Hello *waves*

_Blues_

Hi all, my name is Liz, my current weight is 279lbs @ 5'4, I am huge. As a little kid I was always average in height and weight, I never considered I would end up being short and fat. My mother is 5'11 and like my father she was always very skinny as was my grandparents on both sides. I started putting on weight in the 7th grade, at that time in my life I was going thru a lot. I had been in foster care for about a year, I was sad, angry and confused not to mention I was going thru puberty! My foster mother didn't cook much so we always ate out, I mean always. Sundays was 39 cent cheeseburgers from McDonald, taco Tuesday from del taco, arbys on Wednesday and so on. Add in that I wasn't very motivated to get active this was a recipe for disaster. I gained and gained and before I knew it I was in the 200's before high school. However I didn't actually feel fat. I was as happy as was possible for a person with my family history, I had developed a decent social life I dated, most people told me I was pretty. Nonetheless towards prom and graduation I wanted to shed some lbs, which began my experiences with yo yo dieting. I wont go too into detail we all know the story. Some rapid weight loss and then the re gaining and adding, back and forth the cycle goes. As most people I was always looking for the quick fix but never willing to put in the hard work and sacrifice it really takes. Im 27 years old now and I feel fat, I am uncomfortable with my self, I am tired of being the fat friend (all my friends are skinny), so my goal is to lose at least 100lbs, to be active, healthy and happy. I am hoping seeing all you beautiful people shed those lbs will keep me motivated and inspired and hopefully I will inspire at least 1 person!


xoxo-LIZ

_Blues_

I have looked into eating clean and have considered doing it. Its been a week for me and I haven't touched fast food but I have had some foods that are processed.

TummyMummy2

First....start small!...you can't accomplish huge weight loss all at once!
But if you are seriously at the point where you ARE ready to lose, it WILL happen!

The worst thing you can do is avoid the foods you love all together; as you will end up 'missing' them and be back to eating them all the time...fast. Plan your meals....and if at the end of a week you have stuck to your plan, treat yourself to something
As well something easy to try.....instead of soda; drink water!!! You would not believe what it will do in terms of weight loss!!

Good luck!! There are always people out there willing to give advice, but you need to do it for YOU and only you!!

healthyhayles

Hi Liz!

Welcome to My Fitness Pal I'm relatively new here as well (haven't even done an 'introduction' as such yet!) but so far I'm really enjoying the community aspect and support we all give each other here. I hope you enjoy your time on the site and that you get some good tips!

I agree that it's important not to completely rule out the foods you like from your diet. Generally this makes you crave them more, and then fall back into bad habits. I like to follow the 80/20 rule, wherein I eat healthily for 80% of the time, and 20% of the time I treat myself.

I also LOVE to use Pinterest to source healthy, easy and cheap recipes. That site is full of amazing recipes that are not only delicious but packed full of nutrients with every bite. I totally recommend you check it out I know My Fitness Pal has a recipe page too! Get to love the kitchen and making new foods

independant2406

Hi Liz!

I'm 5ft 3 and I weighed 220lbs not too long ago. I know how you feel. But we can do this!
I'm now down to 204 and so excited to keep pushing and get out of the 200's.

Here's what I've done so far that worked for me:

I met with a Dr and had blood work done. Its important to make sure your body doesn't have any underlying issues that are making weight loss harder for you. Under the care of a very helpful doctor I discovered I have hypoglycemia which means everything my body eats it turns to insulin and stores as fat. Very little of what I ate was turned to fuel /energy for my body. No wonder I never wanted to move and constantly felt hungry!

The second thing that has been a big help is tracking everything I eat and drink. Even when It felt scary and gross looking at the mass of food I was eating it kept me aware.

Making little changes is definitely good. Changing everything all at once is too hard for me. I found I can focus on my diet better if I don't stress so much about exercise for now. Maybe when I'm 50lbs lighter exercise won't be such a task. You know? Anyway I've found trying to do both exercise and dieting just sets me up to be disappointed in myself and give up. Do what you can but don't feel like you have to be perfect or do everything at once.

The third thing I've done is learn to know its ok to love myself and reward myself. For example yesterday I felt sluggish and grumpy and deprived. So I went to the fridge and spooned out something I was craving (peanut butter) and ate it. I logged what I ate and made sure it fit in my daily limit but oh my god I felt so much better. Taking small "breaks" to eat something I'm craving (in moderation with tracking) has been the key to not giving up for me.

Add me as a friend if you'd like. We can do this!