I'm giving this online forum a try. I need help and I feel completely and utterly lost. I have been overweight for most of my life and am currently at an all time high. I weigh 285 pounds. I have never weighed that much before in my life and I am terrified that I'm just going to keep getting fatter and fatter until I die. I want to lose weight but I feel so discouraged that I've let myself get this big and I don't know where to start. I'm completely and totally addicted to Pepsi, 4-5 cans a day easily. I eat when I'm bored, when I'm sad, when I'm mad, I'm sure everyone here knows the drill. I also think that being overweight is a security blanket for me and I've used it for so long that I no longer have any idea how to survive without the security of being fat.
I'm hoping that through support on here I can find my way to being happy again and loving myself.
My name's Leanne. I'm new here too. If it help I use to drink at least 3-4 cans of coke everyday (I still drink it now, but not as much). I totally understand what you are going through. I hate it when I'm bored cos I end up looking for food like that's the only thing I can think of doing!
First thing I think you should do is write down a list of all the foods you eat in a day (do this for a few days). While writing it out, you'll give yourself a kick in the butt when you realized all the junk food you eat. Sometimes writing it down makes you cringe even more. Then what I suggest you do is see what foods you can cross of the list to eliminate from your diet, one by one. You'll start seeing a difference once you set up a plan or goal.
I started with the hardest one - coke! The first few days was hard, but I looked in the mirror and told myself I wanted to buy nice new clothes. That did it!
Thanks Leanne, I think that is a good first step, I know I will cringe when I see all the junk I put in my body on a daily basis, but I think it's something I need to do.
I've given up Pepsi before but it's like a drug, one sip and I'm right back on it hard core. If I could just limit myself to one every now and then I'd be happy. But one step at a time.
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I am addicted to Diet Coke. Have been for years. I was down to 1 can every once in a while but now I'm back to it big time again. Even though it's diet, it still is something I shouldn't be drinking. I have given up ordering it when I go out to eat. I order water. I think that's because they have raised the price of it so high. I keep thinking I could be buying a 12 pack for what they're charging me. I know they give refills, but refills just make me pee more. LOL I would like to give it up again but I just love the carbonation. I've tried the carbonated water....just doesn't do it for me.
Northerngirl, the first thing you have to do is figure out what plan you want to use. Maybe you should start out by just eating less of everything. Smaller portions, no second helpings, etc. And move as much as you can. It doesn't have to be formal exercise if you're not ready for that, but don't sit around when you can be up moving around. Take walks if you can. They don't have to be speed walks.
Read everything you can on this forum. You will get ideas from what is working for everyone else.
Good luck to you!
Last edited by Wannabehealthy; 11-23-2014 at 09:48 PM.
Welcome to the forums. I am "new" here too (more in the sense that I am actually "returning" and am finally mentally committed to changing).
Addiction to food is far from easy. That is also something I have and will always struggle with too. Don't be discouraged with yourself and where you are starting at now as a result of past decisions. None of us can change the past, only the future and that starts with decisions that are conscientiously made in the "now".
I am just over a week into this process and feel more prepared than ever. I made a (realistic) plan and am taking it one day at a time without shaming myself. Internally letting go of the guilt is a relief. Hopefully you can frame your thoughts the same way and move forward with a plan that you feel could work for you.
Hi... I've been where you are. Just want to tell you that you can do it. It'll take time, but you can get there. It's taken me almost 2 years (23 months) to lose 85 pounds. That's a barely noticeable 3.69 pounds per month... But month after month, it adds up.
If you can't give up the pop right now, can you try to get other aspects of your diet under control? Save the removal/decrease of pop for a motivation down the road?
I've been thinking about losing weight again for a while now. I think many of you know what I mean when I say I've been waiting for the switch to go off in my head because until that switch turns on, I make no changes. But signing up for this forum was the switch going off for me. Knowing that others out there share my struggles makes this feel easier for some reason. Don't get me wrong, I know it's a long, hard process but knowing there's support here helps a lot.
My biggest problem is snacking. I think I eat fairly normal portions during meal times but then I'll go eat chips or chocolate just a little bit after meals. Not because I'm hungry, just because it feels. I think that's the biggest change I need to make first off. Not letting that stuff in my house and loading up on fruits and veggies if I feel snackish. I crave salty things so the switch won't be easy but nothing worth having is easy, right?
Thanks ladies, so very much for your support. I want to do this. I need to do this. I CAN do this!
I would suggest looking at past weight loss journeys of yours and work out what went wrong. Also look at what foods trigger binges or eating other bad food if not a binge.
For me I cut out soft drink for a few months and made no other change to my diet and exercise. When I finally felt in control of that I cut out chips. And slowly I eliminated my biggest triggers. When I say slowly I mean slowly. Then I started focusing on adding good things little by little. I realized that I go hard core into diet programs usually and the changes aren't sustainable for me. Too much change all at once. I haven't had a coke in 6 months which is one of my greatest victories. The weight loss has been small about 14 pounds in about 6 months, but I've lost 6 inches off my waist alone.
I'm not really following any weight loss protocol, but reading about all the options and taking things that make sense or work for me. I'm leaning most towards low carbs and high fat, but I'm incorporating it painfully slowly as I'm not letting myself get into past bad habits or trying too much too fast.
Anyway everyone is different, but I think small changes is a good place to start while you find your way and look for something that you can adapt to work for you. Good luck and the ladies on here all have your back and lots of great advice for whatever weight loss style you go down or are interested in learning more about.
Remember to celebrate victories along the way not just weight loss! Victories come in all different forms. Do your measurements and photos and take them each. Month and you may find surprising changes the scales don't reflect yet, but with time they will.
I had an addiction to coke for years! I tried to switch to diet and the fake sugar taste just grossed me out. So, I started slowly. I traded one coke for one diet coke for the first week - and then two the next week and so on until I had switched to complete diet coke. My taste buds evolved and now the taste of reg. coke is gross to me! However, I had to get off diet coke too! So, I started replacing a diet coke a day with a crystal light until I was drinking completely crystal light. Then from crystal light to bubbly (seltzer) water. It has also helped me to realize that "drinking" my calories is absolutely no fun. I'd rather eat food than drink it. One 12 oz. can of coke has 140 calories in it. If you have six of those a day that is 840 calories just in soda. Replace those with diet and there are NO calories. You could eat two double cheeseburgers from McDonalds instead of the six cans of soda. NOT that it is a good alternative - I'm just trying to make a point. I'd rather have the two double cheeseburgers than the six cans of soda.
Best of luck! For many of us food is an addiction. The sooner we realize that the sooner we will get ourselves the real help that we need. Would you expect an alcoholic to recover on their own? Or a gambler, a smoker? Very few people recover from an addiction on their own or going "cold turkey". I hope you are able to find a program and the support you need to be successful.
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Hello NorthernGirl76,
So glad you joined this site. Even though I don't have a lot of weight to lose I want to share something that "miamimelting" was talking about.
Food is an addiction, just like alcohol, gambling, smoking, etc. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but for the past year or so, I realized I was drinking every day, binge eating mostly on sugar, gaining weight, and feeling miserable, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I consider myself a spiritual person, so I prayed for help and clarity.
Without turning this into a novel, one thing led to another and realized I am a compulsive gambler. I have gambled compulsively for over 13 years and was becoming so miserable with all my debt, that I started eating and drinking more to numb myself. It was a vicious cycle. Self-sabotage in one way or another. I had been in denial for so long and didn't see what I was doing. I thought casinos were fun and exciting. So now that I'm going to Gambler's Anonymous, dealing with that issue, and being honest with myself and others, I am taking better care of myself overall. I am so happy now. I'm also learning that those of us with "addictive personalities" can have other addictions as well, but I'm okay with that, because unless I admit the problem I cannot do anything about it.
I was mostly healthy and fit (physically) for most of my life until the past couple of years. So when I tried to start dieting and exercising again to lose the weight I've gained, I had so much trouble getting motivated. This site has been amazing.
I joined Oct. 30, and even though I binged on Halloween and a couple days after that, I didn't beat myself up. I dusted myself off and got right back on the horse. Since Nov. 3, I've been exercising 4 - 5 days per week. I had to start very mild with yoga and walking. Like others have said, little by little. I used to want everything "instantly", the quick fix; lose all the weight in one month! So now I'm taking it slow, eliminating one thing at a time. The longer I stick with it, the easier it gets. Now I look forward to my workouts probably because of the endorphins! But also, I'm feeling better and being patient, kind, and loving to myself!
Feeling Lost
