Overwhelmed

kthompson601 wrote: »

You got this. You can totally do it. I've lost 120 pounds in 2 years with another 40 pounds to go, and it is completely doable. You can make huge improvements in your health and maybe even reverse your diabetes (like, if you're now on insulin, weight loss may allow you to stop needing it. Check with your doctor, obviously!).

Everyone's given great tips so far, so I'll try to be brief too:

1. Small changes at first. No need to drastically reduce your food, to suddenly go from say 3000 calories to 1200. Maybe try to cut to just 2000, then maybe 1800, or whatever; basically I'm saying, do not starve yourself.
2. A good way to start small is to cut back on portion size. Normally order a large fry? Order a small fry. Big soda drinker? Commit to drinking one less soda every day. Big snacker? Buy the single serving sizes, or do what I had to do at first, and dump half the box/bag in the trash as soon as you open it. Yes, it is wasteful, but I couldn't trust myself to eat just a little, so I did what I had to do, until I felt comfortable eliminating high-calorie snacks altogether.
3. Experiment with new food. Don't just think this is all about cutting out food. Find new fruits and vegetables and ways of preparing them.
4. Along with that, don't force yourself to eat food you don't like. "Spinach is low calorie, but I hate it. But I'm going to make myself eat it." You won't have success that way. There are so many amazing healthy, low cal foods out there. Experiment, find ones you really enjoy, and eat them. Don't force yourself to eat things you don't like.
5. Start exercising very, very, VERY slowly. Commit to brief walks. If you are really out of shape, just a little bit of exercise will wear you out. You will see improvement quickly, but start slow. If you push too hard, you'll burn out and be discouraged. Commit to a 10 minute walk. Pace your house during commercial breaks on the TV. Park a little farther away at the office and the shops. You can gradually increase over time, but if you push too much too early, you'll be disappointed. You don't go from being completely sedentary and out of shape to regular 90 minute workouts overnight. Build up slowly and be easy on your body, at first.
6. Accept that you will have discomfort. Especially if you're very out of shape, you will experience discomfort. I hate being sweaty, but I still make myself workout until I'm dripping wet, because I know the discomfort won't kill me, and I can always get a shower right afterward. So get comfortable with discomfort. Accept that you might have some aches in your legs or feet. Accept that you will get out of breath and maybe have a stitch in your side. This is all a mind game. A little discomfort is not harmful. Train yourself mentally to take it.
7. Accept that this is a commitment. Cooking at home, weighing food, and fitting in exercise does take time. That means you have to sacrifice something else to make time. Fortunately, you can probably sacrifice television or Facebook time. Once you get established cooking and exercising, you''ll find it's no longer a sacrifice.
8. Show patience and compassion. The most successful way is to do it slowly and steadily. It will take time but the time is going to pass, regardless of whether you're improving your health. If the days are going to go by, you might as well relax and not rush yourself. Also, show compassion. You won't be perfect. You might over eat at a meal, or binge on a snack, or skip a walk. It's okay. Tell yourself, "I made a mistake. But next time, I can do better." No one is ever perfect, so show compassion when you slip up, and persevere. Commit to doing better the very next meal.