Hello All,

Im sort of new here i have been lurking for years but have only now gotten up the courage to post.

My situation is desperate I was hospitalized just over a year ago for out of control blood pressue i now take 5 pills a day to control. I had some blood work done recently and my cholesterol was 217 my triglycerides 376 and my glucose 170. Im now having issues with my legs and cirrculation. I have an apple shape so I carry most of my weight in my stomach.

You would think that with all of these issue that it would be enough to motivate me but its not and I dont understand why? Everyday life has become a struggle simple things like putting on my shoes, fitting behind the wheel of a car or bending over etc.

I would love to hear from anyone who can offer some words of advice or share your story of how you pulled yourself out of similar situations.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I wish you all the best.

I believe you lack being able to picture yourself fit and healthy. Picture it! -- In this picture you feel good, you look healthy and fit, and you're active and happy. In this picture, you don't avoid people anymore and you can't wait to do it all! In this picture, all fear is gone. If you can visualize it, then you can have it.

I like the Metabolic Research Center plan -- works quickly and works well for most of us. But whatever plan you choose, pinpoint a good and doable plan and then focus yourself on the energized happy person you know you are. Hope and Blessings to You. Change isn't as difficult as you think it is!

Motivation is over-rated IMO. What "motivated" me was a few things. 1- I wanted to see that scale go down and I never wanted to see a 2 in front of my weight again. 2- I want to have kids and want to be a healthy mom for them. 3- I'm young I don't want to feel old before my time. 4- My PCOS symptoms were out of control and I didn't want to deal with them anymore.

I STILL fight with myself on a daily basis to not over-eat, to not pig out on the snacks people bring to work, etc, but with time it has gotten easier.

A lot of it to be honest was PUSHING myself to do things even though I didn't want to. Everyday I literally argued with myself for half an hour before I'd put on my shoes and run on my treadmill. Everyday I pushed myself through the fatigue and cooked rather than picked up food for takeout. Everyday I resisted the urges to eat the bagels and donuts people brought in.

You just have to push yourself to do it- I realized that waiting around for motivation was just a waste of my time BUT when I saw the numbers going down and the numbers from the doctor looking better that motivated me to continue

Pick a plan (that IS doable) and stick with it. If gradual changes work better than go for it- if cold turkey works better for you than do it.

Good luck!

Welcome!

Please know you aren't alone!

I have often speculated as to why our fears can't always motivate us. I think there are a lot of reasons.
1) Being fat/eating brings rewards. I know that I have used food to make myself feel better.
2) I know that fear might affect attitudes, but doesn't motivate behavior change on its own -- there's a lot of research in psychology about this actually.

So, there aren't any answers here, but it's not all that strange for people to be in your situation.

I think I pulled myself out with a series of events -- a health scare AND not fitting into new larger clothes and a serious wake up talk with my husband...and even then I wasn't sure of success. But I knew I had to try...

There are tons of studies done about psychological motivation, especially when it comes to two principles - the promise of a reward vs the avoidance of something painful. In a lot of cases, people are a lot more keen to avoid pain then they are to perform actions that lead to a reward.

Just a thought, but when it comes to diet and exercise, is it possible that you see change as so painful (deprivation of food, physical challenge of exercise, etc) that thinking about the rewards of being healthier isn't enough to overcome what you see as a negative?

Welcome and good luck!

Dhani