But you should keep in mind that EXERCISE is a very effective tool for blood pressure reduction. I had a high blood pressure myself, not critically high but enough to be on medication for it for about 2 years. Now, my blood pressure is normal and I don't have to take any meds and my doc is very proud of me (well says she so I believe her).
I am in the same age category as you only a tag younger (I turned 49 in August).

Originally Posted by PhotoChick:
Maybe this will help. :)

I took 10 months to lose 20 lbs.

Do I feel like I've "given up" too much for that? NO!!!! Resoundingly, no.

I am healthier. I enjoy my food more. I don't deprive myself, but I am sensible and reasonable about my food. I no longer binge w/out even tasting or enjoying what I eat. When I choose to eat something that is junky or not good for me, it is a CHOICE, not a compulsion.

What have I given up?
I've given up being miserable.
I've given up being angry with myself every time I ate.
I've given up feeling ugly and unloved.
I've given up gorging on food that I didn't really want and feeling sick after.
I've given up the idea that I'm not athletic.
I've given up the idea that women shouldn't lift weights.
I've given up feeling resentful of my skinny friends who can wear cute clothes
I've given up the idea that I can't.

And if it takes me the next 10 years to lose these last 30 pounds, I won't feel like I've given up anything. Because the way I feel right now is SO MUCH BETTER than the way I've felt any time in the past 10 years.

.

this gave me goosebumps :hug: and my experience is pretty darn similar

Originally Posted by PhotoChick:
I can't say that I've ever had that fear, no. I figure I'm mostly healthy and I know pretty well what my limits are. If there were some reason for me to be worried, I'd be more careful. *shrug* I just tend not to get worried about stuff like that.

Honestly just like everything else we talk about here ... this is a CHOICE. You choose to let your emotions control your exercise. If you're angry or sad or upset, do you not go to work? Do you not get out of bed? Do you not cook dinner or brush your teeth or do the things you do to live your life? Of course not. You do those things because you know you have to. So when you feel emotional and you allow it to affect your exercise, that's your choice.

I don't mean to be harsh or anything, because I understand how hard it is to want to do something you don't like. I really do. I'm sure everyone here does. But I do think that saying you're "ruled by your emotions" is an excuse.

.

Your opinion does not come across as harsh and it is appreciated even if you are unaware of why I make the "ruled by my emotions" comment. I should have reserved that comment for another time or another group of people. Sorry to have bothered you with it and sorry to have caused you to have such strong emotions about something that is so personal to me. I have learned a valuable lesson thru your comments. You don't know me and have no idea what journey I've been on and why or how my comment is so accurate, and I apologize for eliciting such emotions from you when you are so unaware. *blush*

Can you make your emotions work for you? When you're sad, go for a sad walk. When you're angry, go for an angry walk. When you're depressed, go for a slow, depressed walk. :) Hmmm, I used to do it all the time with food and emotions, so why not exercise? Use the movement of your body to feel.

I read an article about heart attack patients being afraid to exercise and having to get over that fear and get exercise, especially walking, because it is very good for their recovery. But maybe it would comfort you to talk to a doctor and get some reassurance about how much is good to get? I think there are plans to slowly work up distance safely. I've got high blood pressure and am on medication. Walking is my favorite exercise.

[QUOTE=Ufi;2394992]Can you make your emotions work for you? When you're sad, go for a sad walk. When you're angry, go for an angry walk. When you're depressed, go for a slow, depressed walk. :) Hmmm, I used to do it all the time with food and emotions, so why not exercise? Use the movement of your body to feel.QUOTE]

That is an excellent idea! Brilliant in fact! I would have never thought of it and I love the idea! I can definately do that. Thank you so much!:hug:

InnerChild I probably could have written your post myself. I don't like exercising. I never have, and don't know if I ever will. Even when I was 135 lbs, weighing less didn't make me want to run out and exercise. It's not something I really enjoy.

However unlike most folks where losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise, I have found that for whatever reason, I have to exercise a lot. Have to. No way around it. I can't just eat better and magically lose weight. I wish I could. But, my body needs to really burn the extra calories from exercising in order to lose the weight. So, hate it or not, I *have* to do it.

I don't like the way exercise makes me feel (physically) and I had to get over being self conscious by going to the gym, especially when I had a bad experience with a personal trainer there. At any rate, what exercise does do is *help* my emotions. The pp was right in saying if you feel a certain way, use exercise to your advantage. Nothing relieves my anger and stress more after a bad day than hopping on an elliptical or cross trainer or even lifting weights and releasing all of that tension through exercise. Excercise is proven to boost your "feel good" chemicals in your brain. I have an anxiety disorder and nothing helps as much as exercising consistently. I have a more positive outlook on life.

Additionally, I sleep so much better at night because I'm physically tired. There is a big difference between a day that I lay around watching TV and a day that I work out.

Does exercise help with the weight loss? YES. It does. I like not getting winded every time I walk up the stairs at work. I like being able to keep up with my athletic husband every time we go on a walk. But when I started looking at *other* benefits exercise can give me (better mood, better sleep, all around feeling better in general), it was something that really made it worth it for me.

I will probably ALWAYS be more prone to wanting to be lazy than wanting to be active. That is just my nature. So the key is to use exercise in a way that speaks to you.

By the way, being anxious prone, I have been TERRIFIED of having a heart attack while exercising. :) Often when I'm going full force on a crosstrainer I think to myself "hmm, what if I just keeled over? how embarassing and scary!" But the cost of not exercising is much higher than the cost of exercising, IMO. Given that heart disease runs in my family, it is really vital that I have a healthy heart, and nothing gets it healthier like cardio. I do use a heart rate monitor, not because I really care about what my heart rate is during exercise, but because it tells me how many calories I burn during exercising, and it's a great motivating factor. I like getting home from the gym and seeing I've burned nearly 500 calories! It gives me a sense of accomplishment like I wasn't torturing myself for nothing. ;)

You know what Fat Pants? I think I love you!:hug: You have said so many thing that I needed to hear and you said it in a way that got thru to me. Your words are GREAT motivation for me and I can see that you can truly relate on many levels to my hatred of exercising, and likewise I can relate to you on many thing you have said. Thank you for your words today and may you recieve many blessings!:hug:

I relate to so much that you've said! Walking is the best exercise that seems to work for me too. Good luck on your new eating plan! :)