Losing the weight battle... and my skinny pants

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phsst
phsst Posts: 28 Member
in Introduce Yourself
This is my first time reaching out to the forums here, but I’ve been on and off again counting calories for years.

My weight has been creeping up these last few years and I attribute it to my poor discipline, love of beer and food, and working an 8 am - 6pm desk job. I am 23 and weigh 128 lbs. I understand it is not the great weight-loss journey some of you are undertaking, but I have been gaining close to 3lbs a year since graduating university and I don’t want to wake up and suddenly realize I've let myself go completely. I would love to get myself back on track and stick to it!! In the past I’d get motivated, get my weight down for a few weeks, and then I’ll become derailed and start eating crap again. I’m very much a yo-yo dieter, and it’s awful! I miss wearing my old clothing.. and I am tired of being uncomfortable in my own skin.

I’m hoping that someone else will be in a similar boat with their weight loss (mine has been nothing but gain!) that will understand how scary it is to see the scale slowly creep up. I love to keep pen-pals as well, so if anyone is interested in making a new buddy to keep us both on track, just let me know.

Replies

  • AmazonEphiny
    AmazonEphiny Posts: 10
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    I'm the same way! It's so easy to look in the mirror and say "whatever, it's not as bad as it could be, let's have pizza for dinner." I can't stick to a diet or fitness plan at all, I just get lazy and bored and try to convince myself that I'm fine the way I am. But my joints ache from sitting all day and my belly is out of control.

    I hear that if you really commit to eating clean, eventually your body won't be interested in crappy food anymore. However, I never commit long enough to find out! Hopefully both of us can stick it out this time! :)
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
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    Hello there! I, too, have experienced the dreaded desk job (plus, long stressful work hours during busy seasons) and its effects. I have yo-yoed throughout my life as well.

    You can do this! I totally support you doing it now before it gets out of hand. <3 Don't feel like your journey is any less just because you aren't as big as others. Your journey is just as great! :D

    I will add you and we can keep each other accountable! You can do this!
  • phsst
    phsst Posts: 28 Member
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    Yes! Exactly what you said!

    Especially when I get all this heartwarming information saying, "you need to love yourself the way you are!" etc. Then I think, well I'm not different at 5lbs up.. but then that 5lbs turned into 7.. then 10 and while it's not a HUGE deal, it worries me that I don't care more now before it escalates. I keep thinking, "okay, this is the most I've ever weighed. This is my rock bottom. I'll start dieting now!". I don't want to have to hit rock bottom to motivate myself though.

    Sorry, I'm going off on a rant now but, but it feels good to get it out :)
  • punkypump
    punkypump Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm a great motivating friend.
    Everyone feel free to add me :)
  • mikajao
    mikajao Posts: 30
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    Good for you, for catching it early on.
  • jazi719
    jazi719 Posts: 150 Member
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    but then that 5lbs turned into 7.. then 10 and while it's not a HUGE deal, i

    It is a huge deal. I'm saying this from experience. Before you know it, it will be 15, 20... the more you gain the more discouraged you become.

    Get a grip now before you're like me and have 50 lbs to lose.

    Best wishes to you.
  • DesireeNL
    DesireeNL Posts: 220 Member
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    I've been in your shoes and I hope you don't end up in mine, so here's my story. I just turned 33 and this year I finally reached a healthy BMI for the first time in approximately 13 years. I was a slim and healthy teenager, but between age 19 to 21 I packed on a lot of weight. And then I gained some more. By age 25 I was at my heaviest, I had gained a total of 55lbs on my 5' frame.

    Years of dieting followed. I was on Weight Watchers the first time in 2003. Lost a bit, gained it back. Back on program in 2005 at my heaviest. I lost about 35lbs over a year. By 2009 I had gained about 30 of them back. So I got a WW online subscription and was a member for several years. Those 30 lbs came off relatively easily, but I never got past that point. For years I was constantly on and off program, losing and gaining the same couple of lbs.

    It took me over a decade to finally reach a healthy BMI, and I'm currently a couple of lbs below that and well on my way to goal weight. I lost 48.5lbs and aim to lose about 10 more. It's been a long journey and I let myself miss out on a lot of things a 20-year old girl should do and enjoy, because of my weight. I don't look back and say 'omg I wasted so many years', because that's not going to help me at all, but I do feel like I didn't live them to the fullest. However I'm now feeling better than ever :-)

    A few tips from my experience:
    Drink plenty of water every day
    Eat 2 portions of fruits and 2 portions of veggies daily
    Eat enough calories
    Exercise, even if you just start by walking around the block
    Don't diet

    To clarify, I'm no longer a ww member. I actually reached my healthy BMI earlier this year after I quit their program, started eating more and began exercising. Don't think that eating as little as possible equals losing as much as possible. I honestly thought that I was eating well on ww but when I did the math it turned out I only ate around 1000-1100 calories a day. I now eat around 1400-1500 and have been quite successful at losing the weight and also keeping it off when I'm not tracking.

    Also, don't diet. By that I mean don't restrict yourself. You can eat whatever you want, in moderation. I don't feel like I'm dieting at all. Simply log everything you eat and look at calories as your budget for the day. Realize you have a choice. You can eat what you want, but you can also choose not to. You'll end up over your calorie goal on some days. No problem, no worries. It's not a lost cause and you don't have to 'start over'. Just log it and move on.

    And make sure to calculate your TDEE, this gives you a good guideline for your calorie intake. This might be more than you think you can eat, but give it a go. The more you can eat while still losing weight, the easier it is to stick wit it :-)

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