oh my god, I'm so fat. I'm gonna cry.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

{{Opal}}

::sigh:: I know what you’re going through. I just found a pic from five years ago when I was a svelte and fairly buff 200 lbs. and my job wasn’t anywhere near as sedentary as it is nowadays. Now… well… let’s just say have to lose some. Lots. It doesn’t matter if my fellow So Cal SDMBers claim I’m cute… I don’t like weighing so much. So now, it’s back to diet and exercise. Exercise is exercise; everybody’s excellent advice is right on target – start with 30 minutes of something aerobic that you enjoy, and start slowly – if you try to go too fast you will likely set yourself up for an injury. Give yourself time to become acclimated. As for diet, everybody’s different in that area – experiment and see what works best for you. Personally, I just can’t lose weight on the low-fat-high-carb Official Diet Of The Medical Establishment. I do best on Atkins or some other carb-restricted plan. But that’s just me.

Good luck with your weight loss – I know it’s not much fun, but the end result is worth it.

A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.

22

It’s a matter of making the changes in your diet and exercise habits LIFE changes, not just temporary ones. I know firsthand that it’s hard to start a daily exercise routine but once it kicks in it’s like brushing your teeth; you do it without even thinking about whether or not you want to. It simply becomes a part of your daily life and who you are.

“My hovercraft is full of eels.”

23

Opal, Greg, and everyone else who feels they’re overweight. . . if you really want a good diet, I suggest talking to your doctor about the diabetic diet.

I’m serious. It’s very healthy and it works for non-diabetics. It’s also flexible: if you want to substitute one dish for something else on the list, you can, so long as you follow the guidelines they give you. You might want to consider giving it a try.
– Sylence

P.S. I really don’t comfort well, but I wish you all the best of luck.

“Excuse me, are you reading Torah and eating crayons?”

24

Opal, i’m not gonna empathize with you. Just force yourself to workout. It’s hard at first, but if you keep it up you will get addicted. Try lifting weights a few times a week, it ups your metabolism. Exercise in the morning, the BEST time. Drink lots of water. I drink 2 gallons every day. You should drink lots of water to keep your whole body properly hydrated. Watch what you eat. Most of all, become religous about exercise. You will never be happier.

If at first you don’t succeed you’re about average.

25

OpalCat, it’s no secret that I find you fantastically attractive. Under other circumstances, I’d be telling you not to worry about it. However, since your health is at stake as well as your self-image, then by all means, lose some pounds. I don’t know what advice to give you as to specific methods, but lately I’ve been eating healthier, getting more exercise, and I feel a lot better. Of course, in my case, this involved putting on a few pounds, not taking them off. I guess what I’m trying to say is that there’s an ideal weight for you to be at, and it probably isn’t 115 pounds anymore. It might be 140, 160, or even 180 pounds, but whatever your ideal weight in terms of health turns out to be, I’m positive that you will look every bit as good as you ever did.

Heck is where you go when you don’t believe in Gosh.

26

Well, time to give my perspective. Opal, I would encourage you to do whatever you have to to lose the weight if it’s important to you. How you exercise isn’t important…MOVEMENT is. And furthermore, don’t get upset if a little is all you can do right now. (Personal sharing time!) I’m 5’7", and weigh just over 280 pounds. I just went shopping this weekend for all new clothes because NOTHING I own fits me. I can’t walk for more than 15 minutes without being out of breath.

SO anyway…I understand being concerned about your health. And know that I support you fully hon…email me if you ever want support, nagging, or just someone to vent to. And know that there’s a lot of people here on this board that love you no matter what you weigh.

Winner, SDMB’s Biggest FEMALE Chat Addict (Happy, Jophiel?)

“Only two things that’ll soothe my soul - cold beer and remote control.”

27

I’ll second the Weight Watchers recommendation. I seriously thought my metabolism was dead a year ago when I exercised CONSTANTLY (an hour and a half step class three times a week; walking 3 miles 2 days a week) and hadn’t lost a POUND. I’m about 30 pounds heavier than I was before kids. Anyway, I was FIT, but overweight. So I started WW and immediately found that my food portions were way out of line. Let me give you an example: A single combo at Wendy’s (single, fries, and drink) is worth 24 WW points. You’re “allowed” around 29 points a day.

A chicken wing is 3 points. One. Yikes.

Anyway, after following the WW program for a month, I had lost 10 pounds. I was starting to feel great about myself, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Then since I thought I didn’t need to go to classes anymore, since I had it all down pat, I quit going. Stupid me. Since then I’ve gained the 10 back, plus some since I’ve quit the constant exercise. You need to join and go every week, because there IS incentive: 1) you’re paying good money to get on that scale every week; and 2) if you’re the least bit competitive you want to do well.

Anyway, I highly recommend Weight Watchers. In fact, I need to re-join TOMORROW!!

Yours in commisery, Lisa

28

My regular weight is 110-115. I gained 60lbs during my pregnancy and another 30 during the first year of my son’s birth. Now I need to get rid of it. I’m at a very unhealthy weight. I get out of breath just running down the stairs to do the laundry. I have the frame of a thin person. I AM a thin person. With a lot of lard stuck on. All my life I was thin. I had a 22 inch waist! I was a topless dancer for 4 years! Then I bloated up like a party balloon. :frowning:

I want to get back to the body I’m supposed to have. Why should I try to justify being almost DOUBLE my normal weight? Why should I “just be happy with it” when it isn’t even healthy? I need to lose this weight dammit.

–
From an actual catalog: “Disco balls create an enchanting, dazzling effect of light shafts, adding movement and glamour to any occasion”
the Abrams’ bris was certainly memorable
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com

29

It’s been discussed ad nauseum with my doctor. My meds most definitely make this an uphill battle.

–
From an actual catalog: “Disco balls create an enchanting, dazzling effect of light shafts, adding movement and glamour to any occasion”
the Abrams’ bris was certainly memorable
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com

30

Hey Opal dear,

If it’s any help, my body went through many changes on my depression meds…I know, your’s are different, but still, it is well known that meds can change your metabolism.

Shit, even The Pill made me gain weight…damn stuff.

Anyhow, if there is anything I can do to help you with your quest for loosing the weight, don’t hesitate one moment to email me or find me on AOL…

Seems to me, many of us are here to help if you need it…and seriously, tell hubby to not bring home “shit” foods. That will help your son too, my and my brother rarely eat sugar filled stuff while our step-bro eats it like it’s going out of style. This will help your son in the long run…my brother is a bean pole BTW, and he rarely eats sweets.

31

Wow, sounds like that labor was pretty tough. Didn’t it have any exercise value?

32

Oh I did. I do just about everything but go potty on cam :slight_smile:

–
From an actual catalog: “Disco balls create an enchanting, dazzling effect of light shafts, adding movement and glamour to any occasion”
the Abrams’ bris was certainly memorable
O p a l C a t
www.opalcat.com

33

Well, I figure that if I was the movie-going type, I could have my stomach hold my place in line while I went to buy popcorn! Being fat’s not all that bad, although the health risks kind of ruin it. Like O’cakes said, I’m 300 lbs., mostly stomach and thighs, and damn! I look good <g>.

Just kidding. I hate being fat, actually. I just joke about it more than most. Opal, I sympathize with you, and although I don’t want to cry about it, I do want to lose it, badly. I hope you can lose yours the way I plan to lose mine–diet and exercise. Good luck!

Lemonade…10 cents
Snakes…50 cents

34

Opal: I know it’s corny, but,

“No food tastes as good as being thin feels.”

“His eyes are as green as a fresh-pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard,
I wish he was mine, he’s really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.”

35

OpalC,
I will do sit-ups here in Minneapolis and send my cosmic thought waves your way to see if that helps, but do the same to me, as I need to start the sit-up routine as well.

ruby

36

Opal, if you lose the weight, please don’t lose so much that you look like that picture. You were WAY too skinny there, IMO. You could stand to be about 10-15 pounds more than whatever you weighed in that picture (or, well, you could stand to weigh exactly that, but NOT be pregnant). Just about every picture I’ve seen of you at your thinnest made you look all pinched and drawn and sickly. If I had to pick which looks better, you then or you now, I’d pick you now. The fact that you feel unhealthy is the only reason you should have to lose weight.

37

Opal, sweetie, I’m with you. I know just how frustrating it is to be completely taken aback looking at old pictures and realizing just how much weight you’ve gained. The only difference is that I have never been slender except as a kid. As soon as puberty hit, I started piling on the weight.

What do you need to help you? Sympathy? You’ve got in in abundance. Reinforcement? Say the word, and I’ll bug you through email.

I’m trying to come to terms with the causes of my own obesity, and it’s difficult, because the majority of it is mental - sneaky, insidiously mental.

Weight Watchers is sounding better and better these days.

38

My username is not Biggirl for nothing. I’ve never, ever been skinny and it never bothered me until I started to feel fat. Until last year, I gained about 5 lbs per year since I turned 28.
The real problem is not feeling comfortable in your own skin. See your doctor. (My gyn discovered an underactive thyroid-- never thought I’d be happy to find out there was something wrong with me.) Try not to pine for what used to be, and find your own level of comfort. Be happy. Being fat is not a reason to cry. It’s other peoples reaction to your weight that can sometimes be hurtful.

You’ve gotten a lot of good advice on this thread. Do what you can and don’t beat yourself up if it all doesn’t work. Gaining weight does not mean you have to live a lifetime of guilt.

39

hey Opal get off your butt and go work out. I’m not fat, so I can’t say I wish I were thin. I am thin! It’s hard work too. I hate people that sit around and pout, just get off your ass and go!

Dr Love has the answer

40

And I hate people who have never been in a situation, yet can feel obliged to criticize. Dr. Love, if it was just a matter of getting off your butt and moving, nobody would be fat.