Really finding this harder than I thought!!

I LOVE food!! I mean REALLY LOVE food!!

Me too, me too.

Yknow a lot of people make friends if they walk/jog along the same path enough times. Just try that for a while and you might find people.

Truth which you've been told is it gets easier. Some days are tough and I want to give up too but I know I have "giving up" on myself for 4 years. There comes a point where we realize that we need to put ourselves first and get healthy then our bodies and minds with be healthy and in the right place as well. Keep your head up and I know you can do it. Even though we are far away we are still with you every step of the way.

I'm a food lover too! I'll admit that I didn't give up any foods I love, I just eat the things I love in moderation and make sure I get some extra workouts in to help burn those off when I do indulge. You can do this, there is an entire community of people on MFP here to support you! If you've got a smartphone, MP3 player or something similar you can load up some of your favorite music, put in your headphones and go for a walk. I see lots of people in my neighborhood and in my mom's neighborhood in Ohio that are walking with their music. If you're a member of a church or community center you can ask the ladies if anyone wants to walk with you several times a week, I'm sure there are people near you who would love a walking partner and new friend. If you want to workout in the privacy of your own home I recommend finding some dvds or Youtube videos that challenge you. I started with the 30 Day Shred and love it. Good luck & feel free to add me, I'm usually on MFP in the afternoons.

You might try to find out if there are any cheap or free exercise classes or fitness groups in your area. I wouldn't even be on MFP if I hadn't attended a $3 Zumba class with my aunt. Through that, I learned about a free boot camp that met on the off-days from Zumba. And then, because I was already working out and taking better care of myself, I decided to try MFP. And now, I have a local support network, as well as my friends on MFP, and the tools I need to change my life for the better.
And believe me, I understand where you're coming from. I also suffer from depression and anxiety, and until several weeks ago I was also unemployed. I know how hard it is. But remember, your diet and exercise are things that you CAN control, unlike so many other things in life. Take this step forward. It'll put you one step closer to where you want to be.

I am definitely a foodie!!! And I hate walking. I have only been on MFP for a week and a half now. My only advice is just get started. Doesn't have to be for hours each day at the highest speed possible. I am dealing with some pain myself. But honestly, once I get onto the treadmill, after those first few minutes of "I really don't want to do this," I get into it and start making small goals for myself, ex. I am going to walk a mile, I am going to up the pace for 5 minutes, etc. Feel free to friend me if you want. Not that this is necessarily true, but I find myself making different decisions knowing that my friends on here will be able to see what I do. That is kind of a kick in the pants motivator for me. I don't want to feel like I let any of them down!!!

I LOVE food!! I mean REALLY LOVE food!! I am having such a hard time changing my lifestyle. There are so many reasons to change but I am stubborn, depressed, and feel totally alone.

Hey Paula, you did a great thing by joining MFP. If the fantastic people on here can't motivate, support and advise you then I'll eat my hat, with ketchup of course.
Let me just say a few facts about changing your lifestyle.
You don't have to eat less, you just have to eat smart. Within a few days of really watching what you eat, you should feel like you don't need to eat so much. I used to eat thousands of calories per day of what I call empty calories. Now I live and thrive on 2000 calories because I eat smart.
Exercise is addictive, it makes you feel good about yourself and once you start working out everyday, you'll never want to miss a day! This is a great tool to battle depression. Trust me, I've been there too.

Feel free to add me, I have a great network of friends on here who are here for the long haul and I'm on here daily.
When you find the motivation to make some progress the momentum will carry you forwards and you'll never look back.

Good luck, Craig x

I LOVE food today.. so much so today that instead of my gym visit at 4 pm with my hubby to be, I want to go to chick fil a for an 8 piece order of nuggets Keep your eye on the long term goal.. you can do this. PS... I HATED exercising in April when I joined my gym. In June (after a foot injury caused by nothing but my fatness, I'm sure) I LOVE it and live for visits.. feeling much better. Eventually, as your inches drop and your weigt drops and you can see your mood is better, you'll love exercising Good luck!

Is there a park nearby? You could just walk around the park and meet people there. Or if there are any hike/bike trails in your area. I absolutely hate cardio of almost any kind. So what I do is listen to an audiobook on my mp3 player. Music doesn't really motivate me to go workout because I listen to music all the time anyway (I don't watch TV at all, except for True Blood!) I only listen to the audiobook when I workout. It also helps if you stop it at a really suspenseful part. Then, I am excited to get on the treadmill or elliptical to see what happens next.

I love food too. I still eat all of the things that I enjoy: spaghetti and meatballs, cheese, french toast, fajitas, etc. The big difference is that now I measure everything, substitute for healthier items, and eat less of it. Instead of having 3 fajitas loaded with cheese and sour cream on a flour tortilla, I use whole wheat tortillas, avocado, and less cheese. And only have 1 with a side salad or low-cal soup to fill me up.

With depression, the main thing that has helped me is knowing my weaknesses and finding a way to prevent them from controlling me. I signed my daughter up for swim lessons at my gym. So now even when I want to talk myself out of going, I can't. I still have to go for her, and end up working out while I am there. I gave up sodas completely. Now I drink Fuze Slenderize or Vitamin Water Zero in addition to my water.

I know it is hard with depression, but stick with it. Once you start losing weight, you will gain more confidence. When that happens, you will start meeting more people. Oh, one more thing. Is there a community center where you live? Our community center has classes just about every day. Everything from pottery to belly dancing to yoga. And they are very affordable.

Good luck with your journey. Feel free to add me if you want.

Connie

Apparently you are not alone, everyone on here is stuggling as well and we may not be near by to go walk with you but we are here to support you. When you go walk pop in some ear phones and JAM out sing like a crazy person if you have to lol, thats what I do. Also I read on someones post earlier, if you did have your friends around they may be asking you to go eat or hang out and drink so see it as a sign. I hope you get to feeling better and maybe look into church near by that may be able to help you get to know more people that you may encourage to also start changing their lives you never know you may become someones savior health wise.

Well Said MikMont!