I'm Under There Somewhere!

amcshan24
amcshan24 Posts: 1
edited September 21 in Introduce Yourself
"I hate grapefruit. I hate grapefruit." This is what I told my mom when I was in the seventh grade as she was putting me on a three day diet to help me drop a few pounds. I weighed 170 pounds and I thought I was FAT. I only wish I was 170 pounds again. I have now tipped the scale at 251.4!!! This is crazy! Where did this come from? Could it be the margaritas in college, the late nights eating pizza, oh and don't forget dessert! Please don't think I am a lazy slob, because I am not. I am a full time teacher, full time mother of a one year old, full time wife, and somehow I manage to send out birthday cards on time (sometimes), pay bills on time (most of the time), clean house (most of the time), cook dinner (most of the time) and try to have a little time for myself in all this wonderful madness called life.

Question: "Have you tried Weight Watchers?"
Answer: "Yes"
Question: "Have you tried Atkins?"
Answer: "Yes"
Question: "well, have you tried Quick Weight Loss Centers?"
Answer: "Yes, and I have tons of dried powdered drinks in case of nuclear war."

I have lost weight on every single diet out there, but for some reason I gain it back.

This challenge I am about to begin started when the other day I was looking through my mom's old photo albums and I did not recognize who was standing next to my then boyfriend...now husband. IT WAS ME!!!! I looked GREAT!! I weighed 178 pounds when we met and I thought I was huge! You know your spouse loves you when they look at you the same way (let me get a calculator) 73 pounds later!!

Here is my challenge to myself...may not be the healthiest thing, but I need something fast, organized, scheduled, and easy.

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I will partake in this American culture of a 3 day crash diet that is promising to lose up to 10 pounds in three days. The other four days I have "off" I will eat somewhat healthy, but not over doing it, and I will find time to go to a Zumba class on Saturday mornings with my energetic sister in law.

My goal by next year I will be back at 170 and I will not look at myself in the mirror like a lazy fat slob, I will look at myself proud and be happier and healthier for my mom who purchased all those unsuccessful programs, my husband who still kisses me the same way, and my daughter who will want me to run and play with her without being out of breath in ten minutes.

Replies

  • vicidoesstuff
    vicidoesstuff Posts: 214 Member
    Well done for signing up and chosing to get back on track.

    If you keep reminding yourself of the times you tried and gained back, I don't hold high hopes for your future success. This is a new page! A new chapter! MFP is all about living a healthier lifestyle and being aware of what you're doing to your body, not a quick fix or fad diet. I've been living a healthy lifestyle for six months so far and have been with MFP for most of the journey. My losses have slowed but I'm feeling much healthier and much more active. I know I'll continue to lose because I'm eating the right amount for my target weight - so once I get there it'll level out and I won't gain. I recently spoke to my doctor about losing weight and she said this is the best way to do it because if you lose STEADILY then you won't gain it back. If you lose quickly, it'll come back with more. I wouldn't encourage the three-day thing you intend on doing every week. If you want to detox your body and get rid of all the bad stuff, I'd only recommend ONE three-day detox then a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. You could really do some damage to your body by losing 10lbs in three days so often.

    I hope you'll warm to the lifestyle of MFP and really wish you the best success!
  • Yurippe
    Yurippe Posts: 850 Member
    I have lost weight on every single diet out there, but for some reason I gain it back.

    Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I will partake in this American culture of a 3 day crash diet that is promising to lose up to 10 pounds in three days. The other four days I have "off" I will eat somewhat healthy, but not over doing it, and I will find time to go to a Zumba class on Saturday mornings with my energetic sister in law.

    I will probably be the first of many to be concerned about your goal to go on a crash diet every week. If you do lose 10 lbs in three days most of it will be water weight. When you go back to eating normally that weight will come back.

    Crash or fad diets work (initially) but you tend to gain all that weight right back when you start eating real food again. If you want to make a permanent change and keep the weight off for good this time I'd recommend you stop looking for a quick fix. You are much more likely to keep the weight off permanently if you lose 1-2 lbs a week while teaching yourself how to eat real food in a responsible healthy way.
  • Phera
    Phera Posts: 269 Member
    Umm...have fun with that starvation thing. You really won't find a whole lot of support for that diet here. However, you will find friends, support, and understanding in your reasons and reactions for such a diet because we've all been there. I sincerely recommend reading some of the success stories posting especially ones from TamTastic and others who have lost over 100 lbs. by eating healthy, exercising, and watching their calories. Good luck to you.
  • RedneckWmn
    RedneckWmn Posts: 3,202 Member
    I think it's great you want to lose the weight for you and your family. However I do have to agree with the others. To keep the way off it truely is a lifestyle change. The crash diet could do more damage over time then it would good for you. MFP is a great place and you have definitely come to the right place! I wish you luck with your journey!
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    My first thought as well was that on those crash diets, most of the loss is from water weight. So while that may work for a week or so, I wouldn't expect good results from it long-term. You will find much more consistent results come from just sticking with lower calories every day. What I did was set my calories to lose 1 pound a week. I never go over that limit, but I am often a couple hundred calories below it. It helps me feel like I am not dieting, and I am going nowhere near the minimum daily calories either.

    I have to say I loved your subject line! That is what I keep thinking. :)
  • xarrium
    xarrium Posts: 432 Member
    AHH! Please don't do the crash diet thing... those are *so* dangerous for you because they throw off your electrolytes and change your body's pH balance to the point that you could end up in the hospital in a coma. (Then you'll be stuck with hospital food, which is by no means healthy.) Coupled with the "days off", you might even put on weight as your body starves for the first three days and stores every calorie you eat on the other four, even if they're from healthy food sources.

    I know it sucks to take it slow and steady when you've got all this motivation and pent-up energy right now, but *I promise* if you practice moderation (eat healthy every day rather than only 4 days a week) and get a little exercise every day you will lose the weight, and it'll stay off a lot easier than if you crash diet to get where you want to be. It might take longer, but it's better than winding up in the hospital and having to explain why you're sick to your little girl.

    (AND, those who call you a lazy slob have no freaking clue... full time mom = 2 full time jobs, from what I hear.)
  • Behavior_Modification
    Behavior_Modification Posts: 24,482 Member
    Hi there. Sounds like we have similar situations. For the past 20 yrs I've been "on a diet" on and off and yo yo dieting has deteriorated my metabolism. Every time I lost weight though, I did it the wrong way. In February of this year I sought professional help and it has made a world of difference. They have taught me how to lose weight and keep it off for good. It was especially difficult in the beginning because I wasn't seeing the weight come off like I would have like to see, but after years and years of ruining my metabolism I had to work extra hard to get it working in my favor again. I know I'm somewhere under there too and it won't be too much longer until I can see what I really look like. I wish you the best of luck with this very demanding journey, but I assure you it will be well worth your time to learn how to lose weight in a healthy manner because only then will you be able to keep it off.
  • Kasuko
    Kasuko Posts: 42
    Question: "Have you tried Weight Watchers?"
    Answer: "Yes"
    Question: "Have you tried Atkins?"
    Answer: "Yes"
    Question: "well, have you tried Quick Weight Loss Centers?"
    Answer: "Yes, and I have tons of dried powdered drinks in case of nuclear war."

    Question:"Have you tried not dieting?"

    I'm a big believer in NOT dieting. I have friends who diet constantly and basically "yo-yo" their weight.
    I have a co-worker who is on a "green tea" diet and lost TONS of weight. She looks amazing and feels great. Here's the thing. If she goes away for a weekend and can't stick to the strict diet she gains a TON of weight and has to lose it all again. If you don't like eating then dieting is great for you. But some of us (me included) love food and go on diets to lose weight but once they lose it think they are good and go back to eating normal food and gain everything back. Sound familiar?

    I have never gone on a diet. I have never cared about my weight. I was 21 years old, male and 6 feet tall and weighed in at 260 pounds which is heavy but I was stable there.

    I was over at my friends house and her mom was watching TV when the premiere of "I Can Make You Thin" came on. I just watched thinking it was someone trying to sell people something but it turned out to be different. It wasn't a diet or a pill or a magic formula. It was simply advice on HOW you should eat (not WHAT you should eat). I was taken aback by this. One of his 4 steps, eat slowly resonated with me. I was ALWAYS done first when eating in a group setting, no matter how big or small my portion was. I could go to a SUBWAY and eat a foot long in less time it would take someone to eat a 6 inch sub. I wasn't racing, I just ate fast naturally.

    So I watched the rest of the show and I tried following the rules here and there but never really stuck with it (I didn't care). Well this April I moved back home with my parents for the summer because I had a job near by and decided not paying rent was a great way to save more money. Well now I didn't have to do any of the grocery shopping or anything. Dinners were now made for me so I didn't have to deal with meals so it was pretty easy to eat often and I slowly found my self naturally doing what was recommended in the TV show, except eating slow.

    I lost a little weight (around 5 pounds) but I decided since I was already doing like 85% of the techniques I would try to do the other 15% and since around June I have been more or less following the techniques.

    I am now 245 pounds and still dropping. I enjoy food so much more now and can't bear eating fast food (ever try chewing a BigMac 40 times? Tastes like excrement 15 chews in)

    That is why I am here. I naturally lost 15 pounds and decided I would take it more seriously and see what I can do.

    I want you to note that I am in no way affiliated with "I Can Make You Thin" and I am in no way a diet expert. I am a Computer Science Student at Carleton University in Canada. This is just me saying I've lost some weight by NOT dieting and I can see all around me people NOT losing weight by dieting.

    As always don't just take my word for it. Check it out, read some reviews and see if its for you or not.
  • crazy4him4552
    crazy4him4552 Posts: 46
    Watching your calories, exercise and eating in moderation, are keys to losing weight. Also, make sure you are eating something every 2-3 hours. This helps your metabolism work properly. When you skip a meal, you mess your metabolism up, thus- sending your body into "starvation mode" this lowers your metabolic rate, and hugs onto your fat, but burns muscle. This happens also when you limit your body to a very low number of calories a day. If you are set up to eat 1200 calories, then eat them. Just eat nutritiously. Veggies, protein, fruit and whole grains.
    Yes, it is hard to do. Sometimes I really struggle...and some may think this is a good thing, but I do struggle to get my calories in. I'm just not hungry sometimes. One of my old habits was eating because it tastes good. Or eating when it was, "time" to eat. Most of these times, I wasn't hungry. I created bad eating habit that enabled me to gain weight. Then, I figured I would just go the opposite direction, and not eat that much at all. Totally oblivious to the damage I was doing to my body.
    Since I've joined MFP, I have this new sense of awareness of calories and the amount that is actually in the food I eat. WOW, I used to eat atleast 1 1/2 to 2 cups of ice cream at a time. I ate huge amounts of brownines and chips. Don't get me wrong. I did eat very good meals. I love to cook. I love to plan meals. I love veggies, fruit, meat, whole grains.....but I didn't realize what a healthy portion was until my eyes were opened at MFP. Yes, I consider myself one who has commons sense, but I never actually made the time to count my calories. Until, "hello" I started gaining weight.
    Please stop crash dieting...it does you ABSOLUTELY no good at all. Losing weight isn't easy. It takes discipline and determination. And a lifestyle change. "The Good things in life don't come easy" And, "With God, ALL things are possible"
    Set small goals. When you achieve them, it really does boost your confidence. :smile:
    I'll be praying for you!!
  • IsMollyReallyHungry
    IsMollyReallyHungry Posts: 15,385 Member
    You are very hard on yourself. The diet thing does not work. Changing your lifestyle does work. Slow and Steady wins the race. If you go the fad diet route again you may end up as all the times before.

    Try it! Less pressure and it works so much better than trying to win a marathon.
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