Dose of "reality" check..................

Thanks for the reality check. Sometimes we lose perspective because we are completely caught up in our own goals. Made me giggle a little bit because I have a no whining sign hanging up in my garage/gym. :laugh:

Obesity kills the soul, spirit, mind and the body. After living like that for 20, 30, 40 years, you become so beaten down that you begin to wonder if there is even a light at the end of the tunnel. I feel empathy for anyone who has lived this life. No one would choose to live this way if their faculties were such that they could change it. Some of us get that second chance at life, and we somehow find a way to overcome all of the abuse, the pain, the mental anguish and the addiction. Most of us don't. If you've never been severely obese, then you have no clue what it means and what it does, especially after a lifetime. Yes, some people have it worse. There are always people who have it worse. That doesn't make my struggle any easier. I battle this every day, and I hope I have the strength to come out on top.

People get upset over a week without a loss or, even worse, with a gain, because they want the weight off so badly, and they're struggling every single SECOND to maintain control. A week can feel like an eternity of obsessing and counting and trying.

Some people could give more, but some people are giving everything they have the ability to give.

I'll just internalize all my whining and complaining then, I guess. Until I can't stand it and crawl up on a freeway overpass with a rifle. I have that option.

whine about anything but not feeling like going for walk/run or to gym or popping in that 30DS dvd....cause when anyone does that i just want to trade bodies w/ them for 2 minutes and ask "so ya feeling like it now?" ha.
but if i can hobble off to gym right now, cast and all, no matter how high the pain levels are today- you sure as hell can. lol, so there.
just go, do it and be happy you can.

There are quite a few folks on mfp that need to read this.....jus sayin

For sure!
Too many here would rather wallow in self-pity than buck up and take action.
It gets quite pathetic.

^^ this. Some people just thrive on being a victim, and that 's what's annoying. I'll always be a shoulder to lean on for someone who really needs it, but some people make a big tragedy of their lives over nothing. Bring on the perspective!

I wholeheartedly agree. I used to whine about how hard it was to get up and move when I was 450 lbs. I have arthritis that developed from that extreme weight, I also have a myriad of pain related issues because of carrying the equivalent of two extra people on my frame. Then I look at my dad...he was in a chemical accident which left his lungs permanently scarred. He had to use a respirator to breathe because the simplest scent of a rose would put him into respiratory arrest. He perservered and overcame becoming stronger every day. Then he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and yet again, he will not let anything get him down. He has recovered 100% range of motion on both arms despite rotator cuff surgery on BOTH arms...WITHOUT PAIN PILLS!! He has recovered from a fractured foot which left him needing to have a special mechanical cast because the bone wouldn't heal. Despite his medical challenges, he is the most active guy I know. He goes hunting, fishing, and enjoys his crafts. He build my mom a greenhouse, built a carport for his van, gardens, built literally every peice of furniture in my parents house except for the couch with an expert craftmanship that would sell for thousands in the store. Every time I want to whine about how hard it is...I ask myself "What would Dad do?" He's never sat down and felt sorry for himself, and he's been beat senseless by curveballs...why should I feel sorry for myself too?

Is it hard to lose weight, be healthy, and be active? Damn dippity it is!! Is it worth it to take those steps towards a better life? Abso-frickin-lutely!! I remember that I did this to MYSELF...no one spoon fed me lard until I blimped up...I ate, and ate, and ate. When I felt sorry for myself, I ate. When I was happy, I ate. Food was my comfort and companion until I learned to have a different relationship with food. Instead of living to eat, I now eat to live. Portion sizes, good choices, losing weight has no special science or formula...it's simple...eat less calories and get active. No magic pill, not special potion. It requires hard work, but all things that are worth acheiving require work!

Thanks ninerbuff for the reality check!

You and your dad are both inspirations, too! Wow.

I love this thread. Yes, I totally understand how an obese person feels and how daunting losing 100# is. I started at 237#. Definitely obese.

While I did lose about 40# gradually over several years just by tweaking my diet a bit, I really got into the idea of achieving fitness and losing more weight after my own debilitating experience. I had a pretty bad back injury where I could barely walk for a year and was in chronic pain. After it healed, I had to relearn to walk normally as my muscles and tendons had gotten used to just baby-steps. I also had to learn to stand up straight again because I had developed a bent-over posture. The tendons and muscles had to be re-trained. I then had a couple of years where just walking for exercise was all my back could handle so I walked but didn't feel strong or fit.

Being in that situation was horrible as I really thought I could never dance again, play on the beach with my dog throwing sticks and such, playing with future grandkids I assume I'll have someday, yada yada. That experience definitely made me appreciate my health and feel for those with chronic conditions that won't ever fully heal.

So now that my back is strong enough again to handle it, I'm lifting weights, running, cycling, swimming, taking various classes like yoga, pilates, cardio-kickboxing, spin classes, etc. Just being active and having fun with it. Am training to do a 2-day 200-mile bike event this summer. Also taking ballroom dance classes with my husband. I'm having a ball getting fitter every day.

Again, there was a time I couldn't walk and I never want to be in that situation again. Or, if something happens and I injure myself again and have the same kind of trial to get through, I want to go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Focusing on fitness goals instead of the scale takes any whimpering away, imho. I can control my food intake and my exercise but I can't control the scale. Inches are coming off faster than the scale weight and, hey, who cares? I couldn't care less if I weighed 250# as long as I could fit into a pair of size 8 jeans, LOL.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on. I'm just very grateful to have my health back and to be able to do these types of things again. I'm 54 and I feel younger now than I did at 44. Slimmer and stronger, too.

You and your dad are both inspirations, too! Wow.

I love this thread. Yes, I totally understand how an obese person feels and how daunting losing 100# is. I started at 237#. Definitely obese.

While I did lose about 40# gradually over several years just by tweaking my diet a bit, I really got into the idea of achieving fitness and losing more weight after my own debilitating experience. I had a pretty bad back injury where I could barely walk for a year and was in chronic pain. After it healed, I had to relearn to walk normally as my muscles and tendons had gotten used to just baby-steps. I also had to learn to stand up straight again because I had developed a bent-over posture. The tendons and muscles had to be re-trained. I then had a couple of years where just walking for exercise was all my back could handle so I walked but didn't feel strong or fit.

Being in that situation was horrible as I really thought I could never dance again, play on the beach with my dog throwing sticks and such, playing with future grandkids I assume I'll have someday, yada yada. That experience definitely made me appreciate my health and feel for those with chronic conditions that won't ever fully heal.

So now that my back is strong enough again to handle it, I'm lifting weights, running, cycling, swimming, taking various classes like yoga, pilates, cardio-kickboxing, spin classes, etc. Just being active and having fun with it. Am training to do a 2-day 200-mile bike event this summer. Also taking ballroom dance classes with my husband. I'm having a ball getting fitter every day.

Again, there was a time I couldn't walk and I never want to be in that situation again. Or, if something happens and I injure myself again and have the same kind of trial to get through, I want to go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Focusing on fitness goals instead of the scale takes any whimpering away, imho. I can control my food intake and my exercise but I can't control the scale. Inches are coming off faster than the scale weight and, hey, who cares? I couldn't care less if I weighed 250# as long as I could fit into a pair of size 8 jeans, LOL.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on. I'm just very grateful to have my health back and to be able to do these types of things again. I'm 54 and I feel younger now than I did at 44. Slimmer and stronger, too.

You are seriously awesome!! Weightlifting, running, cycling?? I want to be you when my kids grow up.

I agree to a certain extent. That's great motivation to be grateful for being able to run, not being disabled, etc. I also work with people who are in a similar circumstance. However, I feel like the MFP forums should be a safe place to ask even the most obvious questions and talk about even the most trivial things about weight loss, since it's new to many of us.

Wow, you see, I thought this was a 'support' network where people come for 'support' when they're struggling. And being a weightloss tool, I figured it was where people could come and 'whine' when they were struggling with their weight loss to get said support.... gee, guess I was wrong.......

I appreciate what you're trying to say..... there are always going to be people with way more problems than you or I, but today I was feeling a bit disappointed that I'd only lost three quarters of a pound. I've worked hard on my exercise and have stuck to my diet, I'm just glad I didn't mention it on the forums now because whilst I know my problems are menial in comparison to some, it's something that's important to me and sometimes you just want to have a bit of moral support from others that are in a similar situation.

You and your dad are both inspirations, too! Wow.

I love this thread. Yes, I totally understand how an obese person feels and how daunting losing 100# is. I started at 237#. Definitely obese.

While I did lose about 40# gradually over several years just by tweaking my diet a bit, I really got into the idea of achieving fitness and losing more weight after my own debilitating experience. I had a pretty bad back injury where I could barely walk for a year and was in chronic pain. After it healed, I had to relearn to walk normally as my muscles and tendons had gotten used to just baby-steps. I also had to learn to stand up straight again because I had developed a bent-over posture. The tendons and muscles had to be re-trained. I then had a couple of years where just walking for exercise was all my back could handle so I walked but didn't feel strong or fit.

Being in that situation was horrible as I really thought I could never dance again, play on the beach with my dog throwing sticks and such, playing with future grandkids I assume I'll have someday, yada yada. That experience definitely made me appreciate my health and feel for those with chronic conditions that won't ever fully heal.

So now that my back is strong enough again to handle it, I'm lifting weights, running, cycling, swimming, taking various classes like yoga, pilates, cardio-kickboxing, spin classes, etc. Just being active and having fun with it. Am training to do a 2-day 200-mile bike event this summer. Also taking ballroom dance classes with my husband. I'm having a ball getting fitter every day.

Again, there was a time I couldn't walk and I never want to be in that situation again. Or, if something happens and I injure myself again and have the same kind of trial to get through, I want to go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Focusing on fitness goals instead of the scale takes any whimpering away, imho. I can control my food intake and my exercise but I can't control the scale. Inches are coming off faster than the scale weight and, hey, who cares? I couldn't care less if I weighed 250# as long as I could fit into a pair of size 8 jeans, LOL.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on. I'm just very grateful to have my health back and to be able to do these types of things again. I'm 54 and I feel younger now than I did at 44. Slimmer and stronger, too.

You're part of the triple D club! Determination, Dedication and Discipline!!!!



A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Thanks! :blushing: And once in awhile I do eat a pint of ice cream, too!