Hi everybody!

I'm new to the forum, but definitely not new to dieting. I've been doing it for years, and it hasn't exactly been the healthiest of patterns!

When I was 11, I developed an eating disorder. I was bulimic for about 11 years, and it did a LOT of damage. Basically, it killed my metabolism. (Not to mention the psychological damage!)

I went through an intensive in-patient treatment for the eating disorder last year, and have been in therapy, and I am finally ready to free myself from the chains of dieting, of obsessing, of despair, depression, and just plain being unhealthy!

In the last two years, I have gone from 180 pounds to 245 pounds. It hurts, it's uncomfortable, it just plain sucks. The weight gain was a result of depression, inactivity, going from one extreme to the other (not eating/binging) and hypothyroidism.

I've always been muscular, and I was an athlete growing up. I am just SO out of shape now, it's frustrating! But I'm taking back my life and I'm going to get myself back in shape, and back to being healthy.

Because of my history with the eating disorder, portion control is sooo important. I go from one extreme to the other - not eating or eating too much. So to start, I'm doing pre-portioned foods to help get me started. I don't know how you guys feel about it, but I'm starting with Slim-Fast to see how I do on that.

Today's the first day of my journey, and I need support - I'm not sure I can do this on my own! I have a boyfriend who's wonderful, but he goes up and down like I do in weight. We both were athletes growing up, and he even struggled with bulimia, too because he was a college athlete and it was how he dealt with the pressure. So we both know everything there is to know, but it's like the blind leading the blind, or in our case, the dysfunctional-eater leading the dysfunctional-eater!

Here's my day today and the plan in general:

Walk my dogs for 15-20 minutes
30 minute DVD - cardio (Dancing with the Stars) or strength training (Muscle Eats Fat)
Slim-Fast for Breakfast
Slim-Fast and Banana/Apple for Lunch
Orange/Baby carrots for a snack
Lean Cuisine and green vegetable (broccoli, green beans, etc.) for dinner

I take Levoxyl for hypothyroidism, as well as a multi-vitamin.

Saturdays and Sundays I plan to have free days for lunch or dinner(one free meal a day), but not in excess. I think it might be best if I'm not depriving myself and obsessing. Plus, how can you not have pizza while watching NFL games??

So far today, I've done the 15 minute walk, the Muscle Eats Fat DVD (AMAZING!) and Slim-Fast breakfast, so hopefully the rest of the day goes well! Maybe I'll do another walk later today. Yesterday, I had a Lean Cuisine and a bowl of Rice Krispies.

So...yeah! There it is! Sorry it's so long, I'm just so excited and ready to get it all down and out of my system!

Hi and welcome to 3FC!

Congrats on taking control of your life.

As for your eating plan, I just will advise to please please eat enough to fuel your body.

Good luck with your goals

Hugs
Michelle

Welcome! I think it's great that you plan for your meals in advance - I do the same thing every morning. I've never tried SlimFast so I'm not sure how much it fills someone up. If you start feeling tired or lethargic, it's probably because you aren't eating enough. I find that adding fats at meals (peanut butter, olive oil, salad dressing) helps me to feel less deprived throughout the day.

I hope you have a great day today!

*Katie

Thank you, thank you!

Thanks for the tips on eating enough - That's such a double-edged sword, isn't it? You don't lose weight if you don't eat enough, but you gain weight if you eat too much. Aah!

I kind of have to plan my meals out or else I would never stick to them! I'd skip it or I would just go through a Drive-Through for a burger. :P So this is a much better alternative!

Thanks so much!