Starting Over Again

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beginagain

New member
Tomorrow morning I am starting over AGAIN.

I need to lose 60 pounds and get myself back into shape before I cross that line into high blood pressure, type II diabetes, etc...

Starting weight is 245 pounds. Goal is 185. Short term goal is to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year.

Exercise goal is 30-45 minutes of aerobic activity 5 days a week for now. I will probably start with alternating walking and biking and try to get some variety as time goes by.

Biggest challenge is that I use food as a replacement for the emotional support that I don't have in my life. It's my one real pleasure. As a single parent, it feels like I am always giving emotionally and there is no one to give to me emotionally. Over the years, food has become a replacement for that. I know that is unhealthy and that it isn't really replacing anything, but it's what I have done for so long that it's hard to stop!!

First step is to find other things that can replace food to give me pleasure. I am open to any suggestions!

Thanks for reading and for any input...

Jan
 
You can get all the support that you need right here! :)

I was definitely an emotional eater, but I think just becoming very conscious of that fact helps a lot. Understand why you're eating and don't just do it mindlessly. And if you indulge, try finding healthier snacks. It also helped me out focusing on working out. It helps give me a high to the day and keep me focused. The days I don't work out I tend to want to indulge more. Also, I know that I have a bad habit of eating and snacking late at night. I always have. So instead of fighting that like I used to, I just make my eating fit my day. I just try to save at least half of my calories for dinner and after. That way I can still snack, and if I eat healthy I can still eat quite a bit at night.

I think it's all really about trial and error and discovering what works best for you and is going to be sustainable long-term. Keep us updated! :seeya:
 
beginagain said:
First step is to find other things that can replace food to give me pleasure. I am open to any suggestions!
Click to expand...

How about learning how to love and appreciate healthy foods?
That's sort've the kick I'm on at the moment. While I still love the bad stuff, I'm trying to get into the habit of preparing healthy meals at home. So far, I'm having a lot of fun cooking.

So why not direct your love of food to cooking?

Not sure if you cook much. Maybe you do already?
 
Other kicks.

I certainly recognize your view of food and eating it is/was mine too.

But things have changed/are changing.

Like the previous posts, I've also made fundamental changes to what I eat. I've reduced red meat and increased fish. I also have a supply of healthy snacks and fruit in the house for when I just have to eat something.

I also have three new sources of buzzes - The first one is finding low calories foods in the supermarket. I always flip the packet over and look at cals/100g and get a real buzz when I find something I've not had before that is low-cal. And I'm not just referring to processed low-cal products, like diet soda. I mean comparing the different types of fish and choosing the low-cal one. Some are successful - others not. ( I can't recommend spaghetti bolognese made with turkey mince - but it is low-cal)

My second buzz comes from my "numbers". I'm weighing myself each day on the wii and making a note of my BMI (and hence weight). Now it doesn't go down every day - but on the days when I achieve a "record low" - I get a real buzz.

Thirdly, I've joined the gym - something I thought would never appeal to me - but it did, so I joined. I've been going for a couple of months now and seeing the improvement in my "numbers" there is another buzz.

And one significant difference between these new buzz's and the "buzz" I used to get from inappropriate eating - is the lack of guilt afterward !!!

The new buzz's are 100% guilt-free - imagine that !!!!

So, read the posts on here - find what works for you - and enjoy the journey to the new you.

All the very best.
 
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Starting Over Again...

Thanks to all of you for the support and advice. It helps to know that there are others who have the same (or similar) struggles.

Two days down and I am doing pretty good. I am down two pounds and I have eaten lots more veggies and lots less unhealthy food. I had frosted mini-wheats and a banana for breakfast and a cheese stick for a morning snack. For lunch, I had a salad and a grilled chicken sandwich. I did have half sweet/half unsweetened tea at lunch, but for a Southern girl tea is the nectar of the gods and I am not ready to completely give that up!! For dinner, I made veggie spaghetti and had one light roll. I may have some yogurt before bed, but I'll see if I get hungry after my 2 mile walk with my dog.

I do enjoy exercising, but I have to make the time to do it. And I also enjoy cooking, but with 2 teenaged sons the healthy veggie dishes that I should eat are not going to work. Tonight I made veggie spaghetti for me and venison spaghetti for them, which seemed to work well for everyone. I just need to take this one day and one pound at a time.

Thanks again for the moral support!!

Jan
 
Good day foodwise...

Muffin & Banana for breakfast
Chicken sandwich and salad for lunch
Cereal and yogurt for dinner
raisins for an afternoon snack

My only vice was the tea at lunch again. Eventually I will go to unsweetened tea completely, but I am not there yet.

I am about to go walk a couple of miles. Food level is good. This exercise level will not work for the long run, but it's a start for now. Since it is dark when I get home, my options are more limited right now. I need to start riding the stationary bike for 30-45 minutes a day in addition to the 2 mile walk. Maybe next week...

I hope I can stick with it this time. Weight has been an issue for me most of my adult life, and I am so ready to stop even thinking about it. So far so good...

Jan
 
Another pretty good day.

Pumpkin bread and a banana for lunch

Chicken fajitas and black beans for lunch (with water!!)

Ham, light roll, and potato for dinner.

I am about to go ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes and walk the dog (in the rain) for about 15.

Tomorrow will be a challenge - Thanksgiving lunch at work. My plan is to eat a really light breakfast, try to keep it under control at lunch, and then eat a very light dinner. One meal can only do so much damage, right?? I should also be able to get in a lot of exercise tomorrow.

Gotta stay positive and keep on track. The weight did not appear overnight and it is certainly going to take some time to get it off. My challenge will probably be to keep myself motivated for the long haul. Right now I am just taking it one day at a time.

3 down, 57 pounds to go...
 
Sounds like you're doing well so far. And of course one meal won't kill you. If you stress over each meal the rest of your life you'd go bonkers!! For me, sometimes eating a smaller breakfast makes me want to eat more for lunch and dinner, so I like to make sure I'm not starving come time for a big meal, then I have a salad or something for dinner.
 
Today I had an epiphany of sorts. I realize that I put everyone else's needs before my own, but today I realized that not one of the people in my life appreciates that fact. So I am sacrificing me AND no one even appreciates that. Wow - definitely need to give that one some further thought. Maybe it's time for me to change and them to get a wake-up call!!

I am not doing bad on the food, but exercise is a challenge because of the weather. It seems to rain constantly these days. This weekend I am going to set up my bonus room with my exercise bike and some weights so I can work out there even if the weather is bad.

I am trying to maintain through Thanksgiving and get back on the losing track on Friday. I can meet my 10 pounds by the end of the year goal if I just keep the exercise going.

3 pounds down... 57 to go...
 
Jan -

Kinda same boat as you. I started my "ELMM" Program at the beginning of this year. I weighed in at 250+ (6'2"). I am now down to 215 and moving toward 200 by about 2-5lbs per week.

I can give you more detail if your interested.. BTW.. ELMM=Eat Less Move More.

Jim Allen
 
It's been a good day food wise and exercise wise. I did well in spite of lots of pre-Thanksgiving snacking opportunities at work. I did have a little, but not much.

I came home at 3:00 and took the dog for a long walk in the woods. After I make some dinner, I am planning to ride the stationary bike for 8-10 miles. I dread tomorrow's 'eat till you drop' festivities, but if I have a light breakfast lunch shouldn't do too much damage. Since I am eating at my Mom's, there won't be leftovers to avoid. That is a VERY positive thing. And if the weather is good, I plan to take my dog and go for a long walk at the lake in the afternoon. I have always loved being outside and exercising, but I need to make it more a part of my life and not so much something that I view as a chore. Maybe I need to set some goals as far as the exercise goes. I'm a numbers person, so maybe I need to shoot for a certain number of miles walked and/or biked per month. I may try that for December, not focus on the food so much but focus on trying to meet the exercise goals and then concentrate more on the food once I get past Christmas. I like that idea!! I like that idea a lot...
 
I did it. I survived Thanksgiving. Foodwise I did well. I ate too much, but certainly not as much as I have in the past. And I stayed on the move to distract myself and (hopefully) burn some calories. I confirmed that my family is still dysfunctional and that it is best for my emotional health if I see them as little as possible. It would be great to have a loving and supportive family, but I don't. They will not change. Ever. I am not like them. I never will be. I don't WANT to be like them. They are pompous and judgmental and self-absorbed. They enjoy seeing people fail because it makes them feel better about themselves. How pathetic...

I am a good person. I am smart and caring and loving. I have good technical skills and good people skills. I have been very successful in my professional life in spite of my battle with my weight. But personally I have made a big mess. I have become someone that I don't even understand. I have been given lots of gifts and abilities, and I have not made the most of them over the past 5 years. I need to lose this weight and then get on with the rest of my life. I need to find me again somewhere buried in that extra 60 pounds. Instead of lamenting all the things I don't have, I need to appreciate the things I do have and make the most of them. I need to shed the burden of this extra weight and spread my wings and fly again. Yes, I have made mistakes. We all do. But that doesn't meant I can't fly again just because I have had a couple of nasty crashes.

First goal: Walk 12 miles and bike 20 miles in the next week. Restrict calories to 1800 or less each day.

I MUST DO THIS...
 
Looks like you are really fired up making some self discoveries. That's great!!! It seems like you are just getting ready to make some good and positive personal changes in your life. You are on your way to a real new begining.

It seems you have all you need to keep going until you achieve all your goals. Keep that mindset and never give up. You can make it hapen.

Regarding you weight loss it also looks like you are getting things under control with your food, that's great to hear. Remember also that the more protein you take the more fat% you lose and protein also helps your skin to "shrink" as you lose weight so at the end you won't have to battle with all that skin excess that then becomes another problem.

Keep in mind that although meats have protein they also have a lot of fat so for your goals as far as protein intake meats are not a good choice. Try finding isolated soy protein which as far as i know is the best protein you can take.

God Bless you
 
Way to survive turkey day! Keep on rocking and pushing yourself. Sometimes you fall off the wagon (like me this whole week), but it's about getting back up and remembering what your here for. I think it's a good idea to remember those feelings and WHY you are trying to get healthier. I was thinking about that earlier today ... looking in the mirror at myself and remembering how far I've come already, but not to slack off b/c it's a long wa to go still. WE WILL DO THIS! Thanks for the inspirational post.
 
Continuing on the journey. Becoming very much aware of the things I need to change and how I need to go about changing them. Noticing things that I haven't noticed for a while and planning to do things that I will only do once I am at my goal weight. This really is a whole life change!!

One issue that I know we have all dealt with... I tend to buy only the clothes that I HAVE to have, because I am always planning to lose weight "soon" AND nothing really looks good anyway when you are overweight and out of shape. Well, I have to go to a very high profile conference this week and I HAVE to go buy some really dressy clothes. I dread this so bad - a) because I don't want to spend money on clothes that I hopefully won't be able to wear in a couple of months and b) because I never, ever like the fat chick clothes. I must go shopping, but I am really, really dreading it.

I MUST DO THIS... IT WILL NEVER GET ANY EASIER THAN IT IS RIGHT NOW...
 
Hi Jan. I want to point out something that you wrote a few days ago and then something that you wrote a little over a week ago.

A few days ago you said:
Today I had an epiphany of sorts. I realize that I put everyone else's needs before my own, but today I realized that not one of the people in my life appreciates that fact. So I am sacrificing me AND no one even appreciates that.
Click to expand...

Prior to that you said:
And I also enjoy cooking, but with 2 teenaged sons the healthy veggie dishes that I should eat are not going to work.
Click to expand...

Look at those two statements. When I first read the statement about your sons and veggie dishes, my instinctive, gut response was .. Why the hell not?

And I think you answered that in your subsequent post.

Why can't you feed your sons veggie meals a couple of times a week? Will it kill them? Why is it healthier for *you* to eat veggie, but not for them?

There are TONS of adult men who eat veggie. There are tons of families (my best friend and her husband are one) who are 100% veggie at home and feed their kids veggie meals all the time. Heck, my husband learned to eat (and ENJOY) veggie meals when we were together ... and now that we're not together, he still fixes himself veggies meals a few times a week, both for health reasons and to save money.

Why can't your sons learn now that there is more than one way to eat - that you don't have to have meat at every meal? That eating veggie now and then is a healthy option - both for them and for the environment?

Or are you focusing on them to the exclusion of you? :)

I dunno .. those two statements struck me and I figured that right now you might be open to hearing an alternate point of view. :)
 
Karacooks -

You are right I do tend to compromise what I need for others, and it is something that I need to work on. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I need to be reminded that my needs are just as important as theirs. My sons are old enough to drive themselves to get other food and/or cook something themselves if they can't live with the veggie meals.

Interestingly enough, I am way too giving in my personal relationships but at work I am very tough and assertive. My personal life has sucked, but I have been very successful professionally. I need to give that one some thought. Maybe there is some insight to be found there if I think about it long enough...
 
That's too funny, because my nieces and nephews were all over at my parent's house the other day and my mom was saying this nephew won't eat this dish and you can't put that spice in that sauce because of this niece, and we have to get something else for this niece.

Then my dad just laughed and said that was bullcrap. "I doubt those kids have ever really been hungry, because they would eat what we have before they starved."

So do what's best for you, they may follow your lead and start a healthier lifestyle themselves.
 
Good day foodwise. Made good choices.

Toast, fruit, and cheese for breakfast.
Grilled Chicken salad and unsweetened tea for lunch.
Chicken sandwich, veggies and diet lemonade for dinner.

I went shopping after dinner. Nothing like a dressing room mirror to give you a cold hard dose of reality!! I actually bought a few things, but man I have got to lose the weight and get in shape.

I am going to walk 2 miles with the dog and then do some light weights and stretching before I crash for the day. I actually feel so much better having eaten light all day. I just hope I can keep it going tomorrow. I will be at a conference all day, and I am 100% sure that the food choices will not be healthy. I'll just have to eat breakfast before I leave home and try to keep it as light as possible at lunch. Lots and lots of water might help. Dinner might be some raisin bran if lunch does not go well!!

3 pounds down. 57 to go...
 
Another good day on food and exercise. Lunch was a challenge, but I did fine. I wanted to go back for more pasta SOOOOO badly, but I opted for an extra glass of water instead. I think this will get easier every day if I can just keep myself motivated.

Breakfast - Cereal with a banana, cheese stick
Lunch - Pasta, Salad, one roll, fruit, unsweetened tea
Dinner - Ham, roll, veggies

I was planning to do some weights again tonight, but my back was sorta tight from sitting in a conference all day so I spent a few minutes doing some light exercises and stretches which felt wonderful. Unfortunately, I think I am getting old enough that I really need to put more time into stretching. Sometimes I still think I am twentysomething and can just jump right into whatever physical activity I want to do without having to stretch or warm up. My body usually corrects my thinking VERY quickly!!

So far I have five miles of walking in this week. I want to get another 10 in before Monday and also some time on the bike. 2 more times with the light weights and two more exercise/stretching sessions and I will be pleased with my efforts for this week. I think I am good for the 10 pounds by the end of December, and if I'm lucky it may be more.

4 pounds down... 56 to go...
 
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