[dancingirl81]

I saw my dr in august and was having HUGE issues with my BP. (150something over 90something). I was told to lose 20 pounds before I saw him in december. 5 pounds a month... totally do-able... and would put me within about 5-10 pounds of my final goal.

I did great for about a week... and then life happened. Things at work went nuts... I'm staying up late to get things done and going in early to put them into action. I've had to evict tenants for not paying rent, so I'm broke and completely stressed out. Naturally, I gained back the weight I'd lost and then some... so I'm now worse off than I was when I saw the dr... and have less than two months to make some kind of difference in my weight.

I realize that I could still reasonably lose about 12-14 pounds - not the 20 he wanted, but a good chunk of it. The bigger issue is that I have ZERO motivation. I've developed a 'whatever' attitude toward things that are just simple crap... and I'm just eating because i want to. I feel like a blimp, my clothes are on the verge of not fitting at all, and i'm stuck in this stressed-out, I-don't-care-about-anything mood.

Please tell me how to get this turned around...

[rachiebach]

I have no idea how to help you turn it around but I'm sorry to hear about your problems. Thing is, this isn't a little issue for you-this is about your health! Your blood pressure is a big deal! You HAVE to get it under control...I know that life can get out of control sometimes, but if you don't take care of yourself now you'll just end up paying for it later.

Maybe if you sit down and write out a schedule for yourself it will help you figure out when you can take some time for yourself (an hour to go to the gym or to relax and watch tv, etc). I always find that to do lists are helpful bc they make me feel like I've accomplished something. I know this probably isn't helpful, but maybe if you just organize the heck out of your days, you'll be better able to deal with your health.

Good luck!

[Annita]

i agree with rachel.
I think if you can schedule your time (eating time, what food will you eat, when will you work out) etc, it will look much easier to follow than if you don't have a plan.
Life happens so let's get all the stress into the workout. I'm pretty sure you'll feel better after that.
Hope you can get over this bad time soon.

[Jelbb]

It's really hard to "convince" someone to want to change. I find that you almost have to hit a sort of psychological wall. You just have to KNOW that you can't feasibly let things get any worse... for your healthy, for your sanity... for your self-esteem. That in itself is often enough to make you want to kick the habit of the junk and start getting down to business.

When I lack motivation, I tend to spend a lot of time on the forums. ****, half the time I'm not even talking about my weight, I'm *****ing about random crap, but simply being surrounded by people who don't think I'm nuts for obsessing just a little bit about the scale moving, or not moving... it's very motivating to feel normal whilst still trying to promote healthy weight loss.

I think putting together a game plan that's a little more structured might help you in getting started. It's easy to say, "Okay, 12-14 lbs... here we go..." and then feel apathetic and uninterested. Whereas, if you break it down...

So, say you have 6 weeks until your doctor's appointment. Great! So you're aim is to lose about 2 lbs a week, then? Maybe start setting yourself weekly mini-goals, and figure out ways to attain them. Perhaps decide on a certain amount of exercise you're going to get every day, and try to stick to it, day by day. Things are a lot less daunting when you go day by day, instead of just looking at the BIG picture.

Rachie made a good point about mapping things out... a good way to start is to plan out meals and exercise in and around your schedule for the next couple of days, and stick to it! Once you get started, you get more and more motivated.

I also highly suggest checking out the "Chicks Up For a Challenge" board. It's highly motivating, it's a ton of different goals that people are working towards together. There's a Thanksgivings Goal, a Halloween one (or 5..), a Christmas one.. etc. Knowing that there are other people egging you on and wanting to see your ticker go down can be a surprisingly good motivator to drop the junk food, or just say no in the first place.

HANG AROUND LOTS! Being an active part of the forums is probably one of the best motivators you'll ever have!!

GOOD LUCK, and we're here for you!!!

[stacylambert]

You're weight doesn't seem like it should be an issue with your blood pressure, especially since you've already lost a good deal of weight (congrats by the way!). Are you sure you don't have "white coat syndrome?" I have it and I know several other people that do including my mom. It just means your blood pressure reads high when you're at the doctor, dentist, whatever because you're nervous. I went through this with my doctor and he had my buy an at-home blood pressure machine and it was perfectly normal at home. You could always ask him about it. It sure wouldn't hurt.

[Not that girl]

Even if you lose the weight your doctor recommended before your appointment, if you're stressing out about it the entire time, your blood pressure isn't going to get any better.

I agree with the other girls here. Set yourself mini-goals and try to attain them, but don't freak out about the arbitrary goals your doctor has set for you. Does losing 20 pounds put you at some magic health number? Your doctor should be just as happy if you lose your 12 or 14 pounds before the next visit.

And I second what stacylambert said about White Coat Syndrome.

Good luck Dancingirl. =)