Hi Candi,

I can completely relate with what you are experiencing. At my heaviest I was at 419 about 3 years ago and have been at 330-390 for past few yrs. I started on MFP in Feb at 378. I had the swelling in feet, legs, arms, belly, all over. Painful, you could press and leave indentions in places. Or set the remote on my leg and it would leave marks where the buttons had rested on me lol. At my sickest/worst I had a chair in the kitchen so I could sit and wash dishes, or cook, work out of the fridge, etc because I could not stand very long without getting winded. My house was a constant pigsty because I never had the energy to clean, I had just given up on life. I could never have friends over out of embarrassment. Believe me, I've been pretty low because of my weight.

I hope you are seeing a doctor for your heart health. You might need some prescribed water tablets to help flush out a lot of that extra fluid you are carrying. If you can please see a doctor about this, you will feel so much better. I saw a heart dr 2 or 3 yrs ago for the first time and he put me on a high dose of water pills for a week and I swear to god peed 35 lbs off of me in ONE WEEK. You get immediate relief from the swelling and you can breath & walk better and the swelling is more manageable.

I would also suggest adding sodium to your diet goals, and try to keep it under 2000 mg per day. That will help you greatly get rid of the extra fluid, and help you make better food choices. Mayo Clinic web site suggests 2300 for a healthy adult under 55 and for people restricting sodium for health reasons and people over 55+ under 1500 mg per day. It will help you get even more of the extra swelling down, and help you manage water weight more effectively. I've gotten to where I can tell after one meal of heavy sodium I retain a pound or 2 of fluid that day. It eventually goes away, over time, but I don't want it dragging me down!!

When you just try to keep the sodium low you'll find yourself picking healthier, fresher foods, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, etc all which go great with weight loss. It will come off!! You've done a great thing by joining MFP - it is so helpful tracking what goes in your body, and the people you find can understand where you are and how you feel. Please add me as a friend and I'll stick with you!

Hi Candice, I am also new and working on getting into the swing of things. Walking would be your best best - little bits at first, every little bit helps. Just walking around the house would be a benefit, get your body used to be up and about and it will gradually become easier.

As for the emotional eating - it is something I struggle with constantly, it is a real battle, but finding a really supportive group you can talk with and who understand makes a world of difference. Come on and talk it out before you reach for the food.

Since I am new to food tracking, I find that I am hungrier than ever - it seems like I am thinking about food all the time! Hopefully that will fade away! As much as I hate the idea of tracking everything I eat, I have finally come to the realization that it is necessary.

My suggestion would be once you feel that Herbal Life has gotten you headed in the right direction(able to move around easier, feeling a bit more confident), switch to something you can maintain forever. It has to be a lifestyle change or it will never last.

I see your profile pic - you are beautiful! Give yourself a break and try and remember that. Once you start to feel better about yourself and regain your self confidence, life will feel easier.

I would love to become MFP buddies with you, I think we could be great supporters of each other.

Hiya,

Welcome to the group

I am new too and I am starting on a diet for the first time ever. Good luck with your journey.

Dallanika.