I am new...and I need advice
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I am new...and I need advice
| Wed, 08-11-2004 - 1:41pm |
I am a 35 year old mother of 2 who recently separated from my husband. Before I had children I weighed 120 pounds. I just got on the scale this morning and it read 291 lbs and I am only 5'4". I am having trouble keeping up with my two children. I am a very outgoing person and now I find myself just staying home. I am also having trouble find clothing that fits me properly in that i limit myself to sweatpants. I don't know where to begin. Does anyone know how I can start?? Thanks for your help.

Hugs, Brenda
Hugs, Brenda
~~Linda
~~Linda
I went into a 12 step support group for compulsive overeating in March 2002. (As a disclaimer, I am a binge eater- my issue was not that I had an extra helping every now and then. With sugar and certain other things, once I start I am completely powerless to stop. What started as an occasional binge to comfort myself eventually turned into binging every second I was awake.) My sponsor suggested that I start with eliminating sugar and not eating in between meals. I thought that there was absolutely no way that I could lose weight- it didn't seem restrictive enough for me, and I kept questioning it. The thing is that I could deal with it over a longer period of time because it wasn't restrictive, and over the past 2 1/2 years, my food plan has changed several times- now I am basically doing sugar busters (no sugar or sugar free candy, no white flour, white rice, or white bread). This is something that I plan on doing for the rest of my life- it's a healthy food plan with whole grains and lots of veggies, and it works for me. I gradually added the exercise in, but only after giving myself time to adjust to the new food plan. (I quit smoking around that time too :-))I now do 6-8 hours a week at the gym, supplemented by yoga and other things at home. When I first started, I never thought I could possibly lose all of the weight I needed to lose, but now I am convinced that I would have never made it if I had been more restrictive. The only reason I was able to stay the course was because I made the gradual changes and I didn't feel deprived or overwhelmed by taking on more than I could handle at a time.
What has also been a tremendous help to me is the suport I get from my group and from these boards. Those people can relate to how hopeless and overwhelmed I felt where people who only need to lose a small amount of weight don't get it. I felt so alone before I got support from others- it's so nice to know that I'm not the only one who was feeling that way. You can do this, and we will be here for you every step of the way. We have been where you are right now, and we understand.
Hugs,
Lane
360/189/???
You say, >>anyone know how I can start??<< Sure, that's easy enough really. Just start with your next meal. How can you make it better? And the next, and the next, etc. And before sundown, start with your next exercise. What can you do today, tomorrow, the next day, to get just a little more exercise? Start with small changes. Keep them up. And you'll realize big rewards. But the important thing, start somewhere (you pick) and then continue. You'll get there. Good Luck! And nice to meet you! I'm Forte