[MissDanitaMarie]

Hi all my name is Danita. Forever throughout school i was known as the fat chick which sadly i was. I was born into a family with bigger builds which sucks. I'm starting a new journey today i've decided i want to drop from 186 to 170 at least i have a really major issue though. If i drop weight like a normal woman i get really sick and end up hospitalized. So anyone that reads this and say thats only 16 pounds thats nothing! Think of it this way as your body may be fighting now to drop weight it will eventually start working with you, my body on the other hand.....fight me all the time. My doctor explained it to me this way as I've been so physically active my whole life being a dancer my body got used to carrying the weight and moving with it but as i lose weight my body goes into a sort of shock from change.I am planning to get married to my corpsman in six months and i wanna look amazing for him. Right now he's out of country so it'll be a surprise! I've been reading through lots of threads on here and I've been looking for a site like this full of such supportive people i don't get support from anyone in my family because my family is the stereotypical southern rednecks. well if you took the time to read this i hope you'll take the time to give so weight loss tips because everything i've tried has ended up with me falling ill.

Thanks for Reading!

[kiramira]

Welcome!
You'll find lots of support here...
I don't know how you think normal women drop weight, but for the majority of us, it tends to be really quite slow! As in 1/2 to 2 lbs a week, and the 2 lbers are unusual. So I'm not sure if your reaction is because of crash dieting or you are trying to lose weight too quickly and wind up dehydrated or with low blood sugar episodes...if your doctor has ruled out any underlying medical conditions, you should be able to handle slow, steady weight loss.
For healthy, balanced eating plans, the Calorie Counters, WW or TOPS threads may be of interest to you. And exercise is important -- go to the exercise thread.
Hope you find what you need!
Kira

Welcome Kiddo!!

I don't think you'll find many of us will say 16 lbs is nothing. Every lb. counts when most lose 1-2 a week and deal with plateaus. Folks will be here for you when you need support.

Good Luck.

[Bette k]

Hi Danita,
Welcome, 16 lbs can be quite a lot of weight to lose, especially since you are a dancer you most likely have a lot of muscle built up ad you don't want to lose that. I agree witht he others to take it slow. I have found that for me it is just making new habits that make the difference. It takes 40 days to make a habit that sticke, I've stopped drinking pop, and given up sugary snacke by just doing it for 40 days, then I don't want it again. I've also substituted fruit for sweets, once you get the sugar out of your system it is suprising how sweet a grape is. I also keep the fruit and raw veges cleaned and easily accesable in the frig. If it is a choice of and easy to grab hanfull of veges or grapes vs having to hunt and prepare an unhealthy snack then the veges win everytime.
Good luck on your weight loss and remember slow and easy wins the race.

[p7eggyc]

Welcome Danita,
I would really strongly recommend a visit to a registered dietician. I have to say that our medical training system does a simply dreadful job of training physicians in nutrition and healthy weight loss. I'm regularly stunned by the bad advice that is offered from medical docs. You need someone that knows how to get you set up on an eating plan that will allow you to reach a healthy weight without becoming ill.

If money is an issue, you might check with your county health department to see if they offer any sort of services. The health district I used to live in provided those services on a sliding scale.

Best of luck to you!

Peg

[CountingDown]

Slow and steady really does work. You CAN do this without becoming ill. Surf around and you will find a LOT of us that lost very slowly - and being successful!

[yoursummerdream]

Welcome Danita!

16lbs is quite a bit to lose, I don't think you'll hear anyone tell you that it's easy! I think p7eggyc offered some great advice about seeing a dietician - having someone who understands how your body works and to plan out an eating program accordingly is a huge, huge help. Especially if in the past, as you mentioned, changing your diet has made you unwell. I have been seeing one as my body fights against me too (I have PCOS and insulin resistence) and it's made a big difference!

I think everyone here would agree - slow and steady will get you there in the end! Stay positive and good luck!