Hello, everyone -
I am new here (or at least new to posting). I'm very scared about my health. I'm 5'7 and weigh about 315 lbs. I've never weighed as much as I do now in my life. I'm 32 years old and I am worried that I won't live long enough to see my son (and future children) grow up. I just keep gaining weight.
I am breastfeeding right now, and everything I read says not to diet while breastfeeding... but I can't keep gaining weight either. Are there any other mama's out there that have tried dieting while breastfeeding? I know not to take diet drugs or do any crazy crash diet, but surely I could count calories or something.
I find exercise is so difficult for me. I went for a 1.5 mile walk yesterday and felt so exhausted afterwards. I used to walk or job 5 miles a day when I weighed about 200 lbs. I was fat but fit. Then in the last two years I gained about 100 lbs. I am on thyroid and high BP medication. I feel so disfigured and horrible about myself... I barely feel human sometimes. I just want to feel healthy again. I have no aspirations of being a stick figure. I just want to be close to normal -- or how about just overweight instead of morbidly obese?
Not only has all this extra weight started to effect my physical health, but it is also starting to effect my mental health too. I never want to go out in public. I never want to meet new people. I don't even like to see my old friends because I feel so disgusted by how I look. I need to lose weight so I can be a better mother to my son and watch him grow up. I need to be a better example to him of good health and I need to simply be able to keep up with him. I should have all kinds of motivation, right?
Sorry for the clumsy introduction. I feel at a loss for what I should do. It should be simple, right? Eat less, exercise more. Done. Why can't I seem to do that? I think I need a plan and I need accountability. Does anyone have a recommendation, because I am all ears?
Anyway... thanks for reading. I hope to check in here a couple times a week for motivation. The support here seems great, and it's nice to have a group of all 300+ folks to talk with.