New here, Need advice

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-2004
New here, Need advice
6
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 7:17pm
Hi, My name is Shannon I am 35 with two children 13 and 8, husband that is not supportive. I am very overweight, my health is ok for me to be as big as I am. I need advice on how to get started, I know but I dont ( does that make sense?) . Anywho I have bad BAD habits that I know I have to break and I cant do it. My down falls are Mello Yello and any starchy carbohydrate I can find. I dont know how to get away from them I dont buy them then I find my self getting up in the middle of the night to go buy them! I am terrible, I have talked to my doc about it and he says just stop, lay them down and dont pick it up. I am talking about food not smokes. I will listen to any advice any one can give.

I cant do the things wiht my children that that want me to and it is killing me. I have tried to keep that in my mind when I eat or drink something and of course I always come up with some excuse to go ahead and do it.

Please if anyone has any ideas, I am HERE to try it.

Thanks, Shan

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2003
Wed, 09-22-2004 - 8:18pm
Hi Shannon! I'm Sara!

First of all, welcome to 100+. We are all glad to see you I'm sure.

My advice is a visit to a local dietition; it really helped me. she showed me what is so bad about "bad" foods, what is so good about "good" foods, and she gave me a plan to stick with(which I have been doing really bad lately, but I initially lost 30 lbs!),and make sure you drink LOTS of water. That really really helps!

Again, nice to meet you and welcome!

Sara


Edited 9/22/2004 8:19 pm ET ET by sayruhb02

~Sayruhb02
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
Thu, 09-23-2004 - 11:51am
Hi there Shan and welcome to the boards :) So you actually get up in the middle of the night, get dressed and go buy snacks? You must really be fiending for them then hehe The only thing I can suggest is that you just dont do it. Maybe you can try a snack before bed, like some carrots and ranch dressing...a cup of milk and cornbread hehe But I have to tell you...Im also a midnight snacker. I dont go out of the house to get something but I do raid the kitchen. When Im doing very well, then I make my midnight potty breaks as rigid as possible. I get up without the lights on, I dont get dressed or put on my robe, I go straight to the bathroom and get right back in bed. I dont go to the bathroom near the kitchen either. Maybe try keeping a glass of water by the bed and taking a large gulp of that when you wake up to snack. Im also very sorry that your husband isnt supportive of your weight loss. But you can find support in other places and can do it without him! You can!

God luck to you and I hope that you stay around here :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2004
Thu, 09-23-2004 - 1:09pm
Welcome Shan,

I would like to start off by saying, welcome. If you need support you're in the right place. =0) I'm sorry your hubby doesn't support you well, but the ladies here are wonderful and know what you're going through. And Shawna is right...you can do it without his help! As for the carb addiction, I'm with you on that one. I love pasta, bread, potatoes, anything and everything that has to do with carbs...I like to over-endulge in. I am on the Weight Watchers program, which I do myself. I don't attend meetings (unless you count this board) but I love their cookbooks and I just follow the pts in the front of their books and a huge list of pts I found on the internet. When I make a recipe, there is always 2-3 servings left-over, so I usually freeze (or refrigerate...depending on how good it was) in one full serving size then the other serving(s) I break down into "snack" sizes. The only thing that I've found that really helps me when I'm REALLY craving something carby is to heat up a "snack" sized portion and eat that. Sure, it may only be a few bites, but it's just like having a miny meal and it's about 1/2 the pts. I hope this kinda helps you.

It's great to have you,

Critter

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-27-2004
Thu, 09-23-2004 - 10:31pm
Welcome Shan!

I'm guessing you have a lot of negative internal dialog going inside your head. Turn it off! I know it's hard to do, I've done it for years. You need to start believing in yourself and LOVING yourself. There are a lot of really positive, supoortive people on this board. I hope you stick around and find the encouragement you need from the rest of us.

I think you would be surprised at how much better you would feel if you stopped drinking soda completely. Mellow Yellow is probably one of the worst because of the acid and sugar. I rarely, if ever, drink soda anymore. Have you thought about slicing lemon or limes and putting it in water. It's not soda, but it has good flavor. I've also heard using sliced cucumbers in water gives a good taste too but I haven't tried it.

As for the carbs, how about eating fresh fruit instead?

As for your husband, what makes him "not supportive"? Is he belittling you, or is he doing things that aren't helping?

Again, welcome!

Chris

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-23-2004
Thu, 09-23-2004 - 11:32pm
Shan,

Welcome to the board! I understand how hard it can be to lose weight. I've struggled with it for most of my life. It doesn't help that society, and certain people, believe that it's just a matter of putting down the candy bar and picking up an apple. Sure, that's the way to go, but it's not so easy.

My most important advice is not to beat yourself up! Don't listen to other people who try to make you feel bad either. Losing weight is hard and the emotional crap that goes with it is complicated.

You're doing great!

SF

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2004
Fri, 09-24-2004 - 1:57pm
Welcome to the boards, Shan. I hope you find the support you're looking for here. You've already gotten some good advice from people here. Might I make a suggestion? You say that you have a problem going out in the middle of the night to get snacks. Is there a healthier snack that you can have on hand to help you get through the cravings when they strike in the middle of the night? I don't know what kind of snack you go for, but there are healthier alternatives that might just give you what you're looking for without all the extra fat and calories. Experiment with a few things until you find what works. I hope this helps :)

~~Linda

~~Linda