Introducing me

kourtneykaren
kourtneykaren Posts: 8
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone!!

I have joined MFP with the hopes of gaining friends that can motivate me and keep me accountable on my weight loss journey, and hopefully I can return the favour for them.

I've always been overweight, and have tried various times in the past to lose weight, but I always just get depressed about how far I have to go and quit basically before I even start. Finally, when I hit over 200lbs at only 18 years old, enough was enough. With the constant support of my girlfriend, I've embarked for what will hopefully be the last time on this weighloss journey.

My biggest issues are going to be keeping motivation, as I have tons of motivation to go to the gym for about a week or so, and then I remember how far I still have to go, get overwhelmed and upset, and give up. As well my other biggest issue is likely to be eating late at night/stress & emotional eating/fast food eating.

I would love any tips or advice on maintaining motivation, as well as any other exercise and diet tips that can help me reach my goal weight! Also I'd love some friends for my journey!

Replies

  • akgreen324
    akgreen324 Posts: 74 Member
    Hi there. I think it's good that you are reaching out, especially to people who have an unbiased view of what you are going through. I struggle with emotional/stress eating as well. I am 25 and about 20 lbs off of 200 lbs and this is the heaviest I have ever been so good for you for taking action early.

    I think for emotional/stress eating people like us need to 1.cut ourselves some slack 2. preoccupy our time with other things. First of all, if you happen to have something that isn't all that great for you, it's no big deal. For instance, yesterday I ate very healthy throughout the day but was so tired and upset so I ate HALF!! of a pizza. I looked at how many cals I had consumed, and took a deep breath, acknowledge it, and through the other half away. Decided to just hop back on track today. It's ok to have a slip up, as long as all your meals don't become a lot of unhealthy things.

    I also have started to focus my energy into walking my dog, reading, or grocery shopping (for healthy things) when I feel "emotional". It's not easy, but I think the more and more you try and focus your energy away from wanting that candy bar to make yourself to feel better and to positive things that will help you towards your goals, it will become easier.

    We live in a generation of instant gratification, so wanting results fast is expected by many. I too, want results just like that. But we have to think, how did we get our jobs? How did we get that A on a test we didn't think we could? How did people actually make meaningful relationships without texting, cell phones,etc? Hard work and effort and persistence. And this is ultimately what will make us stronger people, not the weight loss itself.

    Hope some of this helps :) Sorry for writing an essay (while I am at work woops ha)
  • DavidSTC
    DavidSTC Posts: 173 Member
    A change in mindset is a must. You have to work daily and think long-term. You can easily ingest calories, so you can easily put on weight. But, to lose weight, it's a process that will take a while. Patience and persistence are two things you will need to work on. Going from bad habits to good habits may take a while. You could backslide at times ... that's where patience and persistence will come in. And, let's face it, if you do nothing about your predicament, you're only going to gain weight. Even if you "only" lost a little weight each month, you're doing the opposite of gaining weight. That's a good thing.

    I would also recommend finding activities you enjoy. You don't have to just go to the gym. Go hiking. Go swimming. Go ice skating. Go do some fun things. Instead of sitting down, stand up and do something. Dance. Stretch. I've found that moving keeps your mind off eating, and now you're both burning calories and not ingesting calories ... a two-fer!

    Good luck. You can do it! :glasses:
  • Brittany029
    Brittany029 Posts: 13 Member
    Start small.

    Small goals as in drinking you recommended 8 8oz of water. or not drinking a soda for a day. get a pedometer and walk an extra 500 steps. Do 20 crunches and if you can do 20, try 30.. and so on.

    When I first started this I didn't look at it like a diet. More like portion control and eating my calories not drinking them. I also did first goal was 5 lbs then after that it was 10. at 20 lbs I would measure my inches lost. 30 lbs I would buy myself something fun (in my case it is was a maxi shirt) my total goal was a big amount but breaking it down I am already passed my half way point and working on the last 13 lbs.

    IF you want to eat a cheeseburger eat one.. put tons of veggies on it and little mayo ketchup mustard.. and if you indulge one day make up for it the next day by walking further into work or something. Weight loss doesn't have to be a struggle. Your body gets used to it and you start feeling happier and healthier and more bubbly!

    I don't have access to a gym anymore so I walk a lot and do at home dvds. I try to stay as active as possible and sit as little as possible once I am off work because I sit a lot of at work doing boring accounting and data entry.

    I agree with AKGREEN.. find something to do with your hands to keep your mind off eating. I started reading again as well. I love James Paterson he is really good!

    We can't assume that a pill is going to make everything better or one day of eating healthy will make us be 10lb skinnier it takes work and dedication but once you do hit that 10 lb mark it makes the work worth it!
  • Kaylee11133
    Kaylee11133 Posts: 31 Member
    I have a similar story, got to be over 200 lbs at about the same age. It all depressed me and overwhelmed me so I kept failing and thinking-- tomorrow i'll start! Tomorrow didn't really come for years haha, at the expense of even more gained weight, woohoo! Til this year on the first of January, I decided enough was enough. Realized that holy crap, if i would have started the first time I said I was going to, i'd be to my goal a few times over by now.

    I think knowing what your issues are and working with them is important. For example, I know that I have a hard time eating and staying under calories if I eat all willy nilly throughout the day. SO, I simply have to roughly outline what i'll eat at certain times after I get up. Of course, I get to some points and decide I don't feel like eating that.. But I still have that calorie range I had previously decided on. I also know that I lose motivation for exercising as the day progresses lol, so I need to exercise earlier in the day. I also know that I need to eat at night, otherwise I wake up at a random hour hungry, so I eat close to my bedtime. So on and so forth. So, if you know eating late at night is an issue for you, work with it. Don't let it destroy you. Eat at night, just make sure you planned your day accordingly and have enough calories for what you want to eat at those times.

    It will get easier as your body gets used to what the new you is choosing to do. Let yourself become your motivation. As you've probably heard, make small goals. Trust me once you see that what your doing is making a significant difference, the scale shifts down and you meet your first goal or two, your next goal is beyond motivating. Just don't give up, keep going. =]
  • kourtneykaren
    kourtneykaren Posts: 8
    Thank you everyone!! I feel so much more motivated knowing that people are going through the same thing, and it's great to get tips and ideas. I wanna look at this post every time I need a reminder why I should keep going. And it's great to know I have a website of people who will keep me accountable and motivated. I really appreciate that you guys took the time to give me such thoughtful answers. Thank you!! :smile:
  • lpurks13
    lpurks13 Posts: 3 Member
    Hello Kourtney, I am also new to this but have been struggling with my weight forever! I also need help stay motivated past the first week. I am also a late night binge eater and love to over indulge at dinner time. I am staying motivated this week by taking one day at a time and not even thinking about tomorrow. I also think this time is different because I am doing this for me, I just don't feel good anymore and want that "I fee good" feeling again.

    Anyway, welcome and I will try to be a supportive for you.
  • DanZiehm
    DanZiehm Posts: 152 Member
    Hi Kourtney - I definitely understand your struggle with weight loss and I'm an example of what can happen if it gets out of control. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. When I was in high school and college, sports helped me keep it somewhat under control. When I got out of college, I blew out my left knee twice and my right knee once, with surgery happening after each time. As I have gotten older, my knee problems have persisted and my activity level has become less and less. I have developed severe degenerative arthritis in both knees and now every step I take, I'm in pain. Finally, about 8 weeks ago, I got on a scale and was mortified. I had never seen a number that hi. No wonder I was in pain with each step I took. At that moment, I knew I needed a lifestyle change. About 8 weeks ago, I got back on MFP and I got in the pool and started swimming (that is one of the few exercises that doesn't cause extreme pain). I have been religious about logging in my food and getting to the gym four or five times a week to swim for an hour each time. MFP works!!! In the past 8 weeks, I have dropped 25 pounds!!! Little by little, my knees are feeling better. I have a long way to go, but as one of the other people that commented here, I am breaking it down into small, manageable goals. By breaking it down, I don't focus on the BIG number. I just keep striving for the next 5 or 10 pounds. I also haven't eliminated anything completely from my diet. I try my best to stay within my daily calories. If I go over, I have realized it's not the end of the world, I just know that I need to try a little harder the next day or maybe swim and extra 5 or 10 minutes the next time I swim. I also keep telling myself that the weight didn't add on over night and it isn't going to come off over night. I just keep plugging along.

    I am on MFP a lot and am a very supportive friend. I'll send you a friend request and we can support each other. Also, anybody else reading this... if you want a supportive friend and can be a supportive friend, please feel free to send me a friend request.

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