pattialbert

Afternoon ladies
I think you gals were reading my mind this morning. Two years ago I lost over 40 pounds and got lots of compliments, I lived in a small town then, now I live in a bigger city and no one knows me. I think because of all the compliments I thought I didnt have to lose anymore...in my head anyways...and started to backslide. Now Im back to losing those 40 pounds and my waist is back to the same size BUT there is no compliments..no one knows me here...they just see an old fat woman still. Recently at christmas I saw a video of myself sitting in a chair....I keep this picture in my head because I truly know what I look like and it aint pretty. I just bought jeans in two sizes smaller and felt so good that day...but I have to keep that image in my head or I will start to slide again. So Im kinda glad Im not getting compliments ... I know weird.

amylee32

I don't think it's weird at all. I think we all have ways of motivating ourselves. Last night I was exercising and I so badly wanted to quit. I hate exercise! But I kept telling myself "Remember Amy in the mirror, remember the Amy in the mirror". It helped push me further than I have gone before and it felt good. I do NOT want to look like this anymore. A good friend of mine told me the other day that I have such a vibrant, healthy soul, it's time for a healthy body to go with it. I went shopping today for spring clothes. I HATE shopping for me. Nothing fit right. And honestly, I am so large it is hard to find clothes that work. That's hard to admit. I used to blame it on manufacturer's, haha. I would walk out of Fashion Bug mumbling "Plus size my a** " But now I realize they had absolutely nothing to do with it. Today when my sister and I went into the store, I grabbed a pair of capri's in the size that I normally wear and they were BIG! So, I grabbed the next size down and they FIT. I was so excited. Pretty soon I had tons of clothes in my dressing room and loved that everything I grabbed fit me, and actually fit decent. Don't get me wrong, I have a LONG way to go. But little victories like this make me feel a sense of accomplishment. Does that make sense? I think I feel a shopping addiction coming on, haha.

Speaking of addiction, somedays I think that this lifestyle change is a lot like what an alcoholic would have to deal with. The temptations, the cravings, the sense of being overwhelmed... Hi, I'm Amy, and I'm a food addict. I didn't realize how deep my habits truly went. Food was a big comfort for me. If I was happy I ate, sad I ate, mad I ate, sleepy, I ate. I just ate..and ate..and ate...

I think I have rambled enough. I'm sorry I just go on and on on here. It helps to write my thoughts down.

Have a good weekend everyone!

hiddenhope

Hi, my name is Hope. I am new to fitday and to posting so am not sure if I am doing this correctly. I need to lose about 125 lbs and would like to join this online group. I am 41, on a small 5 ft 2 in frame and have been diabetic for near a decade. In the past I had fallen into diabetes denial and due to fearing it and not having been properly educated to grasp an understanding of this disease I have some complications. I really would like to get myself to a place where I dont have to worry so about health issues dominating my life. I want to be able to do things that more active and fit people do and enjoy this second half of my life. I have a child in college so I am pretty much at a place in my life where I can finally be the sole focus of my own efforts instead of everyone else coming first. I am ready to do this, and would like support for the long haul. You wont hear me make excuses, whine, complain or bellyache about a thing, I want this. I love eating healthy and dont miss much of temptations. I have painful nerve damage to my left foot due to my disease but know exercise is key and would help. I walk but dont feel I can get the intensity high enough to impact my metabolism. I would like to swim but affording a gym with one might not be possible right now. Need ideas for things that wouldnt put too much pressure on feet but allow calories to be effectly burned?

speedyfair

hi all

thanks desertmountain for posting those recipes, I love apples & cabbage

I worked hard yesterday and the scale rewarded me with a two pound drop!!

This past week was a real struggle - so glad to have the scale down at all
This week I'm more motivated to my goal and went shopping yesterday, so I have all the correct foods so no excuses this week lol

I have one more pound to go to hit a total of 50 lbs and want to see that so badly, all of you make it easier to stay on track. I totally get that even a t almost fifty puonds I get - your face looks thinner too lol But I realize that most people see me every day or every week and it doesn't seem like I'm getting smaller, but I can tell in my clothes and actually most of my old things I cannot wear anymore- they look terrible YEA! Looking forward to some spring clothes shopping as well.

everyone have a great weekend.

desertmountain

Welcome cc1158 & Hiddenhope-it's so good to have you on board. I know what you mean about the weight loss not showing up as much or at all really. When you've got as long of a journey as ours is, it really helps me to have you guys here that understand. I've lost 17 pounds and the only person who mentions it or even noticed is my husband.

Sorry that I've been MIA for a few days - I've been taking advantage of the warm weather & working outside every spare minute. My haircut was...is...a disaster. I got one of those I-need-a-paper-bag-over-the-head haircuts. sigh. I went clothes shopping afterward which helped buoy my sagging spirits. I'm in a size 18 now-finally out of the 20's! Horray! Last year when I lost all that weight so fast doing P90 I blew straight through to 16's. So I've been out of clothes that fit for several weeks now. This time I'm getting rid of all my larger clothes. There's no going back unless I go naked.

Everyone is doing so well-congrats Speedyfair! And Almeeker, you're my inspiration girl! I'll be back when I have more time - just wanted to pop in and stay abreast of all the news. Oh, and yes, being a foodie is a BIG part of why I'm the size that I am - I'm still a total foodie, just re-doing recipes to make them as low fat & low cal as possible & still taste yummy. Also learning to adjust my palate (that's the hardest part). My dh & ds are foodies too, but they have metabolisms of hummingbirds or something else going for them. They come up with the most outrageously delicious recipes-almost all are off my way of eating tho'. Totally unfair!

SkinnyErinn

Amy - this is exactly how I am invisioning my weight this time - as an addiction or allergy to being unhealthy. Eventually I am going to have to come to terms with the deep underlying reasons why I literally built a flesh-prison for my soul. I honestly feel that people with severe weight issues (like me) feel they have to shield themselves from something - and when the sheild is gone, the impulse to protect myself will still be there. I will have to deal with it and either fight it, or find another way to protect myself. I have a strong idea what my underlying issues are - no one gets to be my size without something other than food going on.
In the meantime, I keep telling myself why I am working so hard - it's not my best friend's wedding (which I am the Maid of Honor) looming in just 3 months, it's a desire to be more confident, healthy and energetic for the rest of my life. I don't want my children to be embarrassed of me like I was embarrassed of my mother (who was over 500 pounds - my life is like "Who Ate Gilbert Grape").
When I was down to a size 14, I was addicted to shopping too...it's so much fun going ANYWHERE and fitting anything off the rack. I am looking forward to being able to shop at Target and spend $10 on a shirt, rather than Lane Bryant and spending $29.99 on a shirt and still feeling like crap. Losing weight saves so much money in the long time.
Ok - long post, sorry!

almeeker

amylee8123, you are soooo right being a foodie is an addiction. I have all the same symptoms of any other kind of addict, shakes, uncontrollable urges, I also feel very controlled by food. Although admittedly I'm getting a little better everyday. I also have a love/hate relationship with working out, I love how it makes me look and feel, but I HATE doing it. I like the bit about "remember Amy in the mirror", my first name is also Amy. And congratulations on buying smaller clothes, I too feel a shopping addiction coming on... I never blamed the clothing industry, for me it was always the washer and dryer. Darn that dryer anyway, shrinking all my clothes...

Welcome aboard the short-queen-boat Hope. On New Years day I was 41, 5'-2", and 244 pounds. As of today I'm not younger or taller, but I've lost 61 pounds, so I'm almost 1/2 way to my goal of 120 pounds. Fitday is a great tool, and this forum is very helpful, we cheer each other on through thick and thin. As for your workout, have you considered a rowing machine? Not too much pressure on the feet and still a great burner. Yoga and hand weights are also fantastic for muscle toning and easy on feet. I have bad knees and have found that using an elliptical is much easier on me than a treadmill, but I don't know how that would be for bad feet.

Speedyfair: Great job on the 2 pounds, you go girl!!! I'm jealous of your shopping trip, my cupboards are getting to be like Old Mother Hubbard's. You know what I did with my clothes that don't fit? I gave them away, so I wouldn't be tempted to wear them ever again. Great job on nearing the 50 pound mark. People will start to notice soon, how can they not?

Oh desertmountain I'm so sorry about your haircut. Want to hear something funny? I too rewarded myself with a haircut at 50 pounds, and it's um a big fat disaster too!!! I even went back the following day and asked for an "older" stylist because the first lady was like 20 years younger than me. The second lady cleaned it up some, but it's so bad I have to grow it out again before it can be completely fixed. Argh! I hate to say this but I don't think they teach the cut I want at Beauty School anymore. I'm soooo going back to my previous hairdresser.

SkinnyErinn, I'm so glad you're dealing with the issues that have caused you to be overweight. My sister-in-law is a large woman, and I've always thought that she has never dealt with the underlying reasons for why she's an over-eater. I also love the idea that you have a goal in mind for the moment (that wedding), but that you're also in it for the long haul. I too hope it gets easier, but so far it's still a struggle for me every day and sometimes that struggle is all day long.

Okay I have had a different experience recently with my weight loss. I hit 61 pounds on Friday morning, then we drove off to visit the in-laws for the weekend. They haven't seen us since Christmas, and they were all SHOCKED and I mean completely, mouths hanging open SHOCKED at the size of me. I spent most of my weekend getting pulled aside and grilled by each one of them privately, they wanted DETAILS on how I'm doing this "life-style" change of mine. The funniest part is that they all knew I was dieting and that I had lost quite a bit of weight before we got there. My father-in-law was the funniest, when I told my husband that I was going for a walk. My father-in-law grabbed his gym bag and insisted that I go with him to the gym. I've been married into that family for 13 years, we've belonged to our own gym for the past 7 years (which dad knew) but that's the first time he's ever even mentioned taking me to the gym, let alone insisted. I gotta say it's a pretty swank workout facility...

So all I'm saying is give it time, pretty soon people will notice. Also think about it, you've been wearing thick heavy warm clothes for winter. Now that Spring is here, we'll can all shed those heavy clothes and show off the beautiful new "me" we've been working on underneath. It's sort of like popping out of a cocoon really...

cc1158

I hope this works because this is the third time I've tried this today and I still don't see the other 2 posts. Is there somewhere that explains how to use this discussion board??

reading everyone's posts is a real encouragement to me. I really have to stay focused to stay with the program and when i get discouraged it's nice to see I'm not alone.

One thing I'm trying this time that I haven't before is the Alli pills. Although I usually only take them with the fatest meal of the day to stop some of the fat absorption. Instead of 3 a day I usually use 1. I don't want to take to many because they may impact my medicines so i schedule everything carefully. Has anyone else used them?

MamaCampbell

Hi gals, I am new here. Starting today, Monday the 12th of April. I would love to find a good niche here for encouragement. I weigh 20 lbs. more than I did when I had my first baby, (I have 5 now!), and would like to lose 40 total. I realize this is the 100 club, but you gals seem so sharp and helpful, I'd like to join in.

almeeker

I have some, but don't really use it. The reason is that after reading through all of their literature I realized that my diet was already so low in fat that they wouldn't really help me much, and the side effects are a bit of a concern. I occasionally take one if I end up eating a meal with more than 10-12 grams of fat, unless the fat comes from eggs, avocados or nuts. Because those foods contain "good fats" that my body needs. But that doesn't happen very often.