Took words out of my mouth! Except instead of feeling homeless, my thought was invisible. But it isn't just here. All the forums & social nets that I am currently on.
I know your place! I know your place! Your place is clearly being awesome. You're one of the people that I will click a thread even if it doesn't seem particularly relevant to me if I see your user name under the last post. Why? Because you always give sound advice and insights without making me feel like a slacker because I don't pump iron twice a day and can't rattle off macro-nutrient information. I see you as a kind of Everyman around this forum...you've made absolutely amazing progress, but done it in a way that integrates your weightloss with daily life. I feel like you have a lot of experience and are easy to relate to, so when you give advice it really helps a lot.
Just keep doing what you're doing. I think that your posts give a lot of people hope, make them think, and brighten their day. I only started (for cereal) in June, so I haven't been at it nearly as long as you and already find myself posting considerably less than over the summer.
Wow! You all are amazing and I'm so sorry many of you have the same feelings.
It kind of stinks to know the answers, to know what to do, to even DO IT most of the time, but still be stuck in the journey. It's my own doing and I feel a bit of a fraud giving tips/advice when I find there are times I can't follow them, but I'm human, right? I succumb to stress, lack of sleep, pressures, etc and falling back into old eating habits is easy.
What has changed is what's deep inside me. I WILL not be fat again because I don't like how I feel. Not only do I not like how I feel when I'm fat, I don't like how I feel when I'm pumped full of carbs. I like how I feel when I'm fit. I'm energetic! It gives much better results than a sugar high can give and longer lasting.
Being in peri-menopause is making this journey a bit more "interesting" as my losses are much more unpredictable all depending on my hormones.
Anway, it's humbling that I seem to touch people and that my journey has helped others too. Be aware that I feel similarly to many of your journeys too.
I have been feeling this way. Especially after the new year. Its been 15 months for me and it felt weird having a lot of newbies come in at once on the boards. I still read the threads as there is always something to learn. But I feel similar in that I don't quite fit into maintenance yet. I must continue, and being here continues to help keep me going....I am finding personally it has not gotten easier...it is harder to resist the sugar. Strategies that worked for me a year ago are not working as well now...so I need to be here. Seeing like minded people like yourself is encouraging..... you are not alone!!!!
I will chime in with the others and say I'm in the same boat. I started my weight loss efforts in Sep 2009 (I just can't say "journey", it totally grates on me...sorry to all those who use that word...I know it's ubiquitous language, it just makes me nauseous ).
I've made great progress and never had any significant gain - but I've hit several plateaus and I'm currently in one right now!
I'm trying to hit the 100-lb lost mark and can't quite seem to get there. I even made the mistake of posting on a different board a couple of months ago an "I'm almost there" post...oy, such hubris.
I don't post much around here for the same reasons as you and others...I see the same questions over and over (do people never try searching the forums?!?!)...and because this is a wide open board there are many different approaches people take and I can't provide much input on many of them.
I am also a bit of a curmudgeon and pessimist - I don't ever want to discourage anyone, so I usually keep my opinions to myself!
I frequent the maintainers forum because I want to be in a maintainer's mindset already when I finally, hopefully get to goal this year (after 100 lbs, another 25)...
I sometimes feel like I don't fit in here too...but then I don't feel like I fit in anywhere, whether online or in real life!
All us misfits should unite!
I have been here a LONG time. But I didn't know hardly anything when I started out and didn't realize how many medical issues I had that were effecting my weightloss. I kept giving up because I would try so hard & not get any results.
Now that the sleep apnea is under control & I understand PCOS better, I am losing. Slowly but surely. And I owe that to lurking around here A LOT!
I think you belong right along side of the rest of us humans! We all make mistakes and a few have the courage to pick themselves up and try again! No two journeys will be exactly the same
I can relate to a lot of what you say, though my situation isn't identical. I haven't regained a lot of weight this time around, but I still feel like I'm yo-yoing all the time, gaining and losing the same few pounds. If there's such a thing as a "good" maintainer and a "bad" maintainer, then I fall in the latter camp. I'm not reformed. I'm not evangelical about my new healthy lifestyle. I don't feel satisfied after five bites and I don't think creme brulee is evil incarnate. I'm just another human trying to balance health and fitness with the comfort and pleasure of eating. I suspect it would take a rather large home to accommodate all of us "homeless" people.
Melissa - I've been around here for years and have never come anywhere near goal. There are periods when I lose a good amount of weight, and then fall back into old ways. Seems like most of us are struggling. But we're here because we continue the battle.
I can't figure out why I can do well for so long, but never get to where I want to go. When I'm on the ball it seems so simple and I'm optimistic and patting myself on the back. Then something happens ........and I struggle for months before I get back under control.
There's always the hope that "this time" is "the time". I really thought I made it last year - better than ever-but the cycle continues. I can't give up though. I think we all search the boards looking for solutions. And I think we pick up helpful information and ideas and support and inspiration here.
So maybe "this time" will be "the time" No white flag here. I may have to read 20 threads before something hits home. So I keep reading and sometimes I put in my two cents hoping to help someone.
I thought there was a little emoticon that nodded. I can't find it. Oh well, insert that here--->
I'm kind of a regainer/reloser but I'm not sure if 12lbs "counts" especially now that I've lost more than half of that. I didn't regain all of it or even a lot of it - just went on a maintenance pause and allowed my maintenance window to be a bit too high.
I'm certainly not new at this or new at this site. I have periods where I'm very active and others where I am not so much, but I know the same posts and same answers and same everything that all of the newbies post. (I'm very glad they have a place to come and ask those questions. I am happy to answer them, also.) It's actually kind of motivating to me to read through the newbie questions because it reminds me how far I've come. It does feel odd to be the ones answering some of those questions. When I was a newbie the veterans that posted here were so "wise" and I feel like the newbies are missing out on their replies and I'm just trying to echo and remember what they said. I guess that's how it gets passed down along with the wisdom that we have gained over our years.
I feel like I fit in somewhat with the maintainers but have spent a lot of time lurking and reading the nutrition and fitness areas as well as the challenges. For me, it's helpful to learn a new recipe, read about what sorts of exercises other chicks are doing and start a new challenge. It keeps my motivation fresh. We used to have a pretty active daily chat thread in the 30s forum that was more or less just a "keep on, keepin' on" type of conversation. I miss that thread and my BFF's on it!
But yeah, at some point this is just about daily life and the newness of all of it is worn off. For those of us that had more to lose, it takes longer so it's kind of maintenance also. Yes, I'm still trying to get to goal, but I've maintained a 60lb weight loss now for over a year.
You have a place because the struggle is the same for ALL of us, even if we're new. And a lot of us "newbies" have fought this battle without 3 fat chicks for a very long time.
What? You are one of the 3FC "sage" posters, a fixture and a role model with tons of insight on lots of different topics, who commands respect from newbs and vets alike.
I hear you though. I know what to do and how to do it and I am doing it. I think at this point 3FC is just my dumping ground for weight/body image/food stuff I don't want to bug real-life acquaintances with. And that's important, too.
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