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Old 02-19-2006, 12:23 AM   #1  
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Question 130 lbs to lose- would you share your story to kick me into gear?

Hi!
I'm new here and trying to get serious about getting this weight off for good. I am finding it so difficult to get going. I keep eating out too much, continually push back my start date, and wimp out on the exercise.

Would anyone like to share their inspirational story of how they got going?

I enjoy exercise and like the feeling afterward, but I keep finding excuses to just not do it. I get leg pains while "Walking Away the Pounds" and my belly is so big a situp seems impossible. I am medically fine to work out, but I really need to find good info on exercise modification.

I want to start a Fat Flush, but keep putting it off. I guess I need to dig deep and find a "Just Do It" attitude.

I look forward to any motivation you could spare.

Thanks

PS- BTW the 17 lbs I am down from my higest weight is leftover from 2003's Atkins stint. I have put back on 31 pounds since my son was born in 2004.
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Old 02-19-2006, 12:36 AM   #2  
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I started out my weight loss journey needing to lose 120 pounds. I learned at the age of 49 that I had osteoporisis. My grandma was very sick and frail with this bone disease and I did not want to be that way. I started out wanting to lose 50 pounds by the time I turned 50. That didn't happen, I only lost 20 by my birthday. I did not give up and kept working on making healthy choices. I moved more and ate less and am now down 40 pounds don't know if this is a motivation for you but you just need to decide to start making healthy choices one at a time until they become habit. Best of luck to you
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Old 02-19-2006, 12:45 AM   #3  
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mtnheart -- I started at your weight and had trouble getting started until this past summer when I finally realized I had to commit to better health (there were a number of precipitating factors). Instead of telling you my story though, I'm going to share a letter I wrote to myself to read in case I fall off the weight loss wagon. So far I haven't needed it, but it might help you...

Ultimately, none of us can give you motivation, but we can certainly give you tons of advice, friendship and support. GOOD LUCK!!!!

-------------------------------------------
Well, hey there Future Self!!

You did it, didn’t you? You’ve ditched the plan and fallen off the wagon, haven’t you? You’ve maybe gained back some (a lot?!) of the weight you lost, and you’re feeling out of control right now. You can’t help but war with yourself over the food you feel you shouldn’t have, and you quit exercising. Or worse, maybe you’ve just totally given up, again. In fact, I know you pretty well, and I bet you’re feeling kinda sorry for yourself huh? Poor thing…

But that attitude will get you nowhere. QUIT IT!!!!!

You. Can. Do. This!

I want you to think back to why you started this whole journey in the first place. Recall, if you will:
• You weighed just under 300 pounds by your scale, and probably over 300 on any other scale. That’s a lot of you!
• You had a bad fall and were in a lot of pain and had trouble moving – do you want your weight keep you in stiffness and pain?
• What about your dad and his diabetes? Your MIL and her back? What about not being able to stand up from the floor with any kind of grace whatsoever because of your weight? What about just feeling like a hippo all the time?
• What about being able to do the things you want to do and buy the clothes you want to buy? Remember the great feeling of shopping in your closet? Don't you want to shop in normal stores? Take trips without worrying about flights and seat sizes and accomodations?
• And while we’re at it, let’s talk about food. I know you think that those Cheetos and Fritos and especially that Ice Cream and Macaroni and Cheese give you comfort, but they don’t. No one’s saying you can’t have them – you will have to moderate them. And believe me when I tell you that you LOVE fruit! And yummy veggies, and Kashi bars!!! You’re not giving up foods you love, you’re finding new food friends. And I bet you miss that feeling of control you had about those trigger foods too. Remember: you could walk away from the candy on the secretary’s desk EVERY DAY!
• And exercise! You didn’t always like starting, but you really liked walking to the music, releasing some stress, feeling what you body could do!
• Oh, and what about how you feel at the end of the day? Are you tired? Taking naps again? Well, when you ate better, you didn’t get so many low blood sugar dips!! You can be that way again!
• You’ve been in control of your health before and loved it! You can love it again!

Okay, I know, it’s not so easy. The problem is you think it’s all insurmountable. Something little happened, and you got off track, and then something else, and then it snowballed and pretty soon there went all the good habits right out the window. I know all about it, because it’s happened before!

So, how can you get it back? Baby steps! Remember?
• If you’ve stopped journaling your food – get back to it ASAP! Remember how it helped you learn good habits? And quickly! Get back to counting calories and fats and all. It’s easy and you actually liked it!!
• Take back your attitude about food. Keep asking yourself: is this worth it to me in the long run? Sometimes the answer will be yes, but often it will be no, and you’ll feel proud of yourself when you resist!
• And get moving again. You may not love it all the time, but it helps you so much!!
• Remember, you don’t have to make changes all at once. Gradually build in more healthy behaviors. But don’t wait for some mythical “better” time in the future. Take control now!
• Finally, go back to reading 3fc! You were inspired by those stories, and talking about your story helped keep you going too! There’s support there for you.

Remember your pledge to yourself: to be healthier at 50 than you were at 39 (or the fast approaching 40). That’s what’s important, not the taste of that food or the TV shows you're probably watching too much of.

And you can do it. I, more than anyone else, know you can!! It's easy: Eat Less. Move More.

Good luck!
Sincerely,
Your healthier and thinning past self.
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Old 02-19-2006, 02:40 AM   #4  
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I have always been bigger than average. At 21 I was 220 pounds and my doctor at the time tried to give me some half-hearted and as it turns out half-baked dietary advice. It didn't work. Then I went to a weight loss support group and lost about 40 lbs. Which came back on again with friends.

So fast forward to Christmas 2004, age 32, my parents both diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and I decide it's now. I have to do it, now!

So I sat down and worked out all the things that were making me fat. Laziness, buying takeaways rather than planning meals, enjoying cooking and food a little too much, cooking with the wrong ingredients. And I started making changes.

I started to exercise with the supervision of a gym instructor. I started to weight train. I scooped my size 24 (US) self into a swimsuit and got into the pool. I could do 12 lengths. in an hour. I now do 50 in an hour.

I got everyone I knew involved in my weight loss. my team at work threw out the biscuit tin and started buying fruit. I got an exercise buddy at work who would take me out at lunch time for a walk.

The weight has come off slowly, but steadily. I still have a ways to go, but I feel positive I can do this. After a year of making a lot of adjustments to my lifestyle I am feeling stronger and fitter than ever.

================================================== =======
On your topic of fat flush, I don't think you need to do that. If it kick starts you and helps you get motivated, fine, but your not really flushing fat when you detox, its just fluid. And our kidneys, livers and other vital organs know how to detox on their own, that's their job, you don't really need those detox plans.
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Old 02-19-2006, 07:49 AM   #5  
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mtnheart.....I have just begun this journey as well. What keeps me going, at this point, is I don't want to have to add that "bad" stuff to my fitday log. Other than that, I like to watch my blood sugar decline every week and see that it can be within normal range even after eating! My health is my motivating factor. I just hate acid reflux, sleep apnea, chest and back pain, etc. Whenever I want to slip, and that is daily, I try to remember these things I that I don't like about my weight. Just last night, I almost ate an entire bag of Hershey kisses. But, I brushed my teeth and surfed the internet and took my mind off it. Cravings are powerful because your body is changing and wanting things. Just like addicts crave their drugs, we crave food. Fight it. Fight for your life!

Wyllenn....Great idea about the letter. Do you mind if I steal it? What a great motivator that would be for me. Thanks for that!
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Old 02-19-2006, 08:03 AM   #6  
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There is a link to my on going weight loss journey in my signature. I would just like to tell you that you can do it. You can get fit and healthy. It is the greatest gift you can give to yourself. If I can ever help in anyway - I would be happy to do so.

I wish you all the best.
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Old 02-19-2006, 08:53 AM   #7  
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Christina -- Steal away! Though, you might want to personalize it some!
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Old 02-19-2006, 10:09 AM   #8  
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I too am just starting my journey. My heighest weight ever is 394.4, right now i am at 380.8. I just bascially starting following the plan again this past wed. Have been ww many times and just keep quiting. This time,at least i hope, is going to be different. I have really been thinking alot lately about where my life is going weight wise. During the summers and stuff i love to go to amusement parks. I have not been to one in forever, because one i can't do all that walking anymore. And two i dont fit in the rides anymore. This i miss terribly. It is soo embarrasing to wait all that time in line just to get on the roller coaster and find that the bar doesnt fit down over you. Ive never even rode in a plane because of the horror stories i have heard about the seats being so small. Thinking about these things has really gave me a different attitude about doing it this time.
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Old 02-19-2006, 11:53 AM   #9  
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I started slowly, and I started without really realising that I'd started. I realised that I wasn't happy with how I was living my life, and I made small changes. They turned into big changes over time, but starting to exercise by swimming regularly wasn't a huge deal, but it got me into the habit of putting time away for exercise, and making it a habit.

The first thing I did was started trying to get fitter. Different people focus on different things, but I knew that I'd never succeed on a diet. The thought of watching what I eat too carefully was something that never appealed, so I didn't do it.

What I could do was start exercising. I was astonished to find that without changing a thing about what I ate I lost about 10lb over a 10 week period. OK, at 1lb per week that's not a huge deal compared to some commercial diets where you lose a lot for the first couple of weeks, or indeed compared to the loss I subsequently managed to keep up later in my journey. But 10 weeks at 1lb per week was enough to show me what could be done if I tried. At that time I was mainly swimming, but I started doing a bit of work in the gym and realised it wasn't as bad or intimidating as I'd feared.

So how did I put that knowledge to use? I fell off the wagon. Not in a big, big way, but over the next three or four months I put about 6-8 of those lost pounds back on, and I stopped exercising as regularly as I had been.

Then I realised what was happening and snapped out of it. Again I started just by looking at my exercise rather than my diet, but I started going down again. After about 8 or 9 months I'd lost the net total of about 9lb, and that's when something really clicked. I realised that if I could lose weight just by exercising and eating rubbish, I could lose more weight by exercising and eating sensibly. It's never been about deprivation, but by cutting out some of my worse habits I managed to up the rate I was losing to about 2lb per week and keep it there for 6 - 8 months.

Saying I managed that for so long might seem a long time to keep it up for, and there were weeks where I didn't lose, together with weeks where I lost more to keep that average up. But at no point did it feel like I was depriving myself. I was simply making healthier choices from food I already liked, at least at first. So if at first I would have eaten fruit once a week and chocolate four times, I tried to switch it so I had four portions of fruit and one portion of chocolate. The same food, but with a different balance.

You can't keep up that rate of loss indefinitely though, and I've noticed that a few things have happened. First of all I've stopped really focussing on weight loss. I'm back at square one in that I'm now more interested in fitness than in my weight. Maybe it's because I'm in sizes I never dreamed I'd be able to wear (even though I now think that I could go smaller), but what motivates me is being able to run further and faster. I enjoy running, and I want to be able to run a marathon. I know that by training for that goal I'll probably lose the rest of my weight but if I don't, well, I'll still have run a marathon! together with this I've relaxed my eating a fair amount, because I want to feel like I have the energy to run, not like I'm trying to create a calorie deficit.

So the rate at which I'm losing has slowed down, but I'm still losing or maintaining pretty much every week, which isn't anything to worry about.

I could go on and on about how much better I feel and how glad I am that I did this. I could also lecture for hours about how you don't need to find some wacky and unsustainable plan when the best place to start is pure common sense. I don't know whether that's what you want to hear.

What I remember is the years I spent thinking that one day I'd do it, I'd get fit and I'd lose weight. But it was never a priority. Then one day I just woke up and decided to join a gym. I still can't explain my decision that day, just that it suddenly felt right, and I knew that if I did it then I'd succeed. If I'd done it earlier maybe I wasn't ready, maybe I wouldn't have stuck to it. It seems daunting, and for a long time I wouldn't accept that I needed to lose 100lb, let alone think about how long it would take to do it. But I enjoyed what I was doing to get rid of it, and the time has passed remarkably quickly. I'm no longer daunted by the prospect of doing this forever. This is my life now. I'm not on a diet, I'm just living, healthily, a normal life.

It can be done, but only if you take the first step. That first step can be horribly difficult to take, and you might need to take it more than once. But once you get going you'll find that you get some momentum and it gets easier. It really does, I promise.
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Old 02-19-2006, 12:53 PM   #10  
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Thank you all so much.

I really appreciate the inspiriation!
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Old 02-19-2006, 01:41 PM   #11  
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Mtnheart, I wanted to talk to you too. I was at about your weight when I first started Atkins back in 2000. (I was at 282) and I felt the same way. Too fat to even exercise. Trying to walk down my steps (I live upstairs) always kind of terrified me. My belly and boobs were so big I couldn't see my feet to be sure the steps weren't icy and I wouldn't fall.

I HATED being that big. But I felt just stuck. Couldn't even figure out how to lose it. Then came Atkins. I LOVED it. Suddenly it all made sense to me. I had tried just eating less and it never worked. Couldn't understand why I had such uncontrolable cravings and why I couldn't leave junk food alone, and why just a little made me want more and more. I had always said "I don't eat that much food, just the wrong foods." Yep.

So within a week and a half I was down 13.5 pounds on Atkins. 17.4 if you count the 4 I had lost by just "being careful" before starting Atkins. Within 8 months I was down by 50 pounds and I wasn't even on it all the time. I was on and off, but keeping a chart (graph) of my progress.

Do you know why you are having a hard time getting started? You are looking at the big picture. No one can lose 120 pounds. Forget that. It is like going into your kitchen and seeing dirty pots and pans all over the stove, trash on the floor, dishes piled all through the sink, the table covered with food and dirty dishes. No one can clean that up. It overwhelms you.

But instead you go in there and you say, I'm just going to clear off the table. So you make the table look shiny, wipe it down, put pretty fresh flowers on it. It makes you smile. Then you look at the floor and say "I'm just going to sweep the floor". You sweep it and it makes you smile. Then you look at the stove and clear that off and shine it up and it makes you smile. Then you rinse off just the plates and put them in the dishwasher and that makes you smile. Eventually that whole horrid kitchen is done and you've only done a few little things.

Same way with weight loss. Tell yourself "I'm not going to lose 120 pounds, I'm going to lose 5."

Or 3 or 4. And keep a record and then do it. Then set a new goal. 5 more pounds. Hey wow you just lost 10 pounds!

That is what I have been doing since January of this year. I too had gained back most of my weight except for some that I kept off from my first stint on Atkins. But in December I decided I was going to just not be a perfectionist. I wasn't going to look at the big picture, just the little steps that will take me there. In December by just "being careful" I lost 4 pounds and then in January I started back on Atkins. I've set small goals for myself. Little bitty ones. 4/3/3 is what I call it. I aim for the first 4 pounds, get that accomplished and then work on the next 3, then the final 3. I can lose 10 pounds that way. But I lose it 4 or 3 pounds at a time and don't look beyond that.

By doing that I have dropped 22 pounds since December, 36 inches, and 2 clothing sizes. Yesterday I cheated on my diet for the first time in a month and a half, and today I am back on track. I refuse to have an 'all or nothing' attitude. I refuse to procrastinate on starting on my journey because it looks too big and is overwhelming me. Every baby step I take toward getting there makes me have that much less to do. If I want to take a break on the journey (like I might if I were cleaning that dirty kitchen) I can do that, as long as I don't undo my progress in the meantime. I don't have to get at my goal weight by any particular date. I would LIKE to get there (at least to Onederland) by July, but if I am making progress in that direction that is all I really have to have.

You can do this too. I've posted the 4/3/3 challenge on this forum and on the challenges forum and on the low carb forum. Why not join it? Anyone can lose 3 or 4 pounds can't they? And done often enough, you will eventually find yourself at goal.
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Old 02-19-2006, 06:30 PM   #12  
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Hey Martha

You're looking to loose amost exactly what I've lost.

Let me tell you, it's an amazing feeling to wake up in the morning and get out of bed without terrible heel pain. It's great to be able to run for the bus and not be winded, to walk all day and not be exhausted. It's also nice to get dressed in the morning with very little body angst. I can't recommend it highly enough You asked for motivation right??

I second the thought that it's best not to think about having 130 lbs to lose. I always just concentrated on the next 10 lbs. It's much less overwhelming.

My other recommendation is to not make any changes that you can't live with for the rest of your life. It all comes down to eating less and moving more, so find ways of doing both that you enjoy.

The big thing to remember is that motivation comes and goes, but that doesn't have to effect your actions. I'm not always motivated to get up at 4am to get ready for work, but I do it anyway because I want that paycheck. It's the same with eating sensibly and working out. I may not always be gungho, but I want to keep this new body, so it's something I just do.
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Old 02-19-2006, 10:07 PM   #13  
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You know, this will sound wierd but it was shame that got me going. It hit me, how bad I had let myself go. I realized how my life was not where it should be and that not only was I suffering, but my family was to. This weight affects so, so, so many things in my life.

I'm a person of integrity and in this situation I was to blame. So, it became my mission to repair the damage I had done to my life. hth
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Old 02-20-2006, 01:56 AM   #14  
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I don't know if my story is inspirational but there it is. LOL

I've been on a few diets in my life. But this time, I'm not. And I've lost more and have kept with eating healthy longer than when I did go on diets.

I just started watching what I ate last Summer (2005). Nothing major, just no more junk, no fast food (or very rarely).

My BF and I read Dr Oz's book YOU: The Owner's Manual : An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger. It's not a diet book. It's just a book that explains how our body works etc...but it does offer advice on what foods are beneficial to your body and overall health. It rang a bell with us and so from then on, everything we ate had to have one purpose : be good for our body (brain, skin, heart...whatever). It basically became about making better choices. Even in a fast food joint...if we are out and need to eat, we try to make the best educated choice on what we can have...and enjoy the occasional treat once in a while.

Wouldn't you know...our weight started coming off. We didn't do anything as far as exercise goes apart from regular day to day stuff. People at work started noticing and started asking what we were doing. We told them and pretty soon, everyone at work was having a competition to see who would bring the healthiest lunch! lol Even the fast food addicts who were thin as sticks felt bad and started eating salads...grumbling to themselves that when they got to the restaurant and about to order their favorite staple food...all they could think about was all that healthy stuff and somehow ended up ordering a salad instead of gravy fries and burgers. LOL

Then, in September, I started walking. I noticed more results. My legs looked nicer...I had more energy. Woah! This actually is good for me and I look forward to it! I got myself some audio books...and would end up walking a little more just to hear the rest of a chapter. lol So walking became regular.

By the end of November, we pulled out our ancient treadmill and stationary bike that were gathering dust and started using them. Sadly, the treadmill was so old and had been out of commission for so long, the motor burnt out. LOL So, we got ourselves another one for Xmas and have been using it religiously ever since. We added weight training in December and lift weights 3 times a week.

Everything just sort of happened on it's own. It started with wanting to eat better...but with the weight loss came more energy and things snowballed from there. I used to sit in front of the TV for hours, watching weight loss shows and dreaming about being thin like those people on the shows. Now, I can't sit in front of the tv that long because I get bored! I need to move or do something. I'll watch a show I like while on the treadmill and the time goes by fast. And when I do watch tv now, I don't feel bad because I know I worked out. I feel better in my body and just more comfortable. Now, when I see those weight loss shows, I can say "I'm doing it too!" and it's a great feeling to have.

I did drag my feet on some days (still do sometimes) "ugh! I have to work out and it's late", but the difference this time is, I change into my workout outfit and get my butt into gear and do it. And it's become part of my daily routine. I can't imagine not doing it. I fill in this little calendar every day with what I did. It really helps me stay motivated. I don't want to see too many "did nothing" days on there! It's a reminder of how far I've come and helps me stay focussed.

As for food, I can't say I've felt deprived of anything. I really think switching the focus on health rather than weight loss has made the biggest difference. Junk food just isn't so appetizing when you look at it from your body's perspective. What will all that trans fat and sodium do to my body?! Makes it easier to just not want to eat it.

It's weird to say, but since I decided to focus on health instead of "losing weight now!!", I've lost more weight than I ever have...and I am simply enjoying the journey. I feel stronger, healthier, more confident. I now enjoy pushing myself to see what I can do when I workout. I never thought I'd get to this point! I'm not exactly sure how I got here...but I sure enjoy it. I just wish I'd "gotten it" sooner, but meh, today is as good as any other day right?

Whew! This turned into a novel. Sorry about that

Good luck on your journey! It can be overwhelming to get the ball rolling at first, but all it takes is one small change, and then you can build from there. The satisfaction that comes from doing one thing will make you want to tackle another, then another, then another. Just take the first step!
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Old 02-20-2006, 05:15 AM   #15  
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I'm just starting over again, for the time. I've lost the equal of about 4 grown people. Unfortunately I also gained about 5 . Being big all of my life was . If I could be the size I was in school( 14-16 )I'd be happy . And I thought I was big then, LORD if I only knew then what I know now. FIT BOO ,I agree with your plan to make better choices, eat healthy,and exercise. SHERRYA thanks for the reminder to do it a little at a time. Sometimes it gets over whelming when you look at all the changes to be made. THANK YOU
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