Here we go again -- I cannot ignore the health problems

mirrinias
mirrinias Posts: 80 Member
edited November 10 in Getting Started
Tomorrow I begin calorie counting again. At the very start of this year, I ended up spending 5 days in the hospital and having two surgeries, one to unblock my bile duct which had a gallstone in it and another to remove my gallbladder. If I was not obese, it is certainly possible this would have happened anyway, but from what I understand, overweight people are at a higher risk than those who are not, and it is most common in people who are "female, forty+, and 'fat'". I am only 23 and this has already happened. It turns out my gallbladder was somewhat abnormal, which makes me feel a little better, but the point is, I need to take better care of my body.

I also have achilles tendinosis on one side (there is a bump on the tendon and it caused muscle twitches as well), which used to be excruciatingly painful. Physical therapy was very effective for getting rid of the pain, but it still acts up, especially if I've jogged or walked very long distances. I think this possibly could have been completely avoided if I wasn't so overweight.

I have PCOS. I have a somewhat difficult time seeing how not having a period is a bad thing, but at the hospital, one of the doctors explained that it makes my risk of diabetes a whopping 50%!!! Now, no one is quite sure whether PCOS causes the cravings/emotional state that can lead to overeating and thus weight gain or if obesity/rapid weight gain is a cause for PCOS, but I do know that when I lose weight, my period comes back. Diabetes is a dangerous disease and one of my greatest fears.

Anyway, I can't ignore the health problems that I already have at 23. And I see stories of people who seemed healthy but fat dropping dead at 40 from a heart attack, or people who just pile on more and more obesity related illnesses over the years until they're sick and miserable at 40 and can't live their lives anymore...I don't want that.

I can't even say I really like food that much. I'm not a foodie. I hate cooking. I am very picky. I just eat whatever's convenient and then I eat too much of it. So I'm going to stop overeating -- who knows, maybe I'll even start liking food and diversifying my palate.

Replies

  • lisaab27
    lisaab27 Posts: 56 Member
    I'm Lisa. This is my story. I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure and I damaged my heart from my crummy diet. God was tapping on my shoulder to make a change, but I was ignoring Him. You can only ignore God so long before He gives you a kick in the backside. I weighed 327 lbs. and I got that kick. After being rushed to the ER, I vowed to eat healthy and I lost 130 lbs. I started swimming laps even though I am a crummy swimmer, and in the winter I was walking, only a mile a day due to knee problems but it's helped. After awhile, I decided I was going to "maintain" for awhile even though I still had not made it all the way to my goal of 150. For awhile I was doing great but I started slipping gradually. Constant knee problems made it hard to walk and on a good day I can only do about 1/2 mile. Right now, I haven't swam laps since the summer. Anyway, I vowed I was not going to allow myself to regain all my weight back so here I am. I feel the Lord, tapping on my shoulder again and I'm not ignoring Him this time! So I weighed myself yesterday and I have gained back almost 50 lbs over the last 2 years! I thought I gained back about 25! How we live in denial! I almost hit the floor. I kept a food journal before in a notebook, but this time I'm trying this and hope having friends will help me to achieve my goals of getting healthy and staying that way.
  • 4allmond
    4allmond Posts: 1 Member
    You can do this. This is a very good start. Read something every day about healthy eating. I've found that if I keep it constantly in my face, it's harder to slip back into bad eating habits. You are so young and have so much life ahead of you. Don't start with ridiculous goals...one step at a time. God bless you!
  • ellisboyd1
    ellisboyd1 Posts: 67 Member
    my first goal was to eat a 400-500 calorie breakfast and nothing else until lunchtime. fruit was the only snack allowed, and no not fruit juice or fruit yogurts - just real fruit!

    after a few months I'd nailed down breakfast and then did the same thing for lunch. few more months, then same for tea time. few more months, then supper.

    how you go about your diet is up to you, but it's about changing habits and raising your standards. once you do that, the weight just comes off.

  • mirrinias
    mirrinias Posts: 80 Member
    I've lost weight before...I know how to do it, it's just sticking with it. I always get stuck right around 175 pounds. Last time I lost 65 pounds before failing again. I get tired of tracking and tired of restriction all the time. I cannot treat myself without overdoing it.I do not have any willpower when it comes to "just one" -- it always ends up being all or nothing. I don't know how to reward myself except with food, especially because I have no space to buy more stuff like books/clothes/etc. I control every aspect of my life...I'm very careful with my money, I'm never late, etc. But when it comes to food, it's like I can't stand having to control that too.

    I also work 11 hour days where I am busy and on my feet all day, and I have a hard time eating breakfast so damn early, so I'm ravenous by lunchtime, and then ravenous again after work. It's after work when I'm exhausted that I overeat the most. I hate cooking and don't want to cook anything, and even if I pre-make stuff it's really hard to look forward to leftover spaghetti the third day in a row after a hard, long day. I'll just end up eating an entire bag of chips for dinner or a pint of ice cream or something and then going to bed. I do not know how to break the habit of wanting to reward myself with something "special" after work every day.

    I don't know what to do on the weekends, either. Often the only reason I have to leave the apartment is to go get food. I don't like to not have a purpose when I go out and walk around. All of my interests are indoor activities or require planning (like camping).
  • mrsleescott
    mrsleescott Posts: 8 Member
    mirrinias wrote: »

    I have PCOS. I have a somewhat difficult time seeing how not having a period is a bad thing, but at the hospital, one of the doctors explained that it makes my risk of diabetes a whopping 50%!!! Now, no one is quite sure whether PCOS causes the cravings/emotional state that can lead to overeating and thus weight gain or if obesity/rapid weight gain is a cause for PCOS, but I do know that when I lose weight, my period comes back. Diabetes is a dangerous disease and one of my greatest fears.


    From one PCOS sufferer to another, my first Doctor told me that I didn't need a period if I wasn't trying to conceive and she was very very wrong! Not only will it raise your risk of diabetes, but every four months that you go without a cycle, your risk of uterine cancer increases tremendously! If losing weight helps you get a regular cycle, that's great! If not, you should speak to your doctor about birth control or provera (if trying to conceive).
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