I feel very whiny today. I need to whine and rant, but I can't seem to form coherent thoughts. Please be nice to me while I ramble...

I am overwhelmed by information and I feel very inadequate. Like I'm not doing "it" right. Like how I eat is some how inherently wrong.

I am terrified that I'm going to pass my "issues" onto my kids. It's so difficult to teach healthy eating when your kids are bombarded with advertisements, junk, and well-meaning relatives.

Even though I am consistently losing weight, I feel like I'm not losing "enough". I'm not even sure what enough is, it's just some magical concept I am failing at.

And for some unknown reason, I'm being paralyzed with fear about "what if" scenarios. What if I can't reach goal? What if I can't maintain? What if I gain it back?

Lastly, I'm upset with myself for having to diet in the first place. Why/how did I allow my life to spin so out of control that I have to lose 100 pounds????

I actually have very similar thoughts as you. I worry about getting to goal and then maintaining. I really worry about regaining. I also have/had 100 pounds to lose. I've lost 15.5 so far.

Right now I am trying to restructure their eating habits, and emphasize daily exercise to keep fit.

And every day I look in the mirror and wonder how I ever let myself get so fat. It is heartbreaking and makes me feel so many emotions. Truth is, I let myself turn to food to comfort my stresses, and I'm one of those people who always stresses. Now, I am turning to exercise to calm myself rather than food.

I just want you to know that I feel very similarly to you. Hugs.

Mozzy, you're doin' it right. You're losing weight in a healthy way. *hugs*

Mozzy, take a quick step back. You've lost over 30 pounds! That is AH-MAZING! You've already lost 10% of your body weight! Check it out: 'We have seen a consistent pattern in our weight loss studies that when patients lose 5%-10% of their body weight, they lower blood pressure, reduce LDL ["bad"] cholesterol, improve glucose tolerance, and in general, lower the risk for cardiovascular disease," says Catherine Champagne, a researcher with Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

You are doing SOOO great!!

You're definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed with figuring out which lifestyle change is the right one for you. There is so much information out there- and so much of it is contradicting. And then there is the big ol' government, which tells us questionable things about food too. And that is what they are teaching the kids in school!

For me- research is key. I need to read and read and read until I find things that make sense to me.

It was like a light bulb went off when I realized that I didn't want to be eating fake food anymore. Why have we pumped our oils with hydrogen? Why are we messing with the molecules in corn (and just about everything else Americans eat). What is wrong with the food that the universe/God/Mother Earth gave us?

So from that single idea- I have been exploring more about food and nutrition. Now that I know HOW the body processes fructose (it doesn't really do a very good job)- I'm not afraid that I will ever go back to eating processed foods, because I know it's awful for me. Just terrible.

I'm also reading books about maintenance and weight loss to change some of my perspectives. Currently I'm reading "Thin for Life." One of the things it talks about in that book- is that people who have kept off their weight for years are those that came up with their own plan- figured out what worked for them.

It's challenging, but I know you can do it!

Oh Mozzy honey, you're so not alone in this!!!!

It is beyond overwhelming looking at all the information that's out there. It can seem like you'll never figure out what you're supposed to do. But that's because you have options! Look at all the different plans being followed here. Look at all the successes. You can do this, and what's better, you can pick the way that works best!

Your children will learn from your battle. Do your best to show them healthy habits now, and when they're old enough, be honest about your struggle. They will be fine, and so will you.

And lastly, stop beating yourself up. You are not alone. This isn't a personal failure because you're making the change you need too.

Oh- This book was also life changing for me when I realized I didn't want to eat fake food anymore:
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Tra.../dp/0967089735

ETA: I also want to find this movie...Maybe it's on my Blockbuster thingy- I'm going to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MvAM97VDE8
It's called "Hungry for Change"- I just found it on Pinterest.

Thank you for that link, lunarsongbird. Just put a request in at my library for it.

And I second everything everyone said, Mozzy. You are doing awesome!

Thanks y'all! Hugs to everyone

I have thoughts like that all the time oh my gosh you would be surprised. I think we're on the same boat...and not just you and me but a lot of people losing weight. I suppose it's normal. But we have to push past this little bump and keep going even though we're in this new unknown place.

Mozzy relax. I don't know what you're reading or what you're watching but allow me to enlighten you a bit.

If you look at different cultures you'll see that as a species we are able to not only survive but thrive on different diets. I don't know how you like to eat but the bottom line is that you can eat however you damn well please and be extremely healthy so long as you don't eat too much and you eat a variety of foods.

You've lost a lot of weight in what I would consider a relatively short period of time. So relax, and keep doing what you're doing.

Oh boy ... "Hungry for Change" is not some alturistic mission.

Let's look at their store. Uh oh ... whenever I see the words "detox" and "juicing" on the same page I know I'm about to get a goofy sales pitch. I haven't seen "Hungry for Change" but I am pretty sure it is going to be a thin on information and wide on telling me there is a best way to eat ... aka an advertisement to buy their stuff.

Oh look! "7LBS IN 7 DAYS JUICE DETOX" - only $24.95 ...

There store is full of crap like this... some of it ranging upwards of $100+.

I'm not saying making a profit is bad. I'm just suspicious after watching the clip that there is going to be much relevant and useful information in that documentary based on the crap and pricing in their storefront.

Oooh....Interesting. See? This is what Mozzy is talking about. It's hard to pick and pull out what is "right for you." You know? I do believe in what they say about diet sodas and what not though. No one can convince me at this point that consume chemicals to that excess can be good for anyone. The MSG rats they talk about are also interesting.

I'll start a new thread about this, as not to hijack Mozzy's.

As far as being upset with letting yourself get so big in the first place, I totally get it. I was there. About 6 months into my journey, I forgave myself. Best thing I could have done. Forgive yourself for the gain and move forward.