How fat I am...

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Needs2Know -

(and everyone else) -

I appreciate all the good advice. What it really amounts to is a pep talk, and while we can all use encouragement, (and even a few helpful hints), I think what Needs2Know and I are both struggling with is not the what or the how or the when, but the why. We know we need to do, we know what that we will feel better and we still can’t summon the will to do it (at least not consistently).

I walked about two miles three times a week on my treadmill for over a month, and changed my eating habits. Then some of my job circumstances (and home circumstances) changed, and my stress level went right through the roof. What did I do? Did I meditate? Did I jump on the treadmill and burn out those frustrations? Did I lose my appetite? Nope. I would come home from work, collapse on the couch for two hours, do my homework, wolf down a bowl of canned soup or a chicken sandwich from Jack in the Box, and fall into bed for my customary 5 hours of sleep. These are the worst habits in the world, you don’t have to tell me! The problem is that I have to be so focused at work, I don’t feel like I have any resources left when I get home. I don’t want to cook, and I definitely don’t feel like putting on work out clothes and walking on the treadmill. Even though I know how much better I would probably feel if I did. I spend all day forcing myself to do things I don’t feel like doing (like being polite to rude customers, and working, period). Taking care of myself just seems like one more chore I’m obligated to do, and it’s the easiest one to let slide when I’m feeling over-extended. That’s the bottom line.

It’s not really a motivation problem. I think it’s that Needs2Know and I both feel that other people and obligations must come first, and when you spend so much time and care on others, it’s hard at the end of the day to summon up some extra for yourself.

Maybe that sounds martyrish, but that’s how I feel. I know I can take the weight off, I’ve done it before. But right now, it just doesn’t seem worth the effort it would take. For most people I know who have lost the kind of weight I have to lose, it was the only thing they did besides work. It becomes a second full-time job. It takes just as much planning and forethought, and sometimes equipment (food, vitamins, work out clothes, work out equipment, whatever) and time as a job. You have to be able to be gentle with yourself when you’re trying to change such a fundamental pattern, which you’ve usually fallen into out of necessity. I don’t know how to explain it to someone whose never been there, and maybe even Needs2Know would disagree with me, but that’s how I see it.

Eddy

22

Great suggestions, Rick. Especially the last one. That’s the most true one of all.

Speaking personally, I weighed 270 and had a 42" waist in January. After being overweight since elementary school, I finally decided enough was enough, and resolved to slim down.

What I’ve found to be important AREN’T exercise techniques or particular diet/eating habits, but instead are mental techniques/attitudes that make the rest easier.

The five things that helped me the most were:

  1. Set a goal. My goal is to weigh 200 lbs by my birthday(Sep. 19). 70 lbs/9 months = roughly 2 lbs a week.

  2. Determine to hange my lifestyle. This was the toughest- basically I had to busy myself a great deal more. No more sitting around watching TV, or reading. I exercise a lot, go out dancing, mountain bike, etc… instead of sitting. Besides just taking me out of situations where I tend to compulsively eat, I’m more active as well.

  3. Take the long term view. Only take stock every so often, and with respect to your goals. Don’t weigh yourself every day, or check your old pants every day. Do it once a month or so. That way, any progress will be more noticeable.

  4. Don’t dwell on the time frame, and don’t feel sorry for yourself. Assume you can and will lose the weight. This is awfully tough if you’re looking at a 9-12 month time frame.

  5. Change the way I view food. Don’t eat until you’re full, don’t eat if you’re not hungry, don’t snack much, and consciously take stock of what you eat and when. Go so far as to write it down.

These things help me a great deal. In case you’re curious, I’ve managed to lose 45 lbs and 6 inches off my waistline during the last 6 months. I may not reach my original goal, but that’s ok- I’ve set a new one; to see my abdominal muscles by Christmas.

If there’s one thing to remember, it’s what Rick said: You didn’t gain the weight in a day, and you won’t lose it in a day.

Don’t lose heart. If you try long enough, it’ll become a habit, and it’ll seem much easier. That’s the real key- the lifestyle change- regular exercise and eating changes, not one, not the other, but both in concert work best.

23

One more thing:

Ditch ALL your old clothes which are too big once you lose some weight.

Stinginess is a remarkable motivator to maintain weight for me. I don’t mind buying clothes when I lose, but I’ll be DAMNED if I buy bigger clothes!

24

Every time I got to go buy a new belt because the old one was now too long was a day to celebrate. :cool:

One more thing, you might want to read Bailey’s book Fit or Fat, he makes a lot of sense about diet and excerise.

25

I am trying to start running for volleyball again this summer. So far I can run for five minutes straight or so, but due to work killing my will to go running and the yucky weather down here lately [thunderstorms no good for running], I haven’t been doing much. I’m supposed to be able to run for 20-30 minutes straight by the middle of August! Damn, I’m hoping I can do this in about 3 weeks, if not sooner. Not likely, but I can dream, can’t I? As for losing weight, if I want to, I can, but I don’t care about my weight because the volleyball and running will make me fit if not thinner if I desire to be so. My size in clothing will not change to a smaller size, and it won’t get any bigger unless i cease to be able to fit my breasts in a shirt due to them growing again. [please god NO!!!]

26

I have a few extra body parts at the moment. I weigh more now than I did when I was 9 months pregnant. I don’t sweat it too much, I hide it well most of the time, and I lose it quicklly when I get the motivation. Hopefully before the end of summer I will shed 30-40 lbs.

27

Don’t sweat sizes in particular, if there’s a good reason(and I’d say yours is plenty good! :slight_smile: that you can’t wear smaller sizes. For example, I’ll never wear mens size L shirts because my neck & shoulders are too big. However, wearing a size 34 or maybe 32 pants is not at all out of the eventual question.

Don’t sweat the scale weight either, since if you add muscle it’ll throw off any timetables you might have.

Ideally bodyfat percentages would be the best way to measure weight loss, but since that takes a dunk-tank or some experience with those calipers, a scale or measuring tape is about the best I can handle at home.

Finally, one more tip about weight loss(and this is a BIGGIE:)

Give yourself a day off or a meal off every so often. If you try to eat right & exercise every day for months & months, you’ll get to a certain point & relapse back into your old ways.

Instead, work at the diet side of things for say… 6 days a week, and don’t sweat Sundays. By this, I do not mean go out on Sundays and eat until you can’t move. I mean, if you like steaks, ice cream, whatever, let yourself have some within reason. It’s not going to kill you, and if you’re eating right, it won’t significantly increase your weekly/monthly food intake.

But it does go a long way towards not having the “I hate this G**damn diet/exercise plan, I wish it were over” feeling.

28

It’s context. In the land of sumo wrestlers, the plump american is king.

29

weight isn’t an issue for me at all anymore. I just need to get back to be able to run with some stamina again. I like the way I’m shaped and any things like those BMI things don’t show accurate results for me because #1- I’m an athlete, #2- I’m not the body type these measurements were made for [my skeletal structure is larger and denser than the average american my height], #3- I’m still a teenager, and it isn’t often accurate for teenagers. I ignore the scales due to my weight not being an accurate measure of health and I really don’t feel like knowing how much I weigh because it’s not an issue.

30

Not an expert, but other than them pesky genes, I think it pretty much boils down to decreasing food intake and increasing caloric output.

One handy trick is to make up your mind to ALWAYS choose the more strenuous option. i.e., use the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator (for only a couple of floors). Walk anywhere less than a mile or so (tho this requires time). I think one of the reasons I stay in decent shape is that every weekday morning and evening I have to walk about 1/2 mile or so on either end of the train. So that’s an automatic 2 miles before I even start to exercise.

If you have a dog, take it for long walks. Or try to get your family to take walks/bike rides through the neighborhood at least a couple of times a week. Kill 2 birds with one stone.

Lay down laws such as, if you’re going to watch TV, you’re going to be on the exercise bike. So that way is you really don’t want to get on the bike, you have to do something more stimulating than sit in front of the tube. Or if you can’t fit your bike in front of the tube, get on the floor and stretch and do abs and other cals.

And you know it has to be a lifestyle choice, instead of a temporary thing.

(Disclaimer, I am currently gobbling protein to add 5-10#. Sorry. But I credit some of the above with my never having been overweight.)

31

Ooops… I was running at the keyboard again.

My suggestion to you is to get a buddy who also likes/needs to run, so you can push each other to go when one of you is feeling lazy or unmotivated. Go run somewhere else, and switch times picking each other up- that way you both have an obligation to the other.

That’s how I’ve kept exercising for 3 times a week, six months straight. Every time I tried on my own, I’d get 2-3 months in, then quit when things got tough. But since I know my buddy is relying on me to pick him up, or that he’s coming by, I make myself get ready & go.

32

Most of the points I’d give have already been covered, so I’ll just give some encouragement, and a minor success story.

I’ve been on diets since I was 15. (I’m 24 now.) I gained weight every year I was in college. I’d lose a little over the summer, then go back and gain it all back plus MORE the next year. I graduated, became severely depressed, and ate. I gained over 70 pounds in 6 months. I weighed over 300 pounds. (gigi, your list hit home for me…I answer yes to over half.) After several bad experiences (I was in every weight loss program known to man…), this year I finally started helping myself. I saw a list like gigi’s, and went to OA. I also went to St. Joseph’s hospital here in Baltimore, and got help.

Since the end of February, I’ve lost 40 pounds. I’ve had to take in several outfits. I won’t lie, it has NOT been easy. But it CAN be done. I have 100 more pounds to go…and I know it’ll take a year, most likely. But it’ll be worth it. And I STILL hate exercise. I just go force myself to do it.

Needs2know & Edwardina…I just wanted to let you know that there is hope. And you can do it. I know you can. hugs to both of you

33

Thanks for the pep talk, Falcon. I am at the point of recognizing the problem, but I haven’t put in the work I need to–those Twelve steps are tough. It’s so hard to remain committed all the time; thanks for the encouraging story!