What do you need to finally lose the weight and handle this damn weight?

Personally I need time...I feel like I never have enough time set aside to prepare better food choices..

I need the lapsing of time, and the running of miles.

I needed to quit my job. Absolutely terrifying in this economy, but, as I was tipping the scale at somewhere north of 360 pounds, it was critical for my health. Fortunately, my mother has been there for me, has allowed me to live with her, and has been amazingly supportive. I'm very, very lucky to have her.

I think that sometimes, you just have to do something drastic to get things into gear.

Gabe why would quitting your job help? is it super stressful?

I needed the right mindset. Things just seemed to fall into place and allowed me to finally lose the weight.

ohh I could use the right mindset too...what changed how you approached things

and how do you see them now

You know, honestly I can't really say. Something just seemed to "click" one day in my head, but I truly believe it was a series of changes over a number of years that led me to lose weight.

I started exercising regularly years ago. A few years later I started eating healthier and eventually moved toward more and more healthy food as time went on.

In May I decided to practice portion control and then eventually calorie-counting and here I am. I think that by changing things slowly it was easy to get into the right mindset that I needed to watch how much I was eating. I didn't have to change too much at once because I had already made those other changes and worked them into my life.

What I need is to make my own path instead of letting people's desires get in the way of my goals. I need to treat myself like the great person I know I am in everything I do. I need to plant the seed that my health is more important than the stupid things people have to say in criticism... It's ok to say "no" to people in activities and with food/drinks. Remembering sometimes it's a good thing to be just be alone exercising instead of hanging sitting around with people.

Telephone customer service in the financial industry--it paid stupidly well for what it was, but was quite demanding. I was chained to a desk for eight hours, and I absolutely hated it (though I will say that my employer and my co-workers weren't bad/were awesome; I just didn't like the actual job). I'm also not a strong enough person to do two things I hate at once, and I knew the first few months--as I adjusted my eating habits, and then my exercise habits--would be super hard even if they were the only things I had to focus on. Doing those things while continuing with that job wouldn't have happened. I know my own limitations, is all.

This may sound crazy but sometimes I think I need to regain the vanity of my youth. Through college, I cared enough about what I looked like to never let my weight get completely out of control. Clothes, going out, dating etc made me want to look a certain way and made me feel like going to the gym was a necessary evil.

I may sound superficial but I need money.

I can't afford much better food than Ramen. Whenever I work out I'm in so much pain because my shoes are 7 years old. Right now I can't even afford to fill my gas tank to be able to drive to the gym.

Things will get better in December. We just had a $550 phone bill caused by family drama and talking to much trying to iron it out. Chin up and keep on pressing, right?

ETA: My first goal reward of getting new shoes, I haven't been able to get them yet! Maybe Santa will be nice.

I need to have good food in the house at all times. Every time I get off track it's because I am out of my favorite foods. Speaking of which, I need to go to the store...

At the beginning:

I needed to admit to myself that I was a sugar addict and deal with it like a drug. I needed to stop trying somebody else's diet and just make my own small changes that I could handle on my own. I also needed some sort of child care.

Now:

I need time to lapse. I've gotten into a fairly good grove. I'm not perfect but I'm working on it a day at a time. There are tons of things I'd like (one personal chef and a personal trainer too please!) but what I really need is just patience, time, and stubbornness.

OMG, Can I have a personal trainer too please? In my dreams...

I needed a few things.

1) I needed a boyfriend who told me he loved me and I'm sexy no matter how much I weigh. Check! I kept trying to lose weight the relationship before this one because that boyfriend kept telling me I was fat and he wasn't attracted to me anymore. I'd go overboard on trying to lose weight and fail miserably because I felt like I needed to be thin to keep his love.
2) I needed someone to get healthy with and keep me on track. Double check! I diet with my boyfriend and go to the gym with my friend.
3) I needed a vain urgent reason to drop the weight by a certain point. Check! I am a bridesmaid in a wedding consisting mostly of single digit sized ladies (My dress was a size 20 and I had to pay extra for being plus sized!)

Something else that is helping me do this is that I made a bunch of small changes over the course of 10 months so now dieting and exercising together isn't such a big deal.