Im trying to get back on the bandwagon. Any encouragement?

catilittlefield

I've been talking about losing weight since high school. Nothing has ever worked for me, so ive always given up. Until now

A little about me and my lifestyle:
I am 22 years old, and for the last 3 years I have been my heaviest at 275. I work as a hair salon manager in a packed salon so I stand on my feet without rest 8-9 hours per day, 40-50 hours per week.

When I get home I relax/play with my dogs for about 45 minutes, then take them on a walk. I have 1 Jack Russell, and 1 American Staffordshire/Boxer mix. Both are very energetic, but because im so tired by the end of the day and I live in a rural micro town, we only walk for about 30 minutes.

After we get back home then I proceed to have about another hour of play timewith the pups, cook dinner for my fiance and myself, eat, clean the kitchen/rest of house, relax for an hour or two then go to bed.

Its always been easy for me to make the excuse "I'm too tired to work out" because my job is very draining. I have never been shown or told what foods I should be eating or portion sizes. Growing up my moms idea of dinner was a chicken breast or pork chop, some boxed noodles and some canned veggies slathered in butter. And that was a healthy meal.

More than anything I think im looking for not only words of encouragement but also maybe something inspirational, any tips or resources you could share with me, or even someone to talk with from time to time who could help motivate me or even each other.

Thanks!
Cati

rainrain83

welcome Cati
congrats on being so honest.
You can add me as a friend if you like and i can give you some
suggestions :-)

TavistockToad

this isnt my quote, but i really like it...

"Instead of saying 'I don't have time' try saying 'it's not a priority' and see how that feels. Often, that's a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don't want to. But other things are harder. Try it: "I'm not going to edit your resume sweetie, because it's not a priority" "I don't go to the doctor because my health is not a priority." If these phrases don't sit well, then that's the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently"

BooAndKitty

Welcome to MFP Cati, this is going to be one of the best choices you've ever made in your life. You need to remember, this is not a "diet" is a lifestyle change and you do not need to cut things out like chocolate and crisp, you can eat them in moderation. You don't need to include exercise straight away, maybe stick to the calorie side and see what works for you. Then look at your daily timetable and see where you can fit in some exercise, even if its a little jog to and back from work.

Hopefully this will be a bit of inspiration, my mum (she doesn't use MFP) started over 194kg (426lbs) and had hardly any mobility. She relied and still relises on a mobility scooter and is trying to lose weight. She has to lose 5% of her body weight to be eligible for bypass surgery on the NHS. So, my mum started to cut her eating (by herself not with MFP) and doing basic exercises at home even if it meant getting of her chair to stand and sit down.. its something. Slowly she's been becoming more mobile, she can walk around 1-2 mins with her walking frame. Two day's ago, I asked my mum to come out on her scooter to support me with my jogging.. she came out and said to me "I want to try walking. She got her walking stick (not her frame, a stick.. less support) and started walking by the river Thames (we live in London). I walked and jogged besides her, she walked for 3-4 mins straight.. then I'd sprint back to her scooter and bring it to her so she can sit, catch her breath and a drink. We did that 3 times, so nearly 15 mins of walking for my mum is like an intense workout. Yesterday we went to the hospital to see somebody linked to this surgery she needs, they weighed her.. 182kg (400.4lbs) is her weight now. For my mum that's a massive achievement and they said she's now elegiable BUT she's going to keep trying to lose more on her own. (She has to have this surgery for serious medical conditions).

What I'm trying to say is, if you really want something you can achieve it. I'm 265lbs at the moment.. been on MFP for 60 days and I've only lost 11lbs. People lose at different rates, speeds and have different achievements. For me, the scales may not be moving fast but I can jog more than I could 60 days ago!

Take one step at a time and welcome to the site

bridgieNZ

this isnt my quote, but i really like it...

"Instead of saying 'I don't have time' try saying 'it's not a priority' and see how that feels. Often, that's a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don't want to. But other things are harder. Try it: "I'm not going to edit your resume sweetie, because it's not a priority" "I don't go to the doctor because my health is not a priority." If these phrases don't sit well, then that's the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently"

This is interesting, internal dialogue plays a huge part in how well I do, some things I should consider a priority but don't

refuseresist

Wow. If you are on your feet all day, then take the dogs out and then clean the house, you really need to look at what you're eating. You are already very active. Good luck

nicailyzee

Welcome you may add me if you like. I am super supportive and if you post questions I will work on giving the best response I have having been on the site since June. This is not impossible. Since March I have lost 40+ lbs some on my own and some with MFP. I am praying for the best on your journey

Dustinsteven22

Thank you for sharing! I hope I can help you with setting you up to reach your goals. This is what I learned on my journey:

Find Your Why
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.- Jim Rohn

To be successful, you must find your "WHY." Your Why is the root of starting a new adventure or journey. If you have a weak Why, you will fall short and fail. Develop the reason(s) why you are starting your fitness journey. Write them down and post them in your house where you will see the, multiple times a day. Your Why will see you through the end.

Develop Goals
After developing your Why, you need to develop your goals. I suggest using the S.M.A.R.T method.

Specific- be specific and detailed in goals you want to accomplish (I want to lose 10 lbs in 3 weeks, I want to run a block without being out of breath)

Measurable- When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

Attainable- When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true.

Realistic-To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work.

Timely-A goal should be grounded within a time frame.

Community
You need a strong community of people to support, encourage, motivate, and keep you accountable. I will help you as much as I can! If you want to join my team, send me a message.

YOU GOT THIS!

Coach Dustin

catilittlefield

I think I should also add that I have a 45 minute 1 way commute to work each day.

farrellchloe

Hi Cati,

Welcome to MFP Please feel free to add me as a friend...I feel like we are pretty similar. I'm 23 and I hit my heaviest weight this January of 221lbs. I also have a very demanding job and lifestyle and have yoyoed in weight drastically over the past few years. But I've finally grabbed the bull by the horns and have managed to loose 42lbs to date. I still have a good bit to go but I'm happy so far! I know it sounds like the most cliche thing ever but if I can lose the weight, then I promise you can to. There are loads of great people on MFP that offer lots of support and great advice. I have found it a great tool to accompany my weight loss over the past few months. To get you going, here is what I found most helpful when starting off this year...

1. Use MFP! Tracking (honestly) what you eat is a great starting point. It shows you where your going right and wrong. For example, with myself I saw that I was always adding snacks in at around 11am...and only having a 0-100 cal breakfast! so I started having a nice decent size breakfast and now I don't need those quick fix pastries/coffees to get me through the mornings!

2. Be prepared: as obvious as it sounds, have food available to you that is on your plan. Don't make a lifestyle change like this more difficult for yourself by not having suitable food prepared at home or in work. After a looooooong day in the lab for me its so easy to throw on a huge bowl of creamy pasta or order a take away but if I have my chicken/fish/veg cooked already then I'm good to go.

3. Accept good days and bad days...try your best. And be happy with that. Everyone has their bad days but just accept them and move on. Don't let guilt from one or two bad days snowball into a few bad weeks/month/years (in my case!)

4. Set a fitness goal. I downloaded couch to 5k on my phone! I couldn't run 100m but now I'm able to do 5k quite comfortably and I'm now building up to a 8k run in november. It obviously doesnt have to be running. Walking the dogs, swimming, a sport are all great too. Just make sure you set a goal.

5. Believe in yourself and never be afraid to ask for help.

All the best,
chloe x

KelseyBee2014

It sounds like starting on MFP could help you a lot since you are already active. Just keep doing what you are doing, but eating healthier. And I don't mean clean eating. I'm three months in and I've lost just under 27 pounds without clean eating. Just watch and track your eating, stay under a calorie deficit and you SHOULD lose weight!

Feel free to add me!