Struggling to find motivation!
valley2mtn
Posts: 16 Member
I need help and motivation so badly! I started losing weight a few years ago and gradually lost a total of 65lbs. A year ago I started to deal with some deep emotional issues. My teenage daughter's best friend is a close family friend. She had always been thin, but I assumed it was genetic build. One day it struck me how very thin she was getting and also that she didn't seem to be growing or developing the way a teen girl should. The short version is that she is anorexic and probably was always underweight because her eating patterns were learned from her mom who is considered to be a very attractive woman with a beautiful figure. This shook my world. It made me think about my own eating disorders and unhealthy relationship with food. I felt angry at society's focus on body image. I had been so worried about this girl and couldn't get most people to see what I was seeing. People were probably assuming that my family is overweight and would therefore perceive a healthy person as being underweight. At the time I was trying to get help for this girl, she was 15 yrs old and weighed 66 lbs and was about 4'10". She continued to lose weight and at her lowest was around 50-55 lbs before she ended up in a hospital. I felt very angry and frustrated at the whole situation, but mainly that I couldn't convince anyone that she needed help. I believe this is partly because so many people that we, as a society, idealize are actually underweight.
I felt very powerless in my life and essentially have gained about 25 lbs in the last nine months. I don't like going to the gym, because I get emotional when I work out and just want to cry and scream. I don't want to give up my comfort foods because I'm afraid I'll cry and scream. I feel like I don't have time to have an emotional breakdown. The more I think about it I feel like a functioning alcoholic who doesn't have time to get sober because it will be hard work, emotionally. I just don't feel like I have the emotional energy to do it.
This last year was a very hard year. One of the people I had to fight to get this girl help was my own father who was our pastor. I lost the image of my dad that I had. I lost respect for him. I lost the relationship I thought I had with him. I feel like I'm grieving a death. I don't have many people I can talk to. I live with my parents so it's not wise of me to tell things that could cause a lot of trouble for my church, my family, and myself. I'm struggling with very deep depression and don't have many people I can turn to or even be honest with. I have been in counseling, but I feel too tired for that now.
If anyone has been through these tough times and overcome or successfully got back on track, I would loved to hear your success stories. I'm afraid to end my weight loss journey, but even more afraid that I'll end up gaining all my weight back. I worked too hard to have to lose all that again!
I felt very powerless in my life and essentially have gained about 25 lbs in the last nine months. I don't like going to the gym, because I get emotional when I work out and just want to cry and scream. I don't want to give up my comfort foods because I'm afraid I'll cry and scream. I feel like I don't have time to have an emotional breakdown. The more I think about it I feel like a functioning alcoholic who doesn't have time to get sober because it will be hard work, emotionally. I just don't feel like I have the emotional energy to do it.
This last year was a very hard year. One of the people I had to fight to get this girl help was my own father who was our pastor. I lost the image of my dad that I had. I lost respect for him. I lost the relationship I thought I had with him. I feel like I'm grieving a death. I don't have many people I can talk to. I live with my parents so it's not wise of me to tell things that could cause a lot of trouble for my church, my family, and myself. I'm struggling with very deep depression and don't have many people I can turn to or even be honest with. I have been in counseling, but I feel too tired for that now.
If anyone has been through these tough times and overcome or successfully got back on track, I would loved to hear your success stories. I'm afraid to end my weight loss journey, but even more afraid that I'll end up gaining all my weight back. I worked too hard to have to lose all that again!
0
Replies
-
First of all, congratulations for seeing what others could not in your young friend. Our society does not reward vision - it rewards compliance. Nowhere is this more true than in religious cultures. (I know - I grew up in one.) Hopefully your willingness to speak up for this young lady will be an encouragement for her as she works her way back toward a healthy lifestyle.
As for you - don't give up. You are not working for others. You are working for yourself and your daughter. Ten years from now, how others respond to this situation will likely be irrelevant. How you respond is important for you.
Maybe you can find a way to workout either at home or in private? There are a couple good manuals on using just your body and household items as a gym. If you sit a lot, you might find an under desk cycle or standing desk beneficial. I recently got a Deskcycle, and the ability to move as I sit is making a big difference in both my day to day well being and my weight loss goals.
Above all, don't give up. I have done that a few times now, and in the end I am the only one hurt by the lost. The people or situations causing the difficulty don't care - they just move on. Take care of yourself. It is worth the effort.
Blessings,
Cody0 -
Thank you so much, Cody. I appreciate and agree with everything you wrote. You are exactly right and it was just the encouragement I needed0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions