Accountability is the answer!

Steph70508

Warning! This may make a few people mad...
In my lifetime I have weighed well over 250lbs (while pregnant). I am currently holding strong at 130lbs. I have to say the ONLY way I have been able to not ever be that heavy again is to REALLY hold myself accountable. When I have started to gain back weight it was because I was eating too much, plain and simple.

I have given birth to 4 children. Being pregnant didn't get me fat, eating too much when I was pregnant did.
I have been on different antidepressants and gained weight, because I was eating too much.
I have hypothyroidism and guess what...it didn't cause me to gain any weight!
Birth control pills also did NOT cause me to gain weight.
I believe that if you keep making excuses and blaming others, pregnancy, and medications for your weight gain and not holding YOURself accountable for YOUR OWN actions you will never be successful at losing weight and being healthy.

Sherry41

I agree with you!!!

MB_Positif

Love it! I have been able to admit to myself all of the mistakes I made to gain weight! It was hard, but it was all me...and even though I have been at this for only two months I shudder when I think of the amount of food I used to eat!

Roukie

I agree with you as well, we are our own worst enemies. It's when you come to that point in your life that you are able to lose the weight and it's not a battle but an achievable challenge! That's where i'm at and it's a great place to be!

tracyb1227

Completely agree!! That is why I really like mfp it is the first time I have actually paid attention to what is going in my mouth.

stephanielynn76

Preach it Sista!!!! Miss ya btw...

stephanielynn76

And just so y'all know... Stephanie was totally my inspiration. I saw her transformation and was so amazed and so proud of her. She's the bomb... Just sayin'

AmoreCouture

I have been pregnant and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism almost three years ago, and I know most of my weight gain was due to my very unactive lifestyle and eating fast/junk food too much.

The worst thing you can do is get comfortable blaming it on other things. We all want an excuse as to why we are overweight, but sometimes we have to eat some humble pie and admit that most it is because we are not eating healthy and not exercising.

I absolutely believe I can be fit just like anyone else if I work hard at it, just like anyone else has to, and I don't want a disorder defining me.

Good post!

Steph70508

@ Stephanie...miss ya too girlie! and TY for the compliment!

ams89073

I do agree accountability is the main thing. Yet, I cannot say birth control had nothing to do with my weight gain. However, I did use it as an excuse. I was always very tiny, and I loved it. My metabolism was amazing, so I could eat anything I wanted and stay between 105-108 lbs. without exercise. Yet, I was NOT healthy. I got a stitch in my side just from a short run down a sidewalk. These past two years after birth control I have gained between 15-20 lbs. I know it was the meds because nothing else about my lifestyle had changed. No I"m not fat, I know other people struggle more than me. I kept waiting for the weight gain to stop, until I realized it wouldn't. This website has helped me acknowledge how many calories I was really eating. I now stop myself from eating a brownie just for its taste. Food is just food. It needs to be nourishment. Birth control made me gain weight, but I never would have started eating better and exercising if my body looked the way it did before. This tummy pooch and cellulite made me take a look at my lifestyle. I hope to look the way I did before AND be healthy. Good luck to everyone on here! I don't know any of you, but I'm proud of y'all. I know how hard it is to lose weight as I'm only trying to lose a little and it's hard sometimes. Don't give up!

Lexie71

I have to say the best thing for me is not just to be honest with myself but to be honest without judgement and with acceptance. I can compare what my best friend eats (skinny *****...in a loving way) to what I eat and say she definately eats way more than I do and doesn't gain a pound. Lucky her. I can't do that. Is that my "fault"? No. It isn't a "fault" at all. It is just biology and I can only work with what I have....much as I envy her! I make my own choices every moment of every day and every decision can impact my life positively or negatively.

callipygianchronicle

Behavior and choices are the only things that have made us whatever weight we are. And so it always will be. We can reflect on the past, but we cannot change it. We cannot even change the water we did or did not drink and hour ago. The only thing that matters is what choices we make in this moment. Everyone has obstacles. If we cannot eliminate them, we work within them.

For three years I was stuck, thinking my body was incapable of ever being anything but achy and soft. I dwelled on what I didn’t have and was completely blind to my own capabilities. Three weeks ago, I did a headstand in yoga class after 8 weeks of training. That’s what I was capable of, when I stopped focusing on all of the ways my body had been damaged by excess weight, childbirth, and surgery.

Lexie71

Good luck to everyone on here! I don't know any of you, but I'm proud of y'all. I know how hard it is to lose weight as I'm only trying to lose a little and it's hard sometimes. Don't give up!
[/quote]

Good for you! And your "little" can be just as hard to lose as my "a lot". As a matter of fact, the heavier you are the faster it can usually come off at first. Don't sell yourself short!! Loved your positive post!

Steph70508

Medications may increase your appetite, but only you can control whether or not you put the food in your mouth. My fiancee frequently buys unhealthy snacks and cooks high fat foods. I often get angry at him because he does this and it tempts me to eat these things. While I stick with the fact that it is inconsiderate of him to do this, ultimately it is up to me whether I CHOSE to succumb or not...we are the only ones accountable for our actions.

Steph70508

Oh, and I am definitely not saying its hard to resist temptations. I know it is! When it comes to sweet treats, my willpower seems non existent. All of us are human and will slip up from time to time. We just have to stop, realize we slipped up and refocus. Don't get bogged down on the guilt. Make your next meal after the slip up be an extra healthy one and add some time to your next workout session. All of us can do this!!

RatBoyGL

It's a hard message to hear, but, it's the truth.

oreyna49

I agree with that...no forces you to eat bad, you decide all by yourself. Decisions, decisions, decisions....fries or salad, burger or grilled chicken, coke or unsweet tea, go for a walk or sit and watch tv...you decide your fate. After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting I decided enough was enough. I find that losing weight isn't difficult...the hard part is keeping it off for good. That's where I hope this site will help me lead a healthier lifestyle and most of all "hold me accountable for my decisions." I'm looking for motivational friends to help me on this journey...Feel free to add me as I could use all the support I can get.

bugnbeansmom

I was just thinking the same thing! I was looking at the last 10 years or so and trying to figure out how got here. BC, Hypothyroid, several pregnancies, 5 months of bed rest, blah blah blah blah. Here is the truth. I stopped giving a crap! I let myself eat fast food at 11 pm and called that dinner. I drank all that soda. I ate the candy bars and I chose to let my active lifestyle go. No one but me. But...... I woke up 88 days ago and cleaned out the fridge of all items that I knew I did not need. I chose to put one foot infront of the other. I chose to show my children a better way to live. I chose to choose me for my kids! Again all my choices! I guess the thing is you can't lay blame then take the credit! I have chosen to accept both and that is why I feel better, look better, and am enjoying my life again!

kacarter1017

Warning! This may make a few people mad...
In my lifetime I have weighed well over 250lbs (while pregnant). I am currently holding strong at 130lbs. I have to say the ONLY way I have been able to not ever be that heavy again is to REALLY hold myself accountable. When I have started to gain back weight it was because I was eating too much, plain and simple.

I have given birth to 4 children. Being pregnant didn't get me fat, eating too much when I was pregnant did.
I have been on different antidepressants and gained weight, because I was eating too much.
I have hypothyroidism and guess what...it didn't cause me to gain any weight!
Birth control pills also did NOT cause me to gain weight.
I believe that if you keep making excuses and blaming others, pregnancy, and medications for your weight gain and not holding YOURself accountable for YOUR OWN actions you will never be successful at losing weight and being healthy.

Amen

Jennyzfit

BUMP

emrogers

This is so true.
I think there comes a point in our lives, well I'll say mine, that we STOP making excuses. Mine ran out a few years back when my only child turned about 9 and I thought, I can NO longer say, I'm fat because I have a kid. Plus. That's NOT an excuse.
I am currently struggling right now to lose one pound and althoug its super frustrating for me, I'm exhuasting all possibilties to find out what I'm doing wrong; because in the end I refuse to stay fat forever.
Accountability is only one reason I have been this way forever; until I finally decided that I will no longer live like this.
Great post.