[Trazey34]

maybe it's the counsellor in me, but I maintain there's more at play than just poor food choices that gets us all over 200 or 300 pounds. For myself, I was spoiled, self-indulgent beyond measure, and refused to grow up. So I worked on that in tandem with changing my eating habits. It took a long time to lose, about 2 years I think in total, but I feel i've really CHANGED, not just DIETED.

You can want it, you can be stoked to start, you can desire it above all things, but if there's stuff underneath that's going to chip away no matter what you do, I recommend digging under the surface and seeing what's there. Not everyone has emotional issues to deal with, it's not like the movies where every fat girl was abused as a child, sometimes it's just bad habits heaped upon low self-esteem, but it still needs to be addressed. Maybe you're afraid of failing, so why bother starting? Maybe you're afraid of success, and trying to self-sabotage? Maybe you don't think you're worth the effort? there's a million thoughts swirling around out there! But don't give up, there's light at the end of the tunnel

[irishsarah]

Originally Posted by cfmama

sign my name to RockinRobins post... I just DECIDED that I was not going to be fat any more and I would do WHATEVER it took to make that happen.

OMGoddess! I've been away FAR too long! LOOK AT YOU, CFMAMA! I hardly recognize you! Where did the rest of you go?!?!?! You look WONDERFUL!

[irishsarah]

I understand you. I should have been at goal by now. Instead, I am having to start over. Well, not completely over. I have been able to keep off about 30 pounds for a year, but I've been the same weight now for a loooooong time and it is far from goal.

I've had a slew of health and family issues that got back into my mindless stress eating. I kept telling myself that when things got better, that I would start again, and focus on me. Well, reality is starting to set in. Things are NOT going to get better anytime soon so I have a decision to make; to let everything else get in my way (even if it is just a mental block) or just fake it until I believe it. I've decided to fake it until I believe it.

This time I am deciding to start small instead of aiming big and just go through the motions until my new actions start to replace the old bad habits. One thing at a time. I will ease into each step until it becomes second nature and one, by one, I will eventually be doing everything that I need to do to lose weight and keep it off forever.

I will start to post here again everyday...no matter how busy. Then when that is no longer something I have to remind myself to do, I'll add another step like keeping a daily journal- something I am notoriously bad at doing. When that is no longer an issue, I'll add something else. Once I have the journal started, I will have a very valuable tool to make some REAL LASTING changes. I may add a few baby steps in there along the way...making a choice to skip the bread, or to not search for the closest parking space...but this time, it will all be baby steps. This is not meant to be a punishment; it is meant to make me a happier, healthier person. That shouldn't be something to dread now should it?

Good luck!

[VickieLou]

Thank You for Your Support and Encouragement! I started Day 1 of my meal plan and stayed on it today. I worked out 3 times this week for 30 - 40 minutes. I haven't always had a weight problem. When I was about 18 I went to this diet center and was on an extremely low calorie diet and they gave me diet pills. To this day I have no idea what I was taking. I got down to around 115. Then I went on a major binge and gained alot of weight. I guess I'm afraid I will put all my weight back on after I lose it. That's something I hadn't thought about in along time. But I need to be willing to do what it takes to keep my weight in check once I get to my goal weight. I also need to Plan better.

[KTFaith05]

Originally Posted by rockinrobin

Wanting to lose weight and WILLING to do what is necessary are two different things. Your title says that you WANT to lose weight, but that is sadly not enough. You MUST be WILLING to make a change. You must be WILLING to what is necessary, what is required. You've got to be WILLING to say no to this and yes to that. Be willing to plan ahead. To stay within a calorie allotment. To have the right foods on hand and get rid of the *wrong* ones. You've got to be willing to change - once and for all and permanently.

Your desire to be thin, slim, trim, fit and healthy MUST outweigh, overtake and overpower your desire for the high calorie/high quantity foods. It can't occur any other way. You have to want this, really, really badly.

People ask me all the time how I lost so much weight when they can't even lose 10 lbs. I tell them that I DECIDED to. I had always *wanted* to, but then one day I just DECIDED to. Upon deciding to to lose the weight, I therefore had to COMMIT to lose the weight. It's that commitment, that ironclad commitment that gives you that stick-to-it-ness.

Decide what it is you want the MOST in life and then resolve to pay *the price* to get it done. We ALL have the ABILITY to lose weight. It's all a choice that we make. We choose to be heavy and we can then choose to not be and to remain that way. Losing weight and lots of it is doable for anyone and everyone - yourself included, if that's what you TRULY want and you are willing to make and keep the changes that are necessary to make it happen.

I want to thank you for saying this. I have had a very bad week (not food related) and actually let myself lose control last night and consume way more unhealthy calories than I have been for the last two weeks. As I was reading these posts, I was thinking that I wanted to just forget it and give in and let stress be my excuse. You are so right and I realized...I have decided to do this and at my size it is no longer a want to lose weight, it is a must and I truly do want to get healthy. I now know that I have to COMMIT to change and I am the only person standing between me and my goals!