[The Lumpy Shadow]

Nothing ever really changes around you but things always gradually get worse?

Sometimes I look at my self and feel that my "fat" form is something permanent, unchangeable. "no one ever loses weight" Obviously, this forum disproves that, but sometimes it really seems that way! I've never known or seen a person go through that transformation. At my work, all the women, and a few of the guys are all on diets, all working out, yet no one changes! Not in the two years I've worked here has anyone ever really lost any weight.

I am to the point where I am not entirely convinced that I can ever change....except to get fatter and fatter until heavy machinery is required just to get my out of the house.

blah!

[RavenToy]

Nothing ever changes if nothing ever changes. If you don't change what you eat or whether you exercise or not, then you're right, you might never change.

To change one's appearance is not necessarily easy, but it can certainly been done. Might I suggest a trip down to the Ladies Who Lift forum? One of my heros resides in there, her name is Meg. Please don't be intimidated or turned off by the weightlifting subject matter, Meg is a wonderful lady who has accomplished an incredible transformation. If you read the journals, cruise through the threads, there are people who will motivate you daily. Madcat, on the journals, who reached goal (135 I believe?) and is now learning to maintain that weight. LindaT, in her journal today she mentioned she's lost 65 pounds and she's still going. Her recipes, btw, are wonderful! Click on her name to hit her reviews on allrecipes.com.

Trust me, if you stick around here long enough, you'll meet many people who are going through the transformation. And you will hear all the trials and tribulations along the way.

[SeekInnerThinChick]

It really, really does happen, IF IF IF you want it badly enough. But it has to be the main focus of your efforts, when you are working out and eating. A lot of people seem to go to the gym or go on a diet just for the social interaction, it seems to me. At my water aerobics class, the fattest woman there was a leader in a weight loss organization, and ALWAYS on a diet. But she was always talking, talking, talking to other people in the class, and barely moving a muscle.

There are people who get caught up in the "process" of dieting and exercising, the social aspect, but they aren't focused on getting results. There are also people who aren't totally committed-- they are there to keep from feeling guilty, so they put in a half-hearted effort and then eat on the sly. Or worse, they "work out" with their buddies and then go eat a big meal together because they "earned" it!

I've learned the hard way that I have to stay away from people who don't really have their eyes on the prize. I do the stuff that works for me, and I don't worry about other people-- they are in charge of their own bodies, I'm in charge of mine. Don't look at them, look inside yourself. Find YOUR motivation, whatever it might be, and just put in the work day after day, month after month. It's like putting a nickel in the cookie jar every day. Not a lot, but it adds up over time. It's a lot like going to school, in fact-- it takes 4 years to get through high school, 4 or more years for college. Think of it as putting yourself through "body college!"

Look at my stats below. What you don't see is the time it's taken me to get this far: 2 years and two months as of this writing. I'm in it for the long haul. It's like that old cliche from school: "every day in every way I'm getting better and better."

Think about it. You'll be alive next year, and the year after, and the year after that, God willing. If you lose 15 pounds each year, you'll be 45 pounds slimmer in three years. That's not quick weight loss, but would you rather be smaller or much bigger 3 years from now? Also fitter and happier, too!!!

It can happen for you. Find your motivation. Look inside.