went from 265 to 145 back to 170. Its a big struggle but its worth keeping on. It took me a good 8 months to finally get off my butt and try again. You wont regret the working out and eating healthy but you will regret not trying thats for sure.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I know my diet is bad and I try to track but give up when I realise there is no way I can fit in my calories for the day.


    Sigh.

    You can do this because it is key. Start at maintenance calories and once you figure out how to eat there start cutting 100 calories every couple of days until you get a 500 calorie deficit. It is doable.
  • StrongHealthyPowerful
    StrongHealthyPowerful Posts: 98 Member
    Losing ground sucks. It’s a constant battle for me too (lost 55lbs four years ago, gained abt 10-15 back over the last year, currently down to almost that 55 again). I don’t have any magical advice for you. This past winter I started to feel really hopeless about the weight gain as well and then I just kicked myself because I know what I have to do, I just have to make the move to do it. I know that’s so much easier said than done, because I’ve been there, but you can do it!

    I guess one thing I will say is don’t put unrealistic expectations and restrictions on yourself. Don’t disallow sweets for the rest of your life, just only allow a lot less of them. When I first started losing weight, I did eliminate them all for a while, just to get them out of my system, but that isn’t sustainable for most people (including myself). I just had some super delicious chocolate, but just a little square of it, not a whole bar.
  • boricua3177
    boricua3177 Posts: 192 Member
    Ugh, I get it. In 2005 I was at my heaviest then...I weighed 207lbs. I hated the way I look & lost weight. I lost 60lbs in about 7 months, however, my methods were unhealthy. I was able to keep the weight off for about 3 years. In 2007, I started working out & eating better....my health improved & I felt great. In 2008 I started dating my husband & started slipping. I slipped so bad that now I am tipping the scales at 228lbs. Yikes!!! Now I have decided to take control & stop BSing. For the past 2 weeks I have been eating within my calories & have gotten up from my couch & started walking. I get your plight, I really do.

    You can do it. I believe in you.
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
    The trick is to do this WITHOUT judgement. Try and remove the guilt and proceed objectively. Imagine that you are someone else, a friend maybe and you're trying to help them through some weight loss. What would you tell them? We are often kinder to others then we are to ourselves.

    Also try and log your calories no matter what. EVERY SINGLE BITE. Even if you go way over - completing the entry for the day and seeing how much you'll weigh in 5 weeks if you continue along that path can often be the awakening we need.

    Often I will think that I TOTALLY blew it, but then realize that I actually didn't do too bad once I log it and i don't feel so bad.

    If you can't handle seeing your calories in the red try a different approach. maybe find out your calorie needs for weight maintenance, and set that as your daily calorie goal. Then you know anything below that number you should be losing something and anything above that number you should gain. Although you have to set a pace - if you're 500 calories lower then maintenance everyday then you should be losing a lb per week. Sometimes having that line is a bit easier, for example my goal is 1400, often I will feel guilty if I get up to 1600-1650 even though I'm still technically at a deficit which seems crazy, right?
  • LondonSuz
    LondonSuz Posts: 166 Member
    Like others I've been there too. Have pretty much yoyo dieted all my life, have some childhood food issues which still battle with and at then end of April was the heaviest I've ever been... ever!

    I avoided mirrors, dressed in huge outfits to try and hide and felt awful.

    I started calorie counting on MFP and had a slow and steady weight loss, last month I also started counting my carbs which has had some fantastic benefits. I don't do low-keto-carb but try to keep my carbs around 60-70g max a day. I love cake, bread and potatoes so never imagined this would work for me but as I'm not saying ' I/never' it's okay as I can still have then but within allocation.

    I now feel I understand what a change in lifestyle is rather than a 'diet' and this feels sustainable.

    My migraines have gone (so far fingers crossed!), I'm still losing weight, don't feel bloated, don't feel the need to snack as feel full from my meals, don't feel the need to binge or eat everything/anything in my cupboards!

    There will be lots of different eating plans, many of which will have support pages on here, chose what's right for you, set yourself some realistic goals and milestones, keep thinking of your main motivation and most importantly keep logging everything! Even on your bad days, it really does help with support and damage limitation. If you make one promise, make it to always track, that's what I've found the most useful advice.

    And good luck!
  • maryaskins
    maryaskins Posts: 11
    I used to weigh 200 lbs at my heaviest. I started losing weight in the Spring semester of college (about 2 1/2 years ago). I lost about 25 lbs in that one semester. Since then (but with several month breaks in between) i've lost about 60 lbs total by exercising, using myfitnesspal, watching portions, and watching what I eat. I've come a long way but i've recently gained about 10 pounds in a month and a half because of my desk job at my internship. At the beginning of the internship this past June I was ~143/144 and now i'm 154. I would love to be friends so we can help each other. I know what it's like to be 200 pounds and not being ok with it. You can do it and I can help if you want! :)
  • bexalicous
    bexalicous Posts: 66 Member
    Thank you everyone for the kind words and support. I guess sometimes it is difficult to see the outcome but maybe I'm so focused on the furthest outcome I am not seeing the small things like 100 less calories or 10 push ups etc. I think I will defiantly track everything and work toward a mini goal of getting down to 196lbs (14st exactly) and then work from there.
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
    When I hit 190 I got to the point where I said to myself, no way will I let myself get to 200. And my motivation just stayed until I started losing weight.

    It's a horrible feeling to get to this point, but sometimes you have to get here to get better. Take this as an opportunity--you can do it!!!
  • wailana82
    wailana82 Posts: 24 Member
    My heaviest weight was 208. That was two weeks ago when I started up again. The only time I was ever this heavy was the day before I gave birth to my daughter, I was about 200 lbs. But now I have no excuse of a baby in my belly to be this high. But really, take it a day at a time, and a pound at a time. I too felt like I could never lose the weight I need to but Im trying to stay positive. I do have messed up but instead of giving up and thinking 'might as well forget it, Ill just stay over weight' I pick up where I left off and keep going.
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
    Don't be so hard on yourself - at least you are here and have the desire to lose it! Just sent you a FR - we can help each other get back on the wagon! :)
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member

    ^read these nao!♡

    Take it one step at a time. Learn sustainable habits. Love yourself. Succeed! You can do iiiiit!

    I finally kicked myself in the butt after my second baby in May of last year. Topped out at 190 lbs before I had him. I'm 5'3.5" and started my weight loss in the obese BF%. 9 months I lost 53 lbs and fell in love with lifting. Find an exercise you enjoy and focus on calorie deficit for weight loss. Track everything and good luck:flowerforyou:
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
    I know my diet is bad and I try to track but give up when I realise there is no way I can fit in my calories for the day.


    Sigh.

    You can do this because it is key. Start at maintenance calories and once you figure out how to eat there start cutting 100 calories every couple of days until you get a 500 calorie deficit. It is doable.

    Great advice! Never thought of doing it this way, but this is Genius!
    !
  • isamann
    isamann Posts: 16 Member
    Don't feel ashamed. I have the exact opposite problem of you (some people would be jealous...don't be). I am stick thin and trying to gain weight. Imagine getting teased by your classmates when they say, "do you eat?"

    I am constantly stuffing myself, with supposedly healthy stuff. I noticed I gained about 5 pounds in the last month, which is really big if you knew me, hah.

    We can do it! Just don't give up, and maybe ask others who have had success in weight loss?
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member

    Read these links ( they're awesome). Develop a plan that works for you and then get busy. Try and just make the healthy choice in things every day. Keep moving forward and before you know it, you'll be making changes you won't want to give up. We all slip up and have bad days. The important thing is to keep going. You will be strong enough.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    It helps me not to look too far into the future.


    One day at a time.


    You can do anything for one day, right?:flowerforyou:
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member

    Read these links ( they're awesome). Develop a plan that works for you and then get busy. Try and just make the healthy choice in things every day. Keep moving forward and before you know it, you'll be making changes you won't want to give up. We all slip up and have bad days. The important thing is to keep going. You will be strong enough.

    This
    It helps me not to look too far into the future.


    One day at a time.


    You can do anything for one day, right?:flowerforyou:

    And this. Absolutely this.
  • Thank you everyone for the kind words and support. I guess sometimes it is difficult to see the outcome but maybe I'm so focused on the furthest outcome I am not seeing the small things like 100 less calories or 10 push ups etc. I think I will defiantly track everything and work toward a mini goal of getting down to 196lbs (14st exactly) and then work from there.
    Sounds perfect! It's not just possible but probable!:)
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
    I think we've pretty much all been there. I gained all my weight having babies and I felt embarrassed and ashamed too. I got so depressed and hopeless the last couple years that I got desperate. I'd do anything to feel better... even exercise and change my eating. HA. I've lost almost 60 lbs and I still can't believe I am actually doing it. It's completely surreal.
  • MichelleV1990
    MichelleV1990 Posts: 806 Member
    I weighed in the 120's for the longest time. After awhile, it started creeping up on me. I remember when the scale said 156 pounds...I cried. Then I started making small changes...gave up soda pop, ate a little something for breakfast (I never ate breakfast), ate a light lunch of cottage cheese and vegetables, had a regular dinner, and began walking. I lost 25 lbs in one month. I also added crunches, leg lifts, and butt tightening exercises. Before I knew it, I was doing 300 crunches a day, and was down to a slim 117 lbs. at the age of 38.

    After the birth of my 3rd child, at the age of 41, the weight didn't come off so easy. It started creeping up, and kept going. I got up to 200 lbs. Fortunately for me, some coworkers decided to get together, and exercise. I started off spinning, then worked my way to 5 miles with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home series. I did use Adipex for awhile, but also exercised, and really ate healthy. I got down to 167, and then the exercising began to hurt my back and legs so bad, that I gave up. I went up to my heaviest ever; 204 lbs.

    I finally went to the doctor because the pain in my hip became excruciating, and my snoring got to ridiculous levels. After several tests, and an MRI, I was told that I stopped breathing 123 times in a 3 hr. period, my "hips are a mess", and I have a lot of arthritis in my lower back. My son's doctor even said, "How do you expect your son to lose weight if you don't?" I decided to get back on track with MFP, and began logging in 20 days ago. I lost 9 pounds before the 4th of July, but fell off the wagon due to a visit from my brother, and a bunch of cookouts. I lost the 9 lbs. again, and today I picked up my breathing machine. I have high hopes for the future with the support of my family, and this community of people determined to live a healthier life. We're all in this together, and together, we can do this! Feel free to make me one of your cheerleaders; I'd be happy to give you encouragement!
  • KatJ_NZ
    KatJ_NZ Posts: 31 Member
    It is daunting to start the day out well and then realise your calories are all eaten by 1pm! (that has happened to me more than I wish).

    One thing that made it easier for me was to sit down the night before, log what I plan to eat the next day, and then blindly follow what I've written down. If I pre-logged a little bit less than my limit, it allowed me to squeeze in a small "treat" which made me feel less restricted. A small treat might just be a few squares of chocolate, or a cookie, or something like that.

    I also never set up MFP to lose more than a pound a week. I would have found the calorie reduction too hard. Slow and steady - I've been losing a consistent pound a week since January - you can do it too :flowerforyou:
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    I try to track but give up when I realise there is no way I can fit in my calories for the day.

    You HAVE to fit it into your calories for the day. Throw this thinking out the window, or else you just don't want it bad enough. In no way do I mean that to be harsh, but beating yourself up over this if you're not fully committed isn't healthy, either. Make small changes - they really add up and make this process easier. Find physical activities that you enjoy doing. It IS possible!