In Denial No More!
Hello All,
I, too, have lurked about this website before joining. The first time I found the site, I was surprised at how comprehensive and powerful a tool it was. However, my first thoughts were not at all about joining. I was stubbornly in denial of being overweight. I knew I was, but, to myself, I never admitted it was a problem.
I am 23, almost 24 years old, and have lost and gained 30 lbs several times as running seasons have come and gone. However, my current situation, of more than 40 lbs overweight, presents itself as a more difficult scenario because I can no longer continue to count on exercise alone to manage my weight.
A few weeks after a saw this website, I got ankle surgery for a two-year old injury that had prevented me from running completely and from walking more than a few blocks at a time. Before the onset of my injury, I had been an avid daily runner and weight-lifter. As my injury got worse, over the past two years (unsure exactly how I got it) I gained 40 lbs, faced with my restricted activity levels. I have never been a fan of "diets", always believing that exercise and a healthy diet not filled with restrictions was the best way to go. However, I have never really stuck to the "healthy eating" part. I would exercise a lot, which was plenty of motivation for watching what I ate (sometimes) and also giving me the freedom to eat what I wanted when I wanted to.
Now, with myself in crutches, I realize that I will not always have the opportunity to use exercise to lose weight (or the not doing of exercise as an excuse for not losing weight). It was inevitable that I would have to learn to eat in a healthier way to manage my weight. In addition, my current state has forced me to realize that I actually eat too many calories (a fact which I previously denied).
7 years ago, I broke my knee. I was on crutches then and do not remember simple movements and the very act of using crutches being such a gruelling process. More than 40 lbs lighter then, and almost skipping around on crutches around school, and now, facing challenges of mere meters (despite my good arm strength), I am in despair at the effect my weight has on my ability to move, on my joints, and its profound effect on my self- perception. Crutches have made me more aware of myself than I have been over the past 2 years.
I am grateful for this forum and hope that we can work together to attain and manage healthy weights!
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. . . so glad you decided to join us -- this is a great place for lots of ongoing support and encouragement while you face the challenge of getting back to better health and fitness. Hope the ankle is soon totally healed. 
