Trying to get back on the wagon

Hi everyone..

I havent been on this site is years. 11 years out.. highest weight was 365 and never made it to goal. I got down to 205 and regained 35 lbs. I am trying to get back on the wagon, just signed up for a gym membership as well. This may sound odd, but I'm a little scared to lose more weight because I'm scared of the skin. I know it may sound crazy. But I'm honestly afraid of what I will look like since I know I'll never be able to afford removal. Right now I can get away with tight jeans and loose tops to help hide it but idk. I know it sounds crazy but, yeah. I really want to get down to 175 but lacking some motivation.

Honestly your post shows to me you really don't want to get to the goal. I am not sure if you even should aim for rapid weight loss. Starting with small changes, making smaller goals - like: lose at least 1 pound a week.

If I felt like that, I would try to concentrate of clean (cleaner) diet, avoiding sweet and starchy carbs, and eliminating junk food. Making sure you get enough proteins, and some good veggies, and using fruits as deserts.

Getting fit may be great idea, just remember that the heavier you are, the more your joints can be affected as you walk or run. Make sure you have good, properly fitted, supportive shoes, to limit pounding to your kneese, hips and the spine.

Good luck.

I don't know why you would say you dont think I want to get to goal.. why else would I come back on here? I am simply stuck and lacking some motivation so I came to a place that has helped in the past.. since I don't have any friends that have actually been through it. I am making small changes.. drinking lots of water again, and concentrating on protein. I'm not going for rapid weight loss.. just loss period. Thanks for your reply.

I don't think you want to get to a healthy weight because you are making excuses in your post. Perhaps seeing a counselor would help your mindset. I know it helps me a lot.

I lost 200 pounds after my surgery in 2008. I gained 30 dealing with my mother's illness and death. I take full responsibility for my gain and now I am back on-track. I have lost 10 of the 30 and will keep making good choices and do what I need to do to lose the last 20.

I wasnt making excuses, I was merely talking about things I'm concerned about. Clearly coming back to this page was a mistake. Thanks for the reminder.. never said it wasnt my fault, never said I wasn't seeing a counselor. Thought it would be nice to come back to people who understand the journey.. again.. clearly an error. Didnt need judgement but thanks.

Laura, I also gained about 30# while responsible for my mom's care near the end of her life. Back on track now, inching my way back to where I want to be. I have lost 7# in the last 4 weeks and am VERY happy with that progress and with returning to clean eating habits! Good for you as well - the emotion and demands of caregiving are very difficult.

Thank you. I am glad you are taking care of yourself, too. We will both reach our goals!!

Hugs!

I did not mean to offend you, but "lack of motivation" plus really being concerned about lose skin - showed me that you KNOW you should lose weight, but, as you said in your post "you are lacking motivation".

I am talking from my own experience. Regain, lose it, regain, lose it...

At one time I regained app 30 lbs. That was not healthy for me, and I took charge and lost 15 lbs... but after that "I had very low motivation " to got back to my goal. I was relatively happy with myself, with my body and with my diet. Losing more required a lot of work, that at that time I was not really ready to put in. After 2 -3 months of struggling with my diet, having 2-3 days I was strict, then "cheating" made me realized that at that point "the lack if motivation" plus my half-ass attempts to lose weight were damaging to my body and my mind. I changed my approach, allowing myself more flexibility in my diet, and I stopped feeling guilty about some choices. That new approach was much better for me. A year later I got really motivated again and lost the rest of regain. But I needed a good mind set to do the work and really wanted to do it.

That's why I suggested a different approach. "Healthier eating and movement " that may get you ready and find your motivation.

BTW-- IMO, drinking proteins shakes, liquid diet, can often lead to overeating later during the day. With a mature pouch, liquids couldn't make me full and I got hungry an hour after I drank it. Even now. I had a significant oral surgery 10 days ago, and I have been on liquids- very soft foods since then. And I'll have to be on that for the next few months to allow my jaws to heal. It sucks. Because no matter how much I eat, I don't get full or stay full. I'm hungry most of a time. Avoiding things like bread, crackers, etc. is going to be challenging.

App 15+ years ago, at my adult age I decided to get braces to correct my bite. I was sure I would lose weight because I was planning to drink protein shakes, eat yogurt, soups - all healthy items. In reality I gained weight because liquids and mushy foods left me hungry, unable to get "full" so I was snacking a lot, and ice cream was not only tasty, but the cold soothed the insides and the gums.

This time, post op RNY, I could get severe reactions to too many sugars, so at least that helps me avoiding the very food, junk food that also can cause weight gain. It doesn't help me that I also have dairy allergies (whey, milk, yogurt and cheese). Because things like Greek yogurt, or homemade protein ice cream would be a nice addition to my limited diet.

I know the next few months would be challenging. I decided to just "don't sweat it" and make as good choices as I can, taking "one day at a time, one meal at a time" approach. Before my surgery I got down to my low weight goal, so I have a small buffer - a few pounds I can gain and still be fabulous and at goal.

As Laura suggested- getting therapy may really help you. There may be other reasons beside "lose skin " that you are dealing with that hinders your motivation.

I.e. one if my issues when my motivation was low were work- relationships related. One lady I worked with was obsessed with her weight, and when I would get thinner she "needed" to remain smaller that me. Her comments about what size she was wearing, bringing me some of her clothes to wear because they were "falling off her" was something I did not want to deal with. And I didn't really realized that it was one of a reason my motivation was lower than it should have been. Talking with a therapist about stress and issues and my approach to life really helped me to sort thing out.

this is me before I had plastic surgery. See any loose skin? I lost over 200 lbs, so I had a lot of it - but no one knew it was there but me. I eventually had it removed because I got tired of looking at it and I didn't like the way it slapped up against my body when I exercised, but as long as I wore loose, long-ish tops and elbow-length (or longer) sleeves, no one else had a clue it was there

You look great.. congrats! Hopefully I'll be able to get there ??