Need Support

[gma718]

Hi...I posted here sometime last year and havent been back much...I have has a weight problem my entire life...since I was 10, I am now 42....Where do I begin??? Well I guess I will tell you how crappy I have been feeling lately...Almost 2 years agoIhad a full hysterectomy with numerous complications which ended up being a 3 week hospital stay....I was overweight when I went in for the surgery and after 3 weeks I lost over 30 pounds (not the way i wanted to loose it but I did) well..it didnt take me long to put it back on...So I than decided to try Jenny Craig last year...I wanted to do it for a short time to jump start my weigh loss...I was thrilled...I lost almost 40 lbs and started to feel good and look better...well needless to say here I am right back where I was..put it all back again....I am a complusive eater and feel so disgusted with myself....I tried weight watchers and havent been following it..not happy with myself...So today I decided after I had a mental breakdown to go back to Jenny Craig and jump start my system again and hopefully after a few weeks try weight watchers again and exercise...to continue to lose weight....I swear it is so frustrating and yes, I want the easy fix but am tired of the dieting and programs...I could probably like many of us write my own diet plan as I have been on so so many and have lost and gained continuously....When am I ever going to learn all it takes is that 1 bite that sets me on a binge...I cant have 1 cookie or 1 of this...its so frustrating and it is such an addicitng habit....I know what I need to do...,.I have considered the lap-band but am frightened because I had so many complications with my previous surgery,,,,,,,and is that my answer??? I am so frustrated and disgusted and upset...I am not happy with the way I look and the way I feel....I just needed to vent....Thanks for listening....BTW, I also joined a gym around Christmas time..been there maybe 5 times...I hate exercise and feel so tired all the time...........

[elaine1961]

Just a quick note to say hi! I have been well over 300lbs for many years,then in march last year i topped 356lbs I havent followed a diet as such, i just cut down on the junk i dont have anything now with added sugar and everything i eat at home is homemade.I started to eat 3 meals a day instead of one large one late at night. I eat more fruit and veg, the main thing was i started eating Breakfast which i had never done, just a piece if fruit and a bowl of cerial, a sandwich for lunch with side salad then a cooked evening meal, when ever i felt hungry i ate fruit or carrot an cucumber sticks. once the eating was under control i enrolled in the gym, I started just 5 minuetes a day they set me a program that i could do i icreased my time just a couple of minuetes each week untill i was spending an hour 4 days a week in the gym and 2 days a week doing aqua arobics. i like the gym now. I think the main thing is to eat right and just to do a little movement each day and increase it steadily, i set my first goal to only lose 10lbs, a pound at a time, a year on i have now lost 106lbs,but still have a long way to go,i cant exercise to much at the moment because of the heart attack a month ago, but i still walk around my house every hour i go up and down stairs a couple of times, so im not just sitting at the computer all day. Like you i cant just eat one cookie or one bit of chocolate so i dont have any, A year on i dont deny myself anything i know if i want it i can have it, because its not denyed i dont crave it,You can reach your goals if you want it bad enough, good luck i hope this helps

[gma718]

Thank you so much for your inspiring story..you should be so proud of yourself...I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your story with me.....I am going to start feeling positive and take things one day at a time....Hope you are feeling better and on the road to better health....:)

[Ranaesheart]

Dearest gma718 - First welcome back to the WL&D forum; we're thrilled you have returned.  Give yourself the much deserved credit for reaching out for assistance and knowing where to come for support.  As you can see, Elaine has already provided you with a proven plan for success.

It is easy to be angry with ourselves when we have not accomplished what we want .. however .. let me ask you a question.  Reread your post and pretend this is a post from Elaine or me ... and then see how you feel.  Would you want us to be angry with ourselves?  disgusted?  upset?  

Then, dearest, please do not feel that way towards yourself.  One of the things that played most in my success was to learn that I had to be as kind and caring to me as I would be to a stranger.  We do deserve that .. right?

Next, like Elaine said .. start out making slow changes and have small goals.  I couldn't imagine losing the weight I have lost .. I began with 2, 3, 5 and 10 pounds goals.  I would meet that, celebrate and then make another small goal.  I did not allow myself to look at the whole picture as it was overwhelming and, at the time, I could not focus on more than the small goals.

Also like Elaine, 5 minutes of exercise was a struggle initially.  At 330 lbs and with a sedentary lifestyle, a walk through the capital tunnels at work was a grueling experience that left me fighting for air.  Start out and do what you can and then go just a little farther each day ... and there are days I'm literally talking about seconds.  You will keep improving steadily and soon you will go far beyond what you thought was possible.  And .. if you keep your mind open to all the possibilities and adventures of trying new things .. limitless things .. you will happen on some "exercise" you find quite enjoyable!

In the beginning, I cleared my house of all the trigger foods, foods I could not leave alone and anything unhealthy.  I did not need the temptation.  Later, after some success, there are some things I can have and now eat in moderation.  There are others that I will still not bring into the house.  

I do not deprive myself of anything ... within reason. If usually find a healthier way to eat the same type of flavor OR I eat a very small portion very purposefully and slowly.  An example .. if I am hungry for chocolate .. I can eat 35 cal fudgesickles or 70 calorie stick of dark chocolate.  If I am absolutely craving dark chocolate from my favorite chocolatier, then I go buy TWO pieces and that is it .. and leave .. and go eat them very very slowly and let each tiny bite of chocolate melt to make it last.  The truth is, any true craving is satisfied within 4 bites, eating beyond that is for other reasons.

Hope you'll stay involved here - there are many wonderful, informative and sincerely caring people in this community.  They are here to continue their journeys and we'd all be honored to share in yours.

Be kind to you .. and please consider allowing us to help.  YOU CAN DO THIS!!!   YOU have the Power to do so .. it is inside you .. and together we can all help each other succeed.  (Oh, and yes, we all stumble along the way .. it's part of the process.  However, we're here to help each other up and we get steadier the farther along the path we go .. we call it "Baby Steps" ... )

Supportive and Caring (((Hugs)))
Ranae

[Barb135]

Welcome!!  You've gotten some good advice already - now I have to add my 2 cents worth!!  

The first thing I have to mention is that it's very important that you check with your doctor to make sure that you don't have any underlying medical issues that might prevent you from losing weight, such as thyroid disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, pcos, etc.  If you DO have medical issues, I very strongly recommend that you get those under control prior to embarking on a weight loss journey or you could be setting yourself for more disappointment.  I make that recommendation based on my own personal experience.  

I totally agree with the SMALL, simple changes.  Try having an apple instead of a chocolate bar; a glass of water instead of a soda; carrot sticks instead of chips, etc.  

Why not go to the gym and see if you can get a consultation with a personal trainer to come up with a work out that you will be able to tolerate AND enjoy so you will stick with it.  Also, it might help to check and see if there is a pool available and try getting involved with water aerobics or something - you might find that more enjoyable than a treadmill or stationary bike.  

Another thing I would suggest is to start a food journal in which you record every morsel that goes into your mouth, along with the number of calories and the nutritional value.  By writing down what you eat, you will accomplish 2 things: 1) you will be able to see exactly how many calories you are eating on a daily basis; 2) it will be a way of keeping yourself accountable for your actions.  

You need to calculate the number of calories you need to eat daily in order to maintain your weight, then create a deficit through eating less or exercising (preferably both) in order to lose.  This will be based on your current weight, height and age.  You can do a web search for "calorie calculations" and input your personal data to come up with the number of calories you need daily.  

To begin a food diary, you can either start a journal here on MedHelp and record what you eat, or you can try one of the many web sites that have a food journal built in and you just customize it to suit yourself.  Two really good ones are "spark people" and "live strong" or type in a search for food journal to come up with more.  I believe MH is working on a food journal, but I don't know when it will be available for use.  

Another suggestion is to set up the exercise tracker here on MedHelp to keep track of what you are doing daily.  You can also try the weight tracker to keep track of your weight and the mood tracker might help you figure out what triggers your binges.  

We do have a couple of members who are on weight watcher and I believe are having good luck with it.  The problem with some diets that require special food is that it's expensive and once you go off the diet and start eating "normal food", the weight is all gained back.  I think weight watchers allows you to eat food from the grocery store, so you can make life long changes rather than just go "on a diet".  

I'm sure others will chime in with lots of other ideas to help get you started also.  

Good luck and do stick around this time.  There's great advice and motivation.  

[LeniuXenobia]

You definately have alot of good advice here! There isn't much that I can add on, however there are a couple of things that you may consider.

If you drink soda, replace soda with water, or flavored water. Be more selective when you go grocery shopping.

Alot of food out there today have harmful hormones, try to buy organic or minimumly processed foods. All the preservatives and stuff they put in food these days can be very harmful, especially if you eat alot of it.

Watch out for things with MSG in them. They are highly addictive and kill receptors in your brain that let you know your full.

And I think thats about all I can offer other then my support. U CAN DO ITTTT.

[gma718]

I cannot beleive the overwhelming responses I have recieved from all of you...The knowledge, positivity, caringness that you all shared with me has made such a difference in my attitude....I did join Jenny Craig today .....yes, it is extremely exoensive and I can only do this for a short time...I felt desperate and need to be strick and structured right now...I know that I did this last year and did gain the weight back...due to sloppiness and stupidity!!! This is my plan to jump start myself for a few weeks and than to go to Weight Watchers...for me this is going to become a way of life..there is no magic drug here...I am going to try and do what I need to do in order to feel good about myself and be healthier...I dihave an exercise bike and I thought I would give that a shot also...All I can say is Thank You and I will be around for quite awhile....You have truly left a mark on me....I appreciate it greatly....xoxo