As for the ticker, you need to have at least 20 posts and have been a member for at least 20 days, I believe.
WOW, I understand that. When I weighed 175 (at 5'10") I thought I was SOOOOOOOOO fat. But the truth is I was only 2 pounds overweight and a little chubby. But last year I really started to pack on the pounds and got up to 212, which made me officially obese. Then I really WAS fat and my body had caught up to my previously warped self-image. It was a real wakeup call for me. I was able to lose weigh (I now weigh less than I've ever weighed before!) because I believed in myself and didn't expect perfection.
It's not about being perfect; it's about succeeding 80% of the time or more. Even if you're not perfect, it's your overall progress that matters. If you eat a Krispy Kreme for lunch, instead of deciding you ruined your whole day and eating junk food all day, eat well the rest of the day. You might go over by a few hundred calories, but that is NOT a failure, at least compared to how many calories you would have gone over if you threw the whole day away! Weight loss is NOT all or nothing but rather an overall thing. Realizing this from the beginning really helped me a lot. Don't expect yourself to be perfect or you will be constantly failing your expectations. Just expect yourself to be doing the best you can, and realize that even 80% success will get you there in the long run.
Let me give you one heads up... pick a "diet" you can stick to for life. In the end, it has to be a lifestyle change or you'll gain the weight right back. So, if from the beginning you pick something you can keep up for life, it makes maintaining your weight later THAT much easier.
I never believed I could lose weight before until I truly started believing in myself, and I know you can too. You CAN do it, you CAN!
