Looking for support

You sound exactly like me. I had only two boys but I went from being really thin and in shape to being obese. I need to be around 116 due to my short stature and I used to constantly sabotage myself. Especially when I would work so hard for so long and see a weight gain. I would think, "This is absolutely pointless!" I failed to realize they I began to feel better when I wake up in the morning, or I am not as tired during the day, or my legs changed shape if my stomach, face and arms, stayed the same. Lets face it, those parts are the most important to a woman. This site has helped me even though I am not as consistent as I should be. I like the reminders because it is not put in a way to make you feel as if you are a failure. It is just another tool in the arsenal against the fat that we have put on. It helps us see just what that snickers is doing or I did over eat today and I see where I can cut back. I hope that you can stick with it and don't beat yourself up when you haven't completed a food diary for over a week. I do it all the time. Good luck and there are a lot of us with this story. Hope that gives you some encouragement.

Well....I know how you feel. I was a lot thinner at one point, and a lot more in shape. It pains me to look myself in a mirror...

A few tips that help
Your stomach lies to you...
When you used to eating a lot more food dieting sometimes makes you feel as if your starving yourself when your not.
It's good to find food that is filling and also healthy
Apples - they are complex for your body to break down so they actually burn a lot of calories during this process
Eat a lot of greens - these also help with your skin
Drink water between meals to help with hunger
Unsweetened tea is also good and has antioxidants
If you treat yourself eat fruit, or DARK chocolate the higher the cocoa percentage the better - also has antioxidants, or frozen yogurt

Look at labels and eat the right portion amounts, never sit a box or bag of chips in front of you, THAT encourages snacking
Don't eat excessive amounts of dairy, causes indigestion

Avoid starchy foods, like chips, bad pasta - instead buy whole grain/ wheat - these are more complex to break down

These are some tips that can help jump start a stagnant diet, hope this helps : )

* Welcome aboard! YOU have taken a very important 1st step here! I started officially on May 04 2010 and do THIS every day- 10 minutes to log all. Accounting every bite that passes your lips is a great behavior modifier.
* But what I read here in your introduction is a big NEED for you to consider - CHANGE YOUR Mind - FIRST ! Your body WILL follow. Consider NO defeatist self-talk. YOU WILL WORK TO ACCOMPLISH THIS MISSION. Stop the negative talk that runs through your thoughts.
* I took a friend's advice and went to EFT sessions x 5 weeks/ once a week. EFT - or Emotional Freedom Therapy with a trained therapist. Those were my 1st 5 weeks starting here on MFP. YOU can train yourself to think POSITIVELY about your own self image / set concrete measurable goals in small accomplishable successful steps - Look at many of the posters here - they list their small accomplishable success plans. Read them EVERY DAY - Stay FOCUSED - STAY POSITIVE.
* I could not lift a single 5 lb hand weight when I started in May - Now I can press 15 lbs each hand. I could bearly walk a city block but can now do Zumba & Step aerobics for a solid hour each - on the same day! I have so much energy I can hardly stand it! : ) And 1200 calories will fill you to the brim if you take in the right foods, high in fiber, high in good protein & high in complex carbs. Check out my food diary - THIS SO WORKS! HOLD YOUR SELF HIGH & ACCOUNTABLE - YOU are the BOSS & In Charge! Dig down deep and find a REALLY Huge "WHY", the rest is "a Piece of Cake" : )

Welcome! I have been overweight for the last 10 years and after each child ( I have 3 now) my weight got worse and worse. A couple weeks ago I finally said enough is enough and I made it clear to my family and friends that I am sick of this, and I want/need/deserve a change. I found this site and in the last two weeks have lost 5 lbs! For the first week I thought there is just no way I can learn to eat within a certain amount of calories, are these people nutts? LOL but by week 2 My stomach and body had adjusted to the change, and i'm now very aware of the calories I put in and PREFER smaller portions! If I know i ate something high in calories I feel Guilty! I workout on my treadmill everyday and honestly have gotten to the point just in these 2 weeks that my day doesn't feel complete unless i'm sweating like crazy during a exercise! LOL Yoplait yogurt has become my new best friend! Also try Kashi GO LEAN cereal, that stuff is yummo! Add me as a friend!