35 & 500+ pounds

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shuasmith
shuasmith Posts: 38
in Introduce Yourself
I've always been overweight. But its gotten so much worse ove the last number of years and I can't believe I used to think '300' was big when I could do so much more than I can now. I DREAM of being 300 again.

Over the last year I have slowly tried to introduce healthier things into my life because a 'big change' all at once has always failed. Dropping soda has been the biggest and most recent change and, thanks to Mio, I drink only water about 6 days a week. I've found some healthiER recipes I like such as zucchini noodle pastas and just try, each week, to find something healthier than the last week. But its slow, or has been, on purpose.

At the beginning of the summer I took up a bowling league. I used to bowl until I was 14 but haven't really since and found this a great way to get some exercise at least once a week. I also have an amazing and supportive wife who will walk around a grocery store with me shopping but then let me go get in the car while she checks out because I'm hurting so bad.

And that's the hard part. Walking more than 5 minutes causes so much pain. I know, because I hear it all the time, just walk more. And I always want to buy them a backpack filled with 300 pounds of extra weight and see how far they get. NOt out of spite or meanness, but so they understand and can help my problem, not general issues. We recently got a kinect and the few times I've done that have done more than I thought I would.

In fact, I thought I was doing pretty good. My pants seemed to be getting a little looser and my shirts weren't quite as tight and bowling has been easier and I must be losing right? Of course, at my weight its hard to just go in the bathroom and weigh myself, in fact I can't. None of them go that high. Last I knew I was right at 500 pounds, just under in fact. So after doing so well recently I was highly discouraged to have weighed myself and saw '513' pop up.

Of course its just a number, right? The important thing is I'm making slow changes and am getting better. In fact it really means I must have been at least a little heavier than 513 if I have lost a bit. But instead it just devestated me and now I want this belly gone. I want what I've been dreaming of for months, to be able to walk around a discgolf course and play again, to walk COmicCons and game stores, and Renn Faires, and zoos and air and space museums...

Oh yeah, I'm a geek.

So here I am. Hopefully you'll hear from me a lot because I feel more motivated and prepared than ever before. I hope i can keep that feeling going.
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Replies

  • singlemom73
    singlemom73 Posts: 21 Member
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    you can do it, add me if you need support :)
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    You can do this! From a medical perspective I can tell you *most* scales are not designed to go that high so you can easily get an inaccurate reading. Also if your pants are getting loose I wouldn't focus on that number so much. The changes you are making so far are fabulous!

    You can do this :) You deserve to be that geek that can enjoy comicon instead of hurting ;)
  • karenMcMillan0712
    karenMcMillan0712 Posts: 82 Member
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    You have made the first step. Each day is a new beginning. Keep up the great work!
  • SuperAmie
    SuperAmie Posts: 307 Member
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    Scrap the weight, go for inches and how you feel and your clothes fit!! Numbers not important... Keep up what youre doing and slowly youll find out can do even more. Sounds like you are doing fantastic so far!! Going to be a slow transformation but if you keep what youre doing youll get there!!!! :) Excited to see you transform and read your post!!
    Goodluck you so got this!
  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
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    Sounds like you're on the right track. You've got this!
  • TheSatinPumpkin
    TheSatinPumpkin Posts: 948 Member
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    Check out CyberEd312 thread. I think he high was 560lbs. very inspirational.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1103164-3-yrs-312lbs-lost-1yr-from-bodylift-and-maintenance

    Great mindset you have. You can do it!!!!!!!
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 6,956 Member
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    Dude, I admire you for putting yourself out there and working on it. I've always been a proponent of "slow and steady wins the race." This stuff is hard. And I imagine it is even harder for you. Forget the scale right now. Focus on eating right and moving a little more each time. Use your clothes as a measure. Increases in muscle weigh more and the body retains water for weird reasons. I weight daily, but I also keep my measurements, in case the scale stalls. It will. I'm on a mini-plateau right now. But my measurements just took a dip. I have to safety pin my workout pants now. NSV, non scale victories are what you should focus on right now.

    Keep going. Someone once said: Consistency plus time yields success. I'm so impatient, but I'm learning to be patient. You CAN do this.

    You are doing great. Keep moving and trying hard. The bad news is that only you can improve things. That's also the good news! You can change things! It's going to take some time to get it all off. But you'll be getting healthier, every step, every fraction of a pound you lose. Your life will be improving.

    Best wishes.:heart:
  • Smart_Beautiful_and_Strong
    Smart_Beautiful_and_Strong Posts: 230 Member
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    If your clothes are getting looser, you're doing something right! Keep up the great work!
  • kessler4130
    kessler4130 Posts: 150 Member
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    Please keep in mind, the more fat stores your body contains the more water you can retain, that 13lb jump could very well have been from water, by introducing the Mio or anything with artificial sweetener it can cause inflammation in your body and cause you to retain more water. I am not saying stop drinking Mio, Mio is better than anything with sugar carbs at this point in your journey.
  • jefferytmc
    jefferytmc Posts: 26 Member
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    Keep it up brother.

    And from experience, our scale is a 500 lb heavy duty package type scale and when I was 440, it fluctuated a LOT and it was hard to know what the real weight was. It was not till I got under 400 lbs that it started to be more consistent. And on Monday I was going to the doctor, so I weighted fully clothed and then left the house and it was basically the same weight as the doctor scale (mine only does half pound increments, but that was the only difference).

    Anyway, as was suggested, go by how your clothes fit and keep up the excellent work. You will get there.

    I wished I had lost the weight 10 yrs earlier (I am 44 now), so keep on keeping on and it will get better. The more you lose and the more you move, the better it will be.

    And even 5 mins of walking is better than nothing.
  • fitladyfawkes
    fitladyfawkes Posts: 138 Member
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    Seriously great start! Times will come when you don't feel that motivation and you fall down but DONT QUIT. Everyone falls down, it's reality and you can get back up and continue! You can do this!
  • carebearrum
    carebearrum Posts: 18 Member
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    I completely understand your pain struggle and know this, you have it in you to get better healthier and stronger. I would say if I can do it anyone can but you have to have that willpower. See The reason I understand is I'm 36 soon to be 37 in Sept and am at my highest weight of 454.2 lbs. It hurts to walk further then a few steps. it kills my back to try and move along the store without the aid of a cart to help support me. I feel so helpless because there is no gym close by to go to And I don't have the money to drive 1 hr to 2 or more hours to find a YMCA that is from me.

    So what i found for me is doing the journal of food and exercise (which I need to do more of) and watch what I eat by doing the portion control and all. I just visited my doctor yesterday and she wants me to think of surgery but for me I feel I don't want to do surgery until it's a last resort. She wants me under 400 lbs. So far I've lost 12 lbs according to the dr office which is a three month span. It hurts and kills me and now I'm going to start doing a weighing everything I eat and measuring so I can accurately check in . So if you need an ear or friend I'm here for you! We all need someone to help them with the struggles.

    Carolyn!
  • justmextine
    justmextine Posts: 7 Member
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    My Dad was roughly your size when I was growing up. He lost a significant amount of weight by just changing his eating habits and watching his calories. Once some of the weight was gone he was able to challenge himself more and more with activity. I know it was hard on him as I too have been overweight my whole life and struggling at over 300 lbs.

    First step is to try and be consistent. Regardless of success or failures, keep going. With consistently it will become routine, then with routine it makes things much easier. When I stop obsessing over the scale and progress, I find I am just living a healthy life.

    Through my multiple attempts at weight loss, I have found that its as simple as calories in vs. calories out. However, my advanced growth has come from how does the calories in make me feel. If I have 1,500 calories was it satisfying or just eating to the deficit. If the latter, I was bound to make mistakes and then get discouraged and then crash. If I was not completely eliminating food groups and tastebuds, I would remain consistent. Every hiccup has been a learning experience. Life happens, but my response to life has to be different. Its a struggle of balance for me, but I know the tools/fundamentals are there. Emotionally I will struggle for the rest of my life, even if the physical changes.

    Till this day I wonder if my life would be different if my Dad was not 500 lbs. Now that I have a son, I don't want him to go through what I have over the years. I don't want my weight to define me.

    So keep up the effort and the results will come. Trust and believe in yourself. MFP family is here to support each other. Also, try out a blog or two when you get discouraged. It helps refocus.

    Another note: Eat clean as possible, you'll find when you cook for yourself and not prepackaged, food tastes better, you have more calories to spend on things. It also helps energy and bodily functions too :) Stay away from stimulants and other crazy fads. It slowed my metabolism over the years along with the years.
  • KeepGoingKylene
    KeepGoingKylene Posts: 432 Member
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    You've already done the hard part by starting and coming here. Keep it up, you will do great. I actually started my journey with Kinect as well. Keep it up and before you know it you will be able to walk more and workout more. You've got this!!!
    Good luck in your journey!:drinker:
  • thegreatcanook
    thegreatcanook Posts: 2,419 Member
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    You can do this! It will take some time, but we've got your back! Add me for support!
  • kdaughertyfp
    kdaughertyfp Posts: 49 Member
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    I know (or know similar) issues like your describe. I am 20 years your senior and started out shy of 400lbs. I heard it from the doctor just get out and walk more. Yeah right. People have know idea how bad you hurt after 20 steps. You carefully plan what you do and how to walk the least you can and a lot of times don't go somewhere because you have to walk and I am not taking miles, I mean into a grocery store. Its not that you don't want to, but you cant.

    I started watching what I was eating and then did some minimal chair exercises. Eventually over the course of a year as weight came off I then tried doing more exercise even if was 1 more step a day or every other day. It didn't happen overnight but as the weight came off it did make it much easier to walk.

    I have been using MFP for 520 some days and just shy of losing 150lbs, the key for me is to log everything and add exercise as I am able. I applaud you for soda reeducation and picking up bowling that is great. Stick with it and keep up the good work.

    If you would like to add me as a friend I am kdaughertyfp. Good luck!
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    Don't think of 500+ to lose but what you can do each day to make it better than the day before. Whether it's something so simple as drinking an extra glass of water, not getting on the scale, brushing your hair and pulling it back... good things that will make you feel better about yourself. Learning to love ourselves is by far the most important thing we can ever do. That's when changes happen, when we accept ourselves and learn to love who we are. We don't have to love our behavior but we can learn to love ourselves enough to change behaviors we do that aren't healthy for us.

    You CAN succeed, you're already posted, you joined MFP and posted, those are HUGE first steps!:drinker: :heart:
  • gobraves47
    gobraves47 Posts: 213 Member
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    I know that you can do this! Try not to get overwhelmed by the number and how long it will take to get there. Just work on losing 5 or 10 pounds at a time, then lose 5 more. You really can do it! If it takes 5 years, well the time will pass whether you're working on it or not. It really is worth the trouble and pain.

    Also, if it hurts to walk, then just do what you can. Try to move just a little bit more everyday. Getting your eating habits in control is what will get the weight off. Good Luck!
  • my_chrystal82
    my_chrystal82 Posts: 46 Member
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    Congratulations on joining MFP! It's one of the smartest things you can do and there are lots of people here who are ready and willing to cheer you on. Feel free to add me!

    I have an exercise idea for you, which a lot of overweight people tend to overlook-I think-is swimming. Maybe you've considered this, maybe not, but I thought I would mention it. Swimming is a great way to burn calories and to take some of the burden off of your joints while doing so. I say that overweight people tend to overlook this exercise because who in the hell wants to be that exposed, in bathing suits, with a weight problem? lol But it is a great way to burn a lot, and you can just have a nice float when you need a rest. Hope this suggestion doesn't fall under the obnoxious category.
  • Lemongrab13
    Lemongrab13 Posts: 206 Member
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    Welcome! :flowerforyou:

    One of the most important things you can do for success is READ.
    You don't need to go into your journey guessing.
    These two links are great starting points. Especially the TDEE guide as you won't feel like you need to cut out foods or cut crazy amounts of calories once you understand this method.

    So here are the top two guides that have helped me, and will hopefully help you too
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/931670-bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide

    So I think you bowling is wonderful. And I think that should be about all you do for the time being. Your primary focus should be diet. Once you get to a weight where you're comfortable with walking, then you can begin progressing on yo that part of your weight loss journey.

    Remember to be patient with yourself. Weigh your food. Take current pictures, measurements and weigh yourself.

    Good luck :heart:

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