hi everyone.. I've joined this support group to hopefully help me through my struggles. I've been overweight most of my life. None of my family is overweight and this seems to really bring me down as they don't understand what I'm going through.. I have good days and bad days. On bad days I binge eat and don't exercise. On good days I eat healthy and exercise but it seems I can't work out more than 15 minutes without having to stop. Hoping there's someone out there who can offer support. Thank-you!

Hey! Welcome!

I have been in the same boat, however the older that I got, the more I noticed the people in my family to start gaining and being unhealthy also. I wanted to set myself the task of getting down to a very healthy weight and body fat% by the time I turn 30 in January 2019. 1lb a week has always been my target, I am 48 weeks in and I have lost 43lbs (so I am a little behind), but I have every faith that I will catch up.

Try and work out when you want to binge, what has triggered it, what foods do you tend to go to when you have a binge. For example: I know that when I don't need to cook for my mum, I can't be bothered cooking, so I usually order takeout. I have started making better and healthier take out decisions. I also keep the odd microwave meal in the freezer which is low calorie. Somethings I can't stop the binge.... but I can at least make a better food decisions when I do.

1) do you have the myfitnesspal app? If not.... have a look and try it out
2) do you have kitchen scales? if not.... invest
3) do you have bathroom scales that measure body fat? if not.... they are very useful.

Keep around and let us know how you get on.... most of us around here are in the same position.

Hi sarah91. I'm not 20 something, but here's my 2 cents. I understand how you feel being overweight most of your life and not feeling like family understands. I can't speak on binge-eating but exercise, while great for your health, is not the key to weight loss. Get it in if you can, but you don't necessarily have to work out for a long time either to have an effective workout if it is intense enough. You may have to experiment to find a way of exercising that works the most effectively for you. If your goal is weight loss over fitness you should put the most emphasis on healthy eating. Make your health a priority. Educate yourself about nutrition, what your body needs and does not need, and the roles that different hormones play in regards to weight loss and general well-being. Learn what reasonable portions should look like. Know what your food is made of. Try to incorporate more whole foods over processed. Try to be more in tune with your body's signals, like whether you are truly hungry or if a certain food makes you feel a certain way. Be willing to try new foods. If there's something you know is bad for you and you are able to quit it cold turkey, do it, but don't stress if you can't give something bad up easily. Look at what you're already eating that is healthy and increase that while decreasing the bad. To lose weight you don't necessarily have to be super restrictive or eat foods you don't like the taste of just because they are considered healthy. You'll want to learn to eat better while still enjoying yourself. In the end you'll want to have picked up healthy and sustainable habits without getting caught up in the numbers of eating only X many calories or exercising Y many minutes a day. You want to be in a position where you exercise regularly just because you feel like it and your body's craving that healthy food more than the junk, where you are not afraid that a missed workout or a drink with friends or a slice of cake now and then will lead to a downward spiral. The good days and bad days will always be there, that's life. A bad day is just a bump in the road, not the end of it. Good luck with your weight loss journey, and remember that you haven't failed until you've refused to try.

1000% agree with Circa

Learn about you, swap things out slowly.....

Hi Sarah!

I see you've already been given some great advice. I just wanted to say that I can 100% relate to the binge-eating. I did a stupid stupid stupid diet that lead me to eating uncontrollably for almost 3 years. To this day I still struggle, but I learned something that maybe can help you.

You need to figure out what's triggering you to binge. I know, easier said than done. But what I learned about myself is that if I try too hard to just eat all healthy foods, that'll last for two days (max) and then I'll binge in unhealthy foods. Trying to hard to eat healthy is what triggered me to binge! It took two years for me to fully realize that. I kind of knew it all along but I so badly wanted to eat healthy everyday. It took almost an additional year to teach myself how to just have a tiny portion of a splurge food a day without triggering a huge binge-eating session. I was so used to associating unhealthy foods with binge-eating sessions that I had to recondition myself to not associate a small splurge with over-eating. It was tough, but now I've learned that when I'm craving something bad (I'm a sucker for lattes), I just have it, and I don't always binge now. Otherwise, if I don't have it when I crave it, I'll over-eat the next day. With this process I've gone down 30 lbs. Now, slowly, I'm trying to limit the days I give-in to my craving. Baby steps. Before, everyday I was indulging in a latte (and maybe even a dessert with that), now I've been having small splurges every other day. It's what works for me because I learned my trigger.

Next time you feel like binging, try and think of what's causing the urge. Is it due to being upset because your family is not overweight (hugs to you in regards to that, btw...all my friends are thinner than me, so I understand what you're going through<3)? Or is it because of something else? You are uniquely yourself and not your family--no one can be you, and everyone has their own struggles. Don't mind them. They may not understand what you're going through, but thousands of other people do (including everyone on this site!).

As far as excercising, 15 minutes is better than 0 minutes! Try and increase that amount slowly. Do 15 minutes, then slowly increase to 17, then 20, 25, etc. Baby steps.

You can do this, Sarah!

Emsikins I just want to let you know I enjoyed reading your post, and I think I can also benefit from the "splurge if you have to but don't go all the way" type of mentality. I as well can make it two to three days on a diet and then end up saying screw up and pig out for like, 24 hours. So this is awesome advice! Thanks!

Rustylush, I'm happy to hear I helped, even if it's just a little!

hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been on here for a little while. I cannot believe all the advice and nice things you all had to say!! this really warms my heart!! Christmas was really tough for me... definitely binge ate a lot... even at work today left over chocolates were calling my name. You are all great people thank-you soooooo much!!

xoxo Sarah

I have put on 4.8lbs in just 48 hours so don't worry, we are all on the same page.

Just wish I could hold back even on holidays... but you guys have given some great advice just feeling huge right now

I have been very good all year, I have lost 43lbs to prove it, but even with xmas dinner, which had a lot of salt in it, made me retain water and bloat. I hear ya though..... wish I had stronger will power, but I have felt soo uurrgh, which is a horrible feeling. I just need to remember how crap it makes me feel.

exactly!! I honestly feel like throwing up after eating a bunch of chocolates.. so was it even worth it? not at all!! Best of luck to you lady!!

You also!! I just can't wait for the next challenge from Rie to get on it and working my butt off!

I also feel like I splurged a ton over the holidays. >< My grandmothers shortbread is always my downfall!

But now that I'm back home I've got to get ready to rumble. I think I need to set mini-goals for myself. Looking too far ahead into the future is really bugging me... Like it feels like miles and miles away. Ideally, I would love to be 175 lbs by February 5, 2017, which I think is achievable so long as I put my mind to it!

Sarah if you ever feel like you want a buddy let me know! We do live in the same city, so we could have each others back for some local support!

I can't wait for the January challenge to start, I'm going to get in on that right away!

I'm definitely feeling better knowing they are other women going through the same thing. no matter our start weight etc. we all need support. I started keeping a food diary and being accountable for what I'm eating. Some girls in the office are doing a thing called Whole 30, only eating meat, veggies, and fruit for 30days. I think I might try it.. especially if people around me are doing it too! Hopefully I don't binge eat after!!!

@rustylush I'd love if you were my buddy! never thought I'd meet someone from the same city as me on here!