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!

Hey Guys~

Thanks for the suggestions.  I talked with the hubby and he is content eating snacky foods at work or when I'm not home.  He is interested in weight loss as well and I think might jump on the bandwagon (he has about 80lbs to lose).  We talked things out and it really seemed to help.  I have to agree with you dutchdunham I thought that my hubby would understand, but apparently subtle wasn't working.  Thanks for the support everyone.  Good luck.

Vrykolia:

Congratultations. If your hubby will join you, that would be a great motivator! And yes, most males (including me) are cavemen :-).

HI all!  Another newbie here.  I just joined CC today and am beginning a new lifestyle TODAY!  I'm a 32 yr old female starting at 281 #'s.  I was always bigger growing up but lost weight 10 years ago and was as happy as can be.  Since then, I've gained it all (plus many) back and went from miss social bunny, to very little social life.  I'm ready to get back in the game and the only way to do that is to get healthy.  So here I am.

I work long hours and travel on business 2-3 times per month.  I'm always looking for a 'quick meal' - which tends to push me into the fast food arena.  Also, I'm single and live alone so it makes it easy to cheat and none ever knows.  (Willpower has never been a friend of mine.)

Does anyone have suggestions on where to get healthy, quick and uncomplicated recipes?  I love to cook, but have limited time so I'm trying to find good, healthy recipes.

Thanks gaileah!!

Wantstolose . . . that's great that you held yourself to one bite.  I'm on a business trip (which are hard on diets . . . I never believed it until I saw what dinner at restaurants is like since I've been doing this).  We went out to dinner.  I had a chicken meal with vegetables and salad.  The piece of chicken was breaded and HUGE . . . so I cut a small piece off and that's all I ate.  When I got back to the hotel, I got my shorts and t-shirt on and went and walked on the treadmill.  At least if I do that, I shouldn't gain (I may not lose but I should definitely be able to maintain).

Pam

I wish hubby would understand but he does not want to change! 

Wants2lose.  I don't know how you can do 1 bite.  The food comes, smells so good and it's like I go into attack mode!  Especially breaded anything!  I wish more restaurants had better choices.

Want2lose congrats on passing the temptation.  I know it's hard.  I went to dinner with my parents the other night and my mom got upset because I order a side dish (the meals all came with soup, salad, rice and veggies).

I have a question for those of you here who have lost significant weight.  I was wondering if I could ask what your caloric intake and exercise routine was that helped you lose so much.  I seem to have hit a plateu (not sure on spelling).  Thanks for the help.

hi V.

I can't say that I've losted a significant amount of weight yet.. About 30 pounds in the past month.. but I find that salad are great. I try to keep the mindset that... brakfast, lunch and dinner are meant to feed you. I think in thwe past like everyone, food causes a sense of pleasure. It must taste wonderful and it must look wonderful but I though what about just feeding the void of being hungry and not the void of having something super tastie. When I have my oatmeal in the morning, I'll eat it with some cinnamon and 2 packets of splenda so it's tolerable. sure.. i would love to have some sausage and panckes and yes it will fulfill my hunger but not smart to fill you body with fat and cholestrol. I'm finding that that bowl of oatmeal is just as if not more filling and lowers any cholestrol. it's also a great source of fiber and we all need that. So I take this method with everything I eat. I got fat eating all the wonderful things without thinking about what it was doing to me. I had my fill of the sweets, the savories, the wondefulness that we see on a daily basis, it's time to just eat to fill my hungriness and stop. SInce I'm a guy I my calorie intake is under 1600. and I've worked it so I know on a daily basis without inputting it all in that it's under 1600 everyday and the pounds are sheding. I'm excited! exercise right now is not really a factor yet... I would like to slim down for a while then work on muscles and toning. Good luck and please keep us posted.

Vrykolia: not sure if I may have posted thid the first time around, but I have a weird diet plan for myself: just 1000 calories a day. As long as I am losing, this is good. I still eat 6-7 times a day, and I mostly eat healthy things (although I have tried those South Beach Diet cookies...lol). The trick for me, since I can't exercise right now (car accident, nerve damage, long story) is to not take in so many calories. Then, when I reach my goal weight (71 lbs to go!), I will slowly bring myself up to a 1500 cal diet, and see if that helps me maintain. Eventually I want to be more active and eating a 2000 calorie diet.

I've been doing this for a month and have lost 29 lbs so far. and yes...for those who want to know, the need to break out and just stuff my face has indeed come over me. However, I went to the store this weekend-Wal Mart-and bought a pair of pants, size 24! The last time I wore a size 24...well, it was so long ago, I can't recall. So, losing feels good, and I want to continue to do so until I feel good about the way I look and feel.

Also...wants2 lose....it is a bit tough, isn't it, when you know you just eat...because you can, or it's there, or whatever? This is why diet pills and things like that never worked for me in the past. I mean, I never ate because I was hungry, so an appetite suppressant wasn;t going to do the job. I have found, however, that the Slim Fast shakes help me a lot. (I remember using Slim Fast back in the days when it was just a bucket of that nasty poweder...lol). I only like the cappucino ones-the vanilla taste like crap, and I don't like chocolate all that much. The cappucino ones are 180 calories, and if I have one of those and a snack for lunch, I am good.

Something that helps with the snacking and constant eating thing is those 100 calorie packs that a lot of companies have out now. The chip-style ones, like the Wheat thins and Doritos, have a lot of pieces in them, so the snack lasts a while and it seems like you're eating a lot. Also, I have turned to eating things like those snack size bags of carrots, or cutting up a whole cucumber and eating that. In case anyone can use that info...

pam, need, and vrykolia,

Thanks. The one bite wasn't so difficult this time because I am newly remotivated. But I have struggled ever since the one bite. I am hoping that one bite won't always kill me. One day I want to be able to feel satisfied with the one bite, and then continue to feel that way the next day and the next.

It was way more than 1 bite that killed me.  Up 5 lbs.  Going backwards sucks. I feel motivated but I can't seem to quit taking bites.  Mexican food calls my name.

wantstolose -

For me, it was pretty easy at the beginning and then I struggled for a while when the weight loss slowed down.  I didn't give in but I felt like quitting and just saying why bother since the weight wasn't coming off.  It did start again though . . . hang in there, I think you will find that it becomes easier as your body adjusts to lower intake.

Pam

need,

Don't give up!  I totally understand how you feel.  My problem is chocolate calls my name, so I have found STAY AWAY.  I can't keep it to one bite and if I do, I suffer for days afterwards.  This week has been horrible.  Nothing seems to satisfy me.  For now I suggest not even one bite of Mexican food.

Pam,

Thanks for the encouragement. I run into two problems. If I lose when I don't feel I am eting well, I tend to continue eating poorly which is the worst thing I could do. It always catches up with me.

The second is exactly what you stated. When the weight loss slows down, I begin to think that maybe I was just meant to be fat. I know that isn't the case, and I think I have that one bet finally.

Thanks for the suggestions. 

I am keeping myself at 1200-1400 cals per day and have been getting A's and A-'s for the most part.  I didn't really have any loss until yesterday and today.  I think my metabolism finally woke up.  I am happy to say that as of today I have lost 7.9lbs since the 9th.  I am trying to start a steady workout routine, but I figure one healthy thing at a time. 

I don't want to overload and then crash and burn.  So my focus is eating right.  It's gotten easier now that my tummy has shrunk some, so I'm not starving all the time.  One trick that helps me is string cheese.  It's a protien powerhouse and keeps you full for awhile.  Plus it's takes some time to eat if you really string it apart.

Want2lose - There are new special k breakfast bars (90cals) that have chocolate drizzle on the top.  They are great for that chocolate urge I know most of us have.  One of those seems to kill the craving (or at least dull it).

Vrykolia:

A little late, but in answer to your question about diet/exercise and weight loss for me:

I've lost 96 pounds in 18 months. That's roughly 1.1 pounds a week. I'm a 6'0' tall guy. My diet was roughly 2000 calories per day, now down to about 1800. More about that in a minute.

My exercise routine started with 30 minutes a day on the treadmill at a peak of 3.6 mph. Now I'm doing 40 minutes at a peak of 4.6 mph. I've also slowly added some light exercise, with three sets of 5 sit ups, five crunches, 5 reverse crunches and five push ups. Now I do three sets each, but 25 in each set.

I cut back from 2000 to 1800 in January after platueing between 190 and 195 from late October to New Year's. Now I'm down to 184.

I do get worried that some of the weight drops I hear about here are in the three to five pound a week range. I can't comment on how healthy that drop is, but I worry that you won't have sustainable life style when you're done with your weight loss.

My goal, once I've dropped my weight, is to maintain without bouncing back up. I think doing that requires that the diet you use during weight loss resemble the diet you'll live on afterwards. And I don't think 1200 calories represents a long term diet for most of us.

My two cents, for what they're worth.

Dutch

vrykolia,

Thanks...I'll give it a try

Dutch~

Thanks for the info.  Congrats on the loss.

I am working on a 5 day a week exercise routine (M-F).  It's 20mins on the treadmill, hills at 3.5 mph and then 30 mins on the bike, hills at 95 rpm, then a 10 minute weight and strength session.

I hope to be able to maintain at 1800-2000 cals once I get into a good exercise routine.  Since the exercise will burn the extra cals.  Since the exercise is kinda slow right now (still trying to make it a habit), I have a lower caloric intake.

Wishing all a good day.

Hey wants2lose... I know that chocolate need (and it doesn't help that there is a candy jar stocked with chocolate all the time at work).  What helps me is I make the choice of what chocolate I bring in so I have the option of a 25 calorie Hershey Kiss (which I let melt in my mouth) instead of the 50 calorie treasures that my boss brings in. 

Also, I can stave off the chocolate craving with chocolate-flavored lip balm that a friend (who makes soaps and lipbalms and stuff) made for me.  All the chocolate flavor/smell, none of the guilt.  :) 

Beanie,

Good for you...when I do something like that...I keep telling myself...it's only 25 calories...another won't help...etc...etc...

Something I found...chocolate cool whip on graham crackers....like an ice cream sandwich...then I freeze it...if I only make one at a time...then I only have one to eat...

But the best thing for me right now..is just to stay away from chocolate until I am able to use self-control...

I am down from 225 to 220!!