Am tired of struggling

KathlynR

I am tired of struggling with weight loss. Found this site through a friend of a friend on FB. I am 63, overweight and out of shape. Weight has always been a struggle for me. Right now I need to lose about 35 lbs. I want to lose weight in a healthy way and realize I can't do it alone. Weight watchers or other groups like that are out of the question - my finances won't allow it.
One of my biggest problems is I like to eat bad-for-me foods. I have never been a big veggie eater but am trying.
The only two times in my life In really lost weight was when I was young and wanted to join the Army - went on a starvation diet - I lost enough to pass the entrance physical, but quickly put the pounds back on. The other time was when I had Graves disease and my thyroid went haywire.

I am a substitute teacher and want to also get more physically active too.

K

Suzy12

I like your honesty!! You can do this! I am 58 and also sub-teach, as well as other jobs. Instead of saying "I don't like veggies" try narrowing it down. I don't like radishes for instance. Then you'll probably happen on some veggies you really DO like (no, I don't mean potatoes) LOL. Same thing with fruit. You'll find a balance in the things you really do like. And I firmly believe there is NOTHING I have to "give up." If we do eat out, we share a dessert. Or I'll take a couple of bites of hubby's and truly taste it. There....I'm satisfied.

I also found that when I started really watching the carbs, the weight was coming off. And I got to eat cheese, and I love cheese!! So I feel like I'm cheating a bit, but my cal #'s are usually fine.

I tried to stop thinking of this as a negative thing, e.g. "I can't have this, I can't have that." And turned it to more positive. "I am worth this because I really love my grandkids and want to be around to see them AND be able to keep up with them."

Bottom line - WE'RE WORTH IT!!!

Janworkingitout

Kathlyn, you sound just like me when I started! I'm 51 and have never been successful at dieting. I ate a lot of foods that were bad for me and was frankly lazy and hated exercise. I had no money for weight watchers or expensive diet aids.
MFP is perfect for people like us! It really boils down to calories in/calories out (activities, exercise). I started a little bit at a time, one day at a time, not just to diet, but to change my life. Since July 2010 I've lost over 60 lbs and feel great, I have control of my life again! I'll be glad to add you as a friend to encourage and support you through your journey.

Janworkingitout

I like your honesty!! You can do this! I am 58 and also sub-teach, as well as other jobs. Instead of saying "I don't like veggies" try narrowing it down. I don't like radishes for instance. Then you'll probably happen on some veggies you really DO like (no, I don't mean potatoes) LOL. Same thing with fruit. You'll find a balance in the things you really do like. And I firmly believe there is NOTHING I have to "give up." If we do eat out, we share a dessert. Or I'll take a couple of bites of hubby's and truly taste it. There....I'm satisfied.

I also found that when I started really watching the carbs, the weight was coming off. And I got to eat cheese, and I love cheese!! So I feel like I'm cheating a bit, but my cal #'s are usually fine.

I tried to stop thinking of this as a negative thing, e.g. "I can't have this, I can't have that." And turned it to more positive. "I am worth this because I really love my grandkids and want to be around to see them AND be able to keep up with them."

Bottom line - WE'RE WORTH IT!!!

Suzy12 you are so right!

KathlynR

AH YES The carbs! I could give up chocolate in a heartbeat if I had to - but give me those carbs! K

KathlynR

Thank you jg (and that is one of my favorite scripture quotes too!)

mercedes160

Well you came to the right place, there is a lot of motivation here,, what you need to do is make sure your Diary is available at times your friends will review your Diary just to see what you are eating, then give some suggestions if you want. JUs try to stay under your calorie goal that you set for yourself, there may be some days when you don't and that is okay, another thing you need to do is to add you some friends, I am going to send you a friends request

Suzy12

Apparently I felt strong enough about it to post it twice! :embarassed:

Suzy12

AH YES The carbs! I could give up chocolate in a heartbeat if I had to - but give me those carbs! K

It's only the hardest the first week. I had a bit of a headache was all. I go very very low carb on Monday-Friday. On Saturday and Sunday I get my linguine with Pesto and a nice baked potato with my Sunday steak (red meat day).

I'm full, satisfied and losing....give 'er a go!!! And thanks!!

KathlynR

TY Mercedes

gatorflyer

First of all, welcome and congratulations for finding MFP. I too have struggled with weight all of my life and have had sporadic success, untimately regaining the weight. I am committed to making some changes in my life, changes that I hope I will continue to maintain even after I reach my goal weight. I think the thing that I have learned most from this experience is that it IS a change of lifestyle. The idea of just losing a certain amount of weight for a particular occasion or event is almost a recipe for failure. The reason I say this is when doing things like starving yourself or other quick fix kind of dietary solutions, you really aren't learning anything. I think the first thing that needs to happen when trying to deal with "struggling with weight loss" is to first acknowledge that it is a perpetual problem. Just cuz the weight goes away doesn't mean the problem does. So, learning new ways of dealing with the struggle is truly the key to getting control of it, in my opinion.

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

As far as the vegetables go, I understand where you are coming from. If there are a few you can tolerate, then regularly incorporate them into your meals. Also, rememeber that if you totally take away the things that are bad for you, that will only make you crave them more. So, I say reduce them, and maybe eventually you will be able to cut them out and not crave them. This is a good opportunity to start practiving portion control. reduce the amount that you eat per meal. Also, if you drink any sodas, this is a good opportunity to cut them out or at least reduce them. Drink lots and lots of water. Not only does it clean out your system, but it also helps curb hunger. Reduce your salt intake, as high salt tends to counteract weight loss.

As far as exercise goes, honestly it doesn;t matter so much WHAT you do as much as actually doing. For me, I was really surprised to see how much walking has helped with my weight loss. I started out small, but now incorporate walking during my lunch break, whenever I can. I also love swimming, so I swim laps, and I bought an elliptical machine, which I tend to alternate with the walking. The point is, 30 minutes a day is a good amount of time to start with exercise, and you don't even have to exercise every day.

Also, make sure to set realistic goals for yourself. 1 pound a week is very realistic, whereas 2 or more can be really hard to achieve and can lead to you being discouraged and feeling like you aren't successful.

Sorry that this was so long, but just wanted to touch base and give you some ideas of things that have worked for me and several people here on MFP. You will find that this is a very supportive site and there are lots of good resources that can help with your weight loss goals. Ask for help when you need it. There are lots of very knowledgable folks here that are more than happy to help.