623lbs, Trying to Get Going Again

luvs_choc8

Congratulations!!! You have definitely come to the right place to succeed. I agree with all the posts that say to take baby steps. The only thing I would add is to be honest with yourself and post everything for at least a week and then take a good look at where you can make changes. Right now I think that you are feeling like you have to give up the comfort that food is giving you and that scares the h*** out of you. I don't think you have to give up anything but instead use moderation when having those comfort foods and in time you will find other healthier foods that will comfort you. This is a process that will take time. Remember there is 100's of people here to support you any time of the day. You are not alone. You are soooooo worth it.

mdraper60

Hi Dani!!
Congrats on making the choice to take control!! MFP is definitely a great source for support. I have found that have friends who check in on me and having everything tracked in my diary has been great for me! Add me if you would like! Always looking to help motivate someone else on their journey as well as work together and learn from eachother!!

lithezebra

Chair exercise might be a good option for you to increase your physical activity and work on mobility, without stressing your joints.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/351431-cardio-exercises-while-restricted-to-a-chair/

Silver82

Dani,

I think it's wonderful that you're starting on the road to recovery. That's what this is for all of us. We are learning to be healthier and happier with who we are. Something I noticed in your message is that you're dreading this "diet". I've learned something recently that really helps that frustrating frame of mind when one faces a change in their eating habits. Rather than -taking away- from yourself, add to your diet. Add good foods, healthier foods, and take it one step at a time. Don't take away anything, just start giving your body better food, healthier options and slowly you'll start to want the good food over the bad food. It's the mind frame of limitation that sends many of us into a spiraling fear of not -having-. Your frame of mind makes all the difference and if you take your time and are gentle with yourself you will have better pay off!

operator646

You have taken the hardest steps by starting and opening up about your feelings. It is soooo... easy to get discouraged but do not give up. What you are doing is a positive thing and with the right tools will get easier. For myself, it was such a help to find foods that I really liked that were low in calories so I never felt like I was giving anything up. I agree with irisheagle post about comfort zone and change. It is really difficult to change old habits, but it can also be exciting to know that you are doing something positive for yourself, maybe for the fisrt time in a long time (speaking from personal experience). I wish you well.:flowerforyou:

mattschwartz01

Good job at being under 4,000 calories! The only advice I have is small, incremental changes. Don't try to do too much too fast! If possible, you may also want to consult a doctor and nutritionist or even seek out a medically-supervised program. I'm on a medically supervised program and it is working wonders so far. I'm 35 days into my program and have lost 28 pounds. Tomorrow is weigh-in. I don't think I could have done it without the accountability and support that my program provides.

girlfromOklahoma

Can I just say that I admire you to post on here with such honesty.

Keep working at it and sticking to your daily goals. Take one day at a time. If you have more good days then bad days you'll start to see that number drop. As it drops, you'll gain momentum. It won't happen overnight and may take quite a bit of time, but just imagine how good you'll feel as you start to lose weight and gain back your health.

I wish you the best of luck. And keep posting here. I'd love to keep up with your journey!

freelancejouster

I'm proud of you for making an effort to get back at this. I know the realization is difficult and hard and takes a long time. My grandmother has lost upwards of 100 pounds several times, now, and I've been right along side for the process. She's kept all but fifteen pounds off this time for what's now been five years.

Have you considered switching your sodas to diet? I've looked at your diary and that alone would cut out about 600 calories and let you continue eating at the rate you have been logging at for some time AND lose weight. If you don't like the taste of diet, I noticed you usually drink 2 sodas at a time, if you switched one and mixed them together, they'll probably taste a lot better than diet soda by itself.

Also, if you start buying salads to eat before a meal, just 20 minutes or so, you will feel a lot fuller a lot sooner without eating nearly as much. If you don't like salad, try different kinds. I don't like ice burg lettuce, but I LOVE spinach. And if you know that you don't like salad, try fruit or something instead.

Another suggestion would be to buy slightly smaller plates and to eat a bit more slowly. This way you can fill your plate - multiple times, but it will be less than you were doing before. You'll also feel full faster

If you adopt any of these techniques, even half the time, it should lower your intake quite a bit and you'll still be able to eat like you had been before!

elainecroft

Do one thing each day - you can do it! For me, the biggest thing is to log log log - even if I don't know perfectly how much I ate or how many calories, I at least log something. This helps me stay accountable to myself.

And keep writing in the forums. There's a fun group of people here, and we will do our best to help you keep focused!

PaytraB

Dania, welcome and congratulations on starting this journey.
As the others have said, take small baby steps at first. This is a life change; not a "diet", so you'll have to find sustainable changes to make. Ask yourself what foods you could learn to live without (or eat much less of) and what changes you'd like to see at the end of your journey. It'll take awhile to get there but with a goal you've got direction and purpose.
Have you thought of how you'd like to burn extra calories throughout the day? Are there easy exercises you can do to increase your calorie burn? Every little bit helps.

Congratulations on being under 4000 calories yesterday! That's awesome!

We're all here to support you along your journey. You can do this.

lucero22

I totally agree with what everyone has been saying. Start with 1 thing at a time. For me I stopped drinking sodas and sugary juices. You can do it!

sevsmom

Lots of people have an emotional attachment to food. LOTS! Perhaps one way to fight the feeling that you're about to "lose" something by making healthier food choices would be to consider all the NEW foods you can try and incorporate. Losing weight is not easy, but with determination and putting one foot in front of the other. . . you'll make progress. And with progress comes a healthier body and. . . . CONFIDENCE!!!!

You ARE strong enough to make this happen!! I wish you much much success!!!

cquintjr

You are actually already at a good start. The most important step is realizing that one needs to do something. Back in 2003, my wife's Dr. told her she had to do something and he recommended she join TOPS(Take Off Pounds Sensibly). We searched the local papers(nowadays one would just go to www.tops.org) and found one near us. She and our daughter joined. For a month, they came home and TOPS does not preach going without anything. Our bodies are complex and need a little of everything so if we are craving something, it may be that there is something in it our body needs. We just need to eat sensibly and in moderation. I did not feel I needed to lose weight but I joined to support her. When I reached my goal weight of 195 in 2005, I had lost 94 3/4 pounds. However, the amount of weight lost is not important. What is important is how much better I felt. I am now 53 and I feel better than I did in my 30's. Over the last two years, we experienced some difficulties and I found that I had put back on some of it, but still I am not where I was. My quality of life is so much better than it was. With the support of TOPS with education, accountability and membe support, combined with tools like MFP, am well on my way back to my best Quality of Life at My Doctor Prescribed Goal weight. I strongly urge you to continue your quest because the result is very worth it.

Sue3510

This is a long and arduous journey. The hardest parts are to start and to pick yourself up again when things don't go well. You are in the process of doing the hardest part.

Do not put unreasonable expectations on yourself. Weight loss is secondary to getting healthy. You will try many things until you find one thatt works. Don't despair. People are here for you, we all know how hard it is. We are all works in progress.

My latest attempt comes out of a TV program I saw on Public Broadcasting. It is Eat, Fast and Live longer by Michael Mosley. It might help you as well. The Fasting he refers to is not a days long stretch without food so it isn't a crackpot scheme as it first appears. You can google the program as it is available on line. It may help.

aimforhealthy

Hey, Dani, I'm gonna add myself to the list of people that are happy to see you reaching out again! You've gotten a lot of good advice. I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite quotes: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." You've already taken that step, so you're on your way, and you are not alone. Feel free to add me as a friend if you want!

HoosierBecky

Hi Dani,

I cannot add to the great advice everyone has offered but can say that we are all behind you 100%. Celebrate the small victories and don't beat yourself up when you stumble. Take it one meal at a time.

For me coming to MFP and reading the encouraging posts helps me a lot. Feel free to add me as a friend if you like.

Greenrun99

Good job at getting motivated to try to lose weight.. it is a long, hard journey for most of us and it will be just as hard for you... but if you keep at it, and stay with it you can lose the weight.

Good job at getting under 4k calories, with your eventual goal to be around 2000 I am guessing? And its all about getting into a habit and changing the way you may eat.

I looked at your diary, and if your really in this for the long haul you need to really change the way your currently eating into a healthier eating pattern.. I hate to be the kid that rains on the parade but sweets, sodas, and little protein isn't going to get you really anywhere you want to be.. More protein, less carbs, and more cooked meals and you will see the scale really drop.. Cut back on the sweets, muffins, and soda and it will drop.. Not saying Never eat the stuff again, but there is self control involved. Also just be in motion, the more you move the more calories you burn even foot tapping whatever.. all helps to get exercise in.

Sorry to be the downer again.

kayla7jackson

Good afternoon,

My heart broke for you when I read your story. It seems as if you want this for yourself but are so confused and hesitant on starting your journey. I can tell you that when I started my weight loss journey I weighed in at 290 pounds, I was depressed and super upset with myself for letting myself get to where I was, although I seemed bubbly and confindent on the outside. I didnt like what I looked like and the mirror made me want to puke. I started with simply logging my food, it makes you realize how much you are eating and when you are making unnecessary choices. Logging food has really kept me on track. After you start getting used to logging your food and are comfortable with the process take the next step and start to exercise. ANYTHING HELPS, even if you just get up and walk around the house. You need to move, get the blood flowing. Finally, make sure you are drinking plenty of water a day! You need to keep hydrated and that will help keep the fluids moving through your body. Also, in reference to drinks, make sure you are logging those as well. When I started logging I would often forget that I was drinking calories as well, and those add up quickly. I know that this is extremely hard and a huge life changing decision but you need to remember that this is to better your health and to ensure you can live a long and healthy life and also to feel good. Nothing feels better than losing that first 10 pounds, it will be such a huge accomplishment. You will have so much support on this website that there is no reason to leave, you can do this! Feel free to add me, I am here for you!

Hope this helps!
Kayla

mygrl4meee

Welcome back! You did the first and one of the hardest steps about losing weight. You been given a lot of good advice from others. Be patient with yourself. Let the weight come off slowly if that's what it takes to make it work.

Momjogger

I can only tell you what has worked for me after struggling with my weight my whole life. You have to do it for your health and future. You can't expect immediate results. You can't restrict your calories too low or YOU WILL OVEREAT! Use the program to help you figure out how much you should be eating and track every day. Exercise and eat back SOME exercise calories - not all. There is nothing wrong with tracking what you really eat to get an idea of how much you usually eat and what got you here. I use to eat between 2300 and 3000 calories a day and when I am having a bad day, I go right back there, but I don't do it every day and that has helped me keep most of my weight off. Take each day as a new one and don't let the day before's screw up mess up today. Watch the processed carbs. More protein and fruit and veggies will keep you from overeating. Good luck and don't give up!

rderrickwhite

I just ran your weight/age through a calorie calculator, and though I don't know your height, your BMR is somewhere around 3400 calories daily. That's a good thing. For now, you can eat at least that and still lose a healthy amount of weight. In fact, even if you are very sedentary, you still burn 4100-4200 calories daily. Actually, by eating as much as you do, you have trained your body to burn a vast amount of calories, so keep that in mind... you don't have to restrict to ridiculous levels to see some results. You just need to bring your intake to less than you're burning by changing up what you're eating.

If you can walk for 10 minutes, 3 times daily, your daily burn goes up to about 4900 calories. If you do that, and can meet a daily calorie goal of about 4000 calories for now, you will begin to see results.

Take every day as an opportunity to learn one new thing - a new recipe, a new way to make a meal that you like with fewer calories, a new realization about why you have been overeating. These are things we ALL have had to learn along the way.

Firstly, I concur with everyone else. Making this big of a change is absolutely admirable, and I think you are very brave. Secondly, the post quoted above is exceptionally sound advice. I would add that if you can, you should go see a doctor and ask for help to set up a plan. If you cannot, just be moderate, be patient, and set a plan that you can actually follow. YOU CAN DO IT! I believe in you.

iLoveMyAR15

Welcome back! You did the first and one of the hardest steps about losing weight. You been given a lot of good advice from others. Be patient with yourself. Let the weight come off slowly if that's what it takes to make it work.

This^^

I wish you all the luck in the world.

Amy106Days

So much great advice here already! Congratulations on making the first step! Use MFP! Log your food, the more you do the easier it gets (you can even copy whole meals from previous days to save typing). Knowledge is key and you have a head start because no on knows you better than you. Read food labels, the more your learn in these early stages the easier this whole journey will be. You can't fill up on the good stuff if you don't first learn what of the foods you like are filling and still good for you. It doesn't have to be all low fat cottage cheese and organically farmed celery unless you love that stuff. To reiterate the posters before... Baby Steps! The quickest way to burn out is too much too soon.

Read up on nutrition and read labels when you shop. Pick the highest fiber most vitamin rich least ingredient package of whatever it is you were going to get anyway.

Eat consciously: Be in the moment enjoying your meal or snack and really enjoy the food. I read this quote "Feed yourself like you feed your friends, you wouldn't invite a friend over for cold noodles over the sink or unheated lasagna while watching tv..why treat yourself this way" paraphrasing and probably misremembering but sometimes when I am failing to follow this advice I catch myself and I imagine my friends receiving their engraved invitation to my found some haloween candy in the junk drawer dinner party ...when did we have fun size baby ruths?

Drink water - water is free!

Move yourself a little more. Even if you just tap your feet while riding in the car or actively shrug your shoulders while waiting in line. Moving is moving and moving is good.

You have made an amazing start ! Best of luck and health to you :flowerforyou:

KellySue67

There has been a lot of really good advise on here for you. I guess the biggest thing I can say is not to consider your change in eating habits as a "diet" (it's a four letter word you know!), but as a lifestyle adjustment. I have lost 28lbs just since the beginning of this year by being more dilligent about how much I eat. I don't necessaryily cut things out, but I eat less of them. It has been helpful for me to weigh, measure and log everything I eat. If you find yourself eating from emotions, it may be helpful to write down how you are feeling when you eat as well.

You can do this!! Once you really get started you will notice that you will start to feel better which is motivation to keep going! :happy:

niseyyd

Hi Dani! I agree with what everyone else said above, and really like the advice of changing just one thing at a time and then adding a change to it each week (even if it's just increasing your water intake or walking by an extra minute each time you walk) and today is as good of day as any to start!

I also wanted to recommend the book "Half-Assed: a weightloss memoir" by Jennette Fulda (she's relatively funny, but has a great story that I think would inspire you!

Good luck and can't wait to hear updates!

ldrosophila

I'm not saying you do, but from my experience, suffering from food addiction is one of the hardest addictions to break. By giving up the binges and quantity you are losing your best friend. It's hard you have to mourn for the death of that friend, and then you have to carry on. Everyday is a struggle and a fight, but as long as you continue to try to fight you will succeed.

EatClean_WashUrNuts

I'll be honest., this short little dude has it right...


Remove the mental obstacle of TRY.
IF YOU WANT IT....GO GET IT.

SuzyLy

Set a series of small goals for yourself, 5 or 10 lbs goals and when you get close to 600, make that your goal to get under 600 lbs, etc. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I have to play games with my own head, like instead of having 5 cookies, have 4. It is tough to think that we have to watch our food intake, after all, why shouldn't we be able to eat what we want, we only live once, but when it gets to a point of toughing it out to do things that "normal" people do, we have to change our lifestyles. Start out by walking to the corner, turning around and coming back, until you work up to being able to walk around the block. I have always loved diet Pepsi, but have read that just the sweetness of it, even being artificial, causes sugar cravings. Try to cut back on your sweets, and eat more proteins & veggies. The proteins will help to fill you up. Thanks for opening up your diary, it reminds me so much of my eating preferences. I'm sure you can do it . . . and I'm routing for you all the way!!!

Calliope610

I haven't read all of the posts, but you seem to have many cheerleaders. What you need is a coach, someone who not only tells you "YOU CAN DO IT!!!" but tells you HOW TO DO IT.

Yes, log your food, but more importantly, make better food choices. Do some research.

Three large double chocolate muffins is not breakfast. Eggs, bacon, toast is breakfast. For the 300 fewer calories (1550cals) than you consumed this morning, you could have a dozen eggs scrambled, 1/2 pound of bacon, 4 slices of toast with butter. And you will increase your protein consumption from 21gr to 108gr, decrease your carbs from 237gr to 57gr, and decrease your fat from 114gr to 103gr. And you will have a breakfast that will keep you full longer. Losing weight is not only about eating less, but eating better.

Once you learn HOW TO DO IT, you CAN DO IT.

johnskidmore

Being honest with yourself is the main goal. Its easy miss putting something into MFP but them little things you forget can add up the calories.