New here, too
Find a Conversation
New here, too
| Tue, 06-05-2007 - 11:54am |
I don't really know where to start about my situation. I am 20 years old and moved out of my parents' house 18 months ago. When I was living with my parents, my mother had really, really really strict guidelines about what anyone in the house could eat. She did not allow us to eat anything other than what she made, even if we wanted to make something ourselves. Now that I am on my own with my boyfriend, I have found that I have choices in what to buy and what to cook and what to eat. So, to make a long story really short, I got really chunky, and my boyfriend packed on some pounds as well. I had to buy new clothes, twice actually. The second time of not fitting into my clothes was kind of a wake up call. It was kind of embarassing to have gotten too fat for my fat clothes. Ugh!
I want to make healthier choices, but am dreading having any kind of limits on myself again. It's going to feel like living at my parents' again, with only one choice in what to eat.
The last time I weighed myself, I tipped the scale at 220. It's hugely embarassing, but I don't know where to start. Please help.
I want to make healthier choices, but am dreading having any kind of limits on myself again. It's going to feel like living at my parents' again, with only one choice in what to eat.
The last time I weighed myself, I tipped the scale at 220. It's hugely embarassing, but I don't know where to start. Please help.

Annie
"We do not think ourselves into new ways of living. We live ourselves into new ways of thinking."  
I think the key is in your post 'I have choices in what to buy and what to cook and what to eat'.
I think for many of us, food means a lot more than 'healthy nourishment for our bodies' and sometimes it is 'I am not deprived'. I know that my mother (who is and always has been thin) worried about my weight and tried to keep a lid on the 'junk' I ate-and knowing I can buy and eat a bag of chips or a pound of chocolate if I want does somehow comfort me...except for how I feel about my hips later, of course.
But as you said, you have choices. You could learn to be a great cook-the queen of delicious fresh vegetables...the woman who knows how to make low-cal cheese cake...a master at great tasting salads...whatever you want.
I am (at 51) just starting to be comfortable cooking-I lived on take out/frozen dinners/restaurant food for way too many years. I knew how to cook, but it seemed like a lot of work and it made me nervous that every meal would end up a big mess...but since I've taken this risk, I love being in control of my food, knowing exactly what I am eating, and I am pretty impressed with myself some nights when I sit down to a delicios dinner that I made.
I am not all that big on Suzanne Somers weight loss plan (she sells too much stuff that seems over-priced to me) but I am also fascinated by her, and I've heard her say that people who begin to cook the way she recommends are amazed at how good the food is-and I think that is true. In our society, we've let ourselves believe the ads that tell us to have a whopper and supersize our fries, and I think we've lost sight of how good healthy food really tastes.
There are a lot of great sources for low-cal recipes-Weight Watchers has a magazine, and there are tons of cookbooks, and I'm sure there are web-sites. I am not much of a recipe follower myself, but maybe what you would like to do, at the lovely and exciting age of 20, with a special man to impress and care for, is to investigate what your choices in food really are, and empower yourself to become the best low-cal cook in town. It could be a great gift to yourself and everyone who comes into your life. And honey, believe me, you are only young once-make the most of it.
Best wishes
SJ
225-167-135
Welcome aboard!!
I don't have much to say after SJ's post. I agree with her, since you're independent now then YOU are in control. And YOU are in control of what food to eat. You can always allow one small treat per day, or (like me) allow one meal completely off track everyweek. You've got your age on your side and you'll be doing yourself a huge favor in getting this under control early on. By "this" I don't mean your weight, but rather eating unhealthy.
Please stick around and give us updates. Tell us how we can support you