[Hope20]

Alright (deep breathe)

I am a little nervous about posting a thread but here I go

I am completely new to forums and putting myself out there but looking through all the threads and reading all the different catagorizes from depression to low self-esteem purging, wanting to lose weight now, trying 20 different diets some working, putting the weight back on and off, seeing posts on other sites of people saying the just want a quick fix to lose wieght no matter how unhealthy and seeing others respond with you have to go slow and start making life changes. I use to complete dislike the people who responed like that, thinking they just never understood how deperate one could get. That was then......


......and this is now

I have finally started therapy about 6 months ago I am slowly (turtle pace) identifying my emotional issues and have stopped all of that crazy thinking..lol I have looked at my life and my eating habits and realized the that I cant just go on a diet I need to make the life changes and break bad habits that have always hindered my weight loss. On my wedding day 4 years ago I was 150 and 5' 7'', but I hated my body, I took every ephedra pill I could get my hands on. Since I started really looking at my life, I am 230 and feel better about my self then I every have and have not taken a diet pill in drum roll please 1 and 1/2 years. This is huge!!

I was about 210 when I first started my diet but I wanted to make the change on my own when I was really ready and was prepared to gain weight, and I was ok with it. Now I tell my self any time I feel restricted or overwhelmed to just have that Dr. Pepper (my worst bad habit) or eat those chips and before (around my wedding date) I would have gone into a deep depression and binged for days now I have allowed myself the chips and then I just say...no worries I will do better next meal. I dont look at my weight loss in terms of weight but my goal is to fit into my pants alittle looser by the end of 2007.

I know this is a epic novel but I would really appreciate and support or feedback..thanks for listening

I can finally see the Hope

[alinnell]

A lot of us have decided that this isn't a diet--it is a lifestyle change. I recommend you loiter around in the different areas and see where you fit in best and start posting. I suggest the whole foods area and calorie counters, but you might feel more at home in other areas.
Best of luck to you.

[mandalinn82]

Yes - I echo what Allison said. This isn't a "diet" for me - it is a change in the way I live my life that I am making for a number of reasons...not just because I want to be a smaller size, but because I want to be healthy, want to have energy for my kids when I have them, want to instill good eating habits in my kids, and want to feel better about myself....and there are MANY other reasons that have nothing to do with getting to a lower weight as fast as I can using unhealthy means.

Focusing on being HEALTHY - not on being thin - has resulted in weight loss, but thats not my primary reason for doing it...and that means I don't lean toward unhealthy behaviors just because they might get me to some "thin" body faster.

Keep posting! This is a great place to get support and talk about these issues!

Amanda

[JayEll]

Hey there Hope20!

Gal, most of the folks on 3FC know exactly how desperate a person can get to lose weight.... even if we're the ones saying "go slow."

What weight loss approach are you trying now?

One thing that helped me in the past with those "chip" cravings etc. was buying a small bag of chips and then dividing the bag up into single-serving size zipper bags. That way if I HAD to have chips, I could eat one of those servings and know exactly what I was getting, in terms of calories. Since I'm a calorie-counter and list EVERYTHING I eat, that was helpful.

However, I did have to go without chips for awhile before I could do that. They are just too much of a "trigger" food for me.

You can do this! Are you gonna let a silly "chip" rule your life?

Good luck! Stick around!

Jay

[LilMama]

Hi Hope I totally releate to what you are saying and I agree with what others have said...it really IS a lifestyle change and I think we all have to understand why we gained the weight to start with...even if it is something we've struggled with since childhood...there is generally an emotional reason, so I applaud your efforts at achieving good mental/emotional health!! For me, I think that have been the best "start" I could have! I also like the title of your post and think that is a great slogan to lose by! Best of luck on your journey

[purpleorc]

Welcome to the 3fc forum. You have come along way since seeing your therapist you may feel the progress is slow but in actual fact you have made a great leap in your mind set. Plus you have no longer taken diet pills for a considerable amount of time and that is to be a applauded in itself and you deserve a huge pat on the back because that was no mean feat coming off them.

For me the penny finally dropped regarding my eating habits. I at the time had been dx with ms and was on a one way distruction path I did not care what I ate. I had a chronic illness I was so angry at the time with getting ms why bother looking after me as my body was letting me down. But 7 years later and a whole heap of weight put on I hated the way I looked for once I wanted to look "normal" so to speak. So I took the bull by the horns I now healthy eating by calorie counting. But also I have the odd naughty day where I am allowed to eat something not quite so healthy but for the rest of the day I will continue on with the healthy eating. I like many users on here see it as a healthy eating plan rather than a diet. So that is why I chose a plan that I could stick with for life rather than for a short period of time. For once in my life I am now losing weight steadily because of my healthy eating but more importantly I am more healthy. I figure that I can not change my ms but I can make myself healthier to deal with it.

Good luck which plan you choose to use and I am sure with the use of the forum you can become a healthier you.