Looking for Support Buddies!
 

Hi! I am a 46-yr-old stay-at-home mom who is at my new all-time high weight. :( I need to lose about 75 pounds to be at a healthy BMI. (Sad to even acknowledge that.) I am determined to do this, but I avoid getting started with exercise and feel like I am always hungry or thinking about food. I am definitely an emotional eater and a food addict to some extent. I am on meds for depression and anxiety, and I know my meds play a role in my weight issues, but I really WANT to make a dedicated effort to OVERCOME THE OBSTACLES and lose the weight. I have actually been focused on weight loss for quite a long time and lost some significant weight (but gained it back) a few years ago, but I need to really step it up and make some positive changes which will give me a different, better result that I can maintain for life. I refuse to go on another "diet" only to gain the weight back when eating "normal" again. I want to focus on making healthy LIFESTYLE CHANGES ~ such as portion control, healthy food choices, and consistent exercise ~ which I can maintain for the rest of my life. I believe that much of the battle is fought in the mind (at least for me), so I am also trying to keep a POSITIVE outlook regarding weight loss. I tend to be an all-or-nothing thinker, but I will strive for PROGRESS rather than perfection. I am looking for support buddies to cheer each other on to our goals. It helps me to know that I'm not alone in my efforts and to touch base with others who are trying to make positive changes in their lives, too. Please post if you are interested in keeping in touch on this forum during your weight loss journey, and we can decide on a name for a group and start a fresh thread every month. I don't want a bunch of rules for the group. Just want a place to post each day and check on and encourage each other. Oh, and I also believe that each day is a new chance to get it right, so let's start TODAY and reach our goals TOGETHER!!! We can do it!!! :hug:

Hi! I'm 25 and have been on depression/anxiety meds for.. 3 years. I'm on a different med than I first started with due to the fact of how much I gained on my first med. It was severly depression (which is just great.. when the med is supposed to help your depression. I also strive for perfection and get down on myself, and my husband, when we don't eat "good enough." I know due to my meds it may be harder to lose weight, but I need to focus on just being healthy through eating and exercising, and I would also love support/encouragement for that as well.

Hi CrystalClear25!
 

Hi! I hear ya on the weight gain from meds! It made me even more depressed. And I am still trying to get the weight off from my 60 pound gain years ago!!! :( We can do this, though! Today, I will walk on the treadmill for at least 15 minutes. So far, my eating has been much better today. Will strive to keep it up. Also drinking lots of water, as always! Every little positive change adds up. Let's keep in touch and cheer each other on to our goals!!! Thanks for posting! ;)

I'm bipolar and the year I was on seroquel made me gain about 100 lbs so I understand the med thing. I would love to join you if you'll have me. I'm an emotional eater too plus I eat when I am bored. I need to make some lifestyle choices too.

Hi! I am 26 and have been on mood stabilizer/antidepressant/anxiety medication for almost 4 years. I am finally almost finished with celexa which was a contributing factor to my weight gain, and also due to my being bipolar has stopped working anyway. For the first time since starting the medications I feel like things are actually evening out and I have finally decided to make long term changes to how I am handling my weight. This group sounds like exactly what I was hoping to find on this site and I would love to be involved!

Ladies,
count me in. I am in the same boat. I took some meds (celexa) for depression when I lost my MIL and then my mother. EVERY medication works differently for everyone..... and I was told Celexa is normally weight neutral, but that was not the case for me. After a few other ones, I went back to Pristiq, which is VERY pricey for me.... but it works.

I am trying to squash the perfection part of me and just strive for progress. I had lost 100 pounds and have gained 75% back. That is depressing in itself. But, I am trying.

I would love for us to be able to keep in contact.

Tammy

Let's do this!!! :-)
 

Thank you ladies so much for your responses! We can start communicating here and form a group once we come up with a name. Any suggestions? I think we can be a great support to each other if we all post each day (or as often as possible) about BOTH our ups and downs on this weight loss journey.

I will start. Today, I finally stepped on the treadmill and walked for 30 minutes AND I walked on the TreadClimber for 5 minutes. [I burn far more calories (2-3x as much) on the TreadClimber, but it is much more difficult for me, so I just do it in 5 minute increments.] My food intake was pretty good most of the day, but I felt ravenous after dinner and ate some unplanned extras. I am trying hard to get consistent with exercise, but it is a constant battle for me to just get started. My love of/obsession with food and the meds I am on are my biggest hurdles right now. It is so difficult to put it all together (food and exercise). But I am determined once again to give it my best effort. I know myself well enough to know that my motivation and determination will come and go, though, so I am so very happy to have you ladies along for the ride! :D

Please let me know your successes and your struggles. That seems to be a good place to start and what I hope to focus on each day. Feel free to write as little or as much as you want to each day. I will be reading along and I will try to give helpful feedback whenever possible. Please do the same for me. If we can share our personal tips, insights, and what does and doesn't work for us, we can learn so much from each other! :grouphug:
So.......LET'S GO TEAM!!! :cheer2:

TEAM NAME IDEAS:

- "Keep it Simple!"
- "Mind Over Matter"
- "No Rules"
- "Ups & Downs"
- "A Team Effort"

These are just a few I thought of quickly. I do want to keep it simple and we can add the month and year for each new thread at the start of each month. For example, "Keep it Simple! November 2013" or "Ups & Downs November 2013." Then, each thread won't get too large, and we will be able to locate the group each new month.

PLEASE ADD YOUR SUGGESTIONS OR LET ME KNOW WHICH ONE YOU LIKE THAT I'VE SHARED ABOVE. I'd like to name the group ASAP, even as we continue to welcome new people. Thank you for your input!

I like Ups&Downs. It just fits in my mind.

Thanks, lilturtle, for your input. I will wait for more feedback, but I like that one, too! ;)

I like ups and downs too

Thanks for your input, too, CDubsGotGoats! It is looking like we will name the team Ups & Downs, but I will let you all know for sure.

I love this idea. I could really use a group where I can check in every day and support others. Great idea!

I like ups and downs..... cause that is life.... and weight.... and life. lol

Lilturtle.... just a lil "funny".... we have the same goal weight.... you live in Harrisburg PA and I live in Harrisburg, AR!!!!!! lol

Ups & Downs
 

Okay, let's call the group Ups & Downs! Sounds good! Let's keep writing here for the rest of November so that more can join us if they want. Then on December 1st, we will start posting at the new thread, titled "Ups & Downs, December 2013." Woohoo! I am excited for our new group! :cb:

I was doing a good job with food today but ate poor choices at dinner. Oh well, that is behind me now and I will move forward. I still plan to get a workout in tonight, which will help me get back on board. Better late than never! And tomorrow is a new day.

How have you ladies been doing? Where are you in your weight loss journeys now and where do you want to be a year from now?

Sending :dust: to all of you! Please post your daily ups and downs!

Hi! I think that this a great support thread! I, too struggle with weight issues but also the emotional and impulsive eating. I have Bipolar, when I was previously diagnosed with Depression, I was on strong psych meds which caused my weight to balloon. I feel frustrated by that but I am doing my best.

Currently, I am going to a program called Overeaters Anonymous and I am going to start working with a nutritionist in about a month. I struggle with the emotional component of overeating and I don't find that diet programs work, it has to be more of a whole person approach for me, diets only have frustrated me and caused my weight to yo-yo. This is my experience, I am sure that others have different ones.

The names are all great, I like "Ups and Downs" too!

Take care :)

Amy

Welcome!
 

:welcome3: seabiscuit!!! Happy to have you as part of the group! ;)

By the way, I just finished walking on the treadmill :tread: and our TreadClimber for 30 minutes. Burned 298 calories!!! Woohoo! :carrot: Feelin' pretty good tonight!

I didn't eat too great today.. but we're moving so it's hard to eat super healthy when we're packing up and moving stuff. Hopefully once everything is settled Friday we can start eating better. I want to start small, because I know that my meals are generally healthy (as long as we don't eat out too often..) but I snack too much. And I don't ever drink enough water.. tomorrow I'll maybe try and drink more water. :) try one thing at a time.. I find if I want to try too many things at once, I end up doing nothing at all.

My ups today.. we get possession of our new house tomorrow! Nothing to do with eating.. but it sure made me happy. :D

Oh and we are close to the same height!!! Small world.

I sometimes try to do too much at one time or get that all or nothing attitude. Right now I am focusing on what and how much I eat. I know I need to start exerising but one thing at a time I guess.

Thanks Believe!

It's great to have more support!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is a week away- YIKES!

Hugs and support to everyone here :)

Amy

Welcome Seabiscuit. I too gained a lot of my weight on depression medication. But, I am trying to get it off now.

LilTurtle, We are close to the same height.... so I can confide in you... I cannot buy clothes ANYWHERE..... even Lane Bryant here stopped carrying tall sizes.

Anyway, I am working on getting a remote job so I have not been exercising much. And, I am over my calories just a bit today..... but I will get back on tomorrow.

CrystalClear25, moving is stressful within itself. It is SOOO hard to worry about diet and move too.

"Ibelieve" I think you have the best attitude!!!!!

I am so glad we have this group.

Okay Day
 

Today was an okay day food-wise. I am not currently logging calories, but if I were, I'd be over for the day. Oh well, it could have been much worse! I will aim to eat healthier tomorrow. No exercise today. :( I have actually been kind of looking forward to exercising lately, which feels great and is sooooooo UNlike me........ so I need to go with it! I was just on the go for most of the day and just got back home for the night (late), and didn't make time for it during the few hours I had at home. I will be sure to get some kind of formal exercise in tomorrow!

CrystalClear25: Congrats on your new home!!! Don't be too hard on yourself for not eating great while packing and moving. You will be able to focus on eating better once you are settled in your new place. And you are no doubt burning some extra calories in the process of moving.

Ladyrider, thank you for the compliment on my attitude! You are so sweet! ;) I am working so hard to try to remain POSITIVE at this point in my weight loss journey. It is a constant battle for me, but I am feeling "Up" right now, so all is good. :) Best of luck to you as you search for a remote job!

Seabiscuit, how do you like Overeaters Anonymous? I have thought of joining in the past, so I am curious about it. Hope it is helpful to you!

Lilturtle, I also struggle with an all-or-nothing attitude. It is frustrating, so I think you are wise to focus on one thing at a time.

Thank you all for helping to get this support group off the ground! I really think we will learn a lot from sharing our Ups & Downs! :)

Last night I ran! I was so surprised by how well I did this time vs. the last time I tried to run, probably 6 mos. to a year ago, which was so discouraging it took that long for me to give it another shot. Anyway, thanks for letting me share and I look forward to hearing from you all too!
-Chelsea

WooHoo!!!
 

CDubsGotGoats (Chelsea): That is so awesome that you were able to run last night!!! This is me doing a happy dance for you! :carrot: I really admire people who can run. It is soooooo difficult for me, especially carrying this extra weight. I did run for ONE MINUTE during my 30 minute workout on the treadmill/TreadClimber the other night. I was pretty psyched about my one little minute because it is the first time I've been able to run AT ALL since having 2 foot surgeries in a year's time (July 2012 and July 2013). So here's to PROGRESS!!! :D That is especially great that you had the courage to try again after having a bad experience last time. I don't care how long ago it was, you were BRAVE to put yourself out there again! And you SUCCEEDED!!! I just LOVE good news, so thank you for sharing your triumph! :hug:

ladyrider72472 I know what you mean. I have trouble with shirts, they are always too short. I buy most of my clothes online.

CDubsGotGoats good for you!! That is really awesome!

I must confess I haven't eaten yet today and I'm starving. I remembered I had brownie mix stashed away too. I'm getting weighed next Tuesday though and I want to be down 20 lbs.

Can we talk about what to do about Thanksgiving? I'm so scared I am going to overeat that I don't even want to go. We are going out to eat too. I think it is going to be a buffet. I am dreading it. Holidays are already stressful to me.

Ugh tonight I got my Birchbox in the mail (it's a beauty subscription) and normally that calls for celebration but in it they included a chocolate bar. I ate the whole thing so I didn't ruin tomorrow too. Well that's what I told myself. :(

Hi again! ;)

Believe- I recently re-joined OA. I think it is helpful but I think it is important to listen to your heart and decide what is best for you. I find the group support for overeating is helpful for me. Some people say that they don't have certain foods such as binge foods, white sugar or white flour. If that works for them, that is great but I have to be careful that I don't restrict myself too much, otherwise it feels like I am on a diet.

Take care.

Amy

Hi CrystalClear - We just finished moving as well and it is really hard to eat well when you are split between places and "in process". Like Lil Turtle said, it is easy to fall into the all or nothing mindset when something stressful is going on, so its GREAT that you are taking it little by little. That makes it easier to not burn out on your goals. Congratulations on your house! That is so exciting!

Lil Turtle - Thank you! I also fall into the all or nothing attitude very quickly, I was looking at Hyperbole and a half yesterday and she has an excellent blog post about that same thing. Here is the link if you want to take a look: ( apparently I need more posts to put a link here)
I find this blog to be an excellent way to kind of put some humour and a smile into the darker days. Its not really about weight loss, but it touches the depression side of things. Little at a time until you are confident and secure in what you are currently doing, then a little more! Eventually you will be exactly where you want to be!

Seabiscuit - I am also bipolar, and the antidepressant medication that I am on definitely caused a lot of weight gain for me as well. It is so great that you are going to be working with a nutritionist, and have a physical group to connect with. Having a regular schedule has really been helpful for keeping myself on track with bipolar (and depression and anxiety) and I am really excited to hear how that goes for you with your weight goals.

Ladyrider - Your positive attitude about being able to pick up tomorrow is so great. If you can't forgive yourself it is so hard to move forward! Good luck on your remote job search, that sounds fantastic!

IBelieve - You are a FABULOUS person! Your attitude and kindness are so nice and I feel very lucky to have found a group like this, exactly what I was hoping to find here. Thank you for having the heart and motivation to bring us all together. Congratulations on running, it is HARD. I can't imagine doing it after foot surgery, you are a rockstar! Thank you so much for your support, I look forward to hearing from you every day and what a wonderful group of ladies we have gathered here!

I did not eat very healthily today, but I did't over eat, so maybe it evened out a little bit. I will keep it light and leafy for dinner :) I will try to go on another short run tomorrow, in spite of how amazingly sore I am from my bruised ribs and from my acupuncture appt today. Maybe I will even weigh myself this weekend! But maybe not, since I am making pie tonight (my partners dad is in town this weekend).... Ill try to have everyone else eat it for me! Ahhh wish me luck!

Hi CDubs-

I hear you on the frustration of weight gain from psych meds, it is very upsetting and I want to lose weight but for me I am focused on trying to eat healthier and have a better relationship with food too. I find that there are tons of ways to try to lose weight but I want to feel better about my body image, self esteem and not diet, they don't work for me.

Good luck,

Amy

Difficult Day
 

Well, today I had a terrible migraine, so only bad food sounded good. And that's what I ate. :o :( I can't really afford to eat badly. It seems like one bad meal really sets me back, let alone many. I am waiting to weigh myself until I've had several good days in a row. It never seems to happen, but I need to MAKE it happen! I seriously have not lost a pound or more in months. :( The scale just keeps creeping upward and it scares the heck out of me. :( I so don't want to get type 2 diabetes or have a stroke or heart problems. I want to do something about my weight before I have health problems related to my weight. Thankfully, I have been okay so far. I don't take that for granted for a second!

CDubsGotGoats: You are so kind with your praise! Thank you for the compliments. I do think we have a great group going here so far. It will only get better, I think. I love the way everyone has joined in! It helps me to know that you guys are here for me. I hope it helps all of you, too. We can be an excellent source of support and encouragement for each other!

seabiscuit: I can relate to not wanting to restrict yourself too much food-wise. I tend to rebel when I attempt to do that.

lilturtle: We can certainly talk about some strategies for Thanksgiving. I'm glad you asked. One biggie is to have a plan for the day. Going to a buffet will be a huge challenge, I would think. Do you know your options at the buffet? Try to reach for more good stuff than bad, I would say. Don't expect perfection from yourself. Just attempt to minimize the damage. That is my plan for the day. Ask yourself if the unhealthy foods are worth the bad feelings you might have after eating them. Is it worth the temporary pleasure, knowing that in the long run, you will most likely regret choosing unhealthy foods? Choose your food wisely. Think of how proud you will be of yourself if you pick the healthier options. And imagine how it will feel to tell all of us how well you did on Thanksgiving day! If you do indulge, make sure you make a CONSCIOUS CHOICE to do so. It makes a difference.

Howdy y'all! I just discovered this thread, and I'd definitely like to join. Ups & Downs is a great idea for the name! It sure does describe my life.

I'm 58, married with no kids (by choice), and Bipolar I since 1988. I struggled with my weight before I became Bipolar, in a 130-180 sort of range. Then I had my first big episode and started having to take psych meds. My weight shot up over 200, and I gained & then gained some more. I've probably been on every appetite-enhancing depression/mania drug known to man: Lithium, Effexor, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Lyrica, & many more.

In the years 2007-2009 I did Jenny Craig, and went from 332 to 225. Then my poor sweet husband got treatment-resistant depression, was hospitalized, suicidal, the whole nine yards, and things got so bad he eventually lost his job. So now both of us are on disability. Lightning can strike twice in the same household! I was so stressed out by all that was going on with him, I gained all the way back up to 351. Then I started having knee trouble: that was my wake-up call. That was a little under two years ago. I've been dieting on my own (Atkins) ever since, with lots of episodes of emotional eating (my huband is still depressed) slowing down my weight loss. I just found 3FC in October.

A recent big accomplishment is that I withdrew from Effexor. Boy was THAT a b*tch! I was on a high dose for over 20 years. But it's over, as of about 3 weeks ago. My mood is pretty draggy, even though I'm still on a bunch of other meds. I think I'm probably in rebound from the Effexor.

My body does well on very low carbs, and I like not having to count anything. Maybe I'm weird, but I find it easier to give up all my old trigger foods (cookies, candy, & donuts were the big ones) than to only have a little of them. But I had two episodes of emotional eating in the last month, so I'm still working on my issues. My monthly weigh-in day (any more often than that drives me crazy) was yesterday, and I was really disgusted to have only lost 1.6 pounds. See my sig for my new mini-goal.

I look forward to getting to know you gals! =smile=

Welcome Fiona!
 

:welcome3: to the group Ups & Downs, Fiona! I am thrilled that you found us! You will be a great addition to the group and I think we will be good for you, too! ;) OMGosh, Zyprexa.........:eek:.......I hate that drug!!! It gave me a totally insatiable appetite and I skyrocketed up 60 pounds in a year's time. :( I am still trying to get that dreadful weight off!!! I was in a case study for it at the time, so I felt like I needed to complete the year on it, and I soooooo wish I had withdrawn from the study before gaining all that weight. But that is in the way past now. I can lose this weight. I just need to buckle myself down and get very serious about this weight loss thing again. I, too, lost weight on Jenny Craig (about 35 pounds) a few years back, but gained it all and more back when I ate "regular" food again. So I will not go on another diet just to have that happen again. I tried Atkins, but found it so difficult to resist the carbs. I think it does work if you can maintain the low carb lifestyle, but I personally like carbs too darn much. I am TRYING to go with portion control, healthy choices, and consistent exercise, but ~ so far ~ I can't put it all together. Every day is a new chance to get things right (or better), though, so I am NOT giving up.....EVER!!! I have been working on my self-esteem a lot, because I think it is a crucial piece of the weight loss puzzle. All of us need to work on liking and loving (yes, LOVING) ourselves as we are NOW....... in order to care enough about ourselves to do what is necessary to lose the weight.

Back to the meds. I am currently on 300mg of Effexor. If you think it is affecting my appetite, I might try (with my psychiatrist's guidance) to lower that dose. I am on Abilify, which is a definite weight enhancer, but have gone as low as possible on it already ~ for now (15mg). I would LOVE to get off Abilify, but he won't hear of that....... all because I had ONE manic episode YEARS ago when my life was a mess due to several factors piling up on me at once. I am in such a better place in my life now, but that is difficult to convey to my psychiatrist. I have even thought about switching to another anti-psych med (again, with his guidance) that might be more weight neutral. I think I will discuss this with him soon. I just KNOW the meds are holding back any real weight loss, but I keep blaming myself because I can't quit eating the bad stuff and I resist getting started on exercise. That definitely isn't helping, but even if I have a week where I am "good" all week long, I don't lose ANY weight. Or if I lose a pound, which has been so long ago, I gain it right back. It is so frustrating, but I swear I will NOT give up on myself. I want to get this under control before I have health problems due to the excess weight. And I am just plain sick and tired of being fat!!! I still shock myself when I look in the mirror or see myself in pictures, because I truly do not usually "feel" that big. I feel pretty darn good despite the weight. Then, I catch a glimpse of myself and feel so frustrated and sad and overwhelmed. :( The only way I can approach it is ONE DAY AT A TIME; and even one meal at a time. One workout at a time. Otherwise, I am completely overwhelmed and feel like not even trying.

That is a HUGE accomplishment that you were able to get off of the Effexor!!! Are you happy that you discontinued it? Are you still on an anti-depressant at all? Just curious. I am so, so very sorry about your husband's treatment-resistant depression. You must worry sick about him! :( As if you don't have enough on your plate already.....worrying about yourself. Be there for YOURSELF the way you are there for him. Care about yourself the way you care about him. Do you know what I am saying? So often, we treat others so much better than we treat ourselves. I am totally guilty of that! And I am working to treat myself with the same loving guidance and support and encouragement as I would my children. My kids are now 17 and 14. I also have a little angel watching over me..... my 17-year-old son's twin, who only lived 14 hours. His death began a cycle of very deep depression for me, and then 3 years later, my daughter was born with Spina Bifida (I actually had surgery done on her to close her back lesion in utero), and things got even worse. Both events took their toll on our marriage, which further depressed me. At the time I found out I was pregnant with my (handicapped) daughter, I began counseling and a healing journey that continues to this day. The med weight gain made everything worse, but I know I need the med (and counseling) to function in my daily life. And I still struggle every day to stay positive and get things accomplished. I had a ton of dysfunction (among other things) in my family of origin, yet we looked like "the perfect family." That ~ more than any of the other events ~ plagues me daily to this day. I have read so many self-help and self-esteem books it would boggle your mind. I am so determined to get past all of this ~ or at least to function well in spite of it. But it is truly a DAILY battle for me. Miraculously, my marriage is still intact and actually better for all we've been through together. And I can honestly say that if it weren't for my deep faith, I would not be here today. Period. I would have chosen to end things a long time ago. But I didn't give myself this life, so I could never justify taking it. THANK GOD!!! Because I am so happy to be alive and be a SURVIVOR of all of the things I've mentioned(and some that I haven't)!!! :) :carrot: :) All of the glory goes to God, but I will bask in the glory, that's for sure! :D

OMGosh, I am writing a novel!!! I guess you stirred up some things in me, Fiona! ;) I will end this story here................. for now! Anyone else feel free to ramble...................! I am listening/reading! ;) And I do care!!! :hug: BIG HUGS to all of you for listening! Please share more of your stories as we proceed on in this journey ~ TOGETHER! :grouphug:

Thanks ever so much, IBelieveInMe2, for the warm & enthusiastic welcome to the group! Good for you that you can write about your feelings: don't ever apologize for writing too much, because from all I've read about successful weight loss, it helps very much to write about the process. I write both online and in a paper-&-ink journal. I find it especially useful for examining what happened after I indulge in emotional eating—how I might do better the next time, so I don't have to eat my feelings.

And you are so right about self-acceptance and self-love! If I did not look in the mirror every day and say to myself, "Hey! You look good in that outfit," there is no way I would have lost 50 pounds so far. As you know, positive energy is the only way to motivate this journey. You have to love yourself just as you are, right now, and then choose to give yourself the gift of weight loss and longterm lifestyle change. =smile=

As for the Effexor, yes, I'm glad I'm off it. It really wasn't doing me any good anymore. Now I'm on a newer-generation antidepressant, Cymbalta, which is supposed to be better for the kind of bipolar depression I get. So far, I like it, and it's even a bit appetite-depressing, which sure is a nice change. I have an anti-psychotic, too, Geodon, as a prn, which does make make me crave sweets, so I try not to take it any more than necessary. Maybe you could talk to your shrink about prescribing the Abilify on a prn (as needed) basis.

I would like to suggest something to you, if you don't mind. You should set yourself a mini-goal of maybe ten or fifteen pounds. Longterm weight loss and maintenance is so much more possible if you don't try to envision the whole thing at once. Mini-goals and rewarding yourself for achieving them are a real key to success. You could set up a ticker for your mini-goal, and then watch yourself progress across it as you lose the weight.

By the way, I, too, come from a dysfunctional family which looked perfect on the outside. We can compare notes about that stuff as we get to know each other better...

Speaking of getting to know each other, where is everyone else? I'm hoping this will be the kind of group where people check in every day, if possible. Consistent social support is so important for this longterm journey we are all embarked on...

Courage! Positivity! Carry on!

Where is everyone?
 

Hey, ladies, how are you all doing? I thought we were going to touch base daily or as much as possible, but I haven't heard from you in a few days. If we are going to be here for each other during our Ups & Downs, we need to keep in touch each day...... no matter what! I don't mean to put pressure on you, but it only works if we all contribute, ya know what I mean?!? ;)

I had a miserable day health-wise today. I have a cold, fighting a migraine, it's that TOM, and I also have a bladder infection. :( Sorry if TMI, but I am not at my best, that's for sure! So I had to eat what sounded good and it wasn't salads and the "good" stuff. :o Tomorrow is a brand new day. I got an antibiotic from the doc today for the UTI, so hopefully I'll be feeling better soon in that department. My colds tend to linger, but I will do my best to exercise and eat as well as possible in the meantime. I did get in 30 minutes on the treadmill last night, which felt good.

Fiona, thank you for the insights you are sharing. I am committed to touching base daily, so please stick around! You are a valuable contribution to the group. Starting December 1st, we will be posting under a new thread, titled "Ups & Downs: December 2013." So please be sure to find us there! I usually check in late at night, after my kids are in bed. I will also check in during the day whenever possible. I like your suggestion of a mini goal. My problem is that my weight just continues to creep up. :( I honestly can't remember the last time I lost a pound. :( So right now, my mini goal is 5 pounds, so I know it is a true weight loss. Then, I will focus on either 5 or 10 pounds at a time. 5 sounds more doable, so probably 5 to start. I hate it that I have to count down to 200. It seems like forever ago since I was in the 100's. When I lost weight a few years back on Jenny Craig, and then began gaining it back when I went off JC, I was determined to never get above 200 again......... but here I am. :cry: I feel so incredibly weight loss resistant right now that it depresses, overwhelms, and frightens me. :( I don't want to continue gaining!!! But I will not give up on myself!!! I just can't!!! I will turn 47 on December 4th, and it gets even harder to lose the weight as I get older. But I have to believe that it's possible or else I would lose all hope and quit. THAT is NOT an option!!!

Hoping to hear from you again, Fiona, and from the rest of you SOON!!! Don't worry if you don't have anything exciting to report. And don't wait until you have only positives to report. Just write!!! It helps!!! I want us to be here for each other during both our Ups and our Downs!!! ;)

Tomorrow is a brand new day!!! I can't wait!!! :D

Thank you IBelieve and welcome Fiona! Sorry I have been out for a couple of days, family has been visiting from out of town and we had fences to put up this weekend (as an up, we have all the posts set!) IBelieve, do you use cornsilk compound when you start to have a UTI? It really helps me and I would recommend giving it a try. And, GREAT job on your treadmill time!

I really like the mini goals, and feel that they keep the success near the surface during a long process that can be very daunting. My mini goal right now is to get out of the 190s, which I was really close to (but I think I may have gone the other way after this weekend).

While I had a very Up weekend over all, it was not a good food weekend for me. Mostly I have eaten pumpkin pie and unfortunately my partners father brought home doughnuts. I did get some exercise, but not nearly as much as I really should have considering the amount of pie I ate. If its ok, I will go on a shpiel here as well...

I am an emotional eater, but unfortunately I eat when I am happy and when I am feeling bad. Before I was medicated I suffered from really terrible anxiety which caused continuos nausea and upset stomach so that it was really difficult for me to eat anything without getting very sick. When I could eat then (on days when I felt really good), I would eat high calorie foods and sweet things a lot so that I wouldn't lose any more weight. When I started taking Celexa, it took away that anxiety but I didn't adjust my diet to compensate for that and the celexa also caused gain in its own right. Preceding that was a childhood where food was often uncertain as well. It felt so good to be able to eat a full meal and keep it down. It still feels good.

My big struggle right now is with the mindset of NEEDING food, and it is rewarding on many levels for me to eat. I LOVE food. All kinds of food. When I feel bad, I eat for comfort, and when I feel good I eat from habit and the subconscious fear of not being able to eat. At the first hunger pain, or anything even close to it, I feel a mental stress to find something to eat immediately. Often it is to the point of pre-occupation, it becomes distracting. So I find myself eating a little bit all the time. I guess that wouldn't be a terrible thing if I didn't have binge periods, or if what I was eating was good for me...

My real goal is to change my mindset in order to improve the foods I am consuming, to appreciate those foods more, and to eliminate the primal fear of starvation. I need to give myself consistency, love, encouragement, discipline, and consistency consistency consistency that I show and give to others. My best example right now is the process of trying to help my dog through separation anxiety. I know that I am coming back, but it is a huge process to convince him of that. The same thing with my food issues. I know on one level that I have food, that I will be able to eat any time without being sick, but there is just still the underlying anxiety that I experience if I am not eating.

Anyway, Hugs to you both and thanks for listening, or reading ;) I hope to see more smiles from you IBelieve, and always look forward to checking in here.

-Chelsea

Nice to see you again, CdubsGotGoats, and thanks so much for telling us some stuff about your eating issues. I'm a big emotional eater, too, as you might guess from the mini-goal in my sig. My big weakness is sweets, especially cookies, candy & donuts. I don't feel tempted to indulge when I'm happy, though, only when I'm angry, frustrated, or blue. I had gotten to a point a few months ago where it was so bad, cookies had become a drug for me. I would think about them dreamily like a drug, crave them like a drug, seek them out like a drug, and savor the buzz I got from them as if they were a drug. I wasn't embarrassed about eating them in front of anyone else, but I developed a bigtime habit of eating them alone in my car, because I didn't want anything or anyone to distract me from my "drug experience." Like you, Cdubs, I also appreciate the feeling I would get from being full. There is no way I was ever inclined to binge & purge.

I'm writing about this as though it were in the past tense, because I've been doing a great deal of thinking and reading about how to deal with this "drug problem" of mine. There are quite a few books on the market about emotional eating, compulsive eating, binge eating, whatever you want to call it. I haven't sampled them all, by any means, but here are two so far that I've found helpful:
—The Emotional Diet: How to Love Your Life More and Food Less by Bill Cashell
—If I'm So Smart Why Can't I Lose Weight? Tools to Get It Done by Brooke Castillo

I read Cashell's book first, and I found it really helpful as a kitbag of tools for dealing with cravings. The title is a bit of a misnomer, because it doesn't have anything to do with dieting per se. Instead, he provides a whole range of techniques for helping you stay on plan, once you've chosen your diet and the lifestyle changes you want to make. Many of them will be familiar to y'all, like visualization and affirmations, but others were new to me. It's a very positive approach, definitely oriented toward self-acceptance and self-love.

I'm still reading Brooke Castillo's book, going slowly and trying to absorb everything. I'll give you an example, by summarizing her division of eating behavior into four separate categories: Fuel Eating, Joy Eating, Fog Eating and Storm Eating.

Fuel Eating is eating with awareness of nutrition and what makes your body energetic and well-functioning. Fuel foods are nutrient-dense: they include fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, & complex carbohydrates. Castillo suggests that you practice awareness of your hunger, on a scale from -10 for ravenously hungry, up to 0 for when you feel neither hungry nor full, then up to +10 for when you're absolutely stuffed. She suggests that you start doing your fuel eating when you are -2 level of hungry, and that you stop when you are +2 level of full. She says that fuel eating should be 90% of the eating you do.

Joy Eating is just that: pure and simple joy. Joy foods are not necessarily helpful to your body, and often they aren't, but they are foods that taste good in your mouth. They can be any kind of junk food. The important thing is that you eat them slowly, with full attention and pleasure. Castillo thinks that most diets fail because they don't allow for the real world, in which people like the taste of certain foods, and want those foods for the joy they bring. She says that joy eating should be 10% of your eating.

Fog Eating is unconscious eating. It's popcorn at the movies, chips in front of TV, food eaten out of the pot while you're cooking. You know you've been fog eating when you look at the empty can of nuts and you don't remember having eaten them. Fog eating is a bummer because you're distracted when you're eating, and you get no pleasure out of it. Castillo says you should NEVER engage in fog eating. She says you should pull yourself out of the fog as soon as you can, and reconnect to yourself: "This is your life; you don't want to miss it."

Storm Eating is like binge eating, but she calls it a storm because all storms come to an end. Storm eating is eating when you aren't hungry, knowing you are doing it, and feeling unable to stop even though you want to stop. Storm eating, she says, is usually caused by depriving yourself of too many forbidden foods. If you're fueling your body regularly and allowing yourself some joy eating, usually the storm eating disappears. Storm eating may also be brought on by intense emotions that feel out of control. The important thing, if you find yourself storm eating, is not to judge yourself. You need to be kind to yourself, and try to figure out what is really going on. The damage that occurs from a storm is not the amount of calories you eat: it's from disconnecting from your body and then beating yourself up over it. Think of it instead as a learning opportunity. After a storm eat, you may not be hungry for quite some time: wait until your body is -2 level of hungry again, give your body the fuel it requires, and stop at +2 level of full. Then see if you can't schedule some joy eating as part of your regular plan.

Thoughts? Comments? Experiences y'all have had with any of these types of eating?

Hi everyone and welcome to those who have recently joined!

I have really been restricting myself food wise. I eat one meal a day and then maybe a snack, sometimes not even a snack. I get weighed tomorrow so I will see if that has done more harm then good. I am hoovering on crissi mode. I am in the gap for prescription coverage and might not be able to get my meds until January. I am almost out of my geodon which is my important one. I am bipolar 1 so this is not good. I have been trying not to think about it but it is weighing heavy on my mind. The holidays are already tough but to go through them without meds.....I don't want to think about it. I am worried I may end up in the hospital. That is a very real possability without my meds. One day at a time I guess, right?

As far as Thanksgiving, I looked up how many calories I need in a day to gain, maintain and lose. Mine are pretty high since I am so big. I am aiming to not go higher then my maintain calories. It shouldn't be too hard with just a tad of self control. I think my stomach has shrunk a bit so it might be easier not to binge.

I am 5'2" and at an all-time high of 185 I am in almost the same exact situation you are in. I am also a 46 year old stay at home mom.

Procrastinating exercise is a HUGE issue with me. Also, like you, I am always hungry.

I am a boredom eater; that is to say, when I feel overwhelmed by the mundane-ness of my life, I tend to eat. It's so easy because I'm home, unobserved, with a refrigerator ALL DAY LONG. Ugh. I am also on anxiety meds.

My biggest problem is portion control. Most of the time I eat healthy foods, and I am a vegetarian. But even if it's healthful food, if I eat too much of it, I'll get fatter.

It seems we have a lot in common. I'll be one of your buddies. :D

^^ THIS ^^ is me. I eat while I do other things. Not because I'm hungry but because I crave something to nibble on while I work at the computer or do paperwork, schoolwork, etc. I definitely enjoy food when I am eating it, but since I am often doing busywork at my desk, it can turn into a BIG problem. I am trying to retrain myself to do other things (besides eat) while I work.