It's been really hard for me to admit that I need to lose 100+ lbs.

I am not really upset over the way I look. And I don't *feel* fat. When I look in the mirror, I don't think I look 100+ lbs overweight.

But I just can't keep lying to myself. I've had some health issues in the past, not related to my weight, and my endocrinologist who I see for thyroid issues suggested weight loss surgery ('m leaning towards gastric sleeve). So I made an appointment, had a consultation, and then proceeded to not track my food, or exercise. I'm seeing him again in a week. Staring today, I am going to track my food and what I ate over the last week, and force my husband to go to the gym with me today.

I just can't keep lying to myself.

I'm still on the fence about weight loss surgery, and my husband and I agreed to do the calories in, calories out, good healthy eating and exercise for 6 months, and see from there. He doesn't want me to get surgery because I've had 4 since 2007 and it would worry him, but I know that it's a tool used to help lose weight and keep it off. Part of my problem with food is that i graze, and that I eat chips. And not one serving, but like the whole bag. Today, I decided that I wasn't going to do that. I did have some goldfish, but not the whole bag. And i threw away the rest.

I just need to learn to throw away the rest. Here's to a new year.

Bandit ear-Don't beat yourself up on how much weight you need to lose. Maybe instead of look at the larger number you need to break it down into smaller chunk or goals I.e losing 5-10 months, exercising 5 days a week or eliminating pop from your diet. I would recommend setting up an appointment with a certified trainer or wellness coach. They can help you set up realistic goals and provide some accountability for workouts. Talk with your doc about other methods that don't have you going under the knife.

You are on the right track and mind set. Weight loss surgery is a tool but unless you do the emotional work on "why is that I have to eat a whole bag of chips instead of a small portion" you may end up in the same place in a few years. I've seen lots of people have the surgery and end up gaining all the weight back and more. Consult with the doctor about if they offer work with a psychologist as there can also be issues emotional issues after having the surgery. Ultimately the decision is yours.

But don't give up on yourself you've taken the first step by recognizing you need to make a change so keep smiling and remembers what comes easy won't last and what last won't come easy.

I will keep you in my prayers. Best of luck on this journey.

Thanks for the reply.

The funny thing is, I don't drink soda and I don't do sweets. I'm jealous of people who can stop drinking pop and lose 20 lbs.

And I eat out of boredom. I have since college and I am a creature of habit. Every weekend day that my husband works (he's a retail manager), I go to the store, and buy a bag of chips and only eat that until dinner. So while I'm not really eating a ton of calories, they're empty and not nutritious.

I just need to set myself up for success. It has been small steps, like getting a desk where I can stand up at work, as opposed to sitting all day. It's about buying nutritious foods and cooking as opposed to going out.

Your thoughts about small goals are spot-on. You're right, it's a lot easier to think about 10lbs as opposed to 100 lbs.

I am taking my weightloss in 25 lb mini goals. I want to lose the 12 lbs I had gained back over the holidays first, then another 25 by the end of the school year. I also signed up for the color run April 4th and I have to start training for that. I am currently in a walking boot, so not too much training LOL Anyway, we have all been there, just take today and move on.

Are you currently on a weight loss program?

When I started my weight Loss journey I was 266. I went to a weight loss group with my friend and got down 208 and then went back up 261 and then lost 68 pounds and got closer to my goal and self sabotage and went back up to 217. I'm currently doing ideal protein and although there is a huge possibility that I will gain weight I hope it will help me learn to stop before it gets bad again. I started to do work on the emotional piece with a psychologist friend and started a local support group in my home town. So hopefully this will help me. Maybe if you start a local support group in which you hold each other accountable it will help as well as stay on this forum.

From reading your post I can see you are an extremely smart woman and you will make the best choice for you. I wish all the best this year you will succeed. Keep me posted.��

No, no weight loss program. Well, tracking my food and working out. Diet programs don't work for me, I've tried so many and failed. I tried WW and I hated it because all people talked about was food, and I got so hungry after that I'd binge.

I think you are doing the right thing by committing to staying on plan for 6 months. I find those behavior-oriented goals are much more effective than "lose X pounds by Y time." You have control over your behavior, not how your body responds to that behavior. So stick to your plan for 6 months no matter what; if you slip up just get right back on with the very next bite of food (not tomorrow, or Monday, or the first of the month), and let the results flow from that.

You've also done well to acknowledge your pattern of eating salty snacks until the bag is gone. I do this too. Rather than flagellate myself about not being the kind of person who can eat a serving and put the rest away to tomorrow, I have just acknowledged this fact about myself and am learning to work with it rather than against it. That means doing things like throwing away the bag (as you did, brava!) or not buying the bag in the first place. It sometimes means not even starting on the snacks because eating none at all is easier than eating just a small amount and then stopping.

My point is that this is not a moral failing. It is simply a personality trait that some of us have.

Good luck and good strength. You can do this!

Thank you, that's what I needed :-)

Hubby and I went to the gym last night, even if it was for just a 30 minutes. I also think making small changes like baked snacks, but still, not eating the whole bag. I also realized I don't drink any water, and I think that'll help significantly too.

I actually like healthy food, like greek yogurt with honey, spinach, salad, baked chicken and vegetables, it's just laziness on my part not feeling motivated to eat it for dinner. I get in habits that are hard to break. I am a total creature of habit, and also when I find something i like, I stick to it. It's kind of obsessive, like for example: Those Sally Hanson Salon Effects nail strips. I bought a couple, loved them, then I had to have ALL of them that I liked, so I bought like 20 boxes off of eBay. I also found one vintage Louis Vuitton bag on eBay as well, then I became obsessed with buying them (much to the chagrin of my credit card). Then I taper off, and find something else. So you're totally right, it's changing my habits.

Hiya Banditbear!

I agree with what the other ladies have said about mindset modification rather than "lose x lbs by y date."
I had VSG surgery December 15th (feel free to PM me if you have any questions!) and let me tell you it's the hardest thing I've EVER done. There is no such thing as an easy way out or a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss. Although your stomach is much smaller (and that's an awesome tool,) if you don't deal with the head stuff you'll end up right back where you started or worse. I saw a therapist for a long time to deal with my food issues before I went under the knife. It's a smaller stomach, not a brain transplant... the food issues MUST be dealt with.
Good luck!!

I definitively feel you on the motivation and laziness part.

Changing a bad habit or acquiring a good one (to be more positive!) takes three weeks!

Small steps, sister, small steps...

That's what I've been thinking about doing, gastric sleeve. (I can't PM yet because I'm new). I'll see what the psychologist has to say but I don't think I have food issues emotionally, but I eat out of boredom and habit. And I tend to chose a quick, lazy option instead of actually cooking.

And I did it again today, but I bought baked lays and only ate half the bag instead of the whole bag. Baby steps, I guess?

I also signed up for My Fitness Pal, which is fan-flipping-tastic, btw, because I *have* to track my food and exercise for my doctor. Which I haven't been doing for the past three weeks. But I tracked it starting Monday, and that's better than nothing. I have been eating salads less than 300 calories at lunch pretty much every day. Or sushi, or soup. Again, baby steps. I also stand up at my desk instead of sit, but only 50% of the time.

3FC needs to have a "like" button.

I like the acquiring a new good habit thinking.

I've read before that changing habits takes a certain amount of weeks -- I can tell you that's BS ha ha! Years and years later, I still get a BOING! let's get McDonalds & Dairy Queen because I'm sad! or celebrating! or bored! LOL but the stronger voice says "hey lady settle yourself" I learned not to give in to my inner child who is a saucy little minx who is spoiled rotten!

I think your commitment of 6 months is bang on. Gives yourself time to make changes, and be encouraged along the way by losing some pounds, but more importantly gaining control of your own actions.

I agree about standard "plans" they never worked for me either. The minute I "had" to do something, I got my back up. I stared with cutting out sugar and snacking after dinner. That did a lot for me. The rest I learned along the way. Checking in with the 3FC family helped more than I realized.

Good luck, be sure to read & post frequently

I mean, I quit smoking cold turkey two years ago in October. I've had one since then. Why not quit junk food?

And man oh man do I crave it still. I see cigs in the market and think how much I want to buy a pack and have a smoke... but NO. No more smoking. And I did it!

It sounds like you're on your way to healthier habits!
It is a common misconception that you can't eat junk food with the sleeve. You absolutely can, they're commonly called "slider foods" and most processed carbs (chips, candy, etc.) fall into that category. You wouldn't feel much restriction at all with those types of foods and it's really easy to eat too much of them. I know several people that have gained all of their weight back even with the sleeve because they didn't follow the dietary guidelines afterward. It is life-changing, but you also have to completely overhaul your lifestyle to make it work. It's only a tool, not a solution.