I'm screwed.

NorahsDaddy
NorahsDaddy Posts: 2 Member
edited November 26 in Getting Started
How's that for an opening.

Just got back from my homeopath and she highly recommended this site. To make a long story short, I've been battling obesity for quite some time and I'm on the brink of just throwing my arms in the air and saying, to hell with it. I'm a fat slob.

I know psychology plays a huge role in my lack of success. It's not like I haven't been trying though.

I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs and recently became a vegetarian. And next to nothing to show for it.

Sorry about the whining. Hope things are better with those who read this.

Laugh later.

Randy
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Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    It's not the alcohol, smoking, drugs, or meat that causes weight gain, it's the number of calories that you eat. What will create weight loss is a calorie deficit. Put your stats and goals into MFP, get a calorie goal, log accurately, and consistently hit that goal.

    This.

  • pippywillow
    pippywillow Posts: 253 Member
    Psychology can be overcome and at 63 it's not too late! You can do it! Add me if you want a friend :D
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    RaeBeeBaby wrote: »
    Us old folks can get fit, too! It's never too late. Some of the older people on this site are some of the fittest!

    I look at it like this - now that I'm older and my kids are grown I can spend more time working on myself, my fitness, all the things that I like to do. Being more physically fit gives me the energy to have fun with the grandkids, travel and basically just get more out of life. You can "wind down" and sit in your recliner and watch TV or you can "ramp up" go out there and enjoy life!

    The fact that you see a homeopath shows that you believe in natural solutions. Getting fit is within your power!

    ...

    Just adding.. hardest lesson I had to learn was that yes, getting fit/healthy does feel selfish...(it did for me) BUT... not if you think of it as something you are not just doing for you, but for your family as well, setting an example, establishing some boundaries (those are good things), as well as ensuring you are around alot longer and don't miss anything they are doing in the future!
    I plan on living as long as possible, in as healthy a body as I can, so I can bug them for a very long time. LOL.

    You are in the right place now... one little step at a time is a very good thing!

    Welcome!

  • blnetsova
    blnetsova Posts: 22 Member
    Fellow Veg here. I find myself being a carb-etarian more often than a vegetarian. Working on changing that mindset. Feel free to add me if you like; I know the struggle. Been overweight my whole life.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    keep it simple :smile:
    get a scale and weigh your food
    log your food
    stay in your calorie allotment
    exercise is not necessary to lose weight. but it does give a few more calories to eat a day which is nice.
    read all the stickies on the forums
    remember it took time to get here and it will take time to lose weight
  • Kimmotion5783
    Kimmotion5783 Posts: 417 Member
    Randy, please do not give up! You are NOT screwed, and it is most certainly NOT too late! The only time it's too late to do anything is when you're dead. You are not dead, so you still have hope. You can still do this! I have been obese for most of my life, I have lost 124 pounds and when I say that losing weight is definitely possible, I'm speaking from experience. Losing weight is hard, but not impossible. It CAN be done, and once that ball gets rolling, you will be so glad you decided to stick with it!
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 499 Member
    You are definitely not screwed - you are here, which is a great start. Start tracking, follow the guidelines MFP gives you, and don't go off on any wild deviations from what you normally eat (like cutting any major food groups you normally enjoy) and you'll be fine!
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Turn 60 later this year. Lost 65 pounds since last summer. Like others said, get stats in and get goal. Then it comes down to one thing - discipline.
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
    edited June 2018
    NorahsDaddy wrote: »
    I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs and recently became a vegetarian.

    It's easy to think, by paying too much attention to the weight loss industry, that any of these things has a lot to do with the process. It's much, much simpler than that. You eat fewer calories than you burn. Calories in, calories out. CICO. Do that, and you will lose weight. This site is all about helping you with that.

    Yes, even as a vegetarian you can eat too much food. Actually, for me it would be dead simple. Fried Brussels sprouts are amazingly tasty -- but so oily!

    You'll find mainstream opinion here to be more science-oriented and homeopaths are therefore not held in particularly high esteem (to say the least), but at least yours set you in the right direction. You can do it! It just takes the establishment of a few habits that seem troublesome at first but which are really very easy to do once you get used to them.

    The good news is that you don't have to cut anything out of your diet. You can eat all your favorite foods. You just have to eat less of them.

    I went through a period of self-neglect myself, so I know what that's like. My reasons were very, very bad -- there are no good reasons for it -- and yes, it took some counseling to get me to care more about myself. This benefits not just myself, but all those around me who rely on me to keep functioning. I could not have gone on as I was. You are doing those who love you and who rely on you no favors by paying no attention to your own well-being. They want the best for you. You should too.
  • mkculs
    mkculs Posts: 316 Member
    I've been close to where you are--and yet, something pulls us back from the edge. For me, it's the knowledge that I have kids I love so much and cannot bear the thought of leaving them due to my own inability to get my act together. So, for years, I kept starting over--never giving up, despite constant failure to lose the weight I need to lose to be truly healthy. One thing you and I both did: we eliminated the other big contributors to poor health (drinking, smoking), so pat yourself on the back for that. I always exercised, too, throughout the years, so I had good blood pressure and good medical stats despite being significantly overweight. Celebrate that you are not trying to quit smoking/stop drinking/take up exercise/lose weight, all at once :) That would be a horrible place to be, esp. if you had to, because of a cancer diagnosis, or liver disease, or whatever. So remember, it could be worse and you kept it from being worse.

    Make one change, and go from there. I bought a food scale, and started weighing and logging. That was it. That's all I've really done differently--while making sure to keep up with exercise (which is more b/c I love it).

    Give yourself a few weeks with one change before you add another, and then decide what you want next. Maybe a fitness tracker, for example, to count your steps (which can help with motivation). Could be anything--just so it is important to you. You will find that it only takes one or two positive changes to start seeing results, and that's what you want, right? Commit to those small changes, one at a time. You'll be ok. Good luck, too!

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,557 Member
    NorahsDaddy wrote: »
    Really appreciate all your thoughts. So nice to meet people who care. I think so much of it comes down to psychology though.

    I'm 63 and feel like I should be winding down instead of ramping anything up. Also, being brought up to not care for myself has an affect too. Won't bore anyone with the details, but while there was no physical abuse, there was very serious neglect that has lasting effects.

    Thanks for caring.

    I've been vegetarian for almost 44 years. I was obese for 30+ of them - all except the first few, and roughly the most recent 3. And - as you'd guess from that - I'm around your age, 62. At age 59-60, I lost 50+ pounds. Weight management is all about managing the calories (though nutrition is also important for health, of course!). I'm so much healthier and happier now.

    In my thinking, the wisest sign in the world is one you see in lots of places. It says "you are here". The past influences us, but doesn't lock us into an outcome. Where we're standing today is the only place we can start from, and where we go from here is what's truly important.

    Winding down vs. ramping up is about choices of where to go from here.

    I say, focus on what you, personally, can influence or control to improve your health. Taking care of that is not just for you, it's for everyone around you. You can't take care of anyone around you - family, friends or larger community - if you're dependent on others because your health has degraded. Taking care of yourself is not only something you do for you (i.e., selfishly), it's something you do for others, so they need not take care of you, and so you can continue to take care of them. Taking care of yourself is generous to others. Think about what they tell you on the airplanes: Put on your oxygen mask before you help others. By taking care of yourself, you're able to help them, and you're a model for people around you of what it means to take control of your life and actions, to achieve positive goals.

    You've come to the right place. Improvement is possible, and MFP is a useful tool. It's not easy every minute, but it's possible.

    Wishing you all the best!
  • mk2fit
    mk2fit Posts: 730 Member
    You are not screwed! OK, I am not a vegetarian, but I lost 70ish pounds in less than a year. Exercise. Find your passion. Log your food. MFP is a good tool. You can do this.
    P.S. I am a 59 year old woman. Age is not a factor. CICO works. Good luck
  • Zinka61
    Zinka61 Posts: 563 Member
    I'm 57, a vegan-leaning vegetarian for 28 years--I"ve been a thin vegetarian and a heavy vegetarian and an in-between one. I also eat potatoes almost every day now; they are loaded with potassium and have lots of other nutrients in them as well. I've kept 23 lbs off for 3 years now and I hurt less and feel way younger than I did before I began losing the weight. We can make our elder years quality ones with a little effort. It seems more important than ever to get fit and healthy now at a time in life when things really start catching up with us health-wise. It really hits home when you see the illnesses your parents are struggling with in their old age. This can be life or death, really.
  • Ceenah80
    Ceenah80 Posts: 14 Member
    NorahsDaddy wrote: »
    How's that for an opening.

    Just got back from my homeopath and she highly recommended this site. To make a long story short, I've been battling obesity for quite some time and I'm on the brink of just throwing my arms in the air and saying, to hell with it. I'm a fat slob.

    I know psychology plays a huge role in my lack of success. It's not like I haven't been trying though.

    I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs and recently became a vegetarian. And next to nothing to show for it.

    Sorry about the whining. Hope things are better with those who read this.

    Laugh later.

    Randy

    This is a great community. We are here for you. Good luck on your journey!
  • vaskaxtumir
    vaskaxtumir Posts: 16 Member
    "Btw, if anything I *gained* weight being a vegetarian."

    I had the same experience a few years ago, when I went raw-food vegan for about 6 months. It was a perfectly healthy way of eating but I found it extremely frustrating and disappointing that it didn't help me lose a single pound! It was only when I discovered just how carb sensitive I am that it made sense. I may have had much better results if I'd eliminated all fruit, but I'm very happy doing keto now. There are vegetarian ketogenic diets, too, should you find that you need a bit more help a little down the road in losing the extra fat.

    Best wishes!
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