Charlotte's journey to lose 50lb starts... again!

[charppy]

Hi all, no idea where to start here, but i've decided to join this to try and keep myself motivated and hold myself accountable, i'm going to try and log each day and then also post whenever i find myself feeling weak. For the past 4 years I've had major problems with food, binge-eating and the like (nothing serious). Like a lot of people, I've fiddled about with faddy diets and juices to lose pounds for events and stuff, but it never lasts long. Last summer I actually worked hard and got myself down to 5lb away from my goal weight, and instead of recognising that success, I binged my way back up to where I am now - 190lb and hiding away and hating myself.

So starting right this minute I am going to try and get this sorted out. I know it will take a long time, and so I know I need to start now because I constantly feel lethargic, bloated and exhausted (not to mention very insecure). I am only 19 and I want to have fun and just relax - throw on whatever I like. So, simultaneously to trying to become a healthy weight, I am going to try and focus on having a healthy mindset. This will be difficult for me because I have a very "all or nothing" approach to food - I work in massive quantities and I know exactly what I'm doing and how bad it is, I just find myself so weak-willed I can't stop! So I need to get that under control, so if anyone has any tips if you experience similar - that would be great! I definitely use food as my anchor - if i'm happy then I use food to celebrate, if i'm sad to commiserate, if i'm watching tv then it's something to do. I want to try and dissociate food from where I am in my life.

Anyways, that's my first post, sorry for rambling. My goal weight is 140lb and I hope to be there by May 2016 at the latest...

Tomorrow morning I plan to go to the gym before work. I also plan to follow Slimfast/shakes with a healthy dinner because I like the taste of those - and i work almost full time and i'm in my last year of uni studying law right now so I really don't have time to do much else.

Here I go!

 

[Cate]

Hi Charlotte & welcome to the forum. Congratulations on making the decision to become healthier. I went looking for something to help you with finding motivation & found an interesting article(in a Womens' Health Magazine).

"Stop dieting. Dieting just doesn’t work for most people. If it hasn’t been working for you, accept that—it’s okay! Instead, start to listen to yourself. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and trust that your body does know what to eat—we just have to listen.
Create a life you love now. Most of us are emotional eaters because we aren’t getting what we need from our lives. Look at how you’re using food in moments when you’re not hungry—is it for comfort? Excitement? Love? Simply notice at first, and then start to design your life in a way that gives you more of these feelings. The more you feel the way you want to feel, the less you’ll turn to food to fulfill those needs.
Work on making peace with your body. You don’t have to love your body, but try to start respecting her and getting to know her. The more you can be on the same team as her, the more natural it will feel to feed her nourishing foods and take care of her."

Respecting & getting to know your body. Sounds so simple doesn't it? It's half the battle I think. At 19 & in your last year of Law you have a wonderful life ahead of you. We'll give you some moral support along the way . Cheers, Cate.