Hi. My name is Pat and I am old and fat and I need to get serious about my health!! My daughter Kathy joined this site a few days ago and told me about it so here I am! I am ready to make a few friends and be encouraged and at the same time offer my encouragment to all of you!! This is not my first time at trying to lose weight! I have tried and succeeded many times but it never lasted. Now that I am older I am getting worried about my health and also my husbands health. So, I need alot of help from all of you out there. I can't say I want to lose really fast cause I know I can't but I need to do something soon. My state of mind is deteriorating and I am becoming pretty depressed about the whole "losing weight" issue. Any suggestions? What is working for you guys out there? How do you stay motivated? Heck how do y ou even get motivated?? I am struggling and welcome any ideas thoughts etc. Will be anxious to hear from all of you and thanks in advance!!
There's a lot of support here and we're happy to have you join us. You'll see a bunch of numbered threads "300+ and ready to try...again" This is where most of the chatter around here takes place. It can be a little intimidating at first, as we keep about 400 conversations in the air at once, but really feel free to jump in. We don't bite, and we support each other through everything!
There's also the "Old Hens" numbered thread for those of us 40 and over -- feel free to jump in there too. You can join both threads!
There are a few threads stickied to the top you might want to look at, including the "newbies" info, some great links for getting started, and a place for introducing yourself if you're interested. Check them out!!!!
Also, if you're interested in starting exercise, there's an exercise thread stickied at the top of the page. We try to set goals of MINUTES of exercise per month (the exercise is up to you -- lifting cans a million times per Catherine's suggestion would work!). Then we post our exercise and also track the group minutes. Last year we got close to 200,000 minutes of exercise and I hope we go over this year!!!
You asked some great questions and I bet other people have good answers too. I think all of us have been where you are: depressed and overwhelmed about our weight.
My initial thoughts were to say that you just have to COMMIT to doing this for yourself. Many of us take "baby steps" to get started. I started by just watching portions and moving a bit more. I also took my lunch and snacks to work.
Hi Pat
Welcome to the group - I'm a newbie myself.
I'm having to knuckle down and get serious with this last part of the task: I don't want things to slide.
My advice would be to set small, realistic targets and then put those blinkers on and don't let those demons sitting on your shoulder distract you. Hit each small goal and then move to the next. Each small goal brings you closer to your ultimate target.
You CAN do this and we're all here to help and support each other through it.
Getting started can be so difficult. Few of us here were able to jump right into the dieting lifestyle full-force and be successful. Most of us made small changes at first and gradually added more. I started with two goals, for example: move more and write down everything I ate. For the first two weeks, I tried to keep the calories below 2200, but that wasn't the goal. My goal was to get in the habit of becoming accountable to myself.
As for the move more goal, I started by walking around an elementary school, which was .25 of a mile 1x around. Well, those first two weeks were extremely painful, as my back hurt with every step and I had to stop numerous times to rest and stretch. But it got easier. And as it got easier, I became more confident and ambitious.
From there, I gradually added more goals and joined Wyllenn's exercise thread. Motivation is such a tricky concept. Committment is a better term. When I give Wyllenn my exercise minutes for the month, I think of it as a committment to exercise and I try my best to meet the goal, even though I don't always succeed. At the very least, I try to do a little more than I did the month before.
Feel free to jump into one or both of the numbered threads. We'll help in anyway we can!
Pat - Welcome! I would also recommend the small changes at first to get started. Some ideas are to cut out sweet drinks, cut out extra condiments that you can live without, pick up a piece of fruit or some veggies as a snack instead of something else, add just 10 minutes a day of exercise to start - basically anything to get started. Those small changes can really add up at first and give you the resolve to then try something else. It is definitely not all or nothing, and it will not go perfectly! But, change is possible and this website is a fantastic place to get the support you need to make those changes.
I am new here so what's next?
