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

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.

THIS! My motto I adopted during this time is "succeed today!"...Think about it like cleaning your house after a huge party...If you stand back and look at the big picture it seems overwhelming and like you will never figure out where to start much less get done. So don't do that! I had 75 to lose when I started and now I only have like 36 left. I started with trying to get 10 lbs off...then I wanted to have lost 30 lbs by my 30th bday which would have been about 2 lbs a week so instead of looking at the whole 30 (or 75) I just looked at the 2 lbs a week. And I did it! I hit 30 by 30!! Now I have lowered down to about 1.5 lbs a week and that's all I look at...I know how far I have to go and I know how long it could take but I don't think about that. I just look at the immediate future and I tell myself, "just succeed today, just eat your cals and drink your water and do your workout today" and what seemed like it was a crazy long journey when I started is now right at half way done and it went by fast. And the more you do it the easier it gets. Your tastes start to change and your relationship with food starts to change....at least mine has...I was a food addict to and I just decided after trying and trying that I WAS going to do it this time...no excuses. If I mess up one day, or two or three...I WILL get back on it and keep going. Food does not control my life, I do not give it that power anymore! I do have days where a craving will over come me and I break down and eat it like crazy and then I feel bad, and then I say, "ok, get over it. it was one mess up. Now get your butt up and do some cardio and start over tomorrow" And that is what got me down 39 lbs so far...You can add me if you like for help! You can do this. Take that power away from food...It did not take it from you, you gave it away...you can take it back.

Add me as a friend sounds like we have around the same weight to lose and have the same starting weight.

OMGoodness, We are twins.
Someone help us.......................:sad:

i'm at 199, I've lost 66 pounds all together. You can do it. Just keep logging in, even after you lose it. Get some friends and get the support you need. We just do the best we can each day, and forgive ourselves for the rest.

I'm a serial dieter. I've been every weight from 144lbs to 246lbs. I'm currently 200lbs exactly! I'm 5ft5 and I feel so awful and down about it! Everything I do I just seem to gain more weight back. I'm a "closet" eater and don't know how to break this! I really want to be healthy and spend my life not worrying about how much weight i've gained this week. I really need some help please!

Speaking from my own research, exploration and experience, the best advice I can give is:

1. Make visiting the doctor for a thorough examination a priority.
*Through my annual pap & blood work, I confirmed that I had Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and that my hormones were not balanced. After I tackled that obstacle, I was in a much better place emotionally and physically to make some changes. Knowledge is half the battle. Have your thyroid function checked, your blood sugar levels, your vitamin levels, etc.

2. Get some counseling.
* I know there's a stigma around mental health and seeking counseling. Doing this doesn't mean you're crazy, though. It means you love yourself and you accept that you need help trying to untie some of the knots that you've collected internally throughout your life. You don't even have to talk about your deepest, darkest pains (unless, at some point you want to), but just becoming aware of HOW we think and WHY most of our unproductive thinking is fundamentally flawed is priceless. Counselors can introduce you to new tools that you can use to actually reverse/untie your knots so that you can be more at ease. Self-help books are also a huge help (if you're a reader), but this path is not for everyone.

3. Try meditation.
* If you haven't yet tried it, seek it out. Give it a go. Learn to see things as they really are. Learn to accept, not cling and not push away from life. Everything changes. The reality is that we're subject to periods of sadness. Unpleasant experiences will always be a part of our lives. Meditation helped me to get my roots a little deeper so that I could sway in the winds of change instead of being completely uprooted. When I was able to get beyond feeling so unhappy about being so out of control, I gave myself mental space to focus on other things --- like eating well and being more active. If this is something that might interest you, feel free to message me and I'll try to help you with what I've learned in my 5 years of meditation experience.

You are not your weight. Your worth is not decided solely on the appearance of your body. You deserve to be well.