Getting nowhere

Can you set your dairy to public, so we can make some suggestions based on what you're actually eating?

I eat very little bread, and not every day. I like soups and salads. My husband keeps a stash of naughty treats, but he keeps them locked up and I don't know the combo. But every time I ask for something he gives it to me.

My knees and feet are killing me and it's wicked hot. So walking is just not doable now. I would swim, but it's a 40 minute round trip to the pool. Plus I have arthritis in my hands and cannot do things like pushups right now. Or lift weights. I do enjoy weight training.

I'm sorry that you're so frustrated. I know it's difficult. My thing is, walking is always doable. Pop in a "walk away the pounds" DVD and you can crank out 5 miles. All at once or over the course of the day. You don't need to be outside to get a workout. You can drive 40 minutes round trip a few times a week.. or even once a week.. and get in a really nice workout. You don't have to do push ups, weights, etc. These sound like excuses to me. "I can't" should not be in your vocabulary.

As for the naughty treats, you don't have to cut them out completely but saying your husband gives you the treats when you ask for them makes you sound like a child. Either put them up or leave them out and eat them, but don't put it off on your husband.

I would really encourage you to get an armband from bodymedia. You can often get them for good prices on ebay especially if you are willing to go slightly used.

You will be able to create a much clearer game plan if you know for sure what you are burning. As an example I am 46, 5'3" and regardless of whether I am 149 and 16% fat or 170 and 30% fat, I burn no more than 1700 calories on a typical non exercise, desk job day. Much less if I am sitting on the couch or sleeping.

And tinamarie0140 is right on the money when she says you have to get out there. If you can't tolerate the heat then get on craigslist and find a good used treadmill and put it in front of the tv. Set yourself mini goals and reward yourself with non food treats such as a pedicure, or even ask your husband for a hand, foot or neck massage.

I would also stay off the scale more than once or twice a week. If you exercise at all you should get some redistribution of weight as muscle vs fat so the scale might read higher when you are actually making progress. Another really good site is trainingpeaks.com which is free and allows you to put in your weight and measurement metrics as well as your exercise.

When I was having the most difficulty I tracked everything I did every day on a paper calendar and years later if I want motivation I can go back and look at those.

The most important thing is to know you can do this. Finding the motivation to exercise is difficult but just remember that you will never feel worse at the end of a workout than if you didn't do it.

If you can find a way to do it in the morning it might also help keep you on track with your eating for the rest of the day as you won't want to screw that up.

I believe in you and you have to believe also.

Dawn

Hi, I'm in a similar situation in that I joined about a year ago and just haven't participated in the forums until now.
I would say find something you like doing. Maybe an exercise bike? That way it can fit into your house and it is easy on the bones. Don't try to lose 100 lbs in a week, just go at your own pase. You can eat 2200 a day if you exercise enough you can avoid exercising that much if you eat less. You can manipulate it to fit your mood on a day to day basis. Just don't give up! :flowerforyou:
You can do it

Oh, and as for the sugar, cutting down is a great and really important. Sugar is harmful in tons of ways. You should never cut anything you really love completely out because all you do is want it more.

I have a couple tricks. One I *kitten* what it is I really want and how bad the craving is. Do I just need something sweet or does it have to be chocolate? If it has to be chocolate then I get something small like a single bite piece at the convenience store. I found that if I want one thing so badly it is distracting then I will eat everything else in the house trying to overcome that and then I will go out and get the thing I wanted anyway.

I'm also not afraid to throw things away. Once I've satisfied the craving I don't let stuff sit around as a temptation. It might seem wasteful, but in the long run you will spend much more money on health costs or just being miserable. If you don't need the calories then when you eat it is wasted anyway.

I can hear the pain in your words. Self-defeating attitudes only make the situation worse, you know. Easy for me to say, when i'm the queen of negative self-talk! I agree with the others that if you want progress, you have to stop making excuses. I'm in the same boat with lots of aches and pains that seemed to begin the day I turned Fifty (I'm 54 now). There's nothing I'd rather do than hit the couch with a bag of Cheetos and a book, and you KNOW I'd eat the entire bag and then take a long nap. Disgusting.

Have you tried Yoga? You can work as hard or as easy as you like, and instead of weights, you use your own body weight for resistance. There's a good website for free yoga classes: www.yogadownload.com Also, if you use iTunes, there are many podcasts you can use for free. I like the 20 minute yoga classes from yogadownload.com the best. Besides being good physical exercise, Yoga can help you live in the present moment, and actually love (Yes love!) your body again.

If you'd like to be friends, please feel free to add me. I am not a fitness fanatic by any means, and I'm great at finding excuses not to work out. We can share ideas and encouragement. All you need to do is start seeing a little progress and you'll be hungry for more!

I take my measurements every week as sometimes the scale doesn't reflect what is going on. You may be losing inches but not lbs.

I'm 52 and I also have a "Bad" knee. I started out at 310 lbs a yr ago in June. I started out walking around the block adding a block every day or every other day. I joined a gym for a few months during the winter but quit soon as it got nice out . I lost 50 lbs in the last year . I still eat out once in a while I have a small snack but instead of candy or lunch cakes try sugar free jello or pudding . We all have our bad days where we just blow it but you have to just put that day behind you and move on, I have been on a plateau for almost 5 months but I refuse to give up . I continue to walk and am up to 3-4 miles a day now. . My body has became toner and I feel so much better. Ask your husband he if he could be more supportive and when you ask him for a treat he can say not this time or maybe even give you 1/2 of what you normally would eat . Just stick with it do not give up You can do this !

You can do this. I'm doing it, and I have nearly 200 pound to lose. I would recommend setting MFP for a 2 pounds per week loss. That's what mine is set on. As I lose weight, MFP reduces my daily calories to keep me at 2 pounds per week. But it's plenty of food for me. If MFP is telling you to eat 2000 or 2200 calories, try it. But make sure you count every morsel that goes into your mouth. Get out the measuring cups and the scale and weigh and measure every serving. I was shocked at portion sizes! I had no idea what a real serving was, but I am learning.

Also, you have to find an exercise you can live with. If you like the pool (which would be easy on your joints), invest in that drive! Who cares how far it is? You are saving your life! Plan to go 3 or 4 times a week. In a few months, your weight will be down and you may feel like walking more, or doing some other exercise. Then you can cut down on the drives. There are lots of "sittercise" workouts, where you do all of the moves from a chair. I've checked some out from my library, and they got me sweating! If you can't hold a dumbbell, try some weighted gloves. They don't have to be gripped. But if you are like me, my arms are so big, they are weights all by themselves!

Most of all, be consistent. Try to hit your calorie goal every day. Try to move more every day. Drink plenty of water. These simple steps will help you see big changes on the scale. I also find it very helpful to read the message boards. The Success Stories is my favorite. It's so motivating! Lots of people have lost large amounts of weight. Lots of people have overcome health problems, or lost weight in spite of them. You can too! Don't give up!