Hello all. I am new and I have 120 lbs to loose. I fell of the WW wagon several months back and can't seem to get my conviction back again. It feels hopeless. I am out of money to attend meetings but I still have the materials I need to start again.
I am just so distraught. I don't think I have the patience for this. I am so bad at patience. I know I should look at things in smaller increments, but it took me nearly a year to lose 25 pounds the last time around. I can't find anyone around here that isn't a diet **** or has active support to offer or time to help.
Am I in the right place here? Can this really be done besides on TV?
Yes, it can be done. There are a bunch of people on here that have lost a lot of weight. Mind you, I am not one of them. I'm trying hard myself to lose. I am just now starting to do things right. You have to keep focused and work hard to do it. Unfortunately, there isn't an easy answer to losing weight. I"m having one heck of a time losing. It tests my patience on a daily basis. You can do this though. It is well worth it. Remember the end picture. You can get where you want with hard work and patience. You have found the right place. THis place is full of support. It has helped me tremendously.
It can be done. You do have to have patience. I'm not going to lie to you it is a long process with lots of ups and downs. The most important thing is keep going no matter what. That means if you have a bad day, week or month you get right back at it and continue to work your butt off.
You can do this I know you can. Not because I have done it but because you want to and you have it wiithin yourself to do what you want. We are all here for support but if you find you need face to face support try finding a group. I know you said you can't afford weight watchers but how about something like TOPS they are all over. Just keep going and you will get there.
You lost 25 lbs in one year. You may not think that is much but it's a heck of a lot better than being 25 lbs heavier. Think of carrying that around all day and how much better it is for your heart not having to carry that extra 25 lbs.
Hope this helps. I know you can do it. Just hang in there and get to know us all here. It's a great group.
Hi Radiodoll. Welcome aboard. I have lost a bit so far, and have a long way to go yet! I have done it on my own, with help from the fabulous people here, and my gym.
It can be done. I have no will power or patience, but something just clicked in my head when I really sat down and thought about it. Despite my wishes and hopes, I was never going to wake up one day and be 130 pounds, as much as I wished and hoped to be.
Slow and steady, take it one pound at a time, and don't feel a failure. There is so much help here, as I well know (I screamed for help yesterday and got oodles)
Congratulations on getting rid of 25 pounds. No matter that it took a year, it's a great move in the right direction. Getting back to a healthy weight isn't easy, but given how much better I feel already--physically and mentally, I know it's well worth the effort. I'm doing it without a diet club. There's lots of support to be had right here on this forum.
Check out some of the photos in the Progress pics! thread for inspiration. I've just seen an Oprah video called something like Making the Connection, that you might find helpful. I ordered an exercise video from the library and this was inside instead, so I watched it! I found it quite moving.
Stick around and take it a day at a time. You'll get there.
Twenty-five pounds in a year is NOTHING to scoff at!! That's half a pound a week. *cheers* That's a good, healthy, maintanable loss. They say that people who lose slowly (.5-1 pounds a week) are more likely to keep it off in the long run. In part that's because drastic changes in diet and lifestyle are harder to maintain than small, incremental changes toward healthier habits.
I know it can seem overwhelming at times. Howie's right -- you need to keep the long-term in mind. But you also may want to set some shorter-term goals. I know that if I focus only on having to lose 150+ pounds, I'll just throw up my hands and give up.
But cutting back on soda? Planning to eat breakfast every day? Taking the stairs instead of the elevator? Focusing on getting five servings of fruits/veggies a day? Those are small steps that I've taken, small habits I'm working on forming, that make a very healthy long-term impact. They are just as much to be celebrated and boasted about as lost weight on the scale.
I've found that if I think about it as a "diet" and focus only on the restrictions and lists and what I can eat and what I can't, and "good" and "bad" food... If I do that, I tend to get discouraged. Diet ****s, indeed. *nods*
So I really try to think of it as a journey. A lifestyle. Healthy choices vs. Treats, rather than "good" vs. "Bad". I focus on what I can do, and how I feel, rather than how far I have to go to be "normal". That helps me a lot.
As to reducing diets.. there are all kinds. Some by their very nature are more proscriptive and limiting than others. So folks on those tend to be stricter when they talk about it.
But everyone, on every plan, is welcome here. Post often. That's the best way to feel a part of the community. Check out the Challenges, or join the Buddy group. We're here for one another, and it makes SUCH a difference!
Just wanted to offer my support and welcome you to our group. I know how hard it is to think in terms of having to lose 120 pounds but if you can try to break it down to 5-10 pounds at a time. Set a goal to only lose 5 pounds. Once you've accomplished that. Try for 5 more pounds and so on. That way it doesn't seem so hopeless. 5 pounds sounds a whole lot easier to lose than 120 pounds.
I am so amazed that so many of you responded to my forst post. You've made me feel much better, and after reading this this morning I actuallu feel better!
You all have good suggestions and a very powerful faith. That's incredible. I definately want you YOU have!
I will check out the buddies forum and others. One question? How do you get a weight tracker "by the pound" thing on your posting profile? I really like that. It gives me a sense of support and belief when I see those.
Thank you to everyone. I am on the right track this morning - starting with a fat free blueberry yogurt (don't enjoy a lot of food in the morning) and a WW meal for lunch. I am committing to drink all my water today. I am planning a turkey and veggie sandwich wrap for dinner, as I will be in the car going to a basketball game. Then making myself a frozen fruit smoothie with a touch of 100 percent juice as a snack when I get home.
You've heard so much great information already, I don't have much to add, but I did want to say that I KNOW you can do this. You have to find what works for you -- something healthy that you can live with and sustain -- and that only happens through trial and error. Your plan for today sounds great. I would like to reiterate that setting small goals is SO important. It gives you such a feeling of satisfaction to meet them, and you feel like you've learned some important truths about yourself with each one -- like for instance, that you can do what you say you're going to do and follow through on your promises to yourself. And that you don't always take the easy way out or let yourself off the hook because you feel like it. Or that you're able to withstand temptation and remains strong and focused on what you want the most, rather than what you want at the moment. (Nod to Beverly/boibaby here. ) Once you start to see the little successes, and see that you're making progress towards your goal, your perspective changes, and you realize that it all breaks down to days. Just one day after another of making more positive choices than negative ones, and building on those hard won strengths -- like building psychological muscles.
Some tips: (1) Remember to try to look at the positive; instead of what you didn't do, think of what you did and give yourself positive reinforcement for what you did right. (2) If you misstep, don't wait till the following Monday to get back on plan and have a free-for-all until then; take control right away and move forward like you're turning the page of a book. (That was then, this is now.) It can be enormously helpful to figure out why you fell off, ie. triggers, but if the introspection slows you down and you're doing it instead of getting right on plan, get on plan first and figure things out later. (3) Remember that there exist plenty of rewards in the world that are not edible! (4) PLAN, PLAN, PLAN: if you have a plan in place, you reduce the number of choices you have to make and make things a LOT easier for yourself. Again, you're building muscles. I'm sure you know the healthy choices -- it's the follow-through where most of us struggle(d) and that's how we got or stayed big. (5) Stay present here -- it's a warm, calm bath in a biting cold storm. We're all here for you -- and each other -- and there's a world of knowledge and love to be found here. I could go on forever, but these are a start!
I know you can do this, Radiodoll -- but the important thing is that YOU know you can. It's all a head thing.
I'm glad you found us, and I look forward to getting to know you better.
Hi Radiodoll, I have only been on this site for about week, but the amount of support you find here is second to none. Just knowing that everyone is going through the same hurdles helps me keep ontrack. PLEASE do not be hard on yourself. We all have our good and bad days. I tend to take on the small goals, and treat myself to a gift to me when they are reached. (Day at the spa works quite nicely). If I focused on the end number, I would get a little nuts. I look at this as a life journey that you take at your own pace.
I've been on so many rollercoaster diets it isn't funny, but this time is diffrent. I want this I really really want this. If I fall off then i just jump right back on. I take it meal to meal. sometimes just minute to minute. Make your goals small ones then it's not so far away. my normal goals are 10lbs a month. Hope you continue on this journey.
hi radiodoll. i completely know what you are going through. i fell off the wagon a while back and gained everything back and then some and i've had trouble getting back on ever since .
i have been doing well the past week or 2 but i still struggle on a daily basis. i couldn't afford meetings either so i had to quit so i'm doing it at home on my own.
if you'd like a buddy person you can message me or anyone else on this board (they are all great!).
Newbie in Trouble
No matter that it took a year, it's a great move in the right direction. 
Getting back to a healthy weight isn't easy, but given how much better I feel already--physically and mentally, I know it's well worth the effort. I'm doing it without a diet club. There's lots of support to be had right here on this forum.
I am so amazed that so many of you responded to my forst post. You've made me feel much better, and after reading this this morning I actuallu feel better!
I would like to reiterate that setting small goals is SO important. It gives you such a feeling of satisfaction to meet them, and you feel like you've learned some important truths about yourself with each one -- like for instance, that you can do what you say you're going to do and follow through on your promises to yourself. And that you don't always take the easy way out or let yourself off the hook because you feel like it. Or that you're able to withstand temptation and remains strong and focused on what you want the most, rather than what you want at the moment. (Nod to Beverly/boibaby here. 
) Once you start to see the little successes, and see that you're making progress towards your goal, your perspective changes, and you realize that it all breaks down to days. Just one day after another of making more positive choices than negative ones, and building on those hard won strengths -- like building psychological muscles. 
