[CyndiLou]

So, I've joined this support group about 5 years ago... I was 315 lbs when I joined and guess what?! I'm still 315. I will lost a few pounds and then fall off the wagon and climb right back up to my 315. I feel so depressed about this at times. I want to put on a good face in front of my friends and family and try to act like i'm not a bothered by my weight, but deep down inside it's killing me. I'm always trying to laugh and joke about things but i need to pull it together because i'm NOT getting any younger. I don't have any children, and that's mainly due to the fact i'm overweight. My cycle is all kinds of messed up because of my weight.
I've had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 12 years old and i currently need a knee replacement however my Dr says i'm way too young for that. I know walking is a big help to get on the exercise train but if i walk much my knee swells up and i'm lucky to walk to the bathroom. My dr says i'm going to have to lose this weight by diet. RA is one of those things you can't work through. if i over do it i'm out of commission for like a week just trying to recover and that makes me depressed and i just eat my emotions away!
I'm on here once again to maybe get some support and to be accountable for my actions.

[SweetEpiphany]

Hi Cindy. First let me say that how you feel is not uncommon. I joined 3fatchicks in 2007 at 245 lbs and about to start law school. Well, little did I know that law school and being a lawyer would be so stressful that I'd gain weight. In 2016, I weighed a whopping 365 lbs and I started coming back to these forums. I felt ashamed. I would look back at my posts from 2007 and wonder how I could have let myself go like this. I'd think about how awesome it would be to be the weight I was when I thought that I was sooo fat, 245 lbs. In 2016 lost weight and got all the way down to 302 lbs, but then I gained weight again and by 2017 I was back up to 344 lbs. 10 years after joining 3fatchicks and here I was weighing 100 lbs more than when I started.

So, what's my point? Look, none of us are perfect, but this is a learning process and all of our mistakes are for our good, because we are learning what does not work for us. This is a judgment free zone and these board members don't care where you are in the process. What I've learned over the years is that weight loss starts in your mind, not on your plate. Only over the last two years have I been able to recognize when my head is really in the game versus when I'm faking it. I didn't give up and I kept coming back to the forums because there is a wealth of knowledge in these old posts. Today, I'm sitting at 318 lbs and feeling very motivated to lose the weight. I'm proud that I'm losing and hopeful for 2018. So, please don't lost hope. I'm currently following the Medifast plan and it's working for me.

You can do this, but you've got to do the work in your head first. Figure out the reason why you want to lose weight. Maybe for you it will be a goal to help your RA symptoms feel better. The less you weigh, the less pressure is on your knees. Only you know your why.

[pjvw34]

Cyndi Lou - you can do this!!! I have not done very well either in the past but I keep coming back and working toward my "skinny" so to speak.

My most recent attempt is Ketogenic, IF[intermittent fasting] and OMAD [One Meal A Day]. Right now I am doing OMAD. Being someone who has been always been taught you should have 3 meals a day plus snacks it was hard to get the nerve up to try IF and then OMAD. For a few weeks, I just ate within a window from 6AM to 12 noon. This week I had the chance to easily move over to OMAD and am having just lunch. Since starting that I have lost 5 pounds this week. I don't get hungry at night or if I want to eat I check myself and come to find out it is just boredom and I am not really hungry. That has been eye-opening for me. Most of the time when I have my midday meal I try to stay keto but have found I can have a little extra if I want. I still track everything in the cronometer app so I know where my carbs, calories, and fats are...

Just know that I am rooting for you! I know that you have it in you and you can do this.

[booklover]

Cindy Lou - your story sounds so much like mine it's amazing. I joined 3FC 10 YEARS AGO in 2007. I lost 40+ pounds with South Beach Diet and promptly put it back on when I had 2 surgeries that same year and could not exercise. Then I gained 20 more pounds just for the heck of it. I kept trying again and again, but couldn't get the weight off. So, I gave up for a few years, managed to stay around 330 or so inspite of myself. I guess that stands for something. I'm back on the weightloss journey now, just trying very hard to take it one day at a time. Years and years of dieting/fitness/"healthy lifestyle"/whatever-they-call-it-now has made me jaded. But I refuse to give up. CindyLou, know that you are not alone. Everyone on this website has lost and regained, lost and regained, etc. It is part of the process.

Right now I'm using MyFitnessPal which is a free web based calorie and exercise journal. MyFitnessPal helps keep track of calories very well, so you don't go over. As for exercise, I recommend that you look for some low impact videos on Youtube. There are many ways you can do simple cardio without using your knees. Alternatively, consider lifting weights, stretching, floor exercises, etc. to help with toning. All movement counts. Don't give up. Hang in there.