Hey all. I am new.

Hello :) I am new to this site and only half way considering surgery. I am 21 years old,  5 foot 2 and 307 pounds. Obesity runs in my family, but no one in my family has had surgery. My mother dieted and exercised for 2 years and lost of her weight and went from 280 lbs to 160 lbs. I was hoping that some of you could give me advice on diet and exercise. Really, in all honesty, I am looking for support without surgery. Im looking for people I can turn to when I feel like giving up that will encourage me to keep going. I have been trying to lose weight for a year and everytime I try, I give up becuase I have no one to push me to keep going. No one to give me strength to continue. I am tired of being obese. I just want help.

Where does anyone find the stregth to keep going?

-Skittles

Hey Sweetie!

I am on the path towards WLS, mainly because I have done so many weight loss attempts, and have yet to fully succeed without intervention.  I am currently battling with the ten percent weight loss I need before I can get surgery, so in a way I am doing a non-surgical approach for now.

In the past, I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, and gained it back.  You have probably heard about me - I am YoYo - ha ha!  The genetic cards are stacked against me, so I have never thought I could ever get to what is known as "normal" weight.  My lightest was 174 - and I was wearing a size 13.  Up until I got hurt seven years ago, I had been a very active fat chick, now I am a "somewhat" active fat chick who is serious about getting to a healthy weight.

Strength comes from within - really.  I bet YOU have a whole lotta strength, but you need to have someone turn the mirror around so you can see it.  It takes STRENGTH to "stand up" in front of a large group & announce to the group your true feelings.

My questions for you to ask yourself - and be honest - Do you have a healthy diet?  Are you active?  Do you like yourself?  When you answer these questions, I am sure you will have an idea how to carry out your goals.  Your mom is a tough cookie for losing all that weight - and genetics probably gave YOU that same tough cookie gene!

Living in a large body is never easy.  Showing you can persevere is going to be how you figure out what size body you can live in.

Brenda : )~

Hi Skittles-

I'm new to the forum too, and although I am older, I have struggled with my weight since I was 6 years old. Now I am 36. I don't ever want to give up trying. But I TOO do not want to go the WLS route. Too invasive.

I TOO am tired of being OBESE. I feel like I am dragging myself into an early grave. I don't want that.

Right now I am going to do my best to re-create myself mentally and spiritually so that I am ready for the transformation. We need to gather the strength that is inside ourselves. And every time I tried to diet, I thought I had that strength, but the old habits just kept coming back. Its about changing perspective I think, and being mentally prepared. I have to get to a place where I don't care about food at all. I want to be there. It has to be just another process, no longer my comfort or a source of happiness. Thats what I am trying to change about how I feel and think about food. That is the first step I think. I never did that before when I went on diets.

What I am going to do is go on a bariatric style diet without the surgery. I've ordered some Medifast type meal replacement shakes etc. Its a high-protein, low calorie/low carb liquid diet, you eat 5 meals a day and then have one "lean and green" meal - protein and veggies. This gives me at least if not more than 100 G of protein, which is great. I am going to let myself have coffee (love it) Also I am going to supplement with a multivitamin (I am using prenatal vitamins HAHA). Also, on days when I want to work out (I hate to exercise unless I am in the mood and I willl NOT force myself), I will do aerobics.kickbox and take a fat burner before I do it. And I will try to walk for 30 mins to 1 hour every day that I don't workout.

This is my plan. Let me know if any of this is helpful - I can be there for you, I know its too hard to do it alone.

-Brenda

Hello Skittles - I too am older than you -38- and have been fat FOREVER. My whole family (mom, dad, bro) is overweight. But, my hubby and children are not - I've tried very hard to raise active, healthy children. I didn't want them burdened with what I have. Anyway, I personally do not have the strength within myself to lose weight - I've tried and tried. FOR ME, I know it's going to have to be God who gives me His strength and breaks me free from this fat. When I'm truly leaning on Him, I do much better and the food doesn't pull as much. I know I have to exercise too - I have found some exercise that I enjoy - I do clogging and I love it. I'm trying to use my Wii-fit too - put on a movie and do stepping. Are you and your mother close? If so, since she has done well, she could certainly help and be an inspiration. Hopefully we all can help each other - we need lots of posters! Let's get this forum as busy as the surgery ones!! Oh, also I find using my children's plates helps me to eat less - no seconds either. I can't do low-carb, I am a total witch if I restrict my eating that way - so, I'm just really trying to restrict my portions, and lose a pound a week - which is totally doable IF I get my rear in gear. Have a wonderful day! Blessings, Stacy

Hello and welcome! It is possible for you. I have done it. I live it now. It is more than just about weight loss and food. You need to really search yourself and find out why you are heavy. I know that there is a genetic factor as well as others. But, to lose the weight and keep it off. you need to be different. You need to love yourself and feel you are worth it. You need to change the way you live, and the way you think. You are strong. We all are. Below is what I recently is posted to another new member about my story and how I changed my life. I hope it helps. Please feel free to friend me if you want to chat or need encouragement. I know you can do this. You can be different! God bless you.
Sandi

Hello There and Welcome,
I can relate to a lot of what you posted. It breaks my heart because I know how much it hurts and how much you want things to be different. I had tried every diet known to man and had lost and gained hundreds of pounds in my lifetime. I even became a vegan and exercise freak and lost 100lbs in 8months when I was in my 20's. I of course gained it all back because I couldn't live that lifestyle, it was killing me. I eventually became anorexic and was ordered by my dr to put on weight or she would hospitalize me. I put on weight alright, at my known heaviest ( I stopped weighing myself eventually) I was 273. I was in bad shape. Two days after Christmas 2007, my morbidly obese father suddenly died. At the end of his life, he was so heavy he couldn't do anything for himself. I could see myself heading in the same direction and it scared me. I didn't want my sons to have to be doing everything for me the way we had to for my dad. I wanted a different life. After gaining 20 more pounds. I decided to change. Diets had never worked. I prayed and asked God to help me be different. I made a commitment to myself to make better food choices, watch portion control and move more. I took it at first hour by hour then day by day. Each decision at a time. If I screwed up, I wouldn't beat myself up about it. I would just make a better decision next time. The big difference this time was just that. I decided not to pressure myself, not to beat myself up and to take it slow. It is not a race. I had bought a Wii for my sons for Christmas and also the Wii Fit. I decided to play on that for 15 mins a day for exercise. It was fun. When 15 mins became too easy, I upped my time to 20 and so on. Eventually I was doing 1 hour of cardio 5 days a week. I lost over 124lbs in a little over a year. I have struggled with self-hatred and lack of self-worth most of my life. Losing the weight didn't make that go away, in fact, it brought it all to the surface. When I had lost around 90lbs, I had a nervous breakdown of sorts. I no longer had the fat or the overeating to hide behind. I always knew I was obese because of emotional pain, not because I loved food. I just didn't know how to stop the pain.  I am a woman of faith, I don't know if you are. I'm not trying to preach to you or convert you to anything, I am just telling you my story. I wanted a different life. I knew somewhere inside I wasn't this sad, defeated person who hated herself. I knew this wasn't who God had made me to be. I asked for God to reveal who I really was. I needed to really see myself through His eyes not my own, not through the way this world views me. Over a few really tough months He did just that. He showed me TRUTH. I am not what people have told me I am. I am not a body image or a label. I am who God says I am. That is the truth. It has set me free. I am a different person inside and out. I no longer have a screwed up relationship with food. I used to hate it. Now it is a blessing that is used to fuel my body. It is possible to live a different life. If it is possible for me and others, it is possible for you. I want to encourage you to want more for yourself. You are worth it. This is not who God made you to be. He wants a different life for you too. My biggest advice to you is to take it slow. Little steps, little changes, without putting too much pressure on yourself. If you mess up, no big deal, move on. This is NOT a race. You are changing your life.You have to find a lifestyle you can live with for the rest of your life. It takes time. I believe that most people, if not all, are not obese just becasue they love food. Pain is the real culprit. If we can find the source of that pain and deal with and heal from i,t we can change our bodies for good. PM me if you need to talk or need anything at all. I will be praying for you. God bless you.
  Sandi