New here

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2005
New here
11
Thu, 01-06-2005 - 3:09pm

Hi everyone. I'm Melani. I'm 37 and live in Michigan. I'm going through a divorce, and have 2 girls, ages 18 and 9. I also have a granddaughter due in March.

I am 5'7" and weight pretty darn close to 300 pounds. :-( I've been heavy for several years, but I think I was in denial. Lately though I can't deny the toll it's taken on my health and my abilities. I broke my foot in October and was in a non-weight bearing cast for over 2 months.Trying to haul almost 300 pounds around on just my arms was agonizing. Also I am quite certain I have sleep apnea, and I know I have reflux. Lately several times I have woken in the middle of the night choking on my own vomit, basically. Add to that having to wear a pantyliner daily because of "leakage." This is embarrassing, but I need to put it out there. The truth is ugly sometimes. I know if I was a normal weight this would not be an issue.

So anyway, I've said this a hunder times before, but I'll say it again. I need to do something. I want to be around to see my granddaughter grow up. I want to live a normal life. :-(

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Thu, 01-06-2005 - 3:37pm

Welcome Melani!


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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Thu, 01-06-2005 - 3:47pm

Hi and welcome here, Melani. Congrats on the granddaughter (: I'm sorry to hear about everything else, though. You're making the right decision.


Do you know yet what type of plan you're going to go on? Have you talked with your doctor yet about it? With your other medical problems, I would suggest making a decision on a plan with him/her before you start anything.


- cl-Yavie, sig in  still in progress :D

I am just a young girl in need of some

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-31-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Thu, 01-06-2005 - 6:15pm

Melani,


I applaud you for your post and for bearing your soul.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-28-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Thu, 01-06-2005 - 6:18pm
Welcome, you are going to love it here, the girls are real nice. You can say anything and they will support you. Who knows you might get your answers also.
I just started here also, and I like you am doing this for my health. I am so sorry to hear that you are having a difficult time, but its going to get better.
Helen-Sig3a.jpg
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-17-2003
In reply to: fitin05
Fri, 01-07-2005 - 9:31am

Welcome Melenie,
Good luck and I hope you find lots of support here. Just tell yourself to take it one day at a time. With each day you will feel better and look better. Have you talked to your Dr. about your reflux and sleep apnea? There may be something they can do about that. If anything, propping yourself up with pillows at night might help.

Good luck, sharla

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-24-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Fri, 01-07-2005 - 10:04am
Welcome Melani (nice spelling of your name BTW)! I'm a newbie too. First things first. Turn that :-( into a :-). We have to keep a positive attitude. Congrats on your coming grandbaby. Yes, she is a great reason to want to lose weight. I have a 6 year old son and I want to be around for MY grandkids. We can do this! Times will be hard, we know this already. But we've got to be in it for the long haul! I look forward to getting to know you better!
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-09-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Fri, 01-07-2005 - 10:24am

Welcome! I too want to know if you have decided on a diet to follow....but do talk to your doc. I have reflux and take nexium and it works great for me....but sleep apnea (sp?) can kill you so don't put that doctor visit off.

Sussie_Q
312/303.5/280

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2005
In reply to: fitin05
Sat, 01-08-2005 - 12:27pm

Thanks so much for all the welcomes. :-)

I take Zantac for my reflux, though admittedly until recently I had not been good about taking it regularly.I have not seen my Dr. yet about the sleep apnea. I saw her a few weeks ago, but I had other issues and the apnea totally slipped my mind. Especially stupid since I am pretty sure I've had apnea for years. During that visi I had an EKG, and it showed a right bundle branch block (I think that's the order those words go in) in my heart, which the Dr. said was no big deal. Well, a little googling showed me that apnea can cause that, and a lightbulb went off in my head. I had made an appointment for this week which I missed due to treacherous roads, so I will have to reschedule.

My DD is having a girl. :-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-04-2004
In reply to: fitin05
Sat, 01-08-2005 - 12:56pm

Welcome to the board, Melani! I used to have acid reflux a lot, and woke up a few times like I was about to vomit. Not fun at all! But since I've lost some weight, I don't have that problem anymore. I'm not sure if it was the weight itself, or how much I used to stuff myself before bedtime. A combination of both, I guess. I'm glad you're seeing the doctor about these problems, though. It's always a good idea to get his or her advice on how to proceed. I'm not sure what a right bundle branch is, but my doctor told me that I have a heart murmur. I asked him about exercise, and if there was anything I should be concerned about, and he said that there is nothing for me to worry about. The heart murmur is something that I will have my whole life, and exercise won't affect it. If anything, it will help it. But I wanted to talk to him before I started any rigorous exercise just in case.

Congrats on your new granddaughter to be :)

~~Linda
246/203.5/199(for now)

~~Linda

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2005
In reply to: fitin05
Sat, 01-08-2005 - 1:14pm

Welcome, Melani. Congratulations for taking a step in the right direction. You've definitely found a support board for people in your situation. I've lost 6 pounds so far, and am just under 300, so I know what it's like to weigh a lot. I'm 25 and have been overweight since I hit puberty. It's kind of depressing, you know, because here I am in the "prime" of my life, and I'm 175 pounds overweight. I know I'll get there, and I'm sure you will too.

304.5/298.5/296 (by 1/30)
Andrea

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