Getting Back in Shape After 80 Pound Pandemic Weight Gain - Please Help!

First things first start logging your food and eat in a deficit while also doing your normal work routine for about 2 weeks. That should help you regain some of your activity. Then once existing isn't kicking your but you can worry about increasing activity.

You mention "struggling" and feeling "exhausted". Have you considered your mental wellness? I know myself that through the pandemic and being at home constantly was a drain on me physically and mentally. I too felt like everyday little tasks were too much and was always exhausted and overwhelmed. I gained weight from reduced activity and emotional eating to cope with my anxiety and depression. I recently made a Dr. appointment last month and decided to try an antidepressant. It has been 6 weeks and I feel better enough to focus on my healthy behaviors again.

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Thank you!! Good idea but swimming is exhausting! I also don't have a swimsuit that fits anymore and trying to find one I'm comfortable with feels emotionally exhausting. Ugh [/quote]

You have already taken the first step😉. My suggestion is to do baby steps. Log what you normally eat- for real! Then eat at a 200 calorie deficit for a few days. You may find cutting 200 cal to start gives you an easy win to start. Then, cut out 500 cal per day. Add in healthy veg choices and you are in your way!

When your loss stalls for 2 weeks, drop an extra calorie amount. MFP helps you choose a calorie and macro goal, but you can set your own if you wish. Mine is 1500. Some days I go over a little, some days I am under. I have lost almost 29lbs to date and have 11 more to my interim goal or 25 to end goal. It has been pretty painless at this calorie goal, but it isn't fast. About 20lbs lost since Feb this year.

As for exercise, again make it an easy start-walk to the mailbox or street corner and back. Or for 5 min. Do until it becomes easy. Then add more distance/time. You can join gym as you become more comfortable in your abilities-Or continue working out at home. I can't do real exercise yet, so my loss has been by diet only. I hope to be able to add exercise/toning soon. That is said so that if the thoughts of exercising is more than you can handle now, know weight loss can be done with diet alone. It is just better with it!

My bet is that starting with small steps will work wonders and you will be amazed at how quickly and the pounds drop with relatively little effort.

Best wishes!

CurvyEmmy wrote: »

Thank you!! Keeping track of my food/calories is always a but uncomfortable for me because I eat so much I feel like such a pig when I log everything. I definitely overeat but I’m always hungry and even when I’m not hungry I still feel like I’m craving more junk food and it’s SO hard to change because food is a big source of comfort for me and my mental health. I’m trying to make small changes to start so it’s not too overwhelming, but also be kind to myself

One of the main reasons logging works is that it does exactly what you said... it forces accountability and makes you stare how much you're eating straight in the face. Uncomfortable? Yes. But it's only when you're faced with the reality of once again having to acknowledge how much you're actually eating that you will eat less and lose weight. Denial will not help you, even though it's more comfortable.

We've all been there. No need to feel embarrassed. It's one day at a time, one meal at a time. This is a journey, not a sprint, and you'll have ups and downs. And that's ok.

Come sit over here with your cranky, tired, and usually foul mouthed Aunt Debbie....

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

The past year and a half, almost two years, at this point, have been hell. None of us have ever been through anything like it, and we all coped in different ways, the best we could. There is no changing it. Regarding the anxiety of going back to work in the office, I think many are dealing with that right now. As someone who deals with anxiety issues, I would really encourage you to find a good therapist to work with. They will also be able to help you work with coping mechanisms other than food (because if you haven't recognized that as an issue, I see it in your post). Been there done that. There are good therapists and bad. Sometimes it takes awhile to find the right one for you.

Losing weight is no different than eating that proverbial elephant. Only instead of one bite at a time ... one pound at a time. But let's not jump ahead.

In 2014, I weighed 378 pounds. I was tired, weak, out of breath constantly... you know the drill. To my KNOWLEDGE, I did not have any co-morbidities such as high blood pressure or pre diabetes, but I also did not have insurance at the time, so its possible I did, and just did not know it. My husband (at the time) had had a heart attack and stroke, ended up partially paralyzed. was heavier than I, and every health problem in the 'big book of medical problems'. I was 36, He was only 7 years older. I knew I was looking at my future. I didn't like what I saw.

I had joined MFP 2 years earlier. Like many, tried diets. failed. This time, I didn't try a diet. My goal was not to lose weight. Just to try to be a bit healthier in my habits. So, I traded my Dr pepper for diet coke (didnt like diet dr pepper). I already ate a pretty well balanced diet, but added in more veggies. We didnt eat a huge number of carbs because of my husband. I started taking a walk in my neighborhood a couple of times a week. I couldnt go very far without getting winded. I'd slow my pace if I needed to. Or stop and catch my breath. Even turn around and head home. But... I didn't let it stop me. And to my surprise, it didn't take all that long for my endurance to build up. For me to be able to go a bit further. And then even faster (dont get me wrong, i do NOT run, not even now!). And, to want to go more often. And there was a snowball effect. I started to log my food. Not change what I was eating, or how much. Just HONESTLY log. I bought a food scale, so I could log more accurately. I began to see patterns. I began to see places where I could cut back on calories, where I wouldnt miss them. For some things, I found lower calorie substitutions that I liked equally as well (lower calorie mayo and salad dressings, for example). Fast foward a year, I had joined a gym, was going about 5 times a week (for 30-60 minutes a day. when i started I couldnt do 10 minutes on an elliptical), taking regular walks still, and logging all my food. and was down about 100 pounds). small changes and consistency can yield big results. small changes that lead to big changes plus consistency can lead to even BIGGER results. that said, you do not have to exercise at ALL to lose weight! nope. not at all. Weight loss happens in the KITCHEN. it is all about calories. fitness and health, happen in the gym (or through other physical activity).

Continued losing weight over the following 3 years, then maintained for 2. Late last year decided to lose the last 40 or so that I need to, so working on that now. one bite of elephant at a time

Its not often I tell my story, at least not in its entirety like that. But I thought it might help you a bit. You are not alone in where you are, and how you feel. many are there, and many have BEEN there, and come out on the other side. There are many others, further ahead in the game than where I am, who are at goal weight and in long term maintenance and working on other goals now. Spring and Ann (those are shortened usernames but hang around awhile and you'll figure out who they are lol) are two who immediately come to mind, who I respect greatly and who are always immensely wise and patient and everything I usually am NOT. LOL Should they ever give you advice, listen to it. They will not steer you wrong.

While you make small changes, easy changes, read the forums. read everything. even things that might not apply. Learn. get in the habit of logging in every day. even if youre not logging anything. log in, read a bit in the forums in your down time. you would be surprised at how motivating even just reading the general forums can be.

You are welcome to send a friend request. I swear like a sailor and talk about my dogs and farm and life more than anything else, so I'm not the friend for everyone. But I am on every day and if you have a question or problem, try to help where I can.