Moondance
New member
Hi, I'm Moondance.
I'm a 40 y/o wife and mother of 2 daughters. My hobbies are theatre (I love to perform), reading, and skiing (if I can fit into my ski pants and reach my boots to buckle them). I'm 5'4" tall, and as of today, I weigh 196 pounds.
I'd like to truthfully say I've been overweight since elementary school, but in hindsight, I wasn't. I was healthy and strong. However, compared to some other girls in school (and the ones in the media), I thought I was fat. I've lived with that self-perception for 30 years, and for the last 8 or so, I really have been.
I weighed 145 lbs when I got married (15 years ago next week!). I gained a few pounds that I didn't lose with each kid. I was riding right around 175 until about 5 years ago, when I quit smoking. I put on an additional, 25 or so, and have been stuck there since.
I used to be quite physically active...playing volleyball and skiing in the winter, softball and hiking in the summer, running 3 miles 3-4x/week all year. As the weight slowly crept on, my participation in physical activities slowly declined.
I went on the Atkins diet 4 years ago, on and off for about 18 months. It's a good diet for me because I love the protein and veggies. Not being allowed to eat sweets is a big plus too. But I found that it's hard to prepare meals and food in advanced all the time, plus eating out, parties, and traveling were especially difficult to manage. There are some who have truly made it a lifestyle, but it didn't work long term for me. I managed to lose 25 pounds, but have put it all back on. Besides, I think my problem stems mostly from emotions.
So now, I'm always tired. I can't bend over to polish my toenails or tie my shoes because my large stomach is in the way. I've lost most my flexibility and I can't climb more than one staircase without being winded. I wear a size 16 or 18 pants and an XL or 1X top. I'm on high blood pressure meds. I'm a true emotional eater. I eat when I'm mad, happy, bored, frustrated, as a reward, to avoid doing something I don't want to do, to celebrate, etc.
I guess I've hit bottom. I simply can't stand it anymore. I feel like I'm a slave to food. I've got a lot of issues to work through regarding self-worth, self-esteem, etc. I believe they're all tied together. I mentioned in another post that I'm reading Dr. Phil's book. I think some real work with the emotional aspect will go a long way to changing my behaviors and lifestyle.
If I were to pick one food item that is my greatest downfall, I'd have to say chocolate, with sugar in general as a secondary choice. I eat sweets every day. Multiple times a day, if possible. If it's possible to addicted to chocolate or sugar, I'd say I am a textbook case.
My goal is to change my lifestyle so that I may consistently and effectively exercise ~5 times per week. I want to lose 45-50 pounds at a rate of about 5 pounds per month (not including December...we all know how hard the holiday's are
). I understand there will be ups and downs, and that weight loss is not linear. If, over the long haul, my weight is declining, my energy is increasing, and my body is feeling stronger, then I'm on the right track.
When I quit smoking, there were two pieces the puzzle that had to be in place for me to be successful. One was medication (Wellbutrin) and the other was an online support group. I know how important like-minded people are to ones success. I'm in great need of friends to help me along the way, to listen to me whine or complain, to buck me up when I'm down, and to get me off my butt when I'm feeling lazy. It also helps me to help others, so hopefully I'll be able to offer some useful advice along the way too.
Thanks for "listening".
I'm a 40 y/o wife and mother of 2 daughters. My hobbies are theatre (I love to perform), reading, and skiing (if I can fit into my ski pants and reach my boots to buckle them). I'm 5'4" tall, and as of today, I weigh 196 pounds.
I'd like to truthfully say I've been overweight since elementary school, but in hindsight, I wasn't. I was healthy and strong. However, compared to some other girls in school (and the ones in the media), I thought I was fat. I've lived with that self-perception for 30 years, and for the last 8 or so, I really have been.
I weighed 145 lbs when I got married (15 years ago next week!). I gained a few pounds that I didn't lose with each kid. I was riding right around 175 until about 5 years ago, when I quit smoking. I put on an additional, 25 or so, and have been stuck there since.
I used to be quite physically active...playing volleyball and skiing in the winter, softball and hiking in the summer, running 3 miles 3-4x/week all year. As the weight slowly crept on, my participation in physical activities slowly declined.
I went on the Atkins diet 4 years ago, on and off for about 18 months. It's a good diet for me because I love the protein and veggies. Not being allowed to eat sweets is a big plus too. But I found that it's hard to prepare meals and food in advanced all the time, plus eating out, parties, and traveling were especially difficult to manage. There are some who have truly made it a lifestyle, but it didn't work long term for me. I managed to lose 25 pounds, but have put it all back on. Besides, I think my problem stems mostly from emotions.
So now, I'm always tired. I can't bend over to polish my toenails or tie my shoes because my large stomach is in the way. I've lost most my flexibility and I can't climb more than one staircase without being winded. I wear a size 16 or 18 pants and an XL or 1X top. I'm on high blood pressure meds. I'm a true emotional eater. I eat when I'm mad, happy, bored, frustrated, as a reward, to avoid doing something I don't want to do, to celebrate, etc.
I guess I've hit bottom. I simply can't stand it anymore. I feel like I'm a slave to food. I've got a lot of issues to work through regarding self-worth, self-esteem, etc. I believe they're all tied together. I mentioned in another post that I'm reading Dr. Phil's book. I think some real work with the emotional aspect will go a long way to changing my behaviors and lifestyle.
If I were to pick one food item that is my greatest downfall, I'd have to say chocolate, with sugar in general as a secondary choice. I eat sweets every day. Multiple times a day, if possible. If it's possible to addicted to chocolate or sugar, I'd say I am a textbook case.
My goal is to change my lifestyle so that I may consistently and effectively exercise ~5 times per week. I want to lose 45-50 pounds at a rate of about 5 pounds per month (not including December...we all know how hard the holiday's are
). I understand there will be ups and downs, and that weight loss is not linear. If, over the long haul, my weight is declining, my energy is increasing, and my body is feeling stronger, then I'm on the right track.When I quit smoking, there were two pieces the puzzle that had to be in place for me to be successful. One was medication (Wellbutrin) and the other was an online support group. I know how important like-minded people are to ones success. I'm in great need of friends to help me along the way, to listen to me whine or complain, to buck me up when I'm down, and to get me off my butt when I'm feeling lazy. It also helps me to help others, so hopefully I'll be able to offer some useful advice along the way too.
Thanks for "listening".
