I'm 5'7 and weigh alot. alot more than some of you on here. i'm so ashamed i cant even type it. But I have a question. I'm 26 years old, I take 6 different pills for depression (which are helping put on weight) and I've had alot of stressful events the past 2 years. Needless to say, I've packed on the pounds. I can't get around. I dont do my own grocery shopping, I cant stand in the shower, i can barely tie my own shoes. I went from homecoming queen to this......im miserable. However, i have been watching what i eat and i am starting to feel some better. But my question is..being that I am unable to really exercise , am i gonna lose any weight by just watching what i eat? thanks.
Dear Sweetpea,
Congratulations on deciding to change your life - it sounds trite but actually making the decision to change things is a really big step -- it's so easy when you are depressed to decide you aren't worth the effort.
Exercise is relative. If you do more than you were doing before then you are excercising. It's all about making a small step from where you are at the moment. If you find it hard to tie your shoes than tieing and untieing them three or four times a day is exercise. If you are usually completely sedendary then then standing up three times is exercise. If you can stand then walking across the room three times is exercise. As you lose weight, and do the exercise you can do, you'll find you can do more. If you walk across the room three times a day this week, next week you might be able to walk across your room and down the hallway. The important thing to remember is that exercise is just about doing more than you did before - it doesn't really matter where you start - if you add a little then you are making a win! Also remember that large people use up more energy moving - so walking across the room when you are large and unused to it will burn calories - but more importantly - it will start to train your muscles to carry your weight again. It is important you start slowly. I know you are probably impatient now you have made the decision to change your life - but you have to take small steps from where you are now - you don't want to overdo it and hurt yourself.
Watching what you eat is not easy - but if you eat less, and exercise more then you will lose weight. Eating less, and exercising more are relative - eat less then YOU used to, and exercise more than YOU used to and you are on a winning streak.
Good luck - and stick with it - remember the old saying - even the longest journey begins with the first few steps.
i'm with lutie... small steps. doing anything that you couldn't do is progress.
at my worst, i was hospitalized, bedridden, and on oxygen., one of the respiratory therapists told me that my 'exercise' was to take 10 deep breaths 4-6 times an hour. she said that that was all i could do [since i couldn't stand unsupported, let alone walk!!!!]
even if you just stand up and march in place for a few steps, that's progress. if that's too much, you can sit in a chair and lift each leg several times.
the end result? i lost 97 pounds in 3 months before the wls.
but one important question: have you been evaluated for sleep apnea? correcting that was the single most important factor in that huge pre-surgery weight loss.
chin up, darlin. you can do this. one breath, one step at a time.
It is a long journey to lose weight and a lot of people stay in denial for a long time (I'm not gaining weight, my pants are shrinking!), but realizing you need to do something is the most important step. I think you also need to believe in yourself and believe you are worth losing weight. I used to be depressed for a long time and off and on with antidepressants, but I only had nominal success trying to lose weight until I started believing in myself. Start with baby steps, that is the best thing to do, a lot of people overwhelm themselves with a program that is too much for them to handle at once. Start watching your food, do what you can for exercise. If it involves walking a few steps then do that. If you can get some light weights and do some arm exercises while sitting, then do that.
I would also invite you to the 100+ board, there are a lot of women and men there that are 100+ lbs overweight.
Dear SweetPea,
When I said "eating less" in my post I should have said "making better eating choices". Sometimes it is not how much we eat - but what we choose to eat that causes the problems - I have certainly gone through stages were I wasn't eating much at all - but unfortunately everything I was eating was made of chocolate.
The good news is today I gave away 2 x 250g bars of Dove chcolate that I was given instead of having at least one of them as a 'snack'.
I'm going to join the 100+ board that Nelie mentioned - perhaps I will 'see' you over there. I'm 'doing' weight watchers - are you on any particular program or designing your own weight loss journey?
Thanks so much for the kind and caring support! I havent been checked for sleep apnea. But I just recently found out that I am diabetic. So basically I've been watching my sugar intake, switched from regular soda to diet, and watching my carb intake. I walked out in my yard today and I must say, I was out of breath and ready to come back and sit down, but I felt better after doing it. I will join the 100+ board! Thanks again ladies!
I have a looooong way to go
