A year ago I wrote here and said I was going to get healthy and lose weight for an upcoming event that I knew was going to require a lot of physical endurance on my part. I thought it would be something that I could work towards as a goal. It was going to require me to fly in a plane for 4 hours and spend 6 days in hot Texas weather walking for miles everyday while I was there and then flying 4 hours back. I knew this would be hard for me at the weight I was.
I've been really depressed because not only have I not lost weight but I've gained 15 or 20 lbs. I just got back from this trip and I was really miserable the whole time. I was totally embarrassed on the plane because I barely fit in the seat & had to lift the arm rest between my husband & I. I had to suck in with all my might to get that seat belt to fit. I was just mortified. He was miserable as well because I was taking up so much room including his personal space. I think he did pretty good considering, he only complained a couple times.
The time in Texas was grueling. I don't ever want to have to go through that again. What was supposed to be a fun time wasn't at all for me. I felt like I was a downer for everyone else involved with the trip because they were constantly having to wait for me. I walked slow and I had to stop to rest often. My hips, knees and feet killed me. I sweated like a cow.
I know it's hard when we see all the time that we could have used to get healthy, but the thing I'm learning from this board is that we can do it. YOU can do it! I'm sure that you have already, but re-read the success stories from people that have lost and maintained for monthsand years on this site. I've been doing this everyday for two weeks, and it keeps me coming back several times a day. Stay strong and just do it!
to hpnodat I can TOTALLY relate to you bc last year when i went up to NJ to visit my family (i live in PA with my bf) everyone kept wanting to go to the beach or out to NY or the shore..etc...& i didnt want to bc i was like 299lbs and all my friends are hot and in the low 100's so i didn't feel comfortable..so when I came back home i promised everyone the next time they see me I will be in the mid to upper 100's ..fast forward a yr later I was just up there last week due to a family emergency and yea i lost weight (like 45lbs) but its not noticeable, i still fit into the same clothes with a little difference...but noone even noticed & my mom was like so are you still dieting or what?? uhhh i wanted to say YEA I AM ALMOST 50LBS DOWN FROM THE LAST TIME U SEEN ME!! but whatever...SO I KNOW HOW U FEEL b/c my promise wasn't kept as well..but just look at it like this...no use crying over spilled milk...& just get back on the ball!!! Start by waking up tomorrow and throwing away all the bad junk food In your fridge and cabinets and anything else that will only make you fail & make a new promise to yourself! Put YOU #1 and not think BUT KNOW that YOU CAN DO IT!!!! I have faith
I used to participate in a yearly event that reminded me each year I had promised myself "this is the year" and it never was. Then April 2009 at the same time of year I've made this promise to myself, I made it again and started again.
And this time I stuck to it. Finally, after 35 years I kept my promise to myself.
NEVER stop trying. With every "failure" you learn something about your body and the weight loss process you can use. Think through what parts have worked for you in the past and build from there.
Every year, for at least thirty years, I used to think about how I wanted to look and feel during my summer vacation, and plan to start, and every year, when summer rolled around I was just as fat, or fatter.
And then, last summer, in 2009, I made myself the promise again, and this time I made it stick.
Just because you failed in the past does not mean you will fail again.
The past does not predict the future.
You CAN lose the weight, but you just have to get it through your thick skull how important it is, and then you need to come up with a plan and stick to it like glue.
Welcome to the first day of your whole new chance.
I think many of us here have had that same painful realization. But, the past is gone and tomorrow is your choice. I hope that you are able to take this painful experience to make you stronger and learn for that mistake. Good luck!
I wish I had a dollar for all the times I told myself that "this was it" when it comes to weight loss. Several years ago, my friend was getting married and I had about 1 year from engagement to wedding. I thought "I'll lose a bunch of weight and surprise everyone at the wedding". The truth turned out that I didn't lose any weight at all that year and was actually heavier.
Most of us are not lucky enough to have this life long change click the first time around. I don't know why it "clicked" for me this time, but it did and I let the mini-goals be the motivation to push me further along.
Most of us are not lucky enough to have this life long change click the first time around. I don't know why it "clicked" for me this time, but it did and I let the mini-goals be the motivation to push me further along.
As other people said, you can do this!
It's true....! It seems like what is hard is 1) getting started and 2) persevering through the first few weeks when you feel the sacrifice more than the reward.
Because it doesn't take long before the rewards start to outweigh the sacrifices, and from that point on it's relatively easy.
Instead of beating yourself up, try to take a step back and look objectively at what happened ... what were the factors that hindered your plan to take control of your health?
Even when you do get it together enough to start eating better consistantly, there will always be pitfalls along the way. The key is that you have to learn from those mistakes and adjust your plans accordingly.
So what happened? Only you know the answer to this. Punishing yourself isn't going to help solve your problem, but taking what you've learned from falling down will help you walk walk stronger this time.
What happened is, I have an all or nothing mindset, I give up to easily, I feel deprived, I want an easier softer way, I'm a big baby, I have OCD & ADD, I hate healthy food, I hate drinking water, I hate exercise, I want to do nothing and watch myself miraculously lose weight.
Yeah, I know. Whine a little more. I could supply a whole city with the amount of pity I have.
I just need to (wo)man up, put all those feelings aside, rub some dirt on it and just do it. I know how to do it.
Your post made me so sad, SO sad, because I have done the same thing so many times. The hardest part is that when you have "failed" at a goal you have previously set for yourself, and you start to lose hope and doubt if it's even possible -- at least that is how it's been for me.
I wouldn't know from experience, but from reading here, it sounds like most of the people who have been successful at weight loss have had some kind of "a-ha" moment, hitting rock bottom, or whatever you want to call it. (I believe I have hit my "rock bottom" and I'm in the process of clawing my way back, but it's early and so I can't get too confident yet!) Maybe your trip to Texas was that for you!?! Maybe someday you'll be posting on here, "What started my successful weight loss journey was a horrible trip to Texas I took in 2010. I started then and have never looked back!"
Sometimes what it takes is being tired of it to change it. Welcome back, and try, try again.
These are very wise word and I feel for you . The journey might take us longer than we think and with more starts than we want, but it is absolutely worth making. When you're really ready, nothing will stop you.
I've done the same thing multiple times, over a few years. I would prepare the night before, throw away everything away that was bad for me, and get an exercise plan started. Would go a couple weeks, this past time a couple months and lost 25 lbs. No many people noticed, since it wasn't THAT noticeable, but to me it was an accomplishment. But, I would make promises to people I didn't see often that the next time they saw me, I would be different. Surely by then, my diet would be gone, exercising replaced by TV or internet or something that was "easier" and I would go right back up. You're not alone!
Also, I read a quote that really made me think: "Do what you've always done, expect what you always get. Do something you've never done, and expect the unexpected!"
Helped me open my eyes a little bit, just wanted to add!
A year ago
