Hi everybody! I am in need of some reinforcements...I have a heart condition and am on meds that make me feel like the tortoise in the race but I know they have nothing to do with my will power and my food choices. I feel like I am at a crossroads but instead of choosing the direction I am just sitting on the side of the road eating a bag of chips while everything (including life) passes me by...I guess I need a little inspiration. What has worked for you? I have tried writing down my goals and putting them where I can see them everyday, I have tried putting up fat pictures of myself, I have dried a food log, I think I have tried about everything and still haven't hit that one thing that will finally make it all click...I refuse to give up but feeling drained...

You don't need to go all out to exercise, but you do need to exercise to help your heart! Start with taking a 20 minute walk. There's no reason you can't do that! A walk will help get the blood flowing through your body, increase the oxygen in your mind and body, and release endorphins- your body's natural feel-good drugs. You'll feel better and more energetic throughout the day.

If you're not feeling ready for an all-out diet plan, then just start by making better choices. Limit the excess fats, like fatty meats and dairy, sugar, and empty calories and try replacing them with healthy meals. Eat more light dairy, lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. Skip the junk food and fast food. We all have a basic knowledge of what's a decent meal and what's bad for us, so just work with that for now, and work on increasing your knowledge of nutrition as time goes on. One key that helped me was- don't ever snack. Not even a little bit. For me, that means I eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day, even if one of those meals is what would seem like a snack- like carrots and fat-free dressing, or a banana and peanut butter.

You can do this and we're all behind you!

I know I just need to get off my butt and do it because it's just getting worse the longer I wait...tomorrow is a new day so hopefully I will embrace it as the day to begin my change. Thank you for the advice though it is much appreciated and good luck to you!

I started this virtually bedridden, with fatigue so intense that I was sleeping an average of 16 hours per day. I needed help to dress and bathe, and my husband (disabled himself) did almost everything for me.

It's been a slow recovery, but what worked for me was deciding that this wasn't about weight loss, it was about regaining my life, so I decided that I wasn't going to make a single change that I couldn't commit to forever, even if it resulted in no weight loss at all.

The first two years, it resulted in no weight loss at all, but even without the weight loss, the health improvements were tremendous. The more I did, the more I was able to do, so eventually the weight loss started to snowball. The more I could do, the more I did do, and the more tangible the results.

I'm still on meds that make weight loss difficult -and I'm not on meds that might help - as I'm borderline low-thyroid (if my thyroid levels drop just a little more my doctor will prescribe thyroid medications, but so far it's just out of the range my doctor is comfortable medicating (he admits that he's conservative in this regard, which means if I wanted to doctor shop I could find a doctor willing to medicate, but I'm on so many meds, I'd also prefer to do without if possible).

Call it an excuse or a legitimate obstacle, it really doesn't matter, because either way to change, you have to find "work arounds," and it starts with finding a way around frustration - because it's the number one killer of fitness and weight loss goals. And it's number one cause is unrealistic expectations.

Most of us quit not because we're failing, but because we don't know that we're succeeding. We hear the mythical "1-2" pound per week number thrown around as if it were the normal rate of weight loss, and it isn't. Most people don't lose 1-2 lbs per week. Most people lose nothing (or lose and regain it all and a few to spare).

So, even when you're losing slow, you're losing faster than most people. It's normal to gain or lose nothing, so even the tiny and incredibly slow losses need to be acknowledged for the amazing acheivement that they are.

I always quit diets when I thought I was failing - not realizing that I was succeeding (and in fact my "success" this time has been at a slower pace than all of my previous "quitting" rates). I'm succeeding with a slower loss than at any of my previous failures.

If I had only known that I wasn't failing, I wouldn't have given up. I only gave up when the feelings of failure outnumbered the successful feelings 50 to 1. I felt more failure, because I didn't understand success. I accepted what I was told/taught/read/saw - Anything under 2 lbs per week was failure. Eating one bite off plan was failure. Regaining, even if only during TOM week, was failure.

To succeed, I had to see the successes, and see that my successes were increasing (and ideally outnumbering the failures).

My weight loss hasn't even averaged 1 lb per week yet, but yet I've lost 93 lbs. I've "failed off" 90 lbs.

Thank you so much for sharing kaplods...I know I need to find some patience and like you I also would feel like one bite off plan was a failure or if the scale didn't move that obviously meant I wasn't working myself too far into the ground. I am trying to take a new approach to it all I think just emotionally these health issues, that I was kind of hoping were all in my mind for the last few years, have really taken a toll. With the meds that do all but completely stop my heart, energy is waaaay down. I am sure that once I get up and get moving my energy levels will go up...it's just the getting up and getting moving that I am having issues with but now with this support group and so many people with helpful advice and encouragement...I think I can pull my weight loss goals off the back burner and put forth some good effort.

Thank you again and congratulations on your weight loss! Good luck to you!

Like Kaplods, I have severe ME/CFIDS. I'm almost entirely housebound, have to spend a lot of each day in bed, and can't exercise. I put off losing weight for years because I didn't think I could manage it, and when I finally started 4 months ago, it turned out to be much easier than I thought. I think I'd been put off by all the scare stories about dieting, expecting it to be a complete misery where I was constantly hungry, and it turned out to be nothing of the sort. I'm doing calorie counting, which is nice and simple, not to mention highly adaptable to different diets and lifestyles.

To my surprise, my energy levels went up a small but appreciable amount when I started dieting. What is even better is that after nearly 15 years of feeling I couldn't control my body, I am finally in control of something about it again. I am so much happier because of that, and my partner has commented on it quite a few times as well.

As for exercise, from your post it sounds like this may be tricky. If you can't exercise for medical reasons, then don't fret, you can still lose weight (I'm losing 1lb/week without exercise). If you can exercise but it's difficult, then take both the dieting and the exercising gently, don't overwhelm yourself. Find something that you enjoy for both. You can still have fun with cooking when you're dieting (though if you're ill, what works well is to make up a huge batch of food to freeze in portions, with help if necessary), and there are so many types of exercise that you should be able to find something that you enjoy. At the very least, you can find something boring where you can listen to an audiobook or watch TV while you're exercising - it worked for Stephen Fry, who lost about 80lb by walking around London listening to audiobooks.

Thank you Esofia...I'm not sure how the calorie counting works but I have heard quite a few people who are doing it...it sounds simple enough. As for exercise, it's not really a medical reason that is keeping me from it other than the meds they put me make me feel like a zombie. Before all my heart stuff and meds I enjoyed exercise once I started and love walking and even elliptical machine. Since all of the health issues became black and white is when my energy and drive went way down. It seems now even when I get up to try to do normal housework I feel like gravity has become 3 times as strong. I am hoping this will all change soon though, my doc changed one of my meds so maybe that will help. I think it is also because I have gained so much in the last few months now between the meds and even extra weight my body has no idea which way is up! Too young for all this!

That is so great that you are losing a pound a week even without exercise! It definitely makes me want to look into calorie counting...is there a special program you follow or do you just pick an amount to go by each day?

Thank you for the words of encouragement they are much appreciated. I intend to fight with everything I have and feel like a human again!

Good luck to you in your journey!