New to Site - Looking for Motivation

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Midnight1210
Midnight1210 Posts: 134 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Greetings, I'm from Philadelphia, PA in the USA and just started using this site.

I love food. I cannot seem to read a book or watch a movie with heavy snacking. What a wake up call when you can actually see what you're eating versus exercise - but I'm having such a hard time breaking old habits and I have a few issues that make this a steep uphill battle.

One problem is that I have asthma. For all normal daily routines, it doesn't become an issue. However, I decided to take up running/jogging in the last few months and it's been brutal. I don't have anything other than an emergency inhaler because we thought it was under control.

The second issue is that I was in a car accident several years ago which left with me permanent nerve damage on the entire right side of my body. On a constant basis, it sort of feels like the "pins and needles" sensation you get when your leg falls asleep. But when I aggravate it - it will become like someone is striking me with a taser or cattle-prod. Sometimes simple activities will cause chronic and excruciating pain or complete numbness so any vigorous exercising usually leaves me in tears and barely able to walk. Other times it can hit me without warning and literally floor me.

A lot of people I know just tell me to "push through" the pain but while most of the time I do try too, they just don't understand what living with chronic pain is like. It's not going to go away, it's not something surgery can fix - the only prognosis I have from the doctor is that it will get worse as I get older. I have stopped the "pain management" that was offered because it was basically just getting me addicted to painkillers for the rest of my life. I've tried accupuncture and deep tissue massages, but because of the hyper-active nerves on my right side, it brings me little relief.

I have managed to make progress with my asthma, though. I can do a mild jog without hitting the inhaler constantly - it's the other pain that becomes the bigger problem.

I don't want my physical issues to dictate who I am, but it's becoming harder and harder to stay on track and remain positive.

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  • Midnight1210
    Midnight1210 Posts: 134 Member
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    I am really looking forward to finding some friends on this site to help keep me motivated and who I can likewise assist in going forward to meet their own goals. Sharing goals and progress stories with others is a way we all succeed.
  • j_harley50
    j_harley50 Posts: 36
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    I use this site everyday! It's amazing so feel free to add me and anyone else is free to add me too. I like to help my friends on this and keep them motivated. Welcome to the site.

    J
  • angelarlozano
    angelarlozano Posts: 13 Member
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    Hello! Greetings from Sunny CA:)
    I am also new to this site, this is my second week so far. I definitely feel for ya, weight loss is hard enough as is, but tacking on asthma and chronic pain? I can see how that could be hard. I commend you for getting off the 'pain management' and as far as 'pushing through the pain' i would say DON'T that's your body telling you to stop, start slow...any progress is good progress :)

    Find a form of exercise that you actually ENJOY doing.. as for me i have always hated running/jogging (no clue why) i felt like it was a chore, i switched to elliptical machine, yoga, biking, swimming, all of which i enjoy. I think it may benefit you to try alternative forms of exercise and find something you enjoy...possibly try something low-impact like yoga? Also i have to listen to music while i exercise or my mind is constantly focused on how much longer i have to go.

    Also before i started my new lifestyle i was completely depressed, no motivation and felt like i had no self-control, the biggest leap in my journey so far has been just taking multivitamins and eating 'clean', i swear just doing these simple things (with no exercise at first) i felt like my mind was getting 'clear', & then i realized that it took clearing up and changing my mindset in order for me to progress with my weight loss goals.
    Anyways i'll add you as a friend and feel free to contact me anytime!
  • tinabatinaflc
    tinabatinaflc Posts: 98
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    nice to meet you. it sounds like a really tough situation to be in...i can't imagine what it's like to be in chronic pain. i commend you for doing any jogging at all! i'm not sure i'd have the motivation to get off the couch.

    a sound bite that might encourage you is something that a personal trainer once told me: fitness is 80% diet, 20% exercise. i find it to be true. i hate exercise and know its a necessary evil, but if i look at the foods i put in my body as the tools to get me to my goal, it can make it easier to make healthy, balanced choices. for me, it's a matter of finding foods that satisfy my desire for flavor and keep me energized.

    luck and love
    <3cx
  • heretoloseit95
    heretoloseit95 Posts: 78
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    :happy: Hey feel free to add me :)
    It'd be great to support you on here and i could really use some support too. I currently have around 30 pounds to lose :))
    see you around, have a good day :):flowerforyou:
  • Midnight1210
    Midnight1210 Posts: 134 Member
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    Thanks so much guys, your responses have really cheered me up! :happy:

    I always have to keep my mind focused on something other than the actual exercising or I really start to lose motivation. So music or popping in a DVD I could watch while working out helped.

    I was doing 60 minutes of elliptical up until today when the sodering (spelling?) holding the foot pedal to the main rotation bar decided to snap in the middle of a workout. Machine is pretty old and pretty abused (in a good way). Now, I've dusted off my old PS2 and XBOX Dance Dance Revolution games for some low impact cardio (low impact cause I have to keep it on the very light setting) or I just try to brisk walk 3 miles each day.

    Jogging is pretty brutal for anyone just starting out - even without pre-existing physical limitations - and doing it alone is pretty intimidating. I don't want to be a marathon runner, but I remember the feeling when I finished my first 5k in June (mind you, I wasn't really jogging, it was more of a brisk walk/crawl/pray for a car to pick me up). I wasn't in it for time because I sure as heck wasn't in shape for sprinting down a dirt trail - but the feeling when I crossed that finish line was so amazing all I could do was cry. Sure I was in agony, but I was just so overwhelmed that I completed something I never thought I could do. :bigsmile:

    I know what it's like to be depressed and unmotivated and it is so hard to change that mindset once you've fallen into it. I was heavy-ish all my life thanks to the genetics of my family and I have tried every diet gimmick out there for a "quick solution" over the years, even liposuction. I can admit now to having fallen so far as to eating almost nothing for days at a time. Then it hit me what I was doing. Nothing would change unless I stopped hating myself and changed how I was eating.

    This site has really been an eye opener and is helping me a lot by forcing me to be honest with myself, even when I know I've had a "bad" eating day. I understand I can eat the foods I like - but the key is moderation.

    But the most important thing I've learned from this site is that there are others like me, I'm not alone in my quest to be healthy.
    I don't need or want to be supermodel thin - I just want to be happy with who I am on the outside as well as on the inside. :bigsmile:

    As long as you believe in yourself, and you have a good support team to believe in you as well, you can accomplish anything you set your heart too. So I believe in all of you and I know you will reach your goals - no matter what they are.

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