I think it has been a good 7 years now since I have been over weight. I do not want to hide behind this shell that I have created for myself. I just found out that my sister is getting married THIS JUNE and just this weekend she asked me to be her maid of honor. I of course said YES, but I think to myself oh man this means that I need to where a dress.

I want to actually follow through with my weight loss plan, and make a healthy living change. I just got a permanent job on February 4th. Its like my life is moving forward, and I really don't want to drag my behind trying to keep up. I am so embarrassed that I do not go up the stairs because I run out of breath, and I just say oh its just allergies. Instead I take the elevator up. Is that bad or what.

My biggest down fall is soda. I love soda .... I wished I did not like it, because it brings on my panic attacks if I drink too much of it. I know that my anxiety would simmer way down if I totally cut back. I mean I am feeding the anxiety with caffeine. That is a big no no. I take medication for my anxiety. It started up when I was 25, and it turns out that it runs in the family.

How does one stay on track with their life change. I want to be so successful at my goal, and a part of me is afraid I think. I don't like it when people watch me when I am working out. I want to do this, I am truely ready. I know that I would say yes I am ready, well now...I need to this for myself and my kids.

I went to get a physical for work, they have you do that make sure you are healthy. I am healthy but my BMI is 38 % should be WAY WAY LESS, and in the letter that I received says that I should consult a doctor about my weight. I cry sometimes because I wish it was instant gratification. Snap my finger and wala I make myself skinny. Ya not that simple... hehehe.... I wont go to the store and buy clothes because I want to lost weight. I am running out of clothes as what to wear. I only have 2 pairs of comfy pants that I can wear for work. Yes 2 pairs and that is it. I finally bought a pair of new heels because the other pair were quite worn, I had them for like 2 1/2 years. Ok well now I am rambling....help...what would be a good start for me.......
Thank you for reading my post ......

Well, if you're overwhelmed, it might help to pick one or two things to change this week. And then DO IT. Maybe you cut back on soda -- replace some with water. Or you add in extra veggies every day, or start exercising.

I think it helps to make a commitment and then work a plan that will help you keep that commitment.

Set reasonable goals -- and they don't need to be weight goals. For example, vow to get in so many servings of vegetables or so many minutes of exercise....

Track your progress and cheer EVERY success!

Sometimes this process gets overwhelming, but it's not only possible, it's VERY rewarding!!!

Hi JayaGoddess,

Take a deep breath, exhale....inhale....exhale -- just get comfy and relax..... you are getting very S L E E P Y... heeeheee, just kidding (and trying to help you feel lighter about this dilemma).

Let's see, you are at 215 right now, you want to be 179 by June....for a total weight loss goal of 36lbs.

1 week (left in February)
4 weeks (in March)
4 weeks (in April)
4 weeks (in May)

Let's not count June for now.

That's 13 weeks.

36lbs divided by 13 weeks = 2.76 pounds

You would have to lose 2.76 lbs a week to make that goal! That's a very ambitious goal dear JayaGoddess!

How about a smaller goal -- Say 25 lbs? 215-25=190

25lbs / 13 weeks =1.92 lbs to lose per week.

This may be more doable - but it's gonna take a lot of work and determination!

Start by committing to a diet -- and getting more active each day! You need to have the heart of one of the Biggest Loser Winners!

But I'm sure you would be just as happy to lose even 20 lbs in 13 weeks (that would be a loss of 1.5 pounds a week for 13 weeks) and you would go from 215 to 195. That's a pretty noticeable difference you know.

Start counting calories -- there are great diet software programs that can help you jumpstart your calorie counting -- you can usually download them from the internet and they usually give you a trial period of 10 days to use -- that would be a good start wouldn't it? I use Diet Controller. And if you like it -- perhaps you'll buy it -- or -- find a free version online. I understand that a lot of people in the 3FC community use Fitday online to track their calories, and I think it's free, but I'm not sure.

How's that for a start?


TO US, and our Success in the Quest!

best,
b

Thank you Heather and bruniQ , I am actually at 230 pounds right now so I just took a snap shot of myself of me right now. It is I guess we should say this would be my before photo. Acck..... I just can't believe that I let myself get this way Most of my weight is in the center and the behind. Now it is time for me to change this body to a healthier one.

Hey there Jayagoddess ^^

I agree with the above. Small steps may be the way for you to make it happen. How about drinking half the day with water, and then the other half with soda? You'll still have some soda in the beginning, and you can slowly drink less & less over the coming months.

Start taking those stairs up! Yes, you'll huff & puff at first, but in a little while you'll notice that you huff & puff less!

You stay on track by making it a priority & a commitment. It takes planning, and consistency (though NOT perfection... nothing & no one is perfect).

If you truly want this to be permanent, make the changes permanent. You may not have all the weight off that you want to be off by your sister's wedding (congrats to her btw ) BUT you will feel like a million bucks!

Let us know if you need anything! And please keep us updated as to what you're doing or feeling ^^

Best of success!!! You CAN do this!

Hey JayaGoddess, I see a gorgeous woman under that shell! GO FOR IT!

YOU CAN DO THIS!

best,
b

I know I don't get it. I like soda too but it has to be diet and I don't like regular soda. I would rather eat my calories. It's not fair for me to say this because I don't love soda like you do but - find an alternative for the soda.

There are so many diet sodas and drinks out there. There must be something you will like. There are the diet and the zero products. I've had diet grape, diet orange, diet chocolate soda. See if you can buy one can of each to try and find one that will work for you.

My sister in law used to drink 8-10 sodas a day. At 150 calories each, that's up to 1500 calories which is a whole days worth. It's almost 1/2 a pound a day of weight loss if you can find a substitute.

Is it the soda you crave or the caffeine? Could you switch out one soda a day for a non-caffeine soda? Cut down on the caffeine soda, the maybe switch from the caffeine soda to tea, maybe sweetened w/a little honey - still getting caffeine but w/out all the cals.? Then gradually reduce the caffeine part?

I'm right there with you, Jaya.

I have been unhappy with my weight since about 2001. I was in the best shape of my life in 2000. I had tons of clothes that fit well. I wasn't struggling every morning to find an outfit for work, or even one for weekend shopping. I wanted to try new restaurants, dress up and go to a play, hang out with girlfriends at trendy bars, and SHOP, SHOP, SHOP.

I have been depriving myself of LIFE for SEVEN years because I have no control over what I put in my mouth. It's truly sad.

That's why I am here. I like keeping my blog (though it's only been two days), and I love cruising the forum. Although I have 50 pounds to go, this place makes me happy. Thanks guys!

JAYA & BRUNI ~ Yes, FITDAY is FREE! And you can enter everything that YOU like to eat and see how many calories that adds up to. Maybe keep a JOURNAL to start to keep track of what you are eating; many people swear by them. A doctor suggested this to me many moons ago; it really helps.

I agree with HEATHER about making a commitment to yourself, and then just DO IT; and start out small, adding a change each week or two, as you go a long (tweak your plan). Have you decided what plan you want to try; is it one you are creating yourself? Look around 3FC's; there are many plans described here. Here's a few more ideas ...

1) cut out junk foods (chippies, nachos, candy)
2) cut out fast, greasy foods (choose better)
3) try to sub with diet pop or drinks like Crystal Lite
4) replace half days liquids with water
5) eat more veggies, fruits, and whole grains
6) cut portions and/or count calories
7) start walking more

I think with this alone, you will start losing right away! You can do this ...

ROSEBUD

Okay, so i'm probably not the greatest person to give advice buuuut I have some suggestions that I used and are working for me.

Soda: Instead of focusing on not drinking it, focus on drinking water. Like, you can have as much soda however you have to get **oz. of water a day. (I like the formula of half your body weight for how many ounces of water you need) And then, if you break it up into hours of the day like 15 oz. of water an hour and focus on getting your water, you'll be too hydrated you won't want soda or if you do it's okay. also, whether or not it's diet or regular, soda is REALLY bad for you. In addition to how much sugar and aspartame it has, and damaging to your teeth it is, a new study found that the artificial sweeteners in diet sodas cause your body to spike in insulin which cause a sugar crash and you crave sweet things because your body thought it was getting sugar and it didn't. And with aspartame and artificial sweetners, holy cow!!! so much to go with that. it's bad. but it tastes so good!! I know! Lots of people i know and some people on here lost lots of weight by just cutting out sodas. I know it's hard to break that habit, but eventually you won't want it or you'll only want it occasionally. at least that's how i am.

Food: Focus on getting at least 5 servings of veggies and 2 fruits. Once you start adding veggies and fruits in as side dishes and snacks and focuses on getting those not only are you getting those nutrients you need, but it fills you up and satisfies crunch and sweetness sometimes.

i have had so many problems with eating, but then I started counting calories using thedailyplate.com which is sooo freaking easy to use because most all food items and brand name products are in there or it's easy to add. Seriously, that has been key in losing weight for me and eating healthy. I was shocked at how much I normally eat when I looked at calories. the first few days of limiting calories were really hard for me but now I'm used to it and i swear it gets easier!

Exercise: strength training. it makes sense. you build muscle which takes up less space and burns calories. plus, when you lose weight you feel good because you don't feel soft and flabby. I've been doing the routine in "toning for teens" by joyce vedral. While it says for teens, it's really for all women but the author geared the writing toward teens because she was saddened at how girls "feel fat" and are obsessed with losing weight. I can already see some definition in my arms and back and it feels great! This is the first week I've been hardcore doing it--getting up at 5:30 to work out every day. But I have been working at losing weight for the past few weeks. I don't have a scale, but I have been losing inches. Joyce vedral estimates that if you do the routine 4-6 days a week (you alternate upper and lower body) that overweight people will lose a dress size every 3 weeks. my only thing is that the first few times you do the workouts, it's hard and take a long time. however, I'm now to the point that I know the workouts without having to look at the book and I get faster each time. I take about 40-50 minutes now. If you're interested I recommend checking out the book from your library and see if you like it. I do! I'll get back to you in 2 weeks to let you know if I dropped a size yet! haha!

Good luck!

Maggie

Hi Jaya! You have gotten some terrific advice! I would add the following:

Go to the GOAL section and read success stories. See what people have done to get where they want to be.

Also, KNOW that you OWN the tools and ability to do this. You have the power. You have the control. You can make this happen. Some days will be easy and some days will be hard, but the biology of your body will bow to your behaviors. What you choose to do will shape your weight loss.

You have an amazing rose-petal complexion, I am so jealous

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to make some permanent changes. Pick some changes you can live with. If you can, try to transfer some of the feeling about "losing weight" into a desire to "be healthy." I found out I was far more motivated to permanently make a healthy life style when I changed my focus to "I am not depriving myself, I am giving myself the gift of health." it made a HUGE difference for me.

I feel very strongly that sugary soda is just plain evil - make your first priority limiting soda. In my experience, it was much easier just to cold turkey give stuff like that up completely - made it very black/white, no tough decisions for me.

One of my favorite things I have ever read on 3FC was.."the time is going to pass whether you lose the weight or not, so you might just as well lose the weight" We can't stop time, nor can we gaurentee what we will weigh at certain times...but we can do our best to live a better healthier life today and that is a fantastic accomplishment!!

Good Luck!! You will do great..

I just want you to all know that you are all so wonderful and very supportive. I am so excited in making the changes for a healthier new life style. I think that everyone on here is very awesome, and have given a lot of great ideas.....I also like going through the before and after photos are very inspiring. I am going to keep a log so that I can stay on track. I will also keep you all up to date on how I am doing... *: ) Thank you Thank you again so much ......