[doriluke]

Hi,

I haven't gone swimming in public in almost 16 years. That's my motivation. I want to take my 8 yr old swimming and not sit on the edge of the pool with my legs in the water. Self-hate of my body has consumed me for too long, as I started gaining significantly after my 2nd child.

I'm 37, 5'7", 200 lbs as of today, and looking to lose about 50 lbs this year. I just started a #giveit100 challenge. I will be going to the gym and trying to improve my eating for 100 days to kick start myself, improve my attitude and hopefully see real progress! I have used being "too busy" to care for myself as an excuse for much too long. I work full time, have a blended family of 8 kids, 5 still living at home, and I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am walking 2.5 miles during my lunch break now, and going to the gym at night. I plan to take lots of progress photos, which will be tough because I'm not to happy to get in front of a camera these days.

I had my first trip to the gym last night where I did 60 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. It felt great! I am counting calories, not to exceed 1200 a day. A specific diet is too tough for me, but since I had my gallbladder out last year I am already cutting out some bad stuff like fried foods.

My husband is a "big guy," 6'8, 375 lb ex football player who is also getting on board, although we aren't necessarily doing this together or on the same plan. He is not a great influence on me - and is the first to suggest going out to eat or stopping for ice cream. I'm at a point where I cant wait for anyone else, I have to do this for me. I am getting a lot of support from my teenagers who are all really dedicated athletes. They are really inspiring me to do better.

I'm excited to get to know some folks here.

Dori

[Jacqui_D]

Hi Dori! I am so excited for you! In a relatively short time, you are going to be a whole new person--healthier, happier, more energetic, and proud of yourself for what you've accomplished! And you'll find lots of support here along the way! I wish you the best! Good luck!

[Pattience]

Hi Doriluke.

Earlier i saw your thread and began a comment but deleted it twice because i didn't want to deflate your intentions. But i've just read what you wrote on another thread about how you can't cope with hunger so now i feel i should set you straight on your planned program and suggest something more achievable for you.

Ok you know where you want to go and thinking about how long it will take, depresses you so put the thought of how long out of your mind whenever it comes up. Life is a process, a journey. Rome wasn't built in a day. All the best things in life take time. So keep that in mind and practice patience. Work on establishing solid healthy patterns and then you might be able to achieve your goal and make it a life changing thing as well.

So my key point is that 1200 calories a day for you is not sustainable. You may last a little while but you will experience hunger often and you will most likely give in.

Instead, figure out how many calories you can eat to maintain your current weight, doing the sort of exercise you do. Even try and live with a diet based on that for a little while to see how it feels (You will probably still lose weight if you are eating home cooked foods as you will lose water weight from eating less salt).

And then after you'v done that, gradually implement some calorie reduction until you find a level of hunger that you are comfortable with.

Basically rapid weight loss is unsustainable. and secondly 1200 is far to low for your height and weight. 1200 is a minimum to stay alive without ruining your health. And its a gross generalisation for women, all women regardless of size. I eat a lot more than 1200calories per day and i am losing weight. I am not even doing any exercise yet.

My focus is to eat healthy, avoid excessive hunger, enjoy food preparation, develop a practice and habit of modest self-restraint, love the taste of my food, be happy. Of course i really want to lose weight. But i have done it so many times only to see it come back again and again.

You need to develop a whole new bag of tricks through trial and error, practice and learning, exploration and good intentions. Learn how to cook. Learn about nutrition. Try new activities, new foods. Read what others say and do, observe your thinking process, and be responsive to it. Look for solutions. Avoid extended periods of hunger and avoid getting unhappy as much as possible.

Have strategies for setbacks. Develop strategies. Don't give up too easily. YOu can do it. We all can but we have to be a bit smart about it.

[doriluke]

Pattience,
Thank you so much for your thought out response and great suggestions. I think you hit it on the head about the hunger. I hadnt thought it through - but I do not deal with hunger well. My thinking was that if I eat tiny meals/snacks all day I will avoid getting over hungry. I am on day 3, and finding out that I am over my 1200. I was upset about it, but after reading your post I think its just find. Im honestly concentrating way more on working out than changing my eating. I don't eat a lot of junk and so I have pretty much just cut out fast food and had already cut out fried food a while back. I met with a personal trainer last night, and left feeling so excited about the changes I'm making and what my body will be able to do in time. It may not be in 6 months or a year, but I know I will get where I need to be. For today, I am excited to get off work and get to the gym. That in itself is a brand new feeling for me. Thank you so much for your insight!

Dori

[doriluke]

Hi Jacqui D,
Thank you for the warm welcome! I am already feeling that sense of pride after a couple days. I know it takes longer to develop habits but I am so positive about the future. Challenging myself with the trainer last night and finishing when my body wanted to quit was a new and invigorating experience for me. I think it really made some things "click" if that made sense. I am a very competitive person at work and in other aspects of my life, but have never put that dedication into my body - and now I WANT to.

Dori

[Velvet bean]

Hello.
I believe we have might some things in common. I also started my new and improved lifestyle this year and I too think specific diet is too hard and frankly, I always thought it was unnecessary. I also had my gallbladder out last year, but I was told that I can eat everything a month after the operation. Maybe you ment that the habbit of not eating fried food stuck with you?
Anyway, good luck!

[doriluke]

Originally Posted by Velvet bean

Hello.
I believe we have might some things in common. I also started my new and improved lifestyle this year and I too think specific diet is too hard and frankly, I always thought it was unnecessary. I also had my gallbladder out last year, but I was told that I can eat everything a month after the operation. Maybe you ment that the habbit of not eating fried food stuck with you?
Anyway, good luck!

Ive heard a lot of people say that. My surgeon told me that its different for everyone. At first I eased into eating regularly again and ate whatever I wanted. I soon found out that my food tolerance changed a lot. Fried foods send me straight to the restroom. Dairy has started bothering me as well. Either way I am better off without it, lol.

Good luck!
Dori