[JillianP]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forum at 3FC. I need everyone's help. I have a lot of weight to lose around 100 pounds. I really want people's advice on how they get through it. I am constantly thinking... I have such a long way to go it feels like I will never get there. I know you are supposed to take it day by day, but it's hard. Any advice? Please Help!

[beautifulone]

Jillian!!!

One piece of advice: stick around here! It's hard not to get into it being around everyone here. The energy and support are phenomenal. The amount of knowledge that's written and that people carry around with them is great! And the motivation is super

I remember how long a road it felt like when I began. Some days it still feels a bit long, but I found that the time passed anyways... it always will, we can't choose that. but we can choose what we will have done about our weights a year from now when that time comes You can do this!!

[rockinrobin]

Let me tell you that 100 lbs is doable, very doable. Don't look at the big numbers. Try to break it down into 10lb increments if you have to. Better yet just work on eating healthier and in smaller portions and adding more movement to your day, every day. If you do all those things the pounds will come off. You start chipping away at those big numbers and before you know it, pound by pound they start to diminish and then you get more into your new lifestyle and you get more and more motivated and more and more determined and before you know it, the numbers don't seem quite so daunting.

I have lost close to 100lbs now and feel as if I can go on losing forever. I didn't always feel this way. It doesn't matter, you don't have to, just start changing your eating and exercise habits and that feeling will come to you. But it is not crucial in the beginning. Just get going, that feeling will come. It gets much easier as you go along.

Let me also add, welcome to 3FC. This is a great place for advice, encouragement and support. Come check out the 100lb club in the Support Groups Forum. You will meet lots of great ladies there who know exactly what you are going through and that is so very valuable. Good luck. Hope to see you around.

[WindyCityChick]

Hi Jillian, welcome to 3FC! I was like you when I started - the amount of weight I needed to lose seemed overwhelming, but my best advice is for you accept that it will take time (after all, it took more than a month to gain all that weight in the first place), and that you need to view this as a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet.

Also, don't spend a lot of time focusing on the long term - set a short-term goal for yourself with specific plans on how to achieve it, like losing 10 pounds by lowering your calories x amount per day, and/or exercising y times a week. When you reach your goal, set another one. If you take care of the short term goals, the long term goal will take care of itself.

[SwimGirl]

Focusing on 100 pounds does make it seem hard. I agree that breaking it down into 10-20 pound goals helps SO much! It's helped me a LOT! I was so focused on a certain weight and now I've lost 30 pounds, I was actually shocked when I got here.

You can do this, I look forward to hearing about your successes!

-Aimee

[JillianP]

Thanks everyone for your advice!!!
I am really glad I joined 3FC it seems like a great place. I am so impressed with how close everyone seems! It's nice to have people around who know what you are going through (especially when all your friends are sticks )
Thanks again,
Jillian

[Tealeaf]

I was about 120 over my goal weight at the start. When I began my new way of life, I never thought that I would really lose as much as 30 pounds. But, like others have said, I just focused on the next five or ten pounds of my goal. Heck, I'm still doing that. I can see myself getting into the 170's. The 140s? One small part of my brain knows that that will happen, but the rest of me thinks that's as likely as getting a new flying car for my birthday.

You don't have lose all you excess weight to see the benefits, either. At 30 pounds down, my high blood pressure went away, and I had to buy new work pants. At 60, the bum knee that had plagued me for years stopped hurting. Just focus on the smaller steps, and enjoy the amazement when you finally see all the progress you have made.

[nubiancooki]

Hi Jillian,

This place is wonderful. I don't post often but I read the forums everyday and the support, tips, and info is the best. These women and men have done this journey longer than us and they know what works, what doesn't etc. To me this journey is starting to become normal for me. At first I felt like you, I think society makes us think we should have everything right away. This is a lesson in patience, reminds us that the best things are things we work hard for and wait for. I think that's why so many people that take the quick "weightloss" routines are not successful in the long run. I remind myself to celebrate every loss, or maintanence from week to week. Each .5 lb is a mantra to me that's .5 that I won't ever allow myself to see again. I also reward myself every 10 lbs with something tangible. Body products, electronics, etc are my favorites!

[Angihas2]

I agree, don't look at the overall big picture. It's daunting and frankly scary. Not just the sheer physical extra 100 pounds and what its doing to your health, but who will we be if we're not the fat daughter, son, sister, mom etc. All of that can be scary. Focus on each 5, 10 pounds. In my head, I chant, regularly, "Losing 5 pounds doesn't change who I am to those who love me", now, losing 100 would be a wake up call, but 5 or so at a time? No biggie, just do it 20 times Focus on each extra step you take during the day, each snack or meal where you choose smaller portions, more healthier choices. Small choices are things like, instead of parking in that spot 2 from the door when going shopping, park half way out in the lot, then the next week or so, park at the last spot in that row, etc. Choose a glass of water over a soda when you hit the vending machine, when you cook dinner, instead of adding butter into your veggies, add a bit of water and steam them. Those small choices all add up. I started at my highest weight of 269 and it's a bunch of small, barely noticable changes over a period of time, that has brought me to 220. You can do this! You just need to practice, and remember, slipping up, falling off the bandwagon etc, is NOT the end of your new way of eating and life, there's no sense in battering yourself, frankly, to many other people are willing to make comments on how fat lazy etc you are for you. Use it as a learning lesson and move on.


**Disclaimer. I know not all fat people are lazy etc, but that is how many people see us and we've almost all heard the comments***