Motivation

Howdy guys and gals!  I'm taking over this club, not because i think i have all the answers (i so know i don't) but because i'm super pumped up right now and motivated to help those people out there who have a lot of weight to lose.  we need a place that's more than a "can i join" place.. we need a place to talk about issues related to being this overweight.. 

Who here needs to lose over 100 pounds? Who needs to lose over 150 pounds? Or more?

I did! I did! And yes.. i did!

A small amount of background on me for those of you who don't know: i am a binge eater. I have had a problem with emotional eating, hidden eating, over eating, eating with a hang nail, eating because i have split ends.. you name it i stuffed my emotions down with the greasiest, nastiest food i could find!

Why did i do that (you might ask)? Because of many many different reasons.. frankly i think it was because this is how i was taught from a young age, this is how we handle stress and emotions. I learned that it's not proper to talk about your feelings.. or god forbid, express your emotions! You have to shove them down with a piece of cake and a smile!

Anyway.. onto the reason for this post.

If you are out there and need to lose a lot of weight.. just like i've got to.. i think we need to have a place where we can discuss these issues with each other and try and work through them together. Because, let's face it, people who are morbidly obese (yes.. i hate that word too) have uniquely different issues to work through and deal with than the average person.

Losing weight, for people who have this much to lose, have to deal with so much more than the formulas to figure out how much to eat.. and exercising. It's more complex than that. We have to deal with years and years of poor eating habits that have to be unlearned, we have to deal with the emotional torment of just being this size, we have to deal with the harsh looks and comments from strangers or from loved ones, we have to deal with our emotions for the first time in our life because we aren't shoving them down our throats anymore..

this is the hardest thing ANYONE has to deal with.. but, from my experience, things are different for us bigguns. :)

also, for those of you who don't know me very well.. (because i've kinda been in hiding and not posting much and there are so many new people out there) i started out in january weighing 324 pounds. I now weigh 232.5.. i have lost 91.5 pounds so far. I am not telling you guys this to get kudos.. i got those yesterday. I'm telling you guys this because i want anyone out there who is struggling with knowing they have, what seems to be, an insurmountable amount of weight to lose, that there is hope.. it IS possible.. you CAN do it.. but it's hard.. and you will hurt.. i know this because i've been there.. i've done it.. and i'm still dealing with it.

so.. come on in and share your stories.. i want to hear them and i want us to support each other until we are all at our goal weight!

Hi everyone, i've never wrote on anything like this before and not too sure i'll be able to find it again but i just wanted to say i've managed to join up and log on and enter todays diet and what a truly amazing site this is. Just what i need and hopefully i will be able to get back here and make some friends. It's wonderful to read about people in the same situation as me and go through this weight loss with others. I am going to try and write abit about myself if i can find my page. Good luck to everyone here and hope to be back tomorrow. xx

welcome wam!! trust me i didnt know what to say either...i started this on Monday and i love this site too. to find this thread again go to your profile and scroll down and you will see the threads you have replied on.

i really feel great for my first week. i feel like this is something i can do and get this weight off. i keep thinking about next summer and me wearing a swim suit...YEAH..that keeps me motivated. now if i could just find the motivation and time to exercise. any advice...i work a full time job & have a 2 year old. i thought about getting up at 5 am to exercise but i just havent set my alarm to do that yet. :(

thanks to everyone for listening...have a great evening...i am off to watch football...GO GATORS!!!!

Thanx tubbyt for your reply and info easy to get back when you know how! i'm glad you feel so good in your first week. I've been watching what i eat for about 6 weeks but just started counting calories using this site yesterday. I think i've lost 8lbs going by the scales but don't feel it in myself, was hoping as i was so overweight by giving up alcohol and changing my eating i would have lost a dress size but i'm still going and hopefully as they say slow weight loss is best and soon will see it in my clothes too altho i suppose i will have to buy a new wardrobe if that happened suddenly. so not sure whats best. I've started cycling if this helps you as maybe you could get one of those infant carriers and take your 2 yr old with you, maybe after work, I know its hard for you and easy for me to comment not having your busy life but just a suggestion :-)

Wam, you can also check the box at the bottom of your reply to be notified by email if someone posts a reply on the list.

Good luck!

Hi all, I'm 350lbs+.Male and 63years old.
       &nb sp;               &nb sp;   I'm from Australia,s East coast, and with a bit of help from all you good people,I reckon I will be able to shed a few of these unwanted kilo's.

Welocme to the Calorie Count!

You will be able to use great tools and wonderful support for your healthy lifestyle change. Wishing you all the best!

Thanx ever so much for that auntiejill, I now get proper e-mails in my box instead of all the trash!!!

Am feeling good today.

Once I input my food to get the calories I can really see where the fat is coming from, It really is easy to eat alot of calories in a day!!!!

Hello - I don't need to lose a lot of weight; however, my sister does.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can motivate/encourage/support her.  She seems to have no motivation or desire to lose weight.  I've tried everything.  She has been extremely overweight her entire life (27 yrs).  And talk about blame - it's entirely the fault of our parents!!  But now it's time for her to take matters into her own hands.

At one time I was 20 lbs over my ideal weight.  Even at 20 lousy pounds, I felt as though I was being deprived of many of the joys of life.  Now at my ideal weight, I have the joys of being able to feel comfortable in my clothes, enjoying exercise more, and feeling good about myself.  I want my sister (and everyone else for that matter) to share this simple but incredibly rewarding satisfaction.

I'm greatful for any suggestions, ideas, advice that anyone may have.

I have to say that for a Monday, today's pretty good. I am down a pound from last week. Yay! This despite not having a great weekend food-wise. Hooray!!!

Howdy folks!

I guess I fit into this catagory.  I'm 28, 6 feet tall and peaked at 315 a while back.  I didn't start using CC until the end of August and today I'm at 272.  My goal weight is 185, even though the website I should shoot for 167.  Sorry CC, but I was happy at 185 for my build.

I never was a binge eater, food just clung to me.  I've been on medication for the past few years that seemed to just make me gaaaaiiiin weight.  I went from 195 when I got out of the Air Force in 2001 to a portly 315 just a few short years later.

My problem was that I ate food without regard to calorie content and that I felt an urge to finish other people's meals (Wife and daughter) if they didn't finish theirs.  I just couldn't stand to see a half eaten (fill in the blank) go to waste. 

I'm working on conquering this problem, as there have been a few times where I wanted to stop my wife from throwing a sandwich away so that I could finish it.  (Clean your plate, there are kids starving in Darfur)

I can't remember anyone ever telling me to clean my plate, but I think it may be somehow connected to the fact that we paid money for the food and I don't want to waste money.  Guess I better just find a way to let it go.  Order smaller.

I'm almost in the 260's!  Woohoo!

Hey,all you new folk - glad you could join us. You made the biggest step by signing on. Your next step, as others here have said, is to take advantage of the great tools to set and achieve your goals.

m287668 - gosh, I feel like I'm addressing a prisoner - 'prisoner m287668 please step this way!' It's great you want to help your sister, all I can say is point her this way towards C-c and all the great people and tools - she's more then welcome to join us all on this common journey we're taking, but ultimately, the choice is hers. She has to want it, be ready to make the change to good health. No one can force another to accept a healthy lifestyle and the benefits it can bring. It's a tough road to follow sometimes and I've learned through personnel experience over the years - it's only truely possible, when you really want it. It's hard to believe, I know, but sometimes people just aren't ready, or willing to take the challenge, the pain, the disappointment - it's hard for them to believe 'there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow' or 'the grass truely is greener on the otherside' - it's still hard for some of us sometimes. Give her your love, your support, and some gentle coaxing, but let her do what's right for her at this moment in time. She'll come along today or tomorrow, no rush.

hello everyone!!! i just wanted to share my good new...i am down 6lbs my first week!!! yeah...so excited!!

i am so glad that i have found all of you to share in my weight loss journey. this week i have definitely understood why i have gained weight because i was eating way..way..way to many calories per day than i needed. i found i can actually live on 1200-1500 calories per day...gosh who knew!! :)

m287668(that does seem prison like)...i have two sisters that are very tiny & petite and i have always been the heavy one so trust me your sister knows that she is overweight. but the hardest thing to do is to admit that to yourself and sometimes it's easier to think that you are really not that overweight..surely that picture of me isnt really what i look like...you know what i mean. my advice would be to talk to your sister and let her know your concerns about her health in terms of being overweight. also let her know that you are there for her and that you will help her on this journey. give her this website because reading everyone stories has made me feel a lot less alone than i did last week when i started this. it helps to know that so many people are struggling with weight issues and having success with this site.    sorry...didnt mean to go on like that!!

well..goodnight all and i will talk to you tomorrow!!

I do not know if I am even suppose to be in this club but it sounds good anyway. My starting out weight was 279.25 and that was 4 years ago when I joined T.O.P.S. I have lost almost 30 pounds and I have my goal set kind of low at 200 pounds but I am not going to stop there I will reset my goal as soon as I reach it because 80 pounds is kind of high I have yet to reach it and that was 4 years ago and I still have not reached it. I have come close only to have some set backs due to sickness anitbiotics and pretnazone being in and out of the hospital I also have ALOT of depression problems that I take medication for I do not know how I will react to actually be below 200 pounds again. If anyone has any tips to help me to stay on track I would highly like them!!!! 

Hey, bigmomma!  I did T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly, for the uninitiated) as a teen with my mom.  (And m287668, I did it because *others* wanted me to...)  I had fallen and hurt my back, and the chiropractor told me if I didn't lose down to 130 (I weighed 186 and was 5'3"), I'd have back trouble my whole life.  I was in tears when he confronted me and told me I had to give up drinking milk (of which I drank probably a gallon every 3 days at the time). 

I lost about 45 pounds over the next 9-10 months (25 in the first 7 months, to become the biggest teen loser for the county).   

I went away to college having gained a couple of those pounds back, and put on about ten pounds that first year - but slimmed down because I was swimming and taking a couple of other P.E. classes, too.  Then, my sophomore year, in one of those P.E. classes, I badly injured my ankle.

Unable to get up the hill to the student union, much less participate in sports for months after, I ballooned up to 200 pounds by the end of the school year.

I tried on another occasion soon after college - someone else's idea again - to lose, and I did okay, but the weight came back after the Christian, Bible-based program ended.  Even tho' I knew how to eat healthy, I didn't.  Partly, it was hard to afford proper food; partly it was hard to find time to prep good food.  Partly it was eating two candy bars a day after work because of a stressful schedule...

After moving to California, I tried another Church-related program, and I had modest success with it, got back under just 200 at one point.  Again, when the program ended, it all piled back on.  I've tried walking, but I got a bone spur on my food.  A few times since, I've had membership at an athletic club and exercised and watched what I ate, with some success, but it never lasted.  And each time I regained the weight and more.

Two years ago, I approached 300 pounds, which kind of freaked me out.  At the time, I was unemployed.  Sitting at my desk one morning, I looked out and saw how beautiful it was outside, and I decided to walk.  That first time I walked along the BART track path, and I had to stop every 1/8th of a mile to rest.  But I kept at it and worked up to 2-3 miles a day.   Tho' I was concerned about bone spurs (and actually had been diagnosed with 3 or more on each knee), I didn't have money for a gym; it was my only available option. 

I also started tracking my food intake, though then it was in Microsoft Excel because I hadn't heard of C-C.  I lost about 50 pounds, but once I started working again, I started eating out because I had more money and less time.  The walking fell by the wayside, and I gained back about half of what I had lost.

So, seeing the weight on the scales climbing and climbing - and having trouble getting around and keeping up with friends who were more fit - I decided to try again last March.  I didn't want to join W.W. or T.O.P.S. - I didn't want to go to some meeting every week and pay for the privilege of having someone else weigh me in.  (I go to my doctor's office once a week; Curves also weighs & measures members monthly, so I guess I *am* sort of paying them for that...) 

I am glad to have found others here at C-C for that kind of support and encouragement.  Not that my friends aren't encouraging, but it's different for people who don't have over 100 pounds to lose.  They don't understand the struggle.

All of this to say...people *must* decide for themselves AND this is a great support group!

Welcome to all the new members.  I want to congratulate you all on the first step to taking towards a healthier you.  You should be pround of yourself for taking the initiative to lose weight.  You aren't alone in this we are all here to support each other and help each other with questions or concerns. 

Let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them as everyone else here will help too.  You can add me as a friend if you would like. 

A little about me, I am 5'5" and weigh 223 pounds.  My goal weight is 130 to 135.  I saw someone mention earlier about being on prednisone.  I was on that medication for five years straight for my asthma and gained massive amounts of weight.  I have slowly worked my way down to the weight that I am now from topping out at 286 pounds.  I joined CC at the beginning of September but have been struggling with weight loss for several years.  Well enough about me.  Hope everyone is doing great.

OK, I just found this site today and was shocked to see just how high of calories I was eating for breakfast and lunch. I've been putting this off for way too long. My sweetheart just thrilled herself because she got back down to her goal weight. She is one of those that puts on 10-20 pounds and complains about how fat she is *Rolling my eyes*

I know I fit into this group but I can't tell you how much I weigh right now. But that is not because I'm embarrassed about it (although I am) it is because I can't find any scales that work for me. They all stop working around 300-350 or so. The only thing I know for sure is the last time I went to a dr that had a scale that could handle my weight, it was a little around 420 lbs. I have managed to maintain my weight (I'm guessing mainly because I buy the same size clothes I did then).

But that leads me to my biggest problem and I would love any suggestions. Since I can't find a scale that works for me, it is hard to see any progress when I go on diets. I've tried several times but after 2 or 3 weeks I can't tell any difference and get disappointed and go back to my old habits. The longest I've managed to stick with it was I joined a gym and managed to go 3 times a week for 2 months. Then I started making excuses one or two nights a week until I just quit all together after 4 months. If I could have seen a difference even of a few pounds I think I would have been able to remain motivated or at least known what I was doing was helping.

So I'd be happy to read any suggestions or advice anyone has to give.

Hi to all!

SpotsKnight- I wanted to reply to your post because i think even with a scale that works- many of us w/ a lot to loose struggle w/ our progess, or seeming lack thereof. Wht I wouls say to you is the measure of progress is more than a number on a scale. its how you feel when you walk up a flight of stairs, your clothes fitting better- etc. I'd suggest starting a workout plan- after being cleard by a DR. and measure your progress based on your routine. for ex: if you plan to walk 15 min 3 times a week, and stick to 2500 calories each day for a week- mark off each week you accomplish this as a success. Or If starting out- you can only manage 20 min on the treadmill at a moderate pace- and after 2-3 weeks you can last for 30- thats another measure of progress. The bottom line is there will be no progress w/out any effort to change.

Had to share a little success... 

I weigh in at the doctor's office on Tuesdays during my lunchhour, and I posted a 1.5 pound loss today!  (I had had a week of staying the same and a week of a small gain, so this was hard fought and so motivating!)

It just goes to highlight exactly why I don't keep a scale at home - because I would obsess about every tenth of a pound.  At first I was going only every other week or even as long as a month.  Now that I've established the habit of weekly weigh-ins, though, I find myself wanting to know Tuesday morning - or sooner - how much the scale will say.  Last evening at Curves I was eyeing the scales there. 

I'm signing up for the October challenge at Curves, so weighing would have been legitimate.  But I didn't weigh because the staff person said I had to weigh and measure (for the challenge) *before* I work out.  She had been busy when I first arrived, but now I'll know next time.

And SpotsKnight, bgc3 is right.  Look for other signs of progress.  I like what bgc3 said about your *abilities* as much as your weight loss or size changes (though those are way cool, too!).  The first time I went for a walk in 2004, as I said last post I think, I had to stop at every bench along the path to rest.  Within a few weeks, I would walk the whole mile with only one rest/stretch stop at the halfway mark.  Now I can do a whole 30-minute workout at Curves. 

hello everyone!!

spotsknight-you might want to try to tackle one thing at a time. like this week i am going to watch what i eat and stay within my calories and when i think i have control of that i am going to move onto the next challenge like exercise. usually if you start out saying "starting tomorrow i am going to eat right, exercise 3 x's a week, get my 5-7 servings of fruit & veggies everyday, and drink 8 glasses of water daily" it is too overwhelming and you are trying to make so many changes at one time...it has helped me to focus on one thing at a time. but i know that we all want to lose weight quickly so i keep telling myself that i didnt gain all of this weight in 6 months so surely i am not going to lose it in 6 months.

auntie jill...i weigh myself once and week and then i have my husband hide the scale because if not i too would be weighing myself & obsessing everday about how much weight i lost or didnt lose. it is scary how quick you can become obsessed with weighing yourself :)

my goal is to wear a swimsuit next summer & go to the beach with my husband and child so whenever i start to feel down or think that i might want to cheat and have those french fries-i think about next summer and i dont want to let myself down. WOW... that feels great to say that because for the first time i feel like i am doing this for myself and i dont want to let myself down...

thanks for listening...writing this stuff down is like an emotional cleansing for me...it hurts to write it down but once i have-i feel stronger. i feel like i have the power to change my life!!!

im 22 years old, at my highest i was 307 and i am not 278... iw ould like to be 140.  add me as a friend i will support you if you support me!  we all could use a helping hand.