Anyone else just feel sick about their weight? At 291 lbs, I feel like I am on a road that is going downhill really fast. I can't remember how healthy feels, it is really sad.

I feel sick about mine too. I'm getting married in August and when I started back in November losing weight I thought I'd had made it a lot further. It's just not fun being stuck in this body. It does make me sick.... but there's only one thing you can do about it!!!

Yep. I've been there done that. It sucks. Thankfully I finally realized that the weight wasn't just going to magically disappear. I finally realized that I had to *DO IT*. I had to just SUFFER through and get it done. There was no choice. I could either be fat and miserable and eat what ever I wanted, or losing weight and miserable and eat healthy. It didn't take but maybe 20 pounds until the payoff was awesome, and the "suffering" of not eating crap started to become more of a relief. A relief that I was no longer dependant on certain foods to medicate me.

It looks like a long road now, but when you are at goal, and get through a year or 2 of maintaince, you really be in shock at how quickly it all passed by.

Thank you Lori Bell. That is EXACTLY what I needed to hear this morning

Hang in there girls.........Lori is right!

I remember the first 10 lbs I lost, I actually remember what I was doing when I realized that I was doing it, the road ahead was long, but I was actually making progress and I knew with persistence and patience I could do this, but I had to WANT it more than anything else. That was over 4 years ago! Now I don't remember what being unhealthy was like.

You just have to dig in and like Lori said DO IT. I'm all about tough love today, so quit being sad and do it! I believe you can!

I feel healthy when I behave in a healthy way. Even if I'm still heavier than I'd like to be, I feel healthy after a long walk, or when I've eaten 8 servings of vegetables in a day, or when I'm doing yoga. That feeling keeps me motivated.

I'll also say, I've been surprised at how easy it is. I'm not starving all the time. I'm not constantly sore and miserable. Would I like to eat some fried mozzarella sticks? Maybe, but it's not so hard to eat something else instead. It does get much, much easier after the first week or so. And you'll come to love that healthy feeling you get.

Thanks everyone, that is what I needed to hear

If I could go back in time I would go back and say to myself "You CAN do it". And guess what... YOU can do it too. I think having an extremely obese mother all my life made me think that weight loss was impossible. I'm not a big poster because I am not always good with words but I wanted you to know that I understand where you are coming from.

I'm going to repeat a saying that I heard somewhere. I like to repeat it to myself when things get challenging:

Being fat is hard.
Losing weight is hard.
Choose your hard.

And I also find it gets a lot easier once you start dropping pounds. I remember thinking, "Wow, this REALLY works!" I felt like I could conquer the world. You'll get there. You can do this!

Put a smile on that face and don't think about where you are, think about where your going. Your gonna be one hot momma, it just takes time and hard work.

I did feel that way when I started. But the amazing thing is that even the first ten pounds lifted a lot more weight off of me, metaphorically speaking, than I would've imagined. It meant it was possible for me. I felt lighter and younger even with a few pounds gone.

It's taken me since October to lose my 30-some pounds and I still have a long way to go, but I think what I didn't realize when I started is that the process itself feels good. There literally isn't a day that's gone by that I haven't thought, "I couldn't do that a few months ago" or "wow, it's nice to walk to the store instead of driving."

In those few months, I've gone places I'd crossed off my list for years. "The zoo means too much walking"--but not any more! "Yoga class is not for me"--well, it is now! "I don't miss the French Quarter"--but I did, oh I DID miss it and I love going back to it now.

The "during" is a lot better than the "before" even if it isn't as comfortable as the "after" will be. In fact, there isn't really an "after"--it's all "during," because I'll be eating this way and staying active this way for the rest of my life.

Get started on the "during" and you'll literally feel better about yourself with every passing week. Even the plateau weeks (if you have them, and I did) aren't so bad when you realize that where you are is still so much more comfortable, active, and happy than where you were. I plan on losing more, but if I somehow never dropped another pound, I'm glad I'm where I am. It's giving me my life back pound by pound.

I want that for everyone here. It feels fan-freakin'-TASTIC.

This.

Initially, there's a disconnect because you look in the mirror and expect to look as good as you feel, but it's slower and more subtle than that. Keep at it, and pretty soon you'll notice.

I'm with Nola! When I first started out, I felt like it sure was going to be a LONG time before I started feeling good on account of the deep hole I dug myself into. Amazingly, behaving in a way that is in line with my goals made me feel better right away, and with each pound I lose I feel even better. You will, too, once you really get it rolling. I'm sure of it!

I love this! Something I'll try and remember on the days I just want to eat cake and not bother anymore.

There was a sign I remember seeing in high school that read "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." I don't want to be thin... I want to be healthy. So I'll amend it to make it my mantra.

Nothing tastes as good as HEALTHY feels.