Getting bigger and scared

mtnmama

New member
I am a 37 year old mother of 2 beautiful girls, age 12 and 13. My life is very busy with them, one a gymnast and one a clogger, and what I am MOST thankful for in life is that they are happy, healthy, and they still want to hang around MOM!!!! But, as happy as my children make me, my weight erases all of that joy. In high school and before I had kids, I weighed a steady 102 (I am only 5' tall). Since the birth of my second child, I never lost that weight, and over 12 years have gained 40 more pounds. And what scares me most is I have a morbidly obese brother AND sister, both older than me. It scares me that something in my genes or my thought process is inherently FAT. Fat is not who I am and I am sick of it! I am up to a size 14 jeans, and they are SO tight on me. Nothing looks good, and I can't afford to go out and buy bigger clothes every couple of months. Not that I would want to! I am tired all the time and unmotivated. I wear heavy sweatshirts and jeans every day of my life. I weigh about 15 pounds more than I did last summer, and I am dreading pulling out the T-shirts, let alone the swim suit. ACCKK! I have tried diets before, and between cravings and lack of motivation and not having time to fool with it, all have failed. I am going to join a local gym (it's small, but better than nothing) tomorrow and try to go and do SOMETHING that involves moving my body every day. My kids are excited about going with me. The gymast wants more muscles and the clogger wants to get in better shape for track. My husband.....well, he's a stick, always has been. He doesn't understand how someone could be fat...JUST EAT LESS, he says. Our marriage is on the edge of a cliff right now anyway, and that doesn't help matters either. The only thing I'm sure of right now is, I HAVE to lose weight NOW. I'm looking forward to talking to some of you and hearing your stories, and especially hearing some success stories. I need motivation.
Thanks for reading! Talk to you all soon.
Stacy
 
hello and welcome! im sure u'll find much support and motivation over here.. glad u've decided to join the gym.. very soon u'll make friends at the gym and u'll be motivated to go work out there! all the best to u =)
 
Hi Stacey,

You are lucky to have two daughters who support you with such enthusiasm. It is normally hard to lose weight with all the trigger foods that teenagers bring into the house but perhaps your daughters will be able to help you. As far as your husband, it is the whole Mars and Venus thing. His solution is technically correct and he has no desire to delve any further into the issues. Do it for yourself, celebrate with your daughters (maybe steal their clothes), and draw support where you find it. Good luck and congratulations on taking the first steps, you have some exciting times in front of you. Go for it!
 
Welcome to the Forum, Stacy! It's really a fantastic place to get the motivation and support that you need. Have you started a diary in the Weight Loss Diary section? That would be my first suggestion to you. It is a simple way for you to track your progress. Also, it helps other members keep track of where you are and offer suggestions and praise. I wish you the best of luck! I'll be stopping by your diary to see how things are going. :)

Dee
 
Like mentioned above it's great your daughters are at the age where they can actively support and go with you to the gym. As far as your husband, if he's been thin all his life then he may not have the knowledge to give you on how to lose weight and may just withdraw totally from giving you advice, it's a complicated pride thing. With him, Instead of seeking support and kind of forcing it out of him, I suggest dragging his butt out of the house for a morning walk or a weekend bike ride or hike under the guise of "honey, I love you, lets spend some time together." You'll be surprised how much weight loss and exercise can improve your self confidence and mood, lower your overall level of stress, and in turn really improve your relationships with people ... Yeah my minor course of study in college before I dropped out was psychology :)

With your mention of not being able to buy a new wardrobed if you gain even more weight, I'm assuming you're budget conscious. With that said I'm also guessing you're not in a position to hire a personal trainer for at least one session to show you how to use weights properly. This is were I would suggest going out and picking up a book on weight training like Weight Training for Dummies or a similar book, just something that will go over the proper safety and show you illustrations of proper weight exercises and techniques if you have little or no experience. The gym you go to may be small, but you'd be surprised with the amount of things you can do with a set of dumbbells or barbells. Contrary to popular belief you won't bulk up like the She-Hulk, but even light weight training done properly will help preserve muscle tissue while you diet as well as raise your metabolism.

If you also post an average day of what you eat and drink, here or in "The Harsh Truth" or "Nutrition" section, then we can point out weaknesses in your diet that you may have. My weakness was a lot of soda, and I totally cut that out of my diet when I started, along with restructuring it to be much much healthier.
 
hi there mntmama.......I am 5'2" so i know how even a little weight has a huge impact......sucks!!!!:mad:
This forum is great for support, and a laugh or two as well!!:D
keep on posting and start a diary too, so we can check in on ya and hold yer butt accontable!!!!!!:eek:
ok anyways have a good one and see ya around the forum!!!!
STAR:p
 
Welcome to the forum! I can relate to many of the things you have mentioned...the great thing is you joined the forum and you are now on your way to a healthier you...
I don't have too much advice to give...I've just recently started this journey as well...made some mistakes along the way (cookies and more cookies) but the great thing is when you are down, there is someone right there to say something to encourage you on here...it has helped me out a lot...I've had good days and trust me I've had some low days...and without fail someone has made me feel so much better without stuffing that chocolate in my mouth...good luck! And I will definintely see you around the forum!!
Kat
 
Welcome to your journey!
The important thing is that you are aware and trying to confront the issue; thats the hardest part. Once you get going diet and exercise comes much easier than those first few weeks; the cravings start to subside, routine is in place, and you are starting to see small changes in your appearance. I for one went to wash my hands in the bathroom today, looked up and was shocked at what a differance there is in my face compared to a little over a month ago. It is a long journey full of many small steps, but at some point it only took a straw to break the camels back! everything adds up!!!

Good Journey to you!!!
 
welcome to the forum and to your journey to the body you want to have...

One of the first steps you really want to take, as mentioned above, is starting a diary which gives you a great place to get support -and helps us get to know you better... CHeck ouot other's diaries as well to see what they're doing..

You also might want to start an online food journal like - it's easier to control what you are eating if you know exactly what you are eating.

good luck and welcome
 
Back
Top