Lucky, I ALWAYS feel like the only fat person. I find myself wondering how it is possible for the rate of obesity to have such a high percentage - where are all those people? And, if I do spot someone who is bigger than me I still think they LOOK better than me, like they carry their weight much better.
I don't have too much of a sweet tooth but I do get chocolate cravings from time to time. It is almost too simple but sometimes just a glass of chocolate milk will fix it for me. I always only use 1 tablespoon of syrup but might only use a half cup of skim milk so that it is still really chocolaty. Also, a trick that always works is if I get a piece of really high quality chocolate such as Godiva. Usually, those are so rich that one piece does the trick. I think the box I bought at valentines had 3 pieces as a serving with 200 calories. Of course, the fat was out the roof but I'd rather have one piece and satisfy the craving then end up eating a 1lb bag of m&m's and still wanting more.
One thing I've learned about cravings is that there is a big difference between satisfying them and giving in to them. It is better to have a little of what I want and plan it into my calories than it is to get to the point that I just break down and shovel whatever it is in my mouth like it will be the last I ever have of it.
Gloria, I am a night owl. But I WANT to be a morning person. I love everything about the mornings - especially in the spring when the weather is nice and the birds are singing and you can smell all of the flowers starting to bloom. I became a night person once we had children because after their bedtime is the first chance I have to just sit and enjoy quiet or alone time. I have to get up early now but don't get to appreciate the mornings because there is so much hustle and bustle going on. Summertime is better becuase the kids sleep a little later and if I get up 5:45 or 6ish I'll have an hour or so to sit on the deck or porch and enjoy my coffee and a laid back visit with Greg. My priority right now is to enjoy my children but it is nice to know that soon enough (probably too soon!) I'll have a schedule that is my own instead of someone elses. Greg and I always make the joke that when we were first married we were too poor to do any of the things that we wanted to and now that we have the money to do most of what we want we don't have the time. I guess that is what makes retirement such a golden time, huh? That's another good reason to get fit - I don't want to finally get to that stage of life and be too old and sluggish to enjoy it.
Cheryll, you are exactly right about not using being fat as an excuse. And for most of us that doesn't just apply to exercise. I know I've let my weight hold me back in a lot of areas. I guess that is part of my motivation - I'm tired of missing out and being limited by my size. And it is true that we can't wait until we are thin and fit to get going. We all need to just jump in there and start doing what we have to do to get whatever it is that we want. I remember not long ago waiting in line to go in to a play and they had one of those turn-style gate things - my palms actually got sweaty while I was waiting in line because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to push through it. How ridiculous is it that I couldn't enjoy the people I was with or the rest of the play for worrying about that stupid gate (I had to stand on my tip toes and turn sideways to get through). I'll tell you - VERY ridiculous! It just doesn't make sense not to change something that bothers me when I have 100% control over fixing the problem. And I don't care what emotional, mental, or phyiscal problems I've got I am still the ONLY person who controls what goes into my mouth or whether or not I exercise. Short of being laid up in the hospital there really is no reason I can't get moving - even if it is just doing sit-to -be -fit exercises, there is SOMETHING I can do but it is up to me to do it.
My goodness, another rant. It is so funny that while I really enjoy keeping up with all of you I catch myself talking to myself just as much. I swear I think that is a big part of what keeps me going - being able to let those feelings and thoughts out. They make so much more sense to me when I do!
Everybody keep up the good work - seems like we are all starting to find our way back on track. Let's work together to keep ourselves here! Hope you all have a fantastic day!
Tricia
I'm still catching up on reading, but there is some wow stuff in there. Thought I'd let you all know that today is my ground zero. I'm starting fresh. Yes, this is an again, but you know what? It doesn't matter. The end result is what I am after, and it doesn't matter how many times I need to restart to get there. So, how am I doing this? I'm exercising 3 times minimum this week. I already have one of those down. I grocery shopped for healthy foods this morning. My food plan for the next 3 days is low carb to get me started, then I'll be doing the plan Decision set me up with originally. I plan to do one thing each day to help keep my head pointed the right direction. Affirmations, little bits of extra calorie burning things throughout the day, all that will work together to get me where I want to go. I'm ready, I'm on fire!
Ok, but for now, I have to get offline and catch up on my house and the rest of my life. I'll be back to finish reading and do responses later!
I've been over in the maintainer's forum looking at before and after pics. Pictures in magazines don't impress me because who knows how much work was done to make the after pictures look as good as they do. Now, the REAL LIFE pictures, they impress (and motivate) me.
Everybody, of course, looked better after losing the weight but what struck me the most was how much YOUNGER every single one of them look now that they've reached their goal weights. I think as far as vanity goes that is the one thing I look forward to once I've lost all of the weight I need to. I don't necessarily want to look young but I do want to look my age. I hate that at 36 I look and feel 50. Now, I know a lot of 50+ people and it is true that some people get better with age so I'm not knocking that stage of life. Just saying that I don't want be there while I'm still in my 30's.
Heck, I guess feeling 50 when I'm only 36 isn't as bad as it gets. What really scares me is knowing that if I don't succeed this time around I'll be 56 and look and feel 90!
The last thing I want is to be an inconveniece to the people I love because I was too fat and lazy to make a commitment to health in my youth.
OH, Andria...how many times do we all do the same thing? Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start again. That's what we must do. If we have to 'start again' every single day, then so be it. That's what will get us where we want to be. When we stop and say, "That's it. No more." all will be lost.
I know what you guys are saying about feeling like the fattest one out there, but believe me, every other fat person you see probably feels the same way, guaranteed. And so do some of the skinny ones! <I always thought I was fat, even when I wasn't> That's why we really need to get it into our heads that it doesn't matter what other people think, or, it doesn't matter what we think other people think...all that matters is that we are working every single day on what we need to do to achieve our goals. Whether we see that loss on the scale or in the tightness/looseness of our pants...we just need to keep doing what we know will work in the long run. Look past the 'quick fix.' We need to get it into our heads that this is how we have to live our lives: Healthy eating (not dieting), regular exercise, positive thinking.
There is a guy that I see regularly at my gym. He must weigh at least 400 lbs...Tall, but quite heavy. It's almost painful to watch how he walks with some difficulty and shortness of breath. I have to say that he truly inspires me, because he is there, all the time. I've seen him in the pool, on the weight machines, on the treadmill. He is working it! You can be sure there are people that must think negative thoughts about his size, but all I can think of is what determination he must have to get there and exercise, knowing that's probably the case.
And you know what? Even if there are people making disparaging remarks about your size or whatever...who cares? They are the ones who are not happy with themselves....you are doing something to improve your life. Don't let what people may or may not be saying stop you from achieving your goals!
<THIS IS A PEP TALK TO ME, AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE!>
I'm realizing that this way of living, eating, exercising is not a temporary thing, it is a lifestyle change. Tricia gives good advice when she speaks of feeding the craving with a small amount of something really good, rather than peck and pick and nibble til you've consumed WAY more than the craving would be worth!
I'm just getting a few things off my chest here, can you tell?
Kat, I soooo agree with everything in your post. When I look back at my struggles with weight I don't think of it as stopping and starting. Instead I look at them as ongoing since I never lost the DESIRE to be healthy, fit, or thin. I started with an unrealistic body image (thinking I was fat when I wasn't) and moved to being slightly overweight on up to 214 pounds. I don't remember a time that I wasn't trying to lose weight or shape up. So while I may have stumbled along the way, put my weight on the back burner with each pregnancy, lost my focus here and there, I've always been on a journey to better my physical self.
I know I'm going to reach my goal weight and I don't have any reason to think that I won't maintain it. But I am preparing now because I know that even at 135 lbs I'll still have little starts and stops to contend with. There will be vacations, and holidays, and celebrations that may lead to a pound or two every now and then. I think what a lot of people fail to understand is that once you have become overweight you have make a lifetime commitment in order to turn yourself around. The phrase "lifestyle change" is just another word diet unless you really understand it and apply it. And I don't believe that it matters when or how you put on the pounds. Whether you've been overweight from birth or just put on 30 pounds during a pregnancy you are highly aware of what you've subjected your body to and that takes a toll as much mentally as physically. There is just no forgeting what fat feels like inside or out. And I suspect most people who have been there battle that feeling for the rest of their lives, even if they get "thin."
So, yeah, starts and stops are to be expected. And they certainly shouldn't be viewed negatively. I can't think of ANYTHING I've ever done that I didn't lose focus on at one point or another and have to actively shake things up to get back on track. Parenting, being a good wife, being a good friend - they all take a lifetime of commitment and surely we've all had times when we didn't put as much effort into them as we should have. But, if they are important enough to us, we find our way back and jump right in again doing the best we can. We shouldn't treat our weight loss plans any differently. We aren't perfect. We aren't going to be perfect. The real mistake isn't getting off track it is getting off track and never attempting to get back on.
I'm off to a step class. I don't feel like it, but I'm going. Greg just took the kids to karate. The house is quiet, there are no messes to pick up and all I really want to do is sit here and enjoy it. But, here I go, gonna peel myself off my chair and move this big arse. I know I won't regret it.
Kat: Just enjoyed your remark about how humbleing it was to see a man at the gym who weighs 400 lbs exercising. I am the same way as far as being inspired by other peoples determination. A big round of applause for that man. That definately makes me humbled when I think of how difficult it probably is for him and then I hear myself whine and complain at times. It also goes to show how people are always watching other people totally unawhere how they might be motivating someone else. You never know how we might change someone else life by what we do. I remember at one of my more fitter times a ran a mini marathon. I was 40 years old. I tell you I felt so puffed up about myself. Well, let me tell you I had some very humbleing moments that day. I had 70 and 80 year old people passing me up. Yep, that made me have such respect for others that day. And this one older lady had to be at least 80 but as she passed me by she was singing too. I'm sure she sang all the way to the finish line. And when I see a program on TV that has people exercizing and they have amputations and other disabilities that really makes me think hard about my excuses.
Ok, I got distracted by a phone call last night and got busy and forgot I was on the puter typing a post for this forum. Well, I better get busy and get to work. Must hava had a brain fart. Yep, that what it was.
