Does anyone else have hundreds of pounds to lose?
Replies
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Hello there!
First of all congratuations on your commitment to your health.
It's definitely a process of learning and growing.
I have lost about 125 pounds and still have about 80 pounds to go.
I've not had the gastric bypass surgery.
My sister has, and was a good strategy for her.
I don't know if I can add any more than what has been said.
I think that just taking one day at a time---finding what works for you, and finding what support you need would be my advice.
Each person's journey is so different.
I do sincerely wish you the best.
Warm regards,
Fabulocity.0 -
Here I go again. I have taken this journey two other times in my life. Both times after giving birth I dropped 50 lbs. Whilst I do not have a 100 lbs to lose It is a significant amount and pretty close to it. Since quitting smoking and a couple rounds of depression I have ballooned up to 247. My goal is reach 190 again so I can fit into all those beautiful clothes I have hanging in my closet. My experience with food has been a love affair of sorts. I love to cook and create and EAT. I also understand non stop eating. I could feel my body becoming a eating machine. The more I ate the more I could digest. I have just recently been looking at photos of myself when I was in my 20's. I remember thinking how fat I was back then when the reality was I was hot! Now I'm pushing 50 and my metabolism seems to have come to a complete stop. I will however not let that deter me from achieving my goal and living and eating the way I want to. That means I must exercise and exercise in order to enjoy the food I want. So far I have dropped 12 lbs in 4 weeks. So here I go again.
Congrats on losing 12 pounds in 4 weeks, that's awesome. I too look at old photos of when I thought I was so fat and I'm really not and would give anything to be that size again. The good thing is, we both WILL get there again. I'll be rooting for you.
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I'm just getting started and planning to lose about 1/2 of me (about 130 pounds). I would love to both be supportive and have your support as well. So let's be friends!0
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yes I need to loose at least 1000
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My two cents on the psychology side of things. You have to get to a point where you realize and more importantly, ACCEPT that should you begin a journey toward a healthier life, it will take YEARS. Not weeks or months. You have a lot of weight to lose. At best, if you are diligent and maintain control, you might lose 100 LBS in the first year. That is less than 10 LBs per month. I've been at it for close to 2 years now. A lot of people who fail, do so because they do not see the results they want, and foolishly believe they can achieve, in a short enough period of time.
People around here throw the term "lifestyle change" around all the time. It seems a bit cliche, but it is absolutely on point. You have to change your entire attitude, not just about food and exercise, but about the fullness of your life.0 -
There are many here who have lost over 200lbs. Well not many, but they're around. EdDavenport lost 311lbs without surgery. I have a new friend who lost 208lbs without surgery.
Notice how you said, "the weight comes back just as quick as i take it off." That's the problem. The problem is "quick " stop trying for quick weigt loss. Take your time, take it slow, The longer it takes you to take it off, the stronger your habits will be for weight loss. Habits and time are related. If you lost weight quickly you haven't built the habits to keep it off.
Wow, that is awesome!!! And you are completely right. That is what I'm doing this time...small changes over time, rather than trying to do everything at once and failing. Thank you for reminding me. 0 -
I have at least 100 to lose but I am up for the challenge and know that many people have done it and I can too. I quit smoking 6 1/2 years ago, cold turkey, while my husband and everyone I know continues to smoke to this day. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, and to this day sometimes I get the urge, I guess just from habit and then remember how my husband often smells like an ashtray when he comes in from outside after smoking and realize that I will never go back to that.....LOL I want to feel proud of myself again for doing something I know most people think is almost impossible. I love it when I say I quit smoking and I WANT more than anything to say I lost a hundred pounds. I know you can do it and I am here anytime need encouragement. Nicki 0
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^^^^ THis! you have to make sustainable life style changes!! Even when you get to your goal weight, you are not "there". I lost 128lbs 9 years ago and now I am on MFP trying to lose it again... now focusing on making permanent changes and altering my food trying to figure out what will work for me long term.
If it were easy, the diet industry wouldn't exist...I keep having to remind myself that. Little changes every day to break old habits and learn new ones. We CAN do this!!!0 -
yes i have alot to lose, but i try to go in sizes now as I foung I was getting obsessive about my scales! took me a long time but they are history and I weigh myself some where else once a week or so, I have gone from squeezing into a size 32 to a 26 and will be in 24s soon i hope(looking to be 18). I gave up dieting as such and concentrated on eating healthier, I didnt have a plan but have gradually become vegiterian. One of my main problems was cheese(still is really) I have found some interesting vegan alternatives although I still slip some times. This sight is giving me an insite into the amount of calories and nutriants in what i am eating. I wish you well in your weight loss and hope something I said helps. good luck, nell
Thank you and congrats on you shrinking sizes. That's a good way to look at things. I try to only weigh once a week (since I know we can flucuate so much from day to day and that would drive me insane), but I also take my measurements. I think sometimes seeing those numbers change is even more exciting.
P.S. Cheese is amazing, hahaha. 0 -
Any time you're feeling sad/anxious/overwhelmed/snacky, go take a walk... even if for five minutes, it gives you some power back over your emotions and makes you feel better and more in control.
Best of luck to you. :flowerforyou:
Thank you for your kind words and this is a great idea! I didn't even think about that...I am definitely an emotional eater, so the next time I feel like turning to food I'm going to get out and get some fresh air!0 -
Yes, over 100 to lose. I've lost 21 in a little less than 3 months. Sending you a friend request. Anyone that wants to add me, feel free just send a message with your request so I know where you found me. Thanks and good luck!0
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I too have had success with WLS as a tool. I have managed to keep off 240 pounds lost. But I have learned that the surgery does not fix our heads. Whatever method you use to lose weight you have to fix the mind, head, or heart before you can succeed at keeping the weight off.
Congrats on keeping off 240 pounds, that is AWESOME!!! And very inspiring. And yes, I have learned that I really need to not just focus on the weight alone, but on the issues that caused me to turn to food and got me to this point. It's a struggle, but one I know will be worth it.0 -
really want to join you on your journey!
Thank you for the support. 0 -
I do I'm 5ft0 and am supposed to weigh around 129 I used to weigh 260 now i weigh 244, the journey is going to be long but we can do this0
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Good luck on your journey. After reading through this thread, it sounds like portion control is one of your issues. Mine too. Due to the nature of my job (fundraising), I have to eat out a lot and I was having a hard time judging portions. I found this book very helpful: "The Portion Teller" by Lisa Young. It gives you ways to vision portions on the go (a deck of cards is a portion of meat, a dice is a 1oz of cheese, etc).
http://portionteller.com/
Yes, portions are a huge issue for me, especially since I don't have that switch to tell me I'm full. If I don't really pay attention I can eat and eat and eat. Thank you for the info, I'll definitely check it out.0 -
I don't have 100+ to lose but I'd still like to say hello and welcome! I hope MFP can help you reach your goal. Just take it one day at a time, a few pounds at a time. Set realistic goals and just do your best to eat healthy. There will be good weeks and not so good weeks. If you don't always see a drop on the scale don't let that stop you.
Thank you! Congrats on your success so far and on being near your goal...very exciting!!!0 -
No diet will work, as you have learned.
So when you are starting on this journey, you need to accept that what you are doing is not a "diet", is a way of life.
Can you be on Nutrisystem for the rest of your life? Would it be healthy for you? The answer is no. So even if you do loose that way, you know what comes next.
But eating healthy food, tracking what you eat, and being very active is a lifestyle choice. That is the same lifestyle that you will have after you loose the weight (except you can eat at maintenance level instead of a calorie deficit level). But I think the impatience derails many people from this sensible plan. The "I want this weight gone now, no matter what I have to do, as fast as possible" attitude can be dangerous. It is almost as people are willing to make enormous sacrifices in the short term, with kind of the expectation that they can go back to having a "normal" life after they are done and enjoy the fruits of their labor. But what really needs to happen, is for a person to re-define "normal".0 -
You can do this; I think about food all the time!!
when i was 430 went to Doctor to discuss surgery.
Started slowly, added MFP; logged everything (good or bad) sometimes I lost sometimes I plateaued. added exericse
28 monhs later 126 down!
Its one day at a time but you can make it happen!!0 -
bump0
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Hello there!
First of all congratuations on your commitment to your health.
It's definitely a process of learning and growing.
I have lost about 125 pounds and still have about 80 pounds to go.
I've not had the gastric bypass surgery.
My sister has, and was a good strategy for her.
I don't know if I can add any more than what has been said.
I think that just taking one day at a time---finding what works for you, and finding what support you need would be my advice.
Each person's journey is so different.
I do sincerely wish you the best.
Warm regards,
Fabulocity.
Thank you and congrats on your success so far...keep up the good work!!!0 -
There are two aspects of disordered eating--physical and spiritual.
The physical aspect is leptin-resistance. Obesity experts say that every obese person has leptin-resistance whether or not they have yet developed insulin-resistance. In fact, their studies have revealed that leptin-resistance typically precedes and predicts insulin resistance. The following are the physical steps that you could take to fight leptin-resistance. The spiritual aspects can be addressed by attending a 12-step program like Overeaters Anonymous. You can find a listing for them in your local phone directory or contacting them on their website for a program near you. Their meetings are free.
The Physical Part
One thought is that it is very likely you have leptin-resistance even if you don't yet have insulin-resistance (in fact, leptin-resistance precedes and predicts insulin-resistance). You are on a likely path to Type II diabetes as well---a very high proportion of those who are "morbidly obese" become insulin-resistant and develop Type II. That must be your motivation---to get healthier---both for yourself and for those who love you. That's tip #1. Post that bit of motivation on your refrigerator and anywhere else in your house that you need a reminder. Remember that losing more slowly, is a better plan as you are less likely to regain. Calculate your TDEE and subtract 1000-500 calories a day from that (that will help you to lose about 2 pounds or 1 pound a week). Since you are pretty big, it is probably safe to go for the 2 pounds a week (1000 calories a day) but as your weight declines, you should go to a 500 calorie-deficit and that will reduce your loss to 1 pound a week. When you get to 20 pounds or less from your goal, you should drop the calorie-deficit to 250 calories a day to reduce your loss to a half-pound per week. If you follow this plan, you will lose all the weight you want to and are much less likely to regain.
When you are maintaining, it is important to "exercise off" any slip-ups or occasional indulgence in your diet. When you go on vacation, step up your exercise to compensate for the higher number of calories but it is very important that you make wise choices while eating out and still log your calories so that you know how much extra you have to exercise to compensate.
#2. The only way to "cure" leptin-resistance and avoid insulin-resistance and Type II, is to follow a sugar-free, lower carb diet (around 100 grams of carbohydrates but reduce the carbs a little if you find that you are still having trouble controlling your appetite). Sometimes, it is useful to reduce carbs to around 20 grams for a couple of weeks to "kick-start" the weight loss but it is VERY important that during this time, you allow yourself to eat as much fat as you want. This will necessitate eliminating all added sugars and any starch in the diet as well as eliminating fruit for that two week period. That will back off your fructokinase hormone production. Once the two weeks is over, you will want to add a serving or two of low-fructose fruit per day (berries or citrus) back into your diet but avoid putting back any added sugar and/or starch. The majority of your carbohydrates, at that point, should be coming from vegetables--doesn't matter what kind. You will want to cut back your fats at that point to keep yourself within your calorie allotment. My fats usually run to about 100 grams per day, some days more, some days less but I always stay within my calorie framework. Once you cut out the empty calories of sugar and starch, you will be surprised with how well and nutritionally you can eat (and how satisfying it is).
# 3. You must exercise. If you have joint problems, then, you will probably want to do as I do, and go to your local public pool for vigorous exercise in the water. They have different programs based on fitness levels. Ours has four different programs. The cardio (a couple of hours a week---but you can start with an hour a week) will help with a lot of what is messed up in your body but the most important part is weight training. It won't hurt to get a couple of lessons from a trainer to learn to lift weights properly. Weight-lifting is amazing for increasing insulin response and helping you to burn calories 24-7---something that cardio does not do.
If you find that you are still hungry, then eat more but make sure that it is nutrient dense food--and continue to pursue your exercise goals, gradually increasing over time. This will work and you will improve your health a lot. I'm about two-thirds of the way toward my goal and I feel SO much better (and I'm a lot older than you---I wish I had had this information when I was your age). smile You CAN lose body fat AND improve your health in the process. Good luck!0 -
My therapist laughed at me and asked if things tick me off more than they used to - I said of course they do. He said that's because I'm not relying on food to take the pain away anymore - I'm learning to deal with things differently.
Sorry for posting a novel - didn't expect it to play out like this. Point is: you can do this. You've done it before, you can do it again - and this time for keeps!!. Hire the right people. If you have to narrow it down due to cost: two people I'd see would be a nutritionist and a therapist - yes, both of them if possible.
For what it's worth, and good luck!!
This really hit home for me. It took me 6 years to lose a hundred pounds. Why? Because I wasn't dealing with the issues that got me obese to begin with. I lost the first 80 pounds quickly, then gained 30 back because I hadn't dealt with my emotional eating. I stayed about the same weight for two years but it was a constant struggle to keep the original 50 pounds off. Eventually I started working through my issues instead of covering them with food and slowly (very slowly) the weigh started to come off.
If I had a therapist, it might not have taken me 6 years to come to terms with my issues with food...
Very good advice and thank you for sharing your story!
To the OP - Lots of good advice and helpful people on MFP. Good luck on your weight loss journey! :flowerforyou:0 -
I started this journey for the first time 3 weeks ago, I started at 270 lbs, today i am at 261....my goal right now is to lose at least 130 lbs....then see how i feel/what i look like at that point in time and go from there. And i can tell you, i definately did the babysteps thing! lol, I was scared to proceed, scared to fail, blah, blah, blah...I have slowly changed almost my whole way of eating, i love finding new recipes to try, and i actually love logging my food everyday and reading all labels, measuring EVERYTHING out and all of that. To me right now, it is alot of fun, and i give myself a goal everyday of how i want that day to look. I started my exercise off with just walking, now im incorporating situps and also as of Friday i bought 2 biggest loser workouts dvds and some hand weights. Let me tell you, they are awesomely hard!! lol! I'm loving it, and i even started using a curl bar yesterday, yay me! Anyone and everything can do this journey as long as they have support and inspiration. Everyday it gets easier and I start feeling better! that is what is keeping me focused and motivitated at the moment! And all the amazing success stories on here
Feel free to add me as a friend and we can help each other through this!0 -
I'm just getting started and planning to lose about 1/2 of me (about 130 pounds). I would love to both be supportive and have your support as well. So let's be friends!
Welcome to you as well! I see you're already down five pounds, that's fantasic!!! 0 -
I'm a bit like you. Have put on loads of weight and tried every diet on this planet. Non have ever worked. So, I've given up trying to diet and I've changed my way of thinking to boot. Trying NOT to binge, eating 80% healthy & 20% not so!
and logging EVERYTHING on here. I've set myself a target of 1lb a week weightloss (started 31.12.12) and am down 17lbs. Not a lot and could have been double but I'm happy going at this slow pace. You can do this. Here to cheer you on :bigsmile: 0 -
yes I need to loose at least 100
Then we can do this together...I have much more than 100 to lose. I will definitely root you on!!! 0 -
My two cents on the psychology side of things. You have to get to a point where you realize and more importantly, ACCEPT that should you begin a journey toward a healthier life, it will take YEARS. Not weeks or months. You have a lot of weight to lose. At best, if you are diligent and maintain control, you might lose 100 LBS in the first year. That is less than 10 LBs per month. I've been at it for close to 2 years now. A lot of people who fail, do so because they do not see the results they want, and foolishly believe they can achieve, in a short enough period of time.
People around here throw the term "lifestyle change" around all the time. It seems a bit cliche, but it is absolutely on point. You have to change your entire attitude, not just about food and exercise, but about the fullness of your life.
Thank you...you are quite right. With how much I have to lose I know this is going to be a long journey and it's not going to happen overnight. Congrats on all your success, that is awesome! 0 -
I have at least 100 to lose but I am up for the challenge and know that many people have done it and I can too. I quit smoking 6 1/2 years ago, cold turkey, while my husband and everyone I know continues to smoke to this day. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, and to this day sometimes I get the urge, I guess just from habit and then remember how my husband often smells like an ashtray when he comes in from outside after smoking and realize that I will never go back to that.....LOL I want to feel proud of myself again for doing something I know most people think is almost impossible. I love it when I say I quit smoking and I WANT more than anything to say I lost a hundred pounds. I know you can do it and I am here anytime need encouragement. Nicki
First off, congrats on quiting smoking cold turkey, that is wonderful! I don't personally smoke, but my boyfriend is trying to quit and I watch him struggle with that. He doesn't need to lose weight, so he watches me struggle with that. I too want to be proud of myself...I want to accomplish this first and foremost for myself, but for other super super morbidly obese people who think they can't do this. Good luck, I know you can do it, we both can! 0 -
Yes, over 100 to lose. I've lost 21 in a little less than 3 months. Sending you a friend request. Anyone that wants to add me, feel free just send a message with your request so I know where you found me. Thanks and good luck!
Added you. Congrats on your success so far...I'll be here rooting you on for the rest!!! 0 -
Been there, done that, you can, too!!!0
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