Recent Struggles - How to Change Your Attitude

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ScottG_9905
ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
in Getting Started
Hey Everyone,

It has been a really long time since I have posted here but I have found myself in a situation where I have been struggling to break out of a steady decline. Over a year ago I was in great shape and running, biking and on top of my nutrition when a group of friends and I decided to take on an obstacle race that was 13.8 miles of some of the most crazy things I have ever seen. During that race I fell from a 12 foot obstacle and injured my back and my hip. The injury however creep'd up on my over the next 5+ months and didn't really have a huge impact on me until about 8 months ago. Flash forward to to day 8 months of no working out due to crazy pain and me falling back into some of my old habits.

I have gained 17 lbs in this time and it is time to stop this madness! Although I am still working through my injury and hope to one day be well past it I need to get back on track and get my life back into that happy place I was just a a short while ago! I have some things that really hinder my weight loss and promote my weight gain. I also suffer from thyroid disease and this is one of those things that unless I am working out seems to be my main nemesis. For those of you that do not know about thyroid disease it basically means my body doesn't work at full steam and there are certain foods that actually cause my body to attack itself which in turn hinders my ability to lose weight in a traditional fashion. Well most of you would think that since this is such a huge issue and I can lose weight why am I here. The truth is you can lose weight with my disease you just have to focus in on the foods that promote my body and refrain from eating foods that cause my body to go on the attack.

So that being said I am looking for a group of people that are struggling to stick with your current situation and lets band together to try and support each other during this stressful time. It is not going to be easy but I have found that when working together with others that are going through struggles the success rate increases significantly. I know I could use the support and I would love to help support you if you are in need.

We have two choices to make today, lets not make excuses about our situations and lets find a way to succeed today!

-Scott
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Replies

  • jnhodgki
    jnhodgki Posts: 1 Member
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    I am in total agreement with you Scott. I have lost over 100 pounds and was doing really well, but have let outside things give me a very negative attitude about EVERYTHING. I can contol what goes in my mouth and I can either do this to benefit myself or get down in the dumps and just eat anything I think I want to. This only makes me feel worse. I too have thyroid problems and even with the medicine to keep it in check, I'm still symptomatic. Let's tackle the world and boost each other. I'm game. Jo
    Any Ideas other that self talk to keep us motivated?
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    At times it we can really be our worst enemies.. Glad you will be joining me in this effort it is tough to do alone for sure..

    I think one of the biggest things we can do to support each other is to post every single day. Post our foods we are eating and sharing any thing we are struggling with for that particular day! If you are working out post that as well so we can see what everyone is doing to keep them moving forward. I will try and also find some motivational videos or images that I can post daily that might help us keep on the path..

    Currently my working out is really just walking because of my injury there is little other I can do. But today I started adding my food intake to track that.

    Looking forward teaming up!
  • Teeladog
    Teeladog Posts: 157 Member
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    I am right there with you. I have hypothyroidism. It is well controlled with meds but I seem to have spiked my weight lately which is usually the only sign I get that I need to have my levels checked again (I don't usually notice any other symptoms....not because they aren't there but because I am generally not all that in tune with what is going on with my body until something drastic happens). I am generally super active - I teach group fitness classes 4 times a week, try to swim a couple times a week and have recently switched from running to weight lifting 2 times a week. I have a number of injuries I am trying to completely recover from - IT band problems I developed while training for a half marathon, hip flexor issues that came up during training for a tri, and a partial tear in my rotator cuff that I did while loading my bike on my car for the tri. So...no more endurance races for me...it is all about recovery and fixing my strength and flexibility issues. The end result though is that I have had to completely redo my workouts and I need to get 10 lbs. back off. And....I tend to stress eat. Having said all that, my biggest problem is just plain and simple - too much food. I eat fairly healthy but sugar is my weakness and it is a huge comfort thing for me when I am stressed. I would be happy to help support you while we both work our way through this. I will be sending you a friend request in a few minutes.
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    Teeladog I am glad to have you join in on this! My thyroid issues are managed ok with meds but I have a lot of side effects that the meds don't do anything for. So when I am not taking care of my nutrition and getting proper exercise my life is like a roller-coster. I can so relate the th comfort thing when stressed! I would say that is my biggest eating issue is when the stress starts to pile on so does my calorie intake!

    I was on a good ride for a while and completed my first Triathlon Sprint and then the 13.8 Spartan Beast when things went south. I am looking forward to recovering so I can get back to the active lifestyle I was living. But that will not be for a while!

    Well looking forward to getting to know you and see how we do over the next several months!

    -Scott
  • mactaffy84
    mactaffy84 Posts: 398 Member
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    Best thread I've read in quite a while. I don't have hypothyroidism, or really any hindering medical conditions, but I'm feeling it more every day, you know?. I get sciatica (though my doc can't explain why, as the imaging tests look "fine"), but when it flares up, it can last for a week or so. It gets really hard to do the exercise at that point! I so want to try some weight lifting, so I'm going to set up an appointment with a trainer, but I'm hoping that this won't cause any flare ups.

    I guess my issue is trying to figure out if you need to "work through the pain" and get over it, or take a break because you are doing more harm than good. When I ask the doc, I get told to go with how my body feels. Not much help there!

    Good luck to all. :smile:
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    Mactaffy84: Thanks! I know that is frustrating as ever when you are in pain and the imagery shows very little or nothing going on but yet the pain is still there. Have you tried out yoga to help with your sciatica? If I only had a back issue I would be doing yoga as that helped me greatly with my back pain before I injured my hip and back together. Then with some alternating heat and ice treatments after your sessions can do wonders.

    I would not charge through the pain or you can end up with a bigger issue than you have now. I would do what you can until you can do more. I gauge my ability on the my pain meter if I have a sharp stabbing pain I am doing to much. If it is more a dull ache I am within my ability zone.

    Looking forward to having you join us..

    -Scott
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
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    I'm right there with yah! I have back and hip issues as well, and have for 20+ years. I can't run, but I can walk, and am getting back into biking. I find that biking is even easier on my back and hip than walking. Had a back episode a few weeks ago and got really bummed out, but am back at it, and feeling OK. It's very frustrating as it's hard to tell what will help/hurt on any given day.
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    StraubreyR It really is frustrating to be in this situation and I have to admit I have not been in a good place for the past few months but I cannot continue to stay there as that is not the person I am and I don't like feeling that way. So I will do what I can until I can do more! Sorry to hear you had a flare up! I have not tried my bike out as I thought it would be worse on my hip but I might give that a try to see how it goes. I love riding especially trails but I don't think I am there yet.. LOL!
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    So how is everyone doing today? My day has started off great. I am nutritionally on point and I am keeping myself hydrated. If you are anything like me this is one area that I tend to struggle with. If we are not properly hydrating we can see a decrease in our results. I also suffer other symptoms due to my thyroid issues if I do not keep on track with proper hydration so my challenge to everyone today is to see how well you can do with your hydration and let us know where you stand after today is over.

    Here is a great article on hydration: http://www.engagehomefitness.com/fitness/drink-up/
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    Going to do a quick check in because I won't be on later this evening to do it. Today went pretty good with nutrition and I got another 30 minute walking session in. The hip went south and has been bugging me all day so had to drop some pain meds to deal with it. Not optimal but it is what it is! I think I am going to try the bike tomorrow and see if that makes a difference with pain level.

    As I am not good at just stopping cold turkey I am eliminating things out of my diet each week and this week I am taking out my dairy intake. It is one of those foods that really has a negative impact with my thyroid so it is the first thing that will go! So far so good. If I try to eliminate everything at once I tend to get overwhelmed and don't stick to it so I live by the rule change one thing a week until you have eliminated the bad. It has worked well for me in the past and I am sure it will do the trick this time as well.

    What is one thing that you guys struggle with? Is it something you can remove from your daily activity? If so let me know what it is and lets work on our one thing this week!

    Have a great evening everyone..

    -Scott
  • MichiganJen
    MichiganJen Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm in if you have room for one more.

    In the last 18 months I've lost a thyroid and found the 40 pounds I busted my hump to lose. Not cool. Last year I completed a10K. This year I can barely walk a 5K. I have next to no desire to exercise and I forgot I can't eat like my marathon running husband. I need to snap out of it!
  • ka97
    ka97 Posts: 1,984 Member
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    What a great thread!!!

    My situation is probably not quite a serious as some of yours. I was at my goal weight, feeing great, best shape ever. Had run several half marathons, numerous sprint tris, an a couple of Olympic tris. I started having sudden ankle pain in October (though truthfully I had years of ankle issues from numerous sprains playing soccer). Finally got it checked out, and had surgery in February. I'm struggling to stay on track. I've been doing all that I can physically, but it's still limited. I can swim now, and working up to more on the bike. Upper body lifting has been fine, and I'm starting to work back into lower body. I'm just barely walking, so running is out of the question. I wish I could say the eating has been on track, but it hasn't. I've found myself resorting to stress eating, and have gained 8lbs since the summer. It's especially tough now that the weather is turning nice. I'm really hoping to be able to do a sprint tri in September, and a half marathon in October. I'm terrified that I'm losing all my fitness, and that I'm not going to get it back. I'm miserable, and so I eat, which just makes everything worse.

    So that's my sob story :(
    Eager to get back on track and would love to share support with others who understand.

    Kim
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    MichiganJen: Heck yeah we have room for more! Such a common problem with thyroid issues and it can be so frustrating. But there is some good news you can get there again. It takes us a little more work than those with normal functioning thyroid but it can be done. The key is to not give up and use each other as a resource to educate and keep each other engaged!

    Kim: No sob story at all thanks for sharing. It just goes to show you that there are many of us with very different issues but are struggling to keep our fitness and our attitudes in the right place! I know my injury has done a number on my confidence and I have the same feeling that I am not going to be able to get my fitness back. But I have hope that with some hard work and a good group of people keeping me focused on why I am here is what I need to make it work!
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    Good morning everyone..

    Today woke up with pain again today and actually off and on all night last night. Then right when I am falling back into a deep sleep the alarm goes off. Go figure.. LOL! So I thought I would search the ole inner web for a quote that would fit for today and this is what I found.

    "Without Struggle There Is No Progress!"

    I think this is a perfect quote for today and for this group! We are all struggling with something be it internal or external and/or maybe both. When we struggle we have something to fight for and we have two choices to make we can either submit or commit to overcoming what we are struggling with. I know it is not easy and there are going to be days where I just don't want to go on with the struggle but the desire to succeed has to be strong enough to overcome the obstacle!

    -Scott
  • StraubreyR
    StraubreyR Posts: 631 Member
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    Went for a bike ride today despite the fact that it is raining and 40 degrees out! It really wasn't bad at all, and it sure was peaceful out there. Got 11.5 miles done in an hour, not bad at all!

    ScottG I find riding my mountain bike to be not bad on my back as I am leaning forward somewhat. Depending on where you are most comfy with your back, you may have to mess with the set up and type of handlebars to find what works. For me, leaning forward seems to not put pressure on it. A few days after my latest back episode, I tried riding my bike on the trainer, and found that although I had pain when walking, I had zero pain when riding.
  • mewood72437
    mewood72437 Posts: 21 Member
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    I'd like to join you all if you have room for one more. I don't particularly want to go into the gory details, but I've had a back slide since the first of the year.
  • normacollazo
    normacollazo Posts: 4
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    This is the first time I will post something on a message but.....did I ever need this!!!! Long story short, I joined FP over a year ago, I weighed 325 pounds I lost 77 pounds but the last 7 to 8 months I have gained 15 pounds back!!!!!! Not happy at all I also have thyroid issues been on medications for over 10 years. I am frustrated, unhappy that I have fallen back to what seems I do best when I stress I eat more I know this is what has happen I cant seem to just say no to all the wrong foods and eat all the time!!!!!!! I know I need to get back on track but I need help!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to join if there is room. I have joined a gym as I need to take control of this again! My goal is to be under 200 pounds something I have not seen since I was in high school. I need the support and encouragement as I will give in return.
  • funnygal79
    funnygal79 Posts: 14 Member
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    Hi Scott, I lost 25 lbs about 5 years ago, and then gained it all (and then some) back. I let negative energy, negative people and my own thoughts take over.
    But I'm done with blaming other people for my own issues.

    I told myself that 2014 was going to be the greatest year of my life. I told myself that I was going to lose all the weight, get fit and healthy, be a better mom, and maybe even run a 5k (I haven't walked/ran a mile since high school).

    I haven't achieved any of that yet, in fact I've tried many times since January but kept falling off the wagon.

    But guess what, it's only April and the year isn't over yet. I will be amazing this year. God willing. This will be my year.

    I went to the gym this morning, and will try to get in an evening walk in tonight as well.
    I love all the support I've been getting from mfp, that's for sure. :smile:
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    WOW this group is really taking off! I am already feeling a lot of motivation just by reading everyone's posts! We have a lot of work to do but with a strong group it will be easier dealing with the struggles we have ahead of us! I want you to know I am committed to the group and if there is anything I can do to help just ask!

    StraubreyR: Nice job getting 11 miles in! I was planning on trying out my bike today but work has been a total nightmare and looks like I will be working past 10 this evening so no way to get it in. With me having a double injury I am hoping that it will work for me as well. Having low back and hip complicates a lot of things that I have tried. But won't know until I give it a go!

    MeWood: Glad you will be joining us!

    normacollazo: Glad that this thread has given you a reason to post! :) First of all great job on the initial weight loss that is a fantastic accomplishment. Oh how I know where you are at with the stress eating and not being happy! This thyroid issue we have really does a number on us when we start to fall off the wagon! So glad you will be joining us and look forward to us kicking some butt!

    Funnygal: I can relate to letting the negative be a driver in my life. About 3 years ago I had a wake up call with my health and I began my journey to get healthy and happy. I achieved both and for 3 years rode the high that came with it. I guess the gods had other plans for me and decided to challenge me with an injury that would knock me back a few! I love the fact that you have committed to not blaming others and take ownership of that! That truly is a really big step to seeing true success!

    2014 still has a lot of time left in it and we can do this together! So glad you will be joining us!
  • ScottG_9905
    ScottG_9905 Posts: 46
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    Well just now logging off work it has been a long day for sure.. My nutrition has suffered, not by eating bad food but not getting enough food. This weekend I will fix this issue by doing a lot of food prep so I don't get stuck like I did today. Not having good food ready to go can really put a mark on the nutrition plan..

    Have a great night everyone!

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