355lbs with severe back problems gotta lose this weight!

oncewaslost24
oncewaslost24 Posts: 1
in Getting Started
Hey everybody my name is Andrew I have been obese pretty much my whole life...7 years ago I had a spinal injury playing football and it just keeps getting worse and I know its because of my activity level and weight just looking for some motivation and encouragement from some people my size or who used to be my size.

Replies

  • Artificer22
    Artificer22 Posts: 68 Member
    You can do it man. The first step is deciding that you want to make the change, which it seems you are. I was at 242 at my heaviest, and its taken me almost 2 years to get to where I am now. It takes time. I never realized that myself when I started. There are some amazing people on here that are good at kicking your butt into gear. Best way to go is start small. Start with walking and watching your caloric intake. That's how I started. I walked a bit further each week and watched what I ate. I tried to eat less processed foods, less sugars, and started to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm not prefect by any means, but I strive to be a bit better each week. I know it's cliche, but you can do anything you set your mind to.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
    I'm 5'5" and used to be 360..At age of 41 I lost 70 pounds and got down to 290 and had VSG weight loss surgery at 290 pounds. (personal decision, there are LOTS of people on here who do it without!) I'm now sill obese at 235 but it is the lowest I've been since I was 14 years old! I enjoy being active. I like to cycle and hike. Even though I'm still not ag goal weight, it's WONDERFUL to have some of the weight off and be rid of the pain and be able to enjoy those activities again.

  • cakebatter07
    cakebatter07 Posts: 814 Member
    Hey I'm not your size, I just wanted to say that you can definitely do this. There's so many people who have lost that amount of weight and even more. If they can do it, you can to! Just be consistent and have reasonable goals. I'd say good luck, but it's not about luck. It's all about hard work and sticking to your goals. :)
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Hey there Andrew, welcome to MFP

    You can do this, you can lose the weight. I started at 285 lbs, and in 18 months lost 118 lbs. It takes lots of patience, lots of forgiveness, understanding you aren't perfect and good thing you don't need to be, and it takes consistency.

    Find a reasonable calorie deficit, log your food as accurately and honestly as possible. As you lose the weight hopefully some of the back issues with ease up some for you, and you'll be able to be more active.

    It took me about 3 1/2 months before I could do anything more than stand up once per hour for about 5 minutes. Slowly I was able to add a little walking and use an under the desk bike. From there I gradually increased to more biking and lifting.

    Here's some links with great information to help you get started:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

    Good luck
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Also definitely read this success story from CyberEd312, great guy and serious inspiration

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1103164

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