Need support for huge weight loss goal!

I am so with you! My name is Mary Beth and I have atleast 60lbs to go and 80 if I am thinking about when I was young and fit. I am 46, a married mother of two boys 13 and 18. I am a ER RN who works the night shift. Of course that I focus on this and want to do it, I get a cold. My goal this week is to track what I put in my mouth! I do well most of the day but lose control in the evenings when I am off. My diet is mainly carbs with protein so I really need to focus on more veggies and portion control.
I plan to take it a pound at a time, I get overwhelmed by how much I need to lose.
Remember men tend to lose quicker than women, don't give up!
I don't usually interact with people so I am trying to open up, maybe this will help.
Sincerely,
Mary Beth

Hey everyone! I'm a 30 year old woman who has gained significant weight since the birth of my daughter 4 years ago. At first I attributed to baby weight, but I don't have an excuse anymore. I need to lose approximately 90 pounds to be in a healthy weight bracket for my height. It literally seems impossible to me. I have tried my fitness pal before, weight watchers, no-carb diets, and even followed a diet prescribed by my doctor. I lose about 5 pounds in a month, and I give up. I need support for staying power. My husband has followed my fitness pal and lost 20 pounds. I see him with immediate results, and I become discouraged that I'm not seeing the weight come off for me. Anyone else in a similar situation? Anyone with a huge amount of weight to lose to commiserate with?

5 lbs a Month is NO JOKE...That is 60 lbs in a Year! If you would stick with that, BE REASONABLE in your expectations you would make it! Many REASONABLE People give themselves 2-3 years to lose 80-90 lbs. , sticking to a Plan. If you do not set reasonable goals, with Reasonable expectations, you may never succeed.

Hi

The mountain I'm climbing is exactly the same size as the one you're standing at the bottom of, I'm just up ahead of you a bit because I started earlier.

I know it looks like a huge number, but it's NOT impossible. Remember - you didn't put the weight on overnight, or in a couple of months - you need to understand that it'll come off slowly as well.

Small steps...just keep on climbing!

Losing weight with kids in the house must be the hardest thing ever, you are all to be congratulated :drinker:

My advice is to join a gym or a Y or a local swimming pool, anything outside the house where you can go and challenge your body. It also clears the mind and makes changes in your body that you never thought could happen. You don't have to do it every day, 3 times a week will work.

Don't expect the scale to move very fast. Some weeks it will not move at all. DON'T STOP EXERCISING and eating right!

Take your measurements TODAY and check them after a few weeks of your new regimen.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Hi there,

I've lost about 86 pounds in the past 13 months - I hit the goal weight I set myself on myfitness pal this week (I wrote a blog about it in case you are interested!).

My youngest child was 4 when I started on this journey and I was in a similar situation to the one you find yourself in now. It's not impossible - believe in yourself.

You CAN do this.

When you start to get discouraged over loosing only 3, 5, or 10 pounds GO TO THE GROCERY STORE... go in the veggy section and pick up as many bags of potatos as you have lost in pounds. You only lost 5 pounds? throw that potato sack up on your hip like a baby. See HOW MUCH ROOM it takes up on your body? Now, carry it with you while you shop! Don't put it down. Notice the extra weight now? My mom had lost "Only" ten pounds and was giving up one time so I gave her two 5 pound bags of potatos to carry in the store - it really helps you visualize the weight.
ALSO another idea is to not weigh at all until you have hit 30 days (REALLY HARD to do for most people). If you just make the eating lower calories and being active part of your life and then just HAPPEN to step on a scale in a month the all at once number change will be a big boost to get you thrrough another month. Instead of weighing, put on a pair of pants or a shirt that is a little snug. Use that as your guide, when it fits better you know your doing better. Because a lot of time the numbers on the scale don't move but your body changes shapes and your heart gets stronger.

I completely understand where you are coming from. I have a similar situation. I have about 100 pounds that I need to lose and I feel like that I have tried everything. I recently starting to go to a weight loss doctor who has prescribed me with weigh loss drugs that have definitely helped me. I also understand where you are coming from with the way you feel about your husbands weight loss. My husband just has to think about losing weight and it will fall off. Let me know if you need anyone to talk to.

Hey Soul Sisters, don't leave me behind!!

My stats are in my signature so you can see I easily had over 80 pounds to lose when I started.

My progress is slow (almost painfully slow) but after a LIFETIME of battling my weight I believe I am approaching this with a much wiser mindset.

I am NOT looking at the WHOLE picture of an 80 boulder to push UPHILL but am choosing to set MINI GOALS to keep me on steady ground.
My first Mini was to get to ONEDERLAND and the 190s.
Now, I'm heading to the 180s. And I'll just keep chipping away at it.

When I get there, I get there. No time limit, no end. Put out the effort, check the results and tweak when necessary.

Good Luck~ MFP is an awesome site and I've learned so much since I've been here~ you will too!

Some things I have learned...
1. In the first weeks of starting exercise program most folks gain weight because muscle weighs more than fat. SO don't just weigh yourself... MEASURE to see what your body is really doing.
2. NEVER eat less than about 125O calories... OR try to loose too much too fast. Your body goes into starvation mode and retains fat.
3. It took YEARS to put on the weight... eat HEALTHY (food pyramid) exercise regularly... and slowly it will come off.
4. SLOW weight loss is most likely to stay off long term.
5. DON"T "diet"... just learn to eat properly and exercise regularly. Make your goal "good health."
6. Fill out your profile, particpate on these boards, add some friends who encourage you .... and HAVE FUN with it!!
7. Don't deprive yourself. Learn to have just ONE bite of that cake. Total deprivation may lead to fast weight gain later.
8. As you gained weight you probably had plateaus going up. Your body remembers these plateaus and will automatically plateau there again on the way down. Some refer to these as "set points." It may take some time and sometimes some adjustments to get past them.
9. Mix it up. Vary your exercise from day to day and vary your menu. If you get bored you are less likely to be successful.
10. Eat back at least SOME of your exercise calories. This motivates me to exercise more!


"It matters not if we try and fail, and try and fail again. But it matters much if we try and fail and fail to try again."

I'm just starting out with a massive 100lb+ to lose. Losing just 5 pounds a month is just right; lose too much and it goes back on almost straight away when you eat "normally" . I think you're very brave to attempt this with kids around, they're exhausting at the best of times! This MFP diary and support is invaluable and we're all here to help you get to your goal which I KNOW you'll do. Keep up the momentum with your hubbie, he's your inspiration that it CAN be done. Good Luck!! ;-}

I'm with ya! I am 29 and have gained 60 lbs in the past 7 years... I am now at my all time heaviest and just misrable. My husband and I are over it and want to lose the weight we have gainned however it gets really frustrating as he cuts back 2 days and loses 8 lbs and I gain?!?!?! WTF? So.. I am trying not to pay attention to him and just give it my best and try my hardest. I have slipped and strayed and starting today I am back on the wagon. I have the MFP app on my phone as well and will log everything that I put in my mouth. My best friend is on here and has lost over 80lbs!! She is a true inspiration and she has been working hard at it for over a year. It just shows that even though it takes a little bit of time... with hard work and dedication... it can be done and she looks amazing and is such an inspiration to me!
Together we can do this! I believe that MFP is a great tool to help stay motivated and see your progress. Plus the peoplle on here are so nice and helpful and really help motivate you when you are feeling blue.

Good luck. I know you can do it!!

You have to start somewhere, right? Good for you for joining! Good luck! I also have a lot to lose, we can do it!

Welcome to MFP. You are taking the right step. I started using MFP 6 1/2 months ago and so far has lost 46 pounds. Why this program has worked for me is that it allows me to keep track of my calories in and also log in my exercise. Also the wonderful supportive network at MFP has kept me going on days when I didn't really want to exercise or eat healthy. So, this is a great program to be in. I have always been overweight but I have never really tried any diets to lose weight. I was and still am very happy with my life...but 6 1/2 months ago, I finally decided that I wanted to be healthy and not be out of breath while climbing stairs etc....so once you put in your mind that you are ready for a change and is ready to lose that weight, you will do it.
Good luck on your journey and feel free to add me as a friend. We are all here to support you through this journey :-)

Welcome! Feel free to add me. Yes, i have a huge amount to lose... lost 50+ so far, but have a long, long way to go. I'm just taking it one day at a time and have committed to see it through to the end.

Stay positive!