New. Need to lose 100 lbs. Want my life back.

Merycoidodon
Merycoidodon Posts: 10 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I've been overweight my entire life: "pudgy" as a kid, obese into my 20s, severely obese in my 30s, and morbidly obese for the last ten years. I'm currently 5'5" and 260 lbs.

Despite my weight, I have had a very active life riding horses, competitive fencing (had to have custom-made jacket & knickers to accommodate my size), swimming, weightlifting, and hiking in the mountains. Four years ago I developed a medical condition that severely limited all activity. I went from hiking 20 miles a week to being unable to walk even a quarter mile. At least I managed to only gain 10 pounds during those four years even with no exercise whatsoever.

Now, thank God, I have recovered enough that I am able to start exercising again. Now that I am finally able to be somewhat active again, I'm finding that I cannot be 1) middle aged, 2) morbidly obese, and 3) as active as I want. I have to pick two. Since I can't change my age, my choice is between staying morbidly obese and giving up my fun, or losing weight and enjoying doing stuff.

I am choosing to lose the weight. I want to be able to ride all the horses again, not just the draft horses. I want to be able to do a 10 mile hike without my feet and knees screaming at me. I gotta do this!

Any help, advice, support, or encouragement is appreciated!

Replies

  • queenofpuppies
    queenofpuppies Posts: 189 Member
    welcome! Congrats on picking an active lifestyle and best of luck to you on achieving your goals :)
  • innakarpyuk
    innakarpyuk Posts: 10 Member
    You can do anything with God's help. Welcome
  • cariduttry
    cariduttry Posts: 210 Member
    you can do anything with dedication and hard work, good luck to you!
  • lailalakhaniali
    lailalakhaniali Posts: 9 Member
    Hey! I have just as much to lose! It's a long battle and I've been fighting it my whole life too. With my 2 pregnancies over the last 5 years, I went from having 50-60 lbs to lose to having 100+ to lose. If you need a friend along this journey, feel free to friend me! MFP really helps me stay on track and my goal this time around is to lose it slowly but consistently and permanently. No more get on, fall off, get on, fall off. On my end, I've never been very active in my lifestyle and I'm more discovering a lot of that as new stuff in my attempt to create a healthier, more active lifestyle for me and my family. Good luck!
  • loha2328
    loha2328 Posts: 24 Member
    I have been successful using My Fitness Pal to log my food, a Fitbit to track calories burned through activity, and a food scale to weigh my food for accuracy in my logging. I started in January and have lost 38 pounds to date. I am trying to make lifestyle changes and fully expect to do this the rest of my life because it works for me. Feel free to add me. You seem to have the right attitude to make the necessary changes needed and I know you can do this.
  • Naboo325
    Naboo325 Posts: 29 Member
    The fact that you've made the decision is already a huge step! One thing that helped me was joining MFP, logging my food keeps me accountable to myself and also my friends on here. And also getting a Fitbit! Although i've recently stopped using it as much (whole other can of worms) It really boosted me to get more active and do more during the day just to hit that step goal. I want to lose 140 lbs, and so far i'm at 66 lbs lost. I haven't gotten to my goal yet, but the changes so far are amazing!!!! I'm always looking for more friends, especially the vocal ones! LOL Good luck!
  • solieco1
    solieco1 Posts: 1,559 Member
    Keep your "why's" front and center and you'll do great! Fantastic attitude :smiley:
  • LessToLoveTexas
    LessToLoveTexas Posts: 35 Member
    I'm with @Naboo325 on this. You've already done the hard part in realizing there's a problem and deciding to take charge. My ultimate weight loss goal is 114 pounds. It was incredibly intimidating at first and I honestly didn't think it was attainable. But now, I'm 52 pounds down and still working the rest off. As long as you stay committed, you can do anything! MFP has been an amazing help for me. Logging and having the support has helped me out so much! Good luck, you got this!
  • Eagenjs
    Eagenjs Posts: 2 Member
    edited July 2016
    I'm right with you bud. I've been working hard at it for years and it can be difficult. Last week I went to a friend reunion and one showed up that I couldn't believe had lost over 100+ lbs with MFP so I'm returning to the app myself to get the same results for myself.

    As a fencer myself and with a love for adventure hiking and photography I know the joy that is lost when you cannot get out there and experience the world versus the shut-in of the house.

    Keep up the effort, log the food as best you can, take a picture if you're in a rush or don't want to log with others around and keep at it. My doctor once told me that health is not necessarily what you see it is what you do; exercise, clean eating and you can still be a pear, but your heart is healthy and your muscles are working. (My doctor's marathon running, 3-5% body fat husband/life partner died at 25 doing all the "right" things, so live healthy and do what you need to do to return to the life you want.)
  • Chris_cairns80
    Chris_cairns80 Posts: 18 Member
    I have the same to lose. I'm sure it's not gonna be easy but it will be worth it

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