Desper8lyseekinskiny: to the group! I am glad that you posted! I, too, know the frustration of losing weight and then gaining (in my case) all and more of it back. Congratulations on quitting smoking!!! That is wonderful! Sorry you have gained a lot of weight back, though. You did it once, so you KNOW you are capable of doing it..... again! Maybe you need to try a different medicine for your depression. Often, it takes more than one med to make a difference, too. Just be sure to talk to your doctor about it and let him/her know that you still struggle with motivation. Some research shows that exercise is as effective as antidepressants, so let that be motivation for you, too ~ for weight loss AND your depression! YOU CAN DO IT!!! I hope you will find support here in the group! Keep on posting and let us know how we can best help you. Take care! Hugs to you!

Dollfaise: Awww, too bad you don't like your doctor. That is such an important relationship. Keep looking until you find someone you click with. Sorry to hear that you hurt your knee! If this job is truly costing you your mental and physical health, I definitely recommend looking for new employment. You deserve to be happy and healthy!

to doll faise, desper8, and idgie marie! (sorry for my abbreviations) really great to have new people here to talk to and commiserate with

Kathleen, you are doing so well! Yay!!

CDubs, congrats on the additions to your family and wow your partner was in the hospital for 2 weeks?? yikes.

Fi, I bet your niece was thrilled to get that artwork!

I had to go to our family doctor yesterday because Cananda Drugs called in my Wellbutrin prescription to be renewed, and my doctor wanted to see me because I hadn't been in for 2 years (sinus infection). I was afraid he was going to tell me to wean off the Wellbutrin but that was not the case..he said if things are going well then we don't have to mess with them. He is also a motorcyclist so he said 'we have to keep our President healthy' so a mini checkup, he listened to my heart ("that's a good sounding heart") and my bp is good 135/80; and I did have to step on the scale and I am 160 but he didnt lecture me about weight. I did ask about my knee and the first thing to do is get an X ray. but I don't know how much our insurance will pay for so I have to investigate that.

sorry for the huge paragraph all about me. I also got a cold from my miserable Rat B@st@rd of a boss, from him spraying his disgusting germs all over the place for days. Actually the germs could have come from hundreds of people but I just like to blame him

I spiraled back into bad eating habits and its like I never even tried it is just so hard .

Sorry I haven't been around, y'all. I am reading your postings & thinking about you. I'm just really busy, because I'm fired up for writing in French to all my new French correspondents, some in Canada and some in France. Plus it's time for me to work up the gumption to write my first long handwritten letter to my Belgian friend, Robine: I really want to make sure I protect myself, and say the things that would be most helpful to her as well. I think I'll be ready to tackle that tomorrow. Sunday we're having our niece and her son over again—probably gonna make that a weekly thing. I've been "cheating" a bit by eating some sugar-free muesli, and I occasionally miss a day of doing my leg exercises, but other than that, it's the same old stuff in my weight loss efforts. My moods have been so stable lately—it's marvelous!

Best wishes to all for a weekend of what you want to do, for your health, not what you feel like doing, which may be wrong for your longterm plans. Want can win out over feel!

I haven't been here in forever. I stopped dieting, and now I've gained all the weight back that I lost last year. In January, I tried a new antipsychotic, Fanapt, and gained 10 lbs in a week. The Latuda just stopped working. Now I'm back on Geodon, but I'm still gaining weight, b/c of all the crap I've been eating. Why does bad food need to taste so good? Not sure which diet to go on now. Maybe I should try WW again. grrrrr.

Holly: I WAS doing so well, but my wheels fell off Wednesday night at our pre-concert dinner where I indulged in a bottle of wine with an old friend. Then, out went the inhibitions and in came the bread and other no no's late that evening (after Eagles concert). Thursday was our son's 18th birthday and I ate fries AFTER my sensible meal out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Friday, I just ate many extras that I shouldn't have. Today, except for a small handful of sweet tart bites, I am back on board. WHEW!!! I did weigh in this morning, despite my "bad" Weds-Fri, just to see where I stand, and I had lost .4 of a pound. (I had probably lost a few pounds before my poor choices at the end of the week.) I will just call this past week a "maintain" and go for weight loss in the week ahead. (It could have been much worse!!!) I am disappointed in myself, but I am still a work-in-progress, so I am trying not to beat myself up too badly about my slip-ups and just hop right back on board. You are right, it is just so hard! I can do this, though!!! WE can do this! That is so funny that your doctor said, "We have to keep our President healthy!" So "kewl" that he is a fellow biker! I hope you will be able to get an x-ray of your knee covered by insurance. Great that he didn't mess with your Wellbutrin! Sounds like a good doc! Sorry to hear that you caught a cold from your nasty boss. Hope you feel better soon!

Fi: Great to hear from you! Glad to hear that your moods have been very stable lately! That is wonderful! Good luck with all of your French correspondence and especially with your letter to Robine! I feel badly that it seems like you must "walk on eggshells" with her. Do you know what I mean?!? Eating sugar-free muesli doesn't sound like too bad of a "cheat" to me!

Moreta: First of all, to our group!!! Sorry to hear that you gained back all of the weight that you lost last year. That is SO frustrating!!! Weight gain from antipsychotic meds is very frustrating, too, since you need the meds but NOT the extra weight! I gained 60 pounds (years ago) during a year-long trial of Zyprexa. In addition to making me gain weight, it gave me an insatiable appetite which contributed to weight gain, too. I hated it! I am still trying to lose that weight (and more) to this day. I am not familiar with Fanapt or Latuda. I've hear of Geodon, but don't know much about it either. Good luck deciding which eating plan to follow. I thought about doing WW, too, but went instead with the DASH diet for weight loss. It has helped me to make the ONLY progress at all that I've been able to make in years! I've only been on it for two weeks, but so far, so good. I think I am going to continue the more restrictive Phase One this week again since I screwed things up at the end of this past week. Need to get a decent weight loss in to keep my motivation up! Best of luck to you on your weight loss journey!

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and just wanted to say hi and share a little about me. I have anxiety and depression, and have loads of weight to lose due to trying heaps of different antidepressant meds and doses, plus chronic fatigue. Have a major fear of exercise but am determined to grit my teeth and make 2014 a healthier year.

justagirlinthecity: Hello and to our group! Sorry that you have lots of weight to lose due to meds, anxiety, depression, and chronic fatigue. I can certainly relate! My trials with meds are in the past, and currently I am aiming to get off (or as low as possible) on my meds. But the weight remains. I am extremely weight loss resistant due to the meds I am on, but ~ like you said ~ I am determined to make 2014 a much healthier year! I have accepted that exercise needs to be part of the equation, but getting started is always a challenge for me. I have become much better at getting it done in the past several months, since I began working out with a trainer. Even at home, I am doing more than I used to. I almost ALWAYS feel better AFTER a workout, so I try to use that knowledge as motivation for the next workout. Why do you think you have a "major fear" of exercise? Maybe answering that question honestly (for yourself) is the best place to start. The biggest challenge for me right now is to keep my eating in check, which ~ for me ~ requires constant vigilance. When I stray much AT ALL, I pay for it on the scale. But if I deprive myself too much, I tend to set myself up for a binge. So I am constantly working on finding a healthy BALANCE. Best of luck to you on your weight loss journey! Keep on posting and we will cheer you on toward your goals! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

lilturtle/Trish: Are you here??? I hope you are doing okay. Please post and let us know that you found the new thread! Haven't heard from you in too long!

I like reading these posts because it shows I'm normal lol I had a horrible night the other night. I ate dinner then chowed down on some ice cream I stopped when my stomach started hurting. For the next 4 hours I wanted to eat even though my stomach still hurt I finally gave in and had an orange making my stomach ache worse the torture stop when I feel asleep. I don't know if it's just my stress causing me to go crazy or I'm just out of control

Hope everyone has a good spring break

IBelieveInMe2: thank you! you are so sweet! It's nice to find somewhere to be myself and not feel judged. It's nice to know that somewhere, someone else understands and is going through something similar.
My fear of exercise is because my father had a major heart attack when I was 4. I was the one that had to call the ambulance, while mum put him in the recovery position. He wasn't overweight, was incredibly fit and for his job he had to carry a 60kg pack over mountains. It was a shock. The doctors couldn't explain it, but he came to believe that exercise could kill you & always pointed out to me the soccer players that collapsed on the field during a game etc. I grew up thinking exercise was bad, which was never a problem as I ate really healthily, until my chronic fatigue/meds. Now I have to undo it all. I've had therapy and logically I understand it isn't true, but as soon as I start feeling dizzy or out of breath, I remember dad having the same feelings during his heart attack.
Sorry for the long post.

Hi everyone I'm new here but i hope to get to know you. Just to share a bit about me I started out at 255 and have lost 63 pounds and still counting. The problem is everybody tells me you look great, but i feel as big as ever. Is this a normal feeling or have i let my weight get to my head?

Hi irisv62. I deal with the same feeling every day. I am "normal" but I still feel uncomfortable and fat all of the time as if I was still at my highest weight. You can feel big at any weight. Even "skinny-minis" feel huge and uncomfortable from time to time. Just don't lose sight of how much you have gained (or lost rather). When I need a reminder, I look at my German Shepherd, Eleanor. She represents about 60 pounds. It may not make me feel less physically uncomfortable but it does eliminate my reason for caring about feeling big in the first place.
Everything in perspective, I guess.

I seem to be back on board (for the most part) with healthy eating. I have felt hungrier than usual this afternoon, but I am surviving. Dinner is near and I will choose wisely. I walked all three dogs yesterday and reinjured/reaggravated my plantar fasciitis. Podiatrist confirmed last Friday that I have a "good case" of it. I probably shouldn't have walked the dogs, but I really wanted to. At least I know now that I need to stay on the bike and wait longer to walk the dogs, and doc says I need to be 7 days pain-free before walking on treadmill again. I miss both the treadmill and walking my pups!!! But I will survive! At least I can do the bike. I just get bored with it. Feels like I am not getting as good of a workout. Doc gave me a shot of steroid in my ankle/heel for the plantar fasciitis. It helped, but I still have pain when I am on my feet. I swear, there is always something to interfere with my progress. But I am determined and I will NOT give up!!!

irisv62 and Earthling: to the group! iris, congrats on your 63 pound weight loss!!! That's great! Keep it rollin'!!! Just try to go with the compliments and let them give you incentive to continue. Not sure if still feeling big is "normal" or not. It just IS what it is. Try to be proud of yourself and acknowledge your efforts. Losing 63 pounds is not an easy thing to do!!! Earthling gave you good advice.

Desper8: Sorry you had a horrible night. I'm sure all of us here can relate to overeating and eating when not even hungry. You are not alone. Try not to beat yourself up over it. Just start again and do your best!

justagirl: That is too bad that you had that unfortunate and apparently traumatic experience at the age of 4 that still makes you fear exercise. I can see how that would be very difficult to let go of. I deal with so many messages I received growing up (spoken and unspoken) that feel impossible to overcome to this day. I try to "parent" myself with more positive messages. Tell yourself that exercise is good for your body and reassure yourself when you are feeling out of breath due to exertion that you are okay. I know that is easier said than done, but YOU CAN DO IT!!! Big hugs to you and your little 4-year-old self!

Waving HELLO to everyone else! Please post and let us know how you are doing.

Hi earthling thanks for replying to my post. I feel much better knowing this is a normal feeling because i was beginning to think that it was wrong for me to think like that. I really like your idea using your German Shepard for comparison of the weight. Too bad i only have a 25 pound poodle, but i could use that comparison. Do you still dress the same because you feel the same or what do you do?

Thanks for welcoming me to the group!! Glad to be here!! Thanks at times i feel the same as before but other days i try to acknowledge it and dress differently or more fancy. I think it just depends on the mood and those downs you have when you are losing weight.