50 Pounds Overweight - PLEASE HELP ME! - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Jamal249 · 05-05-2004, 06:04 PM

I am a new member to this forum, I have been browsing for a week and i must say this is the most supporting site I have come across.

Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Jamal and i live in Canada. I am 19 years old and I am 50 pounds overweight. I am currently about 210 pounds and i stand out to be 5"4. I am extremely overweight for my height. I want to drop down to about 150 pounds.

I started using fat burning pills which I purchased on eBay. I have used over 6 different brands that say they burn fat. Unfortunately none of these pills worked, I never dropped a pound or felt any difference. I have been on these pills for 3 months and decided to never use them again because I think they are not healthy.

I have a treadmill and I run for about 20minutes a day, 2 times a week. I am a university student and i don't get much free time to use the treadmill everyday. I have gotten a treadmill for my birthday 3 months ago. Not really a great birthday present because you really don’t expect a treadmill for a birthday present.

I don’t eat much; I eat only 2 - 3 times a day. Not a big meal, but the meals aren’t healthy. My meals consist of a lot of meat. I have been trying everything and nothing seems to help, I keep gaining weight and not shredding any pounds. I tried dieting and i ended up loosing more weight because my body started to store fat.

The reason I started getting so overweight is because I am not active at all. I come from university and sit on the computer. Eat and go back and sit on the computer all day. My body structure is very wide for my height which makes me look ugly

. I don’t know what to do, please give me advices, i WANT to lose weight and I am eager to change my whole life so I can be thin again. I hate being fat. I want to be able to wear cloths from the mall that would fit me. I will do anything to reshape my self. If it costs hundreds of dollars than no problem, that’s how eager I am to lose weight. SO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME! Please save my life, my life is a hazard at this point; I am very scared that I might get sick from being so overweight. I will try anything to be thin again!!

Thanks so much for your support.

Jamal,
[email protected]

starrfan · 05-05-2004, 09:14 PM

Hi Jamal,
First of all Welcome.

I am also new here, this time. I use to post on this sight a couple of years ago. You will find the people very friendly, supportive and on occasion (when needed) brutally honest.

My heart goes out to you. That being said. I know how you feel. I am also 5'4". I weigh 163 lbs. That may not sound too horrible, but that is up from 128. I suffered to lose from my top weight of 175 to that. I felt better than ever, I did not do it properly though, and was unable to maintain. I am back on the wagon again this time hopefully a little wiser.

You asked for advice I will do the best I can to help you. First of all, get off of the diet pills. I too used them like crazy last time. They did work for me, they totally killed my appetite and gave me great energy. However, I was eating less than 1000 calories a day and exercized 2 hours a day on average. I was a walking timebomb waiting to go off. Probably working on a nasty eating disorder. I also ate less than ten grams of fat a day: my hair started falling out in clumps, my skin is terminally dry from that, and my nails look horrible.

I would advise you to see your Dr. If that is not an option the best advice I can give you, is to first buy a calorie counting book. It gives you calorie counts on just about any food you can think of. I would recomend eating about 1700 calories a day. Made mainly of veggies and fruits. Whole grains, and only the leanest meats. (boneless skinless chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, sirloin steak) I know some of this may be kind of hard to come by in college. (Unless you live in an apt instead of a dorm,) If that's the case hit the grocery store instead of the cafe. I also recomend getting on that treadmill more often. Maybe get off the computer a little, just to find the time. Be sure to log in here though for the moral support.

This is not an easy journey, there is no magic pill to make you thin. It takes a lot of hard work but realize you are worth it. I also like to set mini-goals, say 10 lbs at a time. Everytime I reach one, I go out and give myself a little treat. Say a CD, a dvd, a new shirt. I also spend a lot of time looking in catalogs to pick out clothes for when I reach my desired size.

I hope this helps, don't forget to check in here often for the support everyone desperately needs while making this rough journey.

boatingmommy · 05-05-2004, 09:25 PM

Hi Jamal. Let me introduce myself. I go by boatingmommy because my husband and I boat all summer long. I started out trying to lose weight four years ago after my daughter's second birthday. I weighed 245 pounds and was wearing a size 22W. I started eating better for myself and for my daughter. I quit eating cheese by the slices and started to do some excercises. I got down to 166. In the past couple of years my weight went back to 182. I started watching it again and really trying to lose this March. I am now down to 175. I would like to get to 150 myself, and I am also 5'4" tall.

Well now you have found a support site, get on a thread that sounds like it's people you want to lose with, and make some concrete plans. It sounds like you know what the problem is. The question you are going to have to ask yourself is, "What am I willing to do to stop this process?" For one thing, you have got to stop eating 2-3 meals a day. Start eating 3 meals, healthy ones....some meat, lots of veggies and fresh fruit. Make sure that you also throw in two healthy snacks. Low fat string cheese, fruit, veggies. Look for low fat substitutes for the unhealthy stuff you are eating. I get the craving for chips or salty stuff and I just go low fat, low sugar.

Mostly what I want to tell you is to get a pen and paper and make a plan. Get up earlier and excercise, plan your meals, write down the things you plan to do once you lose the weight. Putting it on paper makes it more real. You can do it, but first you have to quit making excuses and make a plan instead. I hope this sounds supportive and not *****y. Getting started is the hardest part. You have to make up your mind to start. Good luck to you!

Jamal249 · 05-05-2004, 09:25 PM

starrfan, i would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time and understanding my situation and supporting me. I always try my hardest, it's never easy but I am ready for the hard work. Thank you so much!

Can you please reffer to me some calorie counting book online so i can have it purchased immediatly. I am not a person that reads books but i can give it a try, reading books is not something i enjoy but i am ready for a change!

When i took the diet pills my face was always dry. My nails were turning different and i thought maybe it's me. It's interesting to know someone else had the same side effects.

Please do give me more information how i can loose the weight and yes you are correct the hard work feels so good once you lost a couple of pounds. I never did remember to ever loose more than 5 pounds, maybe something i am doing wrong. So please give me more information, thanks so much!

Jamal249 · 05-05-2004, 09:32 PM

boatingmommy thank you so much for your feedback also. I am ready to make the change but i need more information. I need to know what foods i should consider eating and how much a day. I am going to the grocery store this weekend to do my own shopping. Please help me and let me know what i should consider to buy and what my meals should consist of. At lunch i always get tempted by fast food so i always do bad decissions and buy a slice of pizza or fries. I need something at lunch which is easy to prepare and as soon as i get the cravings i can eat it so i dont feel empty and have to battle my cravings.

boatingmommy and starrfan, I wish you all the luck in the future and hope you get to your goal. I will always keep you updated on how things turn out from now, for better or for worse, i am here to make a change.

thanks so much for your support!

Jamal,
[email protected]

ralphmarie · 05-05-2004, 10:04 PM

Hi Jamal,
I e-mailed you with about the same info you found here from fellow losers. Great advice these women gave you.

Also a good place to get books is half.com

Jamal249 · 05-05-2004, 11:44 PM

Didn't get any emails from you....

MojoJodie · 05-06-2004, 09:13 AM

You have realized that diet pills are not an answer, and that is wonderful! You have taken a very important step in the weight loss road...you have realized that there is no "magic bullet" and that healthy and permanent weight loss takes hard work. You have to commit yourself to a lifestyle change, not a "diet"...diets set you up for failure and binge eating.

That said, I encourage you to start slow. Maybe add one more day on the treadmill a week, or try to add 5 or 10 more minutes to your session. Try to eat only when you are hungry and stop before you feel full. Make small changes...try to eat a very healthy breakfast with whole grains (like oats or a good cereal...I enjoy Cracklin Oat Bran) and fruit and skim milk. Snack on things like cheese (only a little!) nuts (just a few!) yogurt, or even protien bars if you really feel zapped.

Baby steps are what you should be trying to do. Never push yourself to do more than you are willing, because you will stress yourself and feel deprived and fail. Look around the website and the internet to find what healthy foods are, and try to remember that you should primarily be looking to take better care of yourself and the weight issue will resolve itself.

Remember....you will have bad days, you will mess up and eat something that makes you feel guilty. The trick is not to let this stop you. Get over it and keep going, and you will eventually have success.

Good luck.

starrfan · 05-06-2004, 07:00 PM

Jamal,

On amazon.com they have a book called The Fat Counter, I own this book, not only does it give you fat gram info, but it includes complete calorie counts and that includes restaurant dishes. I highly recomend this book. I own 2. One to keep at home, and one I take everywhere with me. I hope this helps.

dilleight · 05-06-2004, 07:40 PM

Heya,

I thought I'd post since I'm similar to you in being 19, a student and new! I know it can be pretty hard to find time to exercise and to stick to diets especially when you have work due in. I'm just at the start of my diet (nearing end of week 3) at the moment and I'm probably not the best for advice as I tend to give in when I decide I don't really care that much what I look like! I can reccommend light hot chocolate to combat hunger and big bags of salad to stop essay snacking though. Sugar free jelly is also really low calorie.

You sound like you have the right attitude though which tends to be my problem.

Good Luck

Dill

Graceful Goddess · 05-07-2004, 12:02 PM

Welcome Jamal, you've been given some good advice by some wonderful people. I'll add what I can to it. Just to get it out of the way: Pills, fad diets, bizzare drink mixes, creams and other "too good to be true" weight loss remedies don't work (or if they do they don't work well and you end up taking a lot junk that is potentially very, very harmful). I guarantee that when that magic pill shows up (if it ever does) you'll hear about it on CNN, read about it in the New York Times, hear interviews from reputable physicians and scientists about it, read about it in scientific journals and probably see its creators awarded a Nobel Prize. Until then save your money - it's a scam. These people want your money ... they are looking out for their bottom line, not your health. Weight loss really is at its core, calories in, calories out. To lose weight you must burn more calories than you take in. Sounds simple huh? Well, yes and no. Major weight loss is hard work. It requires committment, discipline, patience and perserverance. It's a lifestyle change. Crazy diets (eat cabbage all the time ...) invariably fail, leaving you even more unhealthy than you were to begin with. (Grace steps off her soapbox

)
So, now for the practical advice. First off you've got to change the way you eat and the way you look at food. It's fuel for your body. It's not your comforter, it's not your friend, it's not your enemy — it's energy your body needs to survive. This mental shift will probably take months and months. For now, journal everything you eat. (Fitday.com is great for this). Count your calories (or points like they do in WW). Measure everything you eat. A serving of pasta is probably a lot smaller than you realize. You've got to learn what a proper portion is (I know, I know it's a pain ... you've just got to do it). Whatever plan you choose to follow (Atkins, South Beach, WW, plain old calorie counting, etc.) moderation is the key and it absolutly must be something you can live with for the REST of your (long and healthy

) life. So, if the plan centers around something you hate, it's probably not the plan for you. Exercise! Surely you've got 10 minutes a day. Look at the treadmill as the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given you - it's literally a lifesaver. Does your university have a gym for students? If so take advantage of it ... you're paying for it after all

Walk briskly to your classes, get up from your studies and stretch or march in place or whatever. Get some exercise videos to do in your dorm room. How about a set of 3-pound hand weights? Just move, everyday. Eventually it'll become a habit that you don't even have to think about. Drink more water. Consider taking a simple multi-vitamin. The good thing is that you don't have to do it all at once. Take your time. Learn everything you can about nutrition and exercise. Be patient. Be kind to yourself - you are going to have days when you don't eat well and when you don't exercise. Throw guilt and shame out the window, they won't do you a bit of good. It's a long road and a tough journey, but it's worth it, I promise.
Grace

hippiechic · 05-07-2004, 10:05 PM

Your post hit so close to home. I too have struggled with weight loss as most of us have, Acouple of years ago I decided to join the gym with my mom, my sister and my best friend.... well I ate well and was exercising 3- 4 times a week both cardio and toning. they all started shedding like 10-20 pounds, i had lost maybe five pounds ......way less than them. So I got discouraged and gave up, despite people saying that muscle weighs more than fat...I didnt care, I wanted the scale to tell me I was lighter!! SO that was like 2years ago and now here I am, heavier than I was then. And now I have to work twice as hard. I used to eat like once a day (dinner) and I thought that if I ate less I would lose weight. But it backfires, because then your body thinks it is starving and stores more fat and turns everything you eat into fat....The hardest thing for me has been to start drinking water at least 64 oz, and eating 3meals and two snacks a day, all small but healthy. I had the mindset that more food meant more weight gain, but it just depends on what it is you are eating, so this week I have lost 2 pounds already just by changing my eating habits and drinking more water. The people on this website are incredible, they are supportive and they all have wonderful advice, all you have to do is ask!! I found this site last month and what a blessing!! I belong to a thread called "April Chicks" these guys are sooo supportive and we give each other goals weekly and monthly and also just come on here to vent about a bad weekend or get a cheer for a good day! feel free to post on our thread, everyone is welcome.....I wish you well on your goals and I hope you find the advice that you were looking for.

Jamal249 · 05-08-2004, 07:43 PM

I got to thank all of you again for taking the time and helping me out. I am so ready to change my lifestyle. I went grocery shopping and changing all my meals. The problem with me is i only eat 1 - 2 meals a day and whatever the meals are they contain fatty foods!

Unlike everyone else i tend to eat the biggest meal (DINNER) around 10 - 11pm at night. After i eat i just hit the bed.

It's the worst thing to do now that i think about it. I end up doing projects/assignments/summatives all night and before i hit bed i finnaly eat dinner. Monday will be a NEW day for me. I will start eating dinner lets say around 7 - 8pm max. I will have 3 meals (not too heavy) and 2 snacks.

Excersize more...

I will definitly look to see if i can find those books you guys offered. I was wondering if any of you fellow "loosers" can help me with more information on the foods i should eat.

I don't know much about healthy foods so i need more support on this. It would help if i had a list of health snacks and healthy 3 meals i can prepare and eat which will fuel my body but wont load it up. So when i can do excersize i will end up burning more than gaining

Let me know, thanks...

Jamal

hippiechic · 05-08-2004, 08:37 PM

I also am a late night dinner person, my boyfriend doesn't get home until after nine, and I like to eat dinner together, so I usually wait for him, but I have started eating without him

I just save him a plate. I love to cook, so I watch the food channel a lot which has a lot of good ideas on healthy foods, cuz I used to just cook real fattening foods. I also love to eat out and especially fast food, so I understand where you are coming from. Some ideas of healthy food...... boneless skinless chicken breasts, fish, lots of fresh fruit and vegies. Ummmm, ok what I have been doing is just lowering my calorie intake to around 1200-1400 a day. I am not on atkins or weight watchers or any specialty diet. So I will give you an example of a day for me. I am not a big breakfast person so I usually drink a carnation instant breakfast with fat free milk, For a snack i will carry a crunchy low-fat granola bar with me in my bag, I also drink lots of water and instant diet ice tea (I like lipton w/lemon) for lunch, low fat cottage cheese, imitation crab meat (its just fish) and some kind of fresh fruit or vegie. another snack, an apple or fat free yogurt. dinner, some kind of protein fish or chicken or some kind of lean meat, steamed broccoli or some kind of vegie (you can eat lots of vegies they have way less calories then junk food.) I actually like vegies so its easy for me but that may not be the case with you. I also will eat some brown rice or a little tiny bit of pasta as a side dish. For desert you can have things like sorbet, or my personal favorite angel food cake with strawberries and fat free whipped topping (just a little bit)

I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I was glad to find out how low -cal angel food cake is and its pretty cheap to. Actually I was surprised, I thought eating healthy was going to be more expensive but that hasn't been the case. I work part time and go to college, so I understand how to budget shop for everything!!1 he he he. Well I hope this helped a little, I am just a beginner but I got some of these ideas from other people on this site. I try to vary my menu everyday and that seems to help me from getting bored. Well, have a good day! talk to ya soon.

TaraJW · 05-10-2004, 07:11 PM

Well you said you didnt have time with your busy schedule at school (I definately feel you there) but do you have 10 minutes? If you have ten minutes, do ten minutes. I mean thats the only way I get anything done is to break it up and do what I can. And as far as book wise, again no time so no time to join weight watchers but one of the reps let me buy the books anyways with the point system in it, I havent rcvd the books yet but Ive heard very good things about them. But good luck with everything and I hope you stay motivated. Thats my hardest part. Good luck!