This is how i started on my 100 lb loss journey. Just starting off slow

First i had to be ready though deep inside to COMMIT because i knew it would be absolutely pointless to start this journey only to regain, it had to be looked at as a permanent life-style change and i had to want it, which i did, after 17 yrs. Not to eat the entire elephant but start one bite at a time. i NEVER thought i would get to the slimness that i am now, i thought that if i was successful at losing a couple or a few sizes then i would be happy. i knew i had HAD to sub out that daily bag of candy, M&M's, cakes, cookies for something much much lower calorie and HEALTHIER. And i had to reduce portion sizes just a bit (this is the hardest thing for me as i like enormous portions of food). I also HAD to find out the calorie count of food. i no longer count calories but i had to be made aware the general calorie count of food and the phrase that was the catalyst of my change was from Einsteins (basically) if you keep doing the same thing you can keep expecting the same result. NOTHING in my life was going to change re the weight unless i implemented changes and i didn't do them all at once. But the reward of seeing the weight start coming off pushed me into full on mode. Yes it's still hard but it's doable and it is worth it but it really has to come from a decision deep inside. Or maybe you are the kind of person that can start with a few changes and see if it sticks and gets the ball rolling.

Weight loss boiled down to it's most basic element IS somewhat easy (counting calories, exercising, not consuming more than you burn) i think what is not easy if the place food holds in your life and how much discipline you're willing to expend.

At any rate, GOOD LUCK to you!!

This is it in a nutshell. I'm way too attached to food and don't have much discipline. But maybe I can change. Thank you, it's inspiring to see how much weight you've lost!

I think the easy/difficult distinction boils down to:

Weight loss is not TECHNICALLY difficult. It's not mentally challenging to cut oneself smaller portions, add up the calories of foods, or walk around the block.

Weight loss is PSYCHOLOGICALLY very difficult. For people who love and self-soothe with food, it's very difficult to resist the short-term satisfaction of eating, time after time after time. (It's also very doable if you're motivated, which brings us back to the OP's original quandary.)

F.

Can I be you when I grow up? Seriously though, I'm inspired by people who keep it off.

Glad you are going to try to apply cleaning success to getting healthy, I am going to try the opposite.

And I do call it getting healthy. My friend was telling me about this book that talked about a box as you get older. If you don't exercise and eat well the box gets smaller and smaller. Balance and coordination go. Diseases become much more likely, strength and endurance go down fast.

You can't stop aging but you can delay that box and keep it many times bigger than it would be otherwise. I am 48 now and I have never worked out as regularly as I am now. I feel as strong as I did in my 20s.

Also mentally clear and great moods. I've heard people say that exercise and eating well if they could bottle it would be the best drug ever. I have found nothing in life perhaps other than finding and nourishing and enjoying loved ones that gives you back more than eating well and exercise. It gives back a thousand fold for quality of existence what you put in.

Lots of great posts in here -- which means that you should have lots to think about. From my own perspective, losing weight is hard work. Now I tend to think of hard work as anything I don't want to do! So, the technical, physical, and mental parts are hard for me. Does that mean that I haven't been trying and am determined to keep on trying? No. But it means that I probably have as many oops days as good ones. It's definitely still a work in progress.

So, why the willingness to put in all this hard work? Well, I'm in my 60s, and after being morbidly obese for 40 years I now have bad knees, bad hips, a fib, sleep apnea, barrett's cells in my esophagus from acid reflux, and kidney damage from pain pills for the bad parts. During those 40 years I would have told you that I was healthy because I was able to work 60-70 hour weeks, was very successful in my career in spite of my size, and made a great living allowing me the luxury of retiring at 55. But, I not only wasn't healthy, but I was on a collision course to have all of these medical problems. Will this happen to everyone? Who knows. But the statistics are pretty good saying they will. So, if it's truly a choice at this point, I would strongly encourage you to at a minimum eat healthy and try to lose slowly. Even 20 pounds a year will be a good step in avoiding all of these problems.

I think weight loss can seem like this massive thing, and that's hard to get yourself motivated for. But you don't actually have to set a goal of being size 6 or whatever.

Studies (which I can't cite, but we often reference them in our heavily fact-checked publications at work, so I am sure they're from reputable sources) have shown that losing just 10 percent of your weight can significantly reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease. For you it looks like that'd be about 21 pounds. That's a lot, I know! But it's not hundreds of pounds. You really could get there with small, consistent changes. If you do, stop losing! Maintain the new weight awhile. You can always lose another 10 percent in a year or so if you decide to.

Hmm, as long as your are eating healthy and are getting moderate amount of exercise I wouldn't worry about the scale if that isn't a priority for you.

For me, being thinner is a priority mostly because my size is directly connected to my emotional eating and food control issues and for me it would be extremely emotionally satisfying to lose weight because it would be sign that I overcame that.

But I have friends who are indifferent to their size so long as they are healthy and really envy them for not caring!

Ha, exactly. Maybe I need to adjust my thinking.

You've got lots of great advice and ideas here.

Here's my 2 cents. I think weight loss is simple, but it has never been easy for me. It's only gotten harder for me, because I've been stuck at the same weight for over a year now. I HATE being hungry. I went the drastic change route this time, because I was fed up, and wanted quick results to keep me going. I started with Medifast, which I would not suggest to you. It's quite restrictive and very low calorie. By taking away so many of my food choices, it got me into my head and exploring why I ate too much, which has helped me.

I also thought I was healthy at my highest weight, but I feel so much better now. I sleep better, I have more energy, and I've found exercise that I love.

I agree making some small changes that don't seem like huge sacrifices might be a great way for you to start. If those changes result in some weight loss, that might get you excited to make some other changes.

I don't remember where I saw this quote, but it seems to fit -

Losing weight is not easy, but it is worth it.

Good luck!

So I've been poking around on the forums and doing some thinking, and I think one of the reasons I haven't lost weight is because I've always thought of weight loss as something I NEED to do, something I HAVE to do, but never something I WANT to do. Of course I want the RESULTS of being thin, but I don't want to do the work.

So I'm just going to pick out a few things that I want to do because they have the immediate pay off of making me feel better.

I want to drink more water. I don't like having dry skin, wrinkles, chapped lips and headaches. I don't like drinking water, but I'm willing to do it, because when I'm hydrated, I don't have these symptoms, and I know it will help with weight loss too.

I want to cut certain kinds of junk. I don't want to cut all junk. At this point I'm not willing to do it. But I do want to cut candy, cereal, soda, chips and fast food. These are either foods I don't really enjoy, but I eat it anyway, or food that makes me feel sick after I eat it.

I want to walk more. I like making my dog happy, and I feel like I've accomplished something after I do it.

I want to ask "Do you really want this?" A lot of times I eat just because it's there. If I'm not really enjoying it, why am I eating it? Yes, I'm attached to food, but I don't want to eat stuff I don't even want; I'd like more freedom than that.

I don't think changes can stick unless I really want them. They can't stick out of a feeling of obligation-- at least for me. For someone who is more disciplined they probably can. But these are 4 things I really want to do that I'm willing to make permanent. So I'm just going to start with these, and remind myself when it's tough that I really WANT to do them.

Thanks for your help.

I think that's a great list. Ambitious even. Maybe start with one and add another one every 3 weeks.

I think you're wrong though, I believe anything can be made to be a habit even if you don't want to. If you do it long enough it will stick and you will even learn to like it. It's human nature.

Thinpossible, can I offer you my experience. I read quickly through the replies so I dont know if someone said this, but you may not being able to truly weigh if it is worth it if you cannot fully understand (feel,know experience) the pay off without having lost the weight.

My expereince:

I spent my childhood morbidly obese, but "thinned" out to being about 30ish pounds over weight by my teens. There I hovered, always gaining and losing about 10 pounds, wanting to be thin enough to wear clothes other girls then women were wearing, but never getting below a chunky / heavy body size.

I was not so big that it impared anything. I still jogged on the treadmill, moved with easy, didnt affect my health, didnt hurt my knees, didnt slow me down (so I thought). I was in my 20s and only carrying an extra 20- 30 pounds.

Like you, the pay off (what I thought was my appearance only, smaller clothing, bathing suitswithout shame) was not enough of a pay off for the changes I needed to make to lose those pounds. I liked eating, so even though I did work out, I was over eating...

Then after my last baby, I decided to get into running. Not just the casual treadmill jog, but really running. After a year of working on it, I was running up to 7 miles, and I was adding on to my long runs before I got pregnant (and miscarried 2x then had a successful preg). I was running trail runs, or running paths. I was off the treadmill and loving loving loving running out side.

I also lost weight. I was down to 145lb (which was still about 15 lbs over the weight my body and small frame would ahve been comfortable at).

And for the first time, I was in shape. For the first time in my life I was a healthy weight and physically fit.

IT WAS AMAZING!

It was more than I'd ever imagined. I never realized how much better it is to feel that way than to eat poorly. I only regretting not doing it sooner. THe feeling I got when running 5am through the wooded trails in my area, its like a high that just makes everything seem wonderful. I just could not properly weigh the options without having known how good it felt to be inshape.

Now I have to get the weight off again (post baby) but I now *know* what I'm missing. I know the pay off and I know its worth it. That doesnt change how hard I find it to control my eating, watch the snacking, not over do it with the dieting, but not slack off either...its a balancing act for me. But this morning, I got on the treadmill, and possible due to the caffiene, idk, I ran for 20 minutes and I got that feeling...that I want more of it and I want it not at 200+ pounds, I want it at 145 lbs, where I feel light and fast and my knees are crying to be done!

It might not seem worth it to you because you only know the "pay off" of not losing the weight (getting to eat as much of and what ever you want). And while I'll be the first to admit that eating freely feels good. I have finally been on the other side and in my experience, that pay off is much better.

Hope this helps.

Well said, GlamourGirl. You spelled out what I was only able to hint at.

I'm sure that's true Glamourgirl. I've always been heavy, and never been athletic, so it's hard to imagine how it would feel to have a different kind of body.