I have 70lbs to lose!! It feels hopeless!!

Wow I feel as though you just read my mind. I've never been the skinny girl but also was not so critical and down about my body. I happy marriage and two kids later has taken a toll on my body. Looking to lose 50-70 lbs. am 200 lbs now at 5'3. Not really sure how to work this site but know something needs to change !

double post
sorry

It feels that way, but it isn't. It can be done. I've done it. There people here who've lost even more. Just focus on the next pound in front of you. You can do it.

Not hopeless!! Just need motivation and some friends to keep you going is all Feel free to add me!

It's only hopeless if you believe it is hopeless. Bite down hard on what you want and suck the life out of it. Believe you can do it, and follow through. Manage your hunger, manage your meals and exercise.

You can have anything you want. You just have to go out and get it!

Thanks everyone. I feel like i've got some sort of addiction with food recently and it makes me feel so low and degraded for admitting it. Most of my waking hours are spent thinking about my next meal or snack. How do I break this?

Re-educate yourself about calories, macros, BMR, TDEE, exercise, and fitness. Everything else will fall into place as a result of this.

I am 198, and have been stuck at that since having my second baby end of June. I am pretty active, I even did the Turkey Trot 10K 6.2 miles! I did a run/walk. I have been just stuck. I know it's what I eat, but it's really really hard. I feel the same way you feel . Tomorrow will be one week of logging in. I think it will be a slow and steady process and I love this site. We can do it.......

I've lost 75 so far (50 before I joined MFP) and I can assure you it's NOT hopeless. You can just never say die. Never quit. Never give up. There will be days you screw up. There will be days you don't feel good about yourself, but the next day you just pick yourself up and start over. The difference is these are just days, not weeks or months. My "bad days" are now sprinkled here and there rather than having my "good days" sprinkled here and there. It might take a while, but you can totally do this. I have about another 15 to go, but it's possible and I will do this. JUST DON'T QUIT! If you don't quit, you have to succeed. That's been my motto. YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Gotta change the way you think about it... You have to know you can do it. It is NOT hopeless!

Try working in 7lb stages. That way it all seems attainable.

The road up the mountain looks hard, but you can do it.
Like the old joke: what's the best way to eat a whale?

ANSWER: one bite at a time...And you must take your fitness program one day - maybe even 1 hour - at a time.
You can do this!

I felt that way and have lost 64 lbs - 13 more to go!

Thanks everyone. I feel like i've got some sort of addiction with food recently and it makes me feel so low and degraded for admitting it. Most of my waking hours are spent thinking about my next meal or snack. How do I break this?

I know exactly what you mean. I ALWAYS want to be eating something, and usually it's just out of boredom or because I like to be eating. What I found is that drinking something-- even water-- really fills up that need to eat when you know you're not hungry. Happened to me just the other night, actually. I was digging around my kitchen for stuff to eat, decided to fill up a water bottle instead, and that was it.

I also find chewing gum helps too, though that can be loud and unattractive and bad for your teeth :P Still, you can't eat if you're chewing gum.

awwww. Don't despair you have come to the right place. What do you need help with? meal planning, setting goals, motivation, exercise?

(Just a shot in the dark) I suggest instead of looking at 70 lbs look at 5 lbs or just one week of eating under 1400 cals. Make small attainable goals and work towards them. You'll start to get into a pattern of success and when you look back you won't believe how the time has flown. I for example also have 70 lbs more to lose (I originally had 98lbs) Instead of focusing on 70 lbs my goal is to lose 6 lbs before Jan. 1, 2012 :-) 6lbs will have me at 199lbs (one-derland) which is a reward in itself for me and a small very achievable goal. One site that has really helped me with my eating plan is skinnytaste.com I try to substitute my fatty favorites with something equally as good and filling. It doesn't even feel like I'm on my plan most of the time.

Break up your goal into mini goals that's what makes my journey easier

You can tell yourself you want to lose weight and be healthy. And you can really want it. But unless you get totally committed and into it, it's going to be hard. It's like when you try to quit smoking - you may try for a dozen or more times, and then all of a sudden the timing is right and you've got the willpower to follow it through. Anyways, that's how it was for me.

So if this is it - if you've had enough of being overweight and you really, really want to change your life, then it will happen. With a lot of hard work and support from your friends here on MFP. You can do it! Don't focus on 70 lbs. Set a small goal - 10 lbs! Celebrate that goal with some new slimmer clothes. Then onto the next goal...

My suggestions?
Log your food. Every day. Try logging what you plan to eat the day before so you know exactly what you can eat. All the experts agree this is the best way to lose weight. And thousands of us agree! It works!

Get rid of ALL refined sugar from your diet. Read the labels - foods are tricky, you have to be on guard for hidden sources. I don't even use artificial sugars. If you eliminated only sugar from your diet, and did nothing else, I bet you would lose weight. Sugar is horrible stuff. Think of it as poison and avoid it like the plague!

Go one step further and choose whole grains whenever possible.

Now reduce your sodium as much as possible. Again, watch the labels! Many products offer lower sodium options now. Or make your own without salt!

So, what's left? Whole, clean, healthy foods! And of those if you pick the ones with the most fibre you'll find yourself filling up and those inbetween meal cravings will stop.

Well, that's my rambling. Hope it helps. I didn't have 70 lbs to lose, but I did have 20. I have 1.5 lbs to go and I did it in 3 1/2 months. No sugar. No salt. No processed foods.

Good luck!