An Introduction

"PL" wrote in message
...

So now here I am, nearing thirty, scared to death of what I am doing to my
body (my family medical history is riddled with heart disease, cancer and
diabetes), and eating my way back up to 330. I've decided that I have a
choice: I can either keep going the way I have been, starving myself down
and then gaining it all back (plus some), or I can stop this foolishness
and
actually start to change the way I live my life. But I realize now that I
can't do it alone and I'm looking for some support so I've decided to
finally come out and post. (I've always had a problem admitting I need
help.)

Welcome and congratulations on taking that first step. There are a few of
us here who started out at 300+ pounds and have lost or are losing it. When
you get that moment in life that says "do something now" it's really a
turning point and probably the beginning of the rest of your life.

For the past week and a half, I've been walking every day (30 minutes at a
moderate pace) and recording my food intake at Fitday. I'm cutting out as
much sugar as I can (I was a big soda drinker and white bread eater) and
watching my carbs (I'm not low-carbing, just trying to stay balanced). I'm
trying to stay around 1800 calories per day for now. I've lost about five
pounds so far. I'm trying to keep in mind that this isn't a diet, it's a
permanent change. My goal is to get down to between 160 and 170.

It sounds like you are off to a sensible start! By lurking around this
group you'll get a lot of good information about a variety of WOE (Ways of
Eating) but the key is to find what will work for you personally. Your goal
should be to find a WOE that you can comfortably live with...forever.

My only other advice is that when you're physcially capable of it (now or
soon), do some type of resistance or weight training in addition to walking
and other cardio. At your weight you have quite a bit of lean mass,
including muscle, and it's in your long-term best interest to maintain as
much of it as possible.

Best of luck with your progress.

Jenn

Welcome, PL! It sounds like you're on the right course this time.
It's important to remember that this is a permanent life-style change,
and that you can afford to be patient and lose weight gradually and
safely. I lost weight with an approach like yours -- tracking my
intake, eating a healthy but all-inclusive diet, and exercising. I
really want to encourage you to gradually build up the exercise as
you're able. Also, adding some strength training will pay big
dividends, both in revving up your metabolism and in helping you keep
muscle while you lose fat.

Good luck! We're here for you; don't hesitate to ask for advice or
just for encouragement!

Chris
262/143/ (145-150)

Welcome, PL! It sounds like you're on the right course this time.
It's important to remember that this is a permanent life-style change,
and that you can afford to be patient and lose weight gradually and
safely. I lost weight with an approach like yours -- tracking my
intake, eating a healthy but all-inclusive diet, and exercising. I
really want to encourage you to gradually build up the exercise as
you're able. Also, adding some strength training will pay big
dividends, both in revving up your metabolism and in helping you keep
muscle while you lose fat.

Good luck! We're here for you; don't hesitate to ask for advice or
just for encouragement!

Chris
262/143/ (145-150)

PL wrote:

That's one of my big issues. In the past I would use a slip-up as an
excuse. I'd think "screw it" and reach for the Doritos.

Getting over this thinking was a *huge* step in the right direction for
me. Every meal you eat is another chance to get it right. Do it 95% of
the time and you'll be in the mindset of a thin person.

Btw, I walked off most of my weight. Take the suggestions of adding some
resistance training to heart. I wish I had started sooner but it's never
too late. I'm just using some dumbbells and one of the workouts from
Kriata's site: http://www.stumptuous.com/program8.html Her site is
packed with good information. You've been lurking so you probably know.

Welcome to ASD. Once you really change, you'll enjoy this adventure.

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. :-)

--
Walking (but mostly biking!) on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

PL wrote:

That's one of my big issues. In the past I would use a slip-up as an
excuse. I'd think "screw it" and reach for the Doritos.

Getting over this thinking was a *huge* step in the right direction for
me. Every meal you eat is another chance to get it right. Do it 95% of
the time and you'll be in the mindset of a thin person.

Btw, I walked off most of my weight. Take the suggestions of adding some
resistance training to heart. I wish I had started sooner but it's never
too late. I'm just using some dumbbells and one of the workouts from
Kriata's site: http://www.stumptuous.com/program8.html Her site is
packed with good information. You've been lurking so you probably know.

Welcome to ASD. Once you really change, you'll enjoy this adventure.

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. :-)

--
Walking (but mostly biking!) on . . .
Laurie in Maine
207/110 60 inches of attitude!
Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03

"PL" wrote in message
...
(Apologies for the length)

I've been lurking here on and off for about a year now and thought it was
time I introduced myself. I'm a 29 year old female, six feet tall, 315
pounds. I've struggled with my weight since I was very young, although
it's
only been in the last five years or so that I've gone from overweight to
obese. Since then I've made a few half-hearted attempts to lose and
yo-yo'd
up and down.

Last year I hit my highest-ever weight of 330 pounds and freaked out. I
stupidly went on a starvation diet, eating nearly nothing and losing about
40 pounds WAY too fast. Of course I couldn't keep starving forever and
(surprise, surprise) I eventually I broke down and went back to my old
habits and have been gaining everything back.

So now here I am, nearing thirty, scared to death of what I am doing to my
body (my family medical history is riddled with heart disease, cancer and
diabetes), and eating my way back up to 330. I've decided that I have a
choice: I can either keep going the way I have been, starving myself down
and then gaining it all back (plus some), or I can stop this foolishness
and
actually start to change the way I live my life. But I realize now that I
can't do it alone and I'm looking for some support so I've decided to
finally come out and post. (I've always had a problem admitting I need
help.)

For the past week and a half, I've been walking every day (30 minutes at a
moderate pace) and recording my food intake at Fitday. I'm cutting out as
much sugar as I can (I was a big soda drinker and white bread eater) and
watching my carbs (I'm not low-carbing, just trying to stay balanced). I'm
trying to stay around 1800 calories per day for now. I've lost about five
pounds so far. I'm trying to keep in mind that this isn't a diet, it's a
permanent change. My goal is to get down to between 160 and 170.

Congratulations for arriving at a such a reasonable conclusion about your
weight.

I love to walk. I do four miles each morning. I forget all about it being
a healthy thing to do for my body. I spend the time thinking about my day
or nothing at all and just relaxing my addled brain. I also love to play
tennis and do so as frequently as I can. Engaging in any kind of exercise
regardless of how hard or easy it may be is impossible for me if I don't
enjoy it. So, I hope you enjoy walking but if you don't, my advice would be
to find something that you do enjoy.

I do not do well with refined carbs at all. For me, the key to avoiding
hunger and cravings is to avoid the insulin surge that follows eating a meal
high in refined sugars and starches. If I do indulge, I will eat the carbs
with protien and good fat to increase saity. Since reaching goal, I do have
a small piece of dark chocolate each evening but I wouldn't dream of eating
anything so sweet in the middle of the day for fear I would consume the
entire box.

I like the idea of mini goals. Also, if you are like most people, you will
undoubtedly do everything right for a period of weeks and not see any weight
come off. This is so very frustrating. A good friend during that time will
be a tape measure. When I hit those weeks on end without loss, they would
usually be followed a week where I lost four or five pounds.

One thing that I have been doing which is very scary for me is throwing out
all my old clothes that no longer fit. I think in the back of my mind I was
hanging onto some things as a safety net. It is mentally challenging to
remove whatever safety nets you have in place.

I am not much for detailed planning but I know of at least two places where
I can get a meal on the run during the day for those days when I forget to
pack something to eat. Because these places also serve other foods that I
really love, I will try to take an early lunch so I am not too hungry when I
get there and order my salad before I get too weak to make good choices.

Good luck. I like your attitude. I expect that you will be most
successful.

Julianne

143/115/115

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Nice to meet y'all. Here's to getting
to know all of you a little better.

--
PL
320/315/170


---
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"PL" wrote in message
...
(Apologies for the length)

I've been lurking here on and off for about a year now and thought it was
time I introduced myself. I'm a 29 year old female, six feet tall, 315
pounds. I've struggled with my weight since I was very young, although
it's
only been in the last five years or so that I've gone from overweight to
obese. Since then I've made a few half-hearted attempts to lose and
yo-yo'd
up and down.

Last year I hit my highest-ever weight of 330 pounds and freaked out. I
stupidly went on a starvation diet, eating nearly nothing and losing about
40 pounds WAY too fast. Of course I couldn't keep starving forever and
(surprise, surprise) I eventually I broke down and went back to my old
habits and have been gaining everything back.

So now here I am, nearing thirty, scared to death of what I am doing to my
body (my family medical history is riddled with heart disease, cancer and
diabetes), and eating my way back up to 330. I've decided that I have a
choice: I can either keep going the way I have been, starving myself down
and then gaining it all back (plus some), or I can stop this foolishness
and
actually start to change the way I live my life. But I realize now that I
can't do it alone and I'm looking for some support so I've decided to
finally come out and post. (I've always had a problem admitting I need
help.)

For the past week and a half, I've been walking every day (30 minutes at a
moderate pace) and recording my food intake at Fitday. I'm cutting out as
much sugar as I can (I was a big soda drinker and white bread eater) and
watching my carbs (I'm not low-carbing, just trying to stay balanced). I'm
trying to stay around 1800 calories per day for now. I've lost about five
pounds so far. I'm trying to keep in mind that this isn't a diet, it's a
permanent change. My goal is to get down to between 160 and 170.

Congratulations for arriving at a such a reasonable conclusion about your
weight.

I love to walk. I do four miles each morning. I forget all about it being
a healthy thing to do for my body. I spend the time thinking about my day
or nothing at all and just relaxing my addled brain. I also love to play
tennis and do so as frequently as I can. Engaging in any kind of exercise
regardless of how hard or easy it may be is impossible for me if I don't
enjoy it. So, I hope you enjoy walking but if you don't, my advice would be
to find something that you do enjoy.

I do not do well with refined carbs at all. For me, the key to avoiding
hunger and cravings is to avoid the insulin surge that follows eating a meal
high in refined sugars and starches. If I do indulge, I will eat the carbs
with protien and good fat to increase saity. Since reaching goal, I do have
a small piece of dark chocolate each evening but I wouldn't dream of eating
anything so sweet in the middle of the day for fear I would consume the
entire box.

I like the idea of mini goals. Also, if you are like most people, you will
undoubtedly do everything right for a period of weeks and not see any weight
come off. This is so very frustrating. A good friend during that time will
be a tape measure. When I hit those weeks on end without loss, they would
usually be followed a week where I lost four or five pounds.

One thing that I have been doing which is very scary for me is throwing out
all my old clothes that no longer fit. I think in the back of my mind I was
hanging onto some things as a safety net. It is mentally challenging to
remove whatever safety nets you have in place.

I am not much for detailed planning but I know of at least two places where
I can get a meal on the run during the day for those days when I forget to
pack something to eat. Because these places also serve other foods that I
really love, I will try to take an early lunch so I am not too hungry when I
get there and order my salad before I get too weak to make good choices.

Good luck. I like your attitude. I expect that you will be most
successful.

Julianne

143/115/115

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Nice to meet y'all. Here's to getting
to know all of you a little better.

--
PL
320/315/170


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.734 / Virus Database: 488 - Release Date: 8/4/2004

SnugBear wrote in alt.support.diet on Sun, 15 Aug 2004:

PL wrote:

That's one of my big issues. In the past I would use a slip-up as an
excuse. I'd think "screw it" and reach for the Doritos.

Getting over this thinking was a *huge* step in the right direction for
me. Every meal you eat is another chance to get it right. Do it 95% of
the time and you'll be in the mindset of a thin person.

My mother reckons that if you are doing long-term weight loss, you
should maybe allow yourself one day a week when you can eat what you
want - as part of your meals, mind, not extra! I don't know how right
she is, but I do know that the occasional packet of Doritos won't hurt -
but three packets every day might!
--
Annabel - "Mrs Redboots"
90/88.5/80kg

SnugBear wrote in alt.support.diet on Sun, 15 Aug 2004:

PL wrote:

That's one of my big issues. In the past I would use a slip-up as an
excuse. I'd think "screw it" and reach for the Doritos.

Getting over this thinking was a *huge* step in the right direction for
me. Every meal you eat is another chance to get it right. Do it 95% of
the time and you'll be in the mindset of a thin person.

My mother reckons that if you are doing long-term weight loss, you
should maybe allow yourself one day a week when you can eat what you
want - as part of your meals, mind, not extra! I don't know how right
she is, but I do know that the occasional packet of Doritos won't hurt -
but three packets every day might!
--
Annabel - "Mrs Redboots"
90/88.5/80kg

JMA wrote:

My only other advice is that when you're physcially capable of it
(now or soon), do some type of resistance or weight training in
addition to walking and other cardio. At your weight you have quite
a bit of lean mass, including muscle, and it's in your long-term best
interest to maintain as much of it as possible.

Best of luck with your progress.

Jenn

Thanks for the welcome, Jenn! Strength training is something I am looking to
incorporate soon. My stepmother wants us to join Curves together. I hear it
can be beneficial for beginners like me, so I'm eager to check it out and
see what's what.


--
PL
320/315/170


---
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