Really finding this harder than I thought!!

pseel42

I'll try to keep this brief!!

I LOVE food!! I mean REALLY LOVE food!! I am having such a hard time changing my lifestyle. There are so many reasons to change but I am stubborn, depressed, and feel totally alone.

I want to walk but hate walking alone and honestly, I don't have any friends (other than facebook & here) that I can walk with!! I use excuses all the time like "my fibromyalgia is keeping me from moving". Basically I'm lazy and I need help.

I am currently unemployed (hence the depression) and can't afford therapy/meds.

I'm feeling utterly hopeless and alone! Wish I had friends that lived closer!!

Ok, that's long enought! Thanks for "listening"

Paula :embarassed:

MikMont

Hey fellow food lover!

It gets easier - the bright side of your situation is that if your friends lived closer, they'd probably be inviting you out to eat & drink all the time, making your journey that much harder.

Take advantage of your unemployed time - if you work out & eat right, it wont be like this part of your life was a waste of time. It will be the period you changed your life rather than the period you were unemployed.

The hardest part to me isn't walking, its the getting up part. You will get through this though!

stfuriada

I LOVE food!! I mean REALLY LOVE food!!

Me too, me too.

Yknow a lot of people make friends if they walk/jog along the same path enough times. Just try that for a while and you might find people.

duhblond

Hi
I can understand your love of food
But eating healthy does not mean sacrificing on taste.
You can do this.
Joining mfp is great and I hope you will find the support you need.
Start using a music player for your walks, or walk at home for a sitcom you love and you can not watch it again until your next walk... it will give you something to look forward to
You can also find fun workouts like belly dancing so that you get some variety and it might help your exercise more.
I hope you find some happiness and I wish you the very best on your weight loss journey,
Feel free to add me if you want - I'm on everyday

Rachellynnb28

Truth which you've been told is it gets easier. Some days are tough and I want to give up too but I know I have "giving up" on myself for 4 years. There comes a point where we realize that we need to put ourselves first and get healthy then our bodies and minds with be healthy and in the right place as well. Keep your head up and I know you can do it. Even though we are far away we are still with you every step of the way.

moniraq

I'm pretty damned lazy and I usually HATE exercising so I really had to work at finding something I like. In my case, I found I really enjoy water-jogging and was even happier when I found out it burned a good amount of calories. There's bound to be some public pools that are free or low cost to go to. Grab your towel and head to a pool. Even if you only start with treading water for 10 or 15 minutes, it's good, low impact movement that involves your whole body. Reward yourself with some nice outdoor reading time and I'll bet you'll find someone to talk to while you're there.

The hardest part is making yourself get up and go. I know if I don't make myself move and get going, I'll give up and it's all downhill from there. Good luck and hang in there.

MaybeAMonkey

I'm a food lover too! I'll admit that I didn't give up any foods I love, I just eat the things I love in moderation and make sure I get some extra workouts in to help burn those off when I do indulge. You can do this, there is an entire community of people on MFP here to support you! If you've got a smartphone, MP3 player or something similar you can load up some of your favorite music, put in your headphones and go for a walk. I see lots of people in my neighborhood and in my mom's neighborhood in Ohio that are walking with their music. If you're a member of a church or community center you can ask the ladies if anyone wants to walk with you several times a week, I'm sure there are people near you who would love a walking partner and new friend. If you want to workout in the privacy of your own home I recommend finding some dvds or Youtube videos that challenge you. I started with the 30 Day Shred and love it. Good luck & feel free to add me, I'm usually on MFP in the afternoons.

ramgi

Hi sweetie pie! Do you like workout dvds? Have you tried Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds. That way you're inside and you'll be safe. I love food too! You are not alone. I'm here for you!

Ramgi

starla5881

You might try to find out if there are any cheap or free exercise classes or fitness groups in your area. I wouldn't even be on MFP if I hadn't attended a $3 Zumba class with my aunt. Through that, I learned about a free boot camp that met on the off-days from Zumba. And then, because I was already working out and taking better care of myself, I decided to try MFP. And now, I have a local support network, as well as my friends on MFP, and the tools I need to change my life for the better.
And believe me, I understand where you're coming from. I also suffer from depression and anxiety, and until several weeks ago I was also unemployed. I know how hard it is. But remember, your diet and exercise are things that you CAN control, unlike so many other things in life. Take this step forward. It'll put you one step closer to where you want to be.

beebee0925

All the food lovers say I -- LOL. I think the general consensus is that we all love food and we all get depressed at times and don't feel like doing and I know I make a lot of mistakes. But if you just stay in the game and don't give up through the hard times it will get better. And to be honest I don't really log my eating and exercise like I should but I would have given up a long time ago if not for my fitness pal. If not for just the motivation alone. There are so many people who are further along than you and those who are right there in the same boat with you and it helps me to keep on keeping on. You can friend me if you like.

carriparton

I am definitely a foodie!!! And I hate walking. I have only been on MFP for a week and a half now. My only advice is just get started. Doesn't have to be for hours each day at the highest speed possible. I am dealing with some pain myself. But honestly, once I get onto the treadmill, after those first few minutes of "I really don't want to do this," I get into it and start making small goals for myself, ex. I am going to walk a mile, I am going to up the pace for 5 minutes, etc. Feel free to friend me if you want. Not that this is necessarily true, but I find myself making different decisions knowing that my friends on here will be able to see what I do. That is kind of a kick in the pants motivator for me. I don't want to feel like I let any of them down!!!

sabrinamunin

You can do this!!! It is difficult, but possible. Just take it one day at a time and don't give up! If you are really craving something, try a smaller portion of it maybe, but don't beat yourself up - enjoy it. Just take each day as it comes. Walking is good, but maybe also look into workout videos if you think you might enjoy them. Mix things up and keep it fun if you can!

And I need to take my own advice. I've been OK on the eating, but haven't so much as walked in over 2 weeks now I think...

craig1970

I LOVE food!! I mean REALLY LOVE food!! I am having such a hard time changing my lifestyle. There are so many reasons to change but I am stubborn, depressed, and feel totally alone.

Hey Paula, you did a great thing by joining MFP. If the fantastic people on here can't motivate, support and advise you then I'll eat my hat, with ketchup of course.
Let me just say a few facts about changing your lifestyle.
You don't have to eat less, you just have to eat smart. Within a few days of really watching what you eat, you should feel like you don't need to eat so much. I used to eat thousands of calories per day of what I call empty calories. Now I live and thrive on 2000 calories because I eat smart.
Exercise is addictive, it makes you feel good about yourself and once you start working out everyday, you'll never want to miss a day! This is a great tool to battle depression. Trust me, I've been there too.

Feel free to add me, I have a great network of friends on here who are here for the long haul and I'm on here daily.
When you find the motivation to make some progress the momentum will carry you forwards and you'll never look back.

Good luck, Craig x

TheArmadillo

I love food.

So instead of spending ages creating (and enioying) unhealthy foods I turned that energy towards researching healthier recipes and styles of cooking, adapting recipes I loved and finding new ones. I eat even tastier foods now, more variety, and nicer looking than I used to. And I still spend as much time cooking and looking up recipes. The only thing that is missing is the guilt after eating lol.

Also I started just by walking everywhere (I don't have a car which makes it easier admittedly as I don't have a choice). Once I got fitter I then added more exercise but only stuff I could do at home and stuff that I enjoyed.

Step by step and little by little make permanent changes. Don't try to do it all at once. And we all slip up occassionally, its a case of getting back up and starting again.

MrsSexton2013

I LOVE food today.. so much so today that instead of my gym visit at 4 pm with my hubby to be, I want to go to chick fil a for an 8 piece order of nuggets Keep your eye on the long term goal.. you can do this. PS... I HATED exercising in April when I joined my gym. In June (after a foot injury caused by nothing but my fatness, I'm sure) I LOVE it and live for visits.. feeling much better. Eventually, as your inches drop and your weigt drops and you can see your mood is better, you'll love exercising Good luck!

samanthaspears

Try meetup.com, there are a lot of exercise groups that form through there, and usually people are really friendly and cool.

athminbri

Is there a park nearby? You could just walk around the park and meet people there. Or if there are any hike/bike trails in your area. I absolutely hate cardio of almost any kind. So what I do is listen to an audiobook on my mp3 player. Music doesn't really motivate me to go workout because I listen to music all the time anyway (I don't watch TV at all, except for True Blood!) I only listen to the audiobook when I workout. It also helps if you stop it at a really suspenseful part. Then, I am excited to get on the treadmill or elliptical to see what happens next.

I love food too. I still eat all of the things that I enjoy: spaghetti and meatballs, cheese, french toast, fajitas, etc. The big difference is that now I measure everything, substitute for healthier items, and eat less of it. Instead of having 3 fajitas loaded with cheese and sour cream on a flour tortilla, I use whole wheat tortillas, avocado, and less cheese. And only have 1 with a side salad or low-cal soup to fill me up.

With depression, the main thing that has helped me is knowing my weaknesses and finding a way to prevent them from controlling me. I signed my daughter up for swim lessons at my gym. So now even when I want to talk myself out of going, I can't. I still have to go for her, and end up working out while I am there. I gave up sodas completely. Now I drink Fuze Slenderize or Vitamin Water Zero in addition to my water.

I know it is hard with depression, but stick with it. Once you start losing weight, you will gain more confidence. When that happens, you will start meeting more people. Oh, one more thing. Is there a community center where you live? Our community center has classes just about every day. Everything from pottery to belly dancing to yoga. And they are very affordable.

Good luck with your journey. Feel free to add me if you want.

Connie

angelicahinkle

I am in the same boat. I dont have many people I hang out with especially since me and my fiance have moved. I have been unemployed since march which is making it harder to meet people. My fiance hasnt caught on to getting healthy yet even though we both need to. So I dread going walking or jogging because he just sits here it is so easy just to say oh I will just go tomorrow. I need people to keep me motivated

ygrevilla

Apparently you are not alone, everyone on here is stuggling as well and we may not be near by to go walk with you but we are here to support you. When you go walk pop in some ear phones and JAM out sing like a crazy person if you have to lol, thats what I do. Also I read on someones post earlier, if you did have your friends around they may be asking you to go eat or hang out and drink so see it as a sign. I hope you get to feeling better and maybe look into church near by that may be able to help you get to know more people that you may encourage to also start changing their lives you never know you may become someones savior health wise.

Emancipated_Tai

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Guilty of being a FOODIE!! :drinker:

However, you have to decide what you want more in life. Being fit and healthy, or depressed and flabby. We can offer motivation, but nobody but you can put forth the effort to do it.

You say your unemployed, so you should have plenty of time in the day to do at least 30 minutes of physical activities. Exercise isn't always fun, but put on your big girl pants, suck it up and go out for a walk! Take an MP3 with you and jam out to your favorite songs.

For me, it took 3 months of not losing any weight to get the wake-up call. I was half azzing this process until I decided that if I didn’t put in serious effort I would gain all my weight back. I did research on how to properly lose weight, found out how many calories I should be eating (because I wasn’t eating enough, so I would binge at times due to hunger), and start to vary my workouts.

My biggest suggestion for you is to make a list of all your favorite foods that are healthy. This will give you a baseline for healthy items that you can consume. Also make a list of foods that are not so healthy but you refuse to live without. Make a balance of the two list. Also, try new foods. I have come to find a lot of the things I said I would never eat I eat all the time now! This has GREATLY helped me get out of plateau. Although I love fish, chicken breast, peanut butter and cottage cheese, I WILL NOT live without ice cream and McDonald’s cookies.. period! Don’t deny yourself of food, just be more conscience about what you consume. Good luck!

all4my3boyz

Well Said MikMont!

Pimpmonkey

we all love food..yum yum yum!!!!!! I have a 12ft by 39 inch pool. I look like goofball but I get up at 2pm everyday and wake myself up by getting in my little bitty pool and jogging for 20-30 minutes. I feel alive. I know it's not much but it's something every day and on the days I'm off work, I walk. I put on my mp3 player and strike out! Some days are slower than others but you just have to get out the door. The rest is the easy part. I buy bright colored workout clothes to motivate me too...I love flouresent colors! They make me want to get up and move!