I like reading these posts more than just about anything. I get a lot of really good ideas. Obviously, many of us are on the same journey, just at different points along the way. I won't reiterate what others have said before me. Lots of good, good advice and comments!

We each have the same 24/7 in terms of time. None of us have more nor does none of us have less. It has been said that you can tell what is the most important in a person's life by how they spend their time. You have mentioned that losing weight nor eating healthy are top priorities in your life right now. I think it is better to admit to oneself that right now may not be the best time to lose weight until you are ready to make that a priority.

The perfectionist in me wanted my life to be calm with no foreseenable waves on the horizon. Well, that was foolish of me to think that way! Getting angina after years of being very active frightened me enough to start a diet but it wasn't enough to keep me there. I thought that since I was pre-menopausal I had hormones on my side protecting me from having a heart attack. Foolish me!

It wasn't until I began to wonder if I were also diabetic (I never did have it checked-I don't have health insurance) that made me realize that what I put in my mouth will affect my health one way or the other. There is a cause and effect to everything we do, say, think or feel in our life. I couldn't pretend with myself any more. Maybe, you are younger ( I am assuming) and you think you can wait. Maybe you can. Maybe you can't.

I decided that I couldn't. I don't have a lot of money, I have a lot of debt, I have a lot of damaged joints from years of being an active obese person, I don't like a lot of different foods (some I had never heard of until I came on this website!)---the list can go on and on.

However, I did make a commitment last fall: I was going to diet and I wasn't going to stop until I lost all of this extra weight. I want to honor that commitment I made to myself. No matter what is going on in my life. I work full time. I have a home to take care of. I have advanced arthritis. Some days I can't exercise because my joints are inflamed. Some days I can. For now, it will have to do. I would love to say I walked 20 minutes straight but the truth is I need assistance walking down four steps to our car. (As a point of reference, I hiked in the Rocky Mountains at 25,000 ft. in 1992. That shows you what can happen even to an active person.) However, I can lift my free weights and I can hang onto to the side of my treadmill to hold me up while I walk 10 minutes at a time. It is my "personal best" right now. And, guess what, I'll take it! Hands down.

I have the same amount of time that you do or anyone else on this website does. We each have 24/7. No more. No less. If I exercise, it is because I have fit it in my day. If I eat healthy it is because I have chosen to stop wasting my food dollars at the fast foods and instead buy fresh produce, etc. If I need more than 8 hours of sleep I do that. It is all about making choices.

All of these good folks here have done the best with what they have in front of them. You can too. If you listen with your heart as well as your ears, you will see that we are here for you so you can help the next person who comes along. That is how it is done.

pamatga,

Jay

Carrying around a lot of extra weight (meaning, obese) is really unhealthy in other ways than mentioned. I totally wrecked my knees being fat. Our joints are just not meant to carry that kind of weight and take the repetitive stress. I don't hate anything about myself... I love myself, but I have got to lose actual weight in order to be healthy. Of course, I can only really judge for myself. If anyone gets to be 50 or 60 years old, and was obese all their life and is still healthy and happy and mobile, I think that is a wonderful blessing.

Also, my family is high risk for ovarian cancer, and obesity is a risk factor. Partly because if you have a lot of belly fat, you can't really feel the swelling of a small tumor in the abdomen.

I think exercise IS a key though.

Hi

I can report that my eating has gone well over the past few days. I'm having a hard time sticking with the exercise like I should. The frustrating thing is that I know if I'd only do it faithfully for a few weeks, I would actually start to look forward to it.

I can't say that I need any tips on getting started. I know exactly what I need to do, but doing it is another issue. I'll have to make sure that next week is different.

Having lost a lot a lot of weight and watching a lot of women around me, who are my weight complain, about their weight and struggle to get an extra 10 pounds off their bodies, I can definitely say that we all suffer from this pressure to be thinner and hating our bodies no matter what. Issues of body acceptance have to be dealt with no matter what your size. I could sit here hating my loose skin but you know it's not about that. If we don't accept our bodies, it will never be enough. You can't lose enough weight to please that desire.

That said, I am glad I lost weight, and having discarded blood pressure and diabetes medication, I know that weight was a factor in those things (and yes genes do play a role as well) but weight is not helping. The other thing already mentioned here, is the joints, we just weren't meant to be that big and thankfully I didn't completely ruin my knees, but I do feel I did some minor damage to my right knee. Losing the weight, has made physical activity easier and in some cases possible because it had not been before. It is a worthwhile journey to take, but by all means, everyone should love their bodies no matter the size.