I hate being labeled as "morbidly obese"

Verohh

Hi, my name is Veronique, I'm 54 and I have gone on this "journey" time and time again and yet I'm still here, obese and now on several medications. A few years ago my doctor wanted to refer me to get bariatric surgery, but I chickened out of the appointment. I need serious motivation to not only get started once more on this "battle of the bulge" (I'm no stranger to the yo-yo weight loss experience, i.e. gain some, lose a little, gain it back and then some) but also to stay motivated when the going gets rough.

I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who's willing to share, but especially from people who have been able to lose over 100 lbs on their own.... because at this point my dream of getting back to a healthy weight on my own and getting off my medications seems more and more unattainable. I'm hoping to find some "kindred spirits" with whom I can discuss this topic and yes, even vent my weight issues and frustration because frankly, my family is sick of hearing it :ohwell:

I promise not to be depressing :happy:

momo9128706

Haven't lost that much, only 47 but I started at obese. I'm 5'2" started at 208. I was on depression, anxiety, high blood pressure meds, water pill for HBP and sleeping meds. After loosing about 30 lbs, I'm OFF all those medications. I did this all at home also. I've done Slim in 6, Body Revolution, 30 Day Shred, elliptical workouts, weight training, ab workouts, running, etc. You can add me if you want!

DaSt82

I'm at the beginning of my journey, but my goal is to lose 101 lbs. Feel free to add me! I'm looking for motivating friends too!

NeverTooLateForChange

I have been there and you can do it if you are ready to do the work. I've Seen it. I've done it. I'm still doing it. You can too. Friend me and we can continue together. :happy:

Donald_Dozier_50

I haven't lost as much as you are asking but I truly understand how you feel. I have been here and been dieting for a short 7 weeks and with 107 lbs. to lose have already lost 58 lbs.

In the past I lost 65 lbs. in four months but that was when I was working at a super physical job. Now as a disabled person (unrelated to weight) it is much harder.

I am on medication for high BP, I am labeled diabetic and suffer from many physical and some other issues.

I am over 1/2 way on the start of my journey to my personal goal weight, (21 lbs. lower than the doctors have set). The difficult part for me will be after losing to goal weight.

becky6m

I have been there. I completely agree with the above post. If you want it bad enough you will do it. It's not going to be an over night or even a year process. It takes time. If your willing to give it the time and work hard every day to do better then the rest you will get there. You have to want it bad enough to keep going on the bad days/weeks. You can do it.

NikiChicken

I haven't yet lost 100 pounds, but I'm well on way and my goal is to lose 123. Friend me if you'd like.

I have learned that motivation is not the key - DETERMINATION is. Your motivation will wax and wane over time, but determination is what will keep you on track.

One big thing to keep in mind is that this is not a race. Slow and steady wins *every* time. Be patient and kind to yourself. Focus on good habits rather than the scale and the scale will follow. However, if you focus on the scale, the good habits often times do not follow and the scale will become your enemy.

Celebrate your successes whether they are scale-related or not. You walked for 10 minutes? FANTASTIC! Congratulate yourself! You logged every bite for a week? Go buy yourself a new shirt. Recognize all of your successes, whether or not they involve the scale.

This is a life long journey. Don't do anything to lose the weight that you aren't willing to do for the rest of your life. If you don't want to give up chocolate forever, then don't now. Find a way to work it in in a reasonable amount that fits within your nutritional goals. Don't starve yourself. Eat a reasonable amount of food to keep you happy, healthy and satisfied. The happier you are while losing weight, the easier it will be to stick with the program and eventually get to your goal weight.

Exercise to get fit. You can lose weight whether or not you exercise. A calorie deficit is what makes you lose weight. However, exercising is great for your mental state as well as making your body healthy and fit so you look good out of clothes as well as in them.

Good luck to you and remember to always be kind and patient with yourself!

controlyouself

then lose the weight! you can do it! i am trying to lose weight myself i'm not anywhere near obese but i can lose a few pounds feel free to add me!

notsbmom

I have lost about 90 pounds from my highest weight and I hope to lose 30 more. Weight has been as issue for me my whole life, 3 years ago I lost about 50 pounds but could never get below the 200 mark. At that point I was morbidly obese and I am still considered obese even after losing 35 more pounds. On December 11, 2012 I set a goal to lose 50 pounds by 5/11/13. As you can see I did not reach that goal, but I am not ready to throw in the towel. People keep asking my what I am doing (it seems that they want me to say there is a miracle) and all I can say is diet and exercise. When I started trying to lose weight it was all about becoming healthier and being able to walk without getting out of breath and I have succeeded in that. For me it took 20 years to get to the high point and it may take me another year to get the last 30 pounds off, but in the end it will be worth the effort. I look at this as a lifestyle change and not a diet. I know I cannot ever go back to eating the way I was. Feel free to add me as a friend if you want to.

CrazyTrackLady

If you want to lose weight, here are a few things you need to remember:

1) It will take time, so don't rush.
2) You will trip and stumble, don't give up
3) You will sweat, that's good
4) You will "starve", if you do it wrong
5) You will lose, if you do it right
6) You will refuse to work out, do it anyway -- NO EXCUSES
7) You will be subjected to all sorts of advice, listen and learn -- and don't believe a thing anyone tells you about diet pills, weight loss supplements, quick fixes, fad diets or magic pills
8) You will meet great friends, if you allow them to kick your butt into gear every now and then
9) You will gain a new self confidence you've never had before, which is why you are where you are now

I'm sure there are others, but you will learn them.

Valera0466

I haven't yet lost 100 pounds, but I'm well on way and my goal is to lose 123. Friend me if you'd like.

I have learned that motivation is not the key - DETERMINATION is. Your motivation will wax and wane over time, but determination is what will keep you on track.

One big thing to keep in mind is that this is not a race. Slow and steady wins *every* time. Be patient and kind to yourself. Focus on good habits rather than the scale and the scale will follow. However, if you focus on the scale, the good habits often times do not follow and the scale will become your enemy.

Celebrate your successes whether they are scale-related or not. You walked for 10 minutes? FANTASTIC! Congratulate yourself! You logged every bite for a week? Go buy yourself a new shirt. Recognize all of your successes, whether or not they involve the scale.

This is a life long journey. Don't do anything to lose the weight that you aren't willing to do for the rest of your life. If you don't want to give up chocolate forever, then don't now. Find a way to work it in in a reasonable amount that fits within your nutritional goals. Don't starve yourself. Eat a reasonable amount of food to keep you happy, healthy and satisfied. The happier you are while losing weight, the easier it will be to stick with the program and eventually get to your goal weight.

Exercise to get fit. You can lose weight whether or not you exercise. A calorie deficit is what makes you lose weight. However, exercising is great for your mental state as well as making your body healthy and fit so you look good out of clothes as well as in them.

Good luck to you and remember to always be kind and patient with yourself!

^^^This^^^ from a very smart woman!

Verohh

Momo, 47 lbs lost is already quite a success. It's good to know that you've been able to get a grip on your heath issues; I take meds for hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, depression and anxiety, ulcer, pinched nerves in my neck and shoulder that won't let up, and high cholesterol... and I use a CPAP machine every night. I was gradually going downhill from the side effects of the meds; I took myself off of Lipitor and my BP med because after 8 months on Lipitor my muscles, my whole body was hurting constantly (and I wasn't even exercising) and strangely enough, after taking the BP med for 8 years, I have low blood pressure! I've been off of that for 3-4 weeks now and still have very low blood pressure.... I just want to get off of everything and feel good, and feel light on my feet...

ernestbecker

I haven't lost that kind of weight, but I do know that you need to set a specific goal for yourself, and also determine what your meal plan will be before the day gets started. Set a long range goal (your ideal weight, and several short range goals)

Example: My goal is to lose 100 lb. in 1 year from today. I'll start by losing 7 lb. this month. Then, determine what tomorrow's breakfast, snack1, lunch, snack2, and dinner will be. Don't eat after 6pm. Rid your food supply of boxed or packaged man made food and eat natural foods such as fruits, veggies, fish, and chicken. Eat cottage cheese and plain greek yogurt (FAGE or Chobani) and add your fruit to it as it is very tasty.

Repeat the following month until you reach your long range goal. I "promise" you "CAN" do what you set your mind to because a battle like this starts in the mind. Once you are truly determined to do this, then you start in the kitchen, as described above. I wouldn't focus any effort on exercises, other than walking, until you get your weight down and see your doctor.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like my encouragement. I posted this earlier today.

Stick to the task till it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.

Honor, Power, Place and Praise
Will come, in time, to the one who stays.

Stick to your task till it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too;

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life's victories, after a while.

purpleroses1021

I've lost 150 ish pounds in 15 months. It's not easy and somedays you and I will crash and burn. If today was a bad food day, Oh well tomorrow is a new day. If you have a smart phone I recomend the ap, it's a time saver.

Verohh

Thank you for some great advice; I will print it and tape it on my treadmill :bigsmile:

HeidiCooksSupper

I don't know what finally got me to come to grips with the term "morbidly obese" but I finally did. And it scared the living daylights out of me since I am 62 and morbidly obese folks drop like flies in their sixties. I'm retired and retirement ROCKS! Not going to work? Every day a Saturday? What's not to like? And here, I wasn't going to be able to enjoy it. Our financial calendar helped us figure out how to make our money last until our mid-90s but I was unlikely to get to spend it all after having to work so long to make it. And, no, we don't have much money, but just enough if we are very careful to NOT HAVE JOBS!

So, what is the best and only way I can increase the likelihood that I will enjoy this indulgent stage of life long term? Why, getting healthy, of course. And getting healthy means, among other things, not having a BMI twice what it should be! And, for the first time in my life, I'm not thinking of when I'll be "finished with this diet." I'm thinking of a lifelong commitment to smart eating and exercise that will make me a slim and healthy person.

I am a morbidly obese woman who has been such for pretty much all of her adult life who knows that if she doesn't change her life now, she will die young. I am training myself to 'eat like a normal person" not like a fat one. If I eat and exercise like a healthy, normal person I will become one. Simple as that.

(Now I just have to reread this tonight when I'm NOT wolfing down buttered bread in front of the TV. It may be simple but it ain't easy.)

Verohh

PurpleRoses10, That's awesome weight loss, and by that I mean that you've probably already felt the benefits of that weight loss in your general health and how you feel... hopefully one day I can say "I've lost 153 lbs...Yay" Until then I will post my progress, just to keep myself accountable.... I think I'm good at making excuses for not exercising and I'm too indulgent with myself when things get tough. Thanks for the support.

CrazyTrackLady

I haven't lost that kind of weight, but I do know that you need to set a specific goal for yourself, and also determine what your meal plan will be before the day gets started. Set a long range goal (your ideal weight, and several short range goals)

Example: My goal is to lose 100 lb. in 1 year from today. I'll start by losing 7 lb. this month. Then, determine what tomorrow's breakfast, snack1, lunch, snack2, and dinner will be. Don't eat after 6pm. Rid your food supply of boxed or packaged man made food and eat natural foods such as fruits, veggies, fish, and chicken. Eat cottage cheese and plain greek yogurt (FAGE or Chobani) and add your fruit to it as it is very tasty.

Repeat the following month until you reach your long range goal. I "promise" you "CAN" do what you set your mind to because a battle like this starts in the mind. Once you are truly determined to do this, then you start in the kitchen, as described above. I wouldn't focus any effort on exercises, other than walking, until you get your weight down and see your doctor.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like my encouragement. I posted this earlier today.

Stick to the task till it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.

Honor, Power, Place and Praise
Will come, in time, to the one who stays.

Stick to your task till it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too;

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life's victories, after a while.

OK, LOVE THIS.

jennknut

Throw out the word Diet forever, it has the word DIE in it, just get a lifestyle...don't think big...think small do-able steps, walking 10 minutes more, getting rid of one soda a day, trust me, you can start this journey...but do not think of it in terms of a beginning or a destination, this is life and you will get what you put into it...start small and proceed but I think a HUGE congratulations on saying NO to a surgery that you are not sure of. But make a promise to yourself to be kind, be loving and you will be amazed at how your body responds to some attention. You can do this!

Following_Heather

Hi there,
I'm totally with ya, the “Morbidly Obese” title sounds not only traumatic but almost contagious. I hate that association. I have never actually committed to weight loss for more then a few days at a time because, the 2nd I got discouraged and I didn’t see or feel results I’d be at the nearest fast food place or restaurant eating away my failure.
My husband has lost 135 pounds in the last 2 years with diet and Saviina weight loss pills, and even though he has been very successful, It didn’t spark any fire in me until recently.
My father became ill due to kidney complications and we were sitting in his hospital room and my cousin snapped a photo of me. I wasn’t aware of it until last month, she sent me all the photos of us in his room. As many of us overweight women and men know there are creative ways to disguise our weight in photos, and for the first time I was seeing myself as others see me. Lets just say It was NOT a good feeling. None the less I sat for 2 days looking at the photo being my own worse critic. Finally I decided that If It really bothered me that much I was going to have to do something about it. So that following day was the 5th year anniversary of my grandmothers passing, its always one of the hardest days of the year for me. I am a huge believer in watching out for "signs" to follow them so, I associated that day with the perfect starting date.
I decided I was going to just start by committing to 2 days at a time because that seems realistic for me. I just hit my one month out date and I’m down 21 pounds and counting. I started a weight loss family and friends fit group on my face book, just so I could have daily encouragement from the people I love and care for the most. Its also gave me something to be accountable for which helps me to stay focused. Its bad enough when I let me down, but I have people now watching and being helpful which actually seems to really help me get by day to day. I find that the daily support is what I needed. I truly feel that in the beginning faze when its very easy to get off track you need help daily. I really hope this helps you find some encouragement. Because as they say its one day at a time!
Cheers!

Verohh

thank you for these great words of wisdom... "one day at a time, one step at a time"

JaceyMarieS

I started in the "morbidly obese" category. Stopped my diabetes medication last week and hope to be out of the "obese" category soon.

You CAN do it!

SingingPilgrim

I've been 'morbidly obese' for 8 years.

I'm not anymore as of this month.

I'm normally obese... and am ten pounds below morbid!

I still have a lot left to lose(85-94 pounds, already lost 33), but you can do it! Friend requesting you...

iamlisainc

Me too! Let's roll! I mean let's stop rolling. : ) Friend me,,,

fishgutzy

Lost 90 so far. 40 to go.
Today was the first time in a long time my BMI at my physical was not Obese. My BFP is almost into the high end of "normal."

For me the key was not "dieting." Diets are always temporary. I had to honestly look at my history with food and accept that there foods I can not eat in moderation. Trigger foods if you will.
The first three weeks wire the hardest part. Breaking habits and getting over cravings. Making new habits.
I had to develop a sustainable life style change.
So far it is working.
It felt good to hear my doctor, today, say I was no longer "obese" according to BMI. At the same time I do not let that number define me.
I no longer wear "mu-mu" shirts. I actually wear shorts that fit and I tuck them in.
Breaking old habits and patterns has become fun.
Be persistent. Don't let temporary set backs trip you up. Don't let that tape, that keeps saying you can't, play inside your head anymore. Break that MFer. Throw it away.

SteelySunshine

It maybe a blessing in disguise that you chickened out of that bariatric surgery. You would have to do a whole lot of work with that surgery, like watching your diet and exercising to ensure that it's a success. So, now you have a chance to just do the watching your diet and exercising, without the complications of surgery. There are many people here losing weight without the surgery, there are those that are here post surgery as well and also losing weight. IMO it is better to do it without the surgery. It will most likely take longer, but as far as I know there is no risk of infection among other things with reducing calories and exercising.

Verohh

Thank you everyone for your replies, it feels good to connect with people who are on the same road as I am, facing the same challenges, struggles, and temptations........ I can't do "moderation" either, everything is a trigger to keep on eating, so I am trying to think of these changes not as a "sentence" but as a new way of life....... thank you ALL for reminding me.

I have a doctor appointment in the morning to follow up on my starting to take Janumet a couple of weeks ago; I was on Victoza before for over a year... doc feels Victoza was no longer working for me because in the morning my numbers were often in the 150s... is anyone else on Janumet? How is it working for you? (my numbers in the morning are still in the 150s!!!)

siqiniq

I haven't lost as much as you are asking but I truly understand how you feel. I have been here and been dieting for a short 7 weeks and with 107 lbs. to lose have already lost 58 lbs.

In the past I lost 65 lbs. in four months but that was when I was working at a super physical job. Now as a disabled person (unrelated to weight) it is much harder.

I am on medication for high BP, I am labeled diabetic and suffer from many physical and some other issues.

I am over 1/2 way on the start of my journey to my personal goal weight, (21 lbs. lower than the doctors have set). The difficult part for me will be after losing to goal weight.

58 pounds in 7 weeks? I'd be interested in knowing how you did that.

tekwriter

I have lost 47 pounds so far. At the beginning of 2012 my brother and I were both going to have bariatric surgery. We already had our surgeons and had decided on what type. He had surgery in February was out for 2 days and went back to ICU, he passed away in March. Bariatric surgery is no longer an option for me. I am hypothyroid and diabetic as well as morbidly obese. I had lost 44 pounds on WW before the surgery was to come up. I regained weight last year. I began again on my Brother's birthday and have lost that weight again and plan to continue forward. Most of the time I try not to think of how far I have to go but of how far I have come. I have learned here that this is not a diet but a lifestiyle change and with the support of my friends at MFP I can do anything. Please add me if you like.

Verohh

Tekwriter, I'm sorry you lost your brother following his surgery, that's what I'm afraid of for myself so I'm still thinking it best to not do surgery because I think that 1) still have to exercise, 2) still have to eat right, but after surgery your stomach is like the size of a peanut and yet people still manage to stretch it and regain the weight... I think that would be me if I didn't learn to do it the "right" way, meaning, through lifestyle changes of proper diet and exercise.

And speaking of fallen arches.... I'm pretty much flat-footed now, my feet used to be size 10 which is big enough, but now they are 12W... I sure hope they "bounce back" and deflate a bit once some of the weight comes off LOL

kazzsjourney

I have lost 182 pounds I started at 380 pounds and am around 198 pounds at the moment. I also have PCOS. It certainly is doable...just have to have patience and a "never give up attitude". I am happy to take friend requests