Obese, but going to lose weight starting 1/1/2015
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| Good for you OP! Good luck. |
Anonymous
| I'm with you OP. 5'4" and 190, and ready for a change. Good luck to you - nice to know someone else will be hopping on the wagon with me! Looking forward to not being breathless after carrying my kid up the stairs... |
Anonymous
You can do it! Good luck!! |
Anonymous
Statistically speaking, people tend to lose more weight when they start with a plan. Starting "now," or tomorrow morning doesn't give the OP time to put a plan together, which is exactly what she appears to be trying to do. |
Anonymous
|
Good suggestions from PPs. Also, check with your health insurance and employer benefits. I know blue cross blue shield offers health coaching (nutrition and exercise) to offer support for people looking for a change. I believe it is free and, as with everything, you get out what you put in.
Good luck, OP! You can do it! |
Anonymous
|
OP, good for you for reaching out. Sounds like you need an accountability partner. Checking in with someone regularly for support and motivation is key. Do you have a friend or family member who could be an AP? Or maybe one of the prior posters who will be on the same kind if journey?
I will be rooting for you!! |
Anonymous
|
OP here. I'm kinda blown away by the support. I was expecting a bashing I haven't (yet) received. Thanks!
To the one slightly-negative Nancy: I have a counselor. Nope, I'm not happy. That's the point. 
I appreciate the "start now" advice. Obviously I am expert at putting this off, which is how I got to this weight. That said, I have two kids, family visiting, a fridge full of evil/awesomeness... There's only so much that is within my sole control right now, and I'd rather not set myself up to fall flat on my face first thing. The family knows that all leftovers, goodies and treats will be exiled on New Year's Eve. Husband is all too ready to take the candy to the office. 
Right now, I'm making and refining a plan. I've gotten some great suggestions for diet resources, and am making a grocery list for 12/31 shopping. If anyone has at-home workout ideas, or an explanation for why "burpees" are so called (they look more like "barfies" to me), I'd love to know. As for accountability, well, here I am! I can post updates here, and will no doubt bump this thread with questions as my plan is enacted. I recognize that it's not going to be a "wake up skinny" sort of experience; I'm planning to be at this for life. I like that this is anonymous. I'm not quite at the blog about it phase (and value my privacy a bit too much, I guess). No, I will not be posting progress pics. 
Thank you again for the support. |
Anonymous
|
Good Luck, OP!
I disagree with those saying you "need a plan." About 5 years ago I lost 73 lbs in about 8 months. I had no "plan." I didn't start on the first of the month--just some random day in mid April (I don't even remember when, now.) It's never a bad time to start making healthier choices. You can even start mid DAY if you want. Just because you have a "bad" breakfast doesn't mean the rest of the day should be a "free for all." One day at a time. |
Anonymous
|
Hey OP! I'm very excited for you!
Also, I know in your second comment about this, you said "this is for the rest of my life," and just want to say to remember, losing the weight is not for the rest of your life, only the keeping it off is. Because losing is harder than maintaining. If you are trying to lose, and you think, "wow, this is forever," you might go binge eat! But if you decide to lose, and you say, "ok I'm going to try and lose for one month," (or whatever time period) then you can say, ok, I've been at this for a month, and now I'm going to just maintain for a week (or a month) and then go back to losing for another month. So remember, if you have to fall off the band wagon, don't fall into the "gain weight"--fall into the "maintain current weight" category! |
Anonymous
I've never been obese, but have had friends and family struggle with it. What worked for them was really, really taking exercise seriously. As soon as they stopped, they got out of the healthy lifestyle mindset and the weight came back. As for home workouts, Jillian Michaels DVDs in my opinion are amazing. You may look like an idiot doing them, but nobody else can see! I'm a big fan of Killer Buns and Thighs and 30 Day Shred. They don't take a long time to do so even if you're busy and can't get out of the house to the gym, it's a quick but real workout. Best of luck, OP! |
Anonymous
Hi OP. I'm 5' 4.5", and used to weigh 280 lbs. Today I weigh 127 lbs. I can't tell you what will work for you (no one can), only what worked for me. I was a calorie counter. I started with 1800 per day. It was hard the first week, but then felt manageable, and then felt pretty easy once I had the hang of it. So I dropped my limit to a daily range of 1200-1500. And then I added in exercise. Just walking at first, and then I ramped up to more and different things over time. The upside to calorie counting for me was that I lived by just one rule: my calorie limit. No foods were off limits, no rules about when I could eat or how big my portions could be. My diet naturally moved toward healthier foods pretty early on, as I found I needed to eat well most of the time to feel satisfied (not hungry) while staying within my calorie limit. Over time it because healthier and healthier, and I've maintained those healthy eating habits post-weight loss - which made both losing the baby weight post-pregnancy and maintenance easier. The downside to calorie counting for me was the calculating and tracking and recording, which I did religiously. It's time-consuming. But I'm also kind of a numbers person, and detail-focused in general, so it worked for me. With regard to exercise, as I said, I began with just walking. 6 days per week. Over time I added some strength training, which I still do reluctantly but don't enjoy. When I began running (about 9 months into my weight loss), I surpringly fell in love with it. I never got into videos because I like to lose myself (escape mentally) while exercising, and videos aren't conducive to that. But they work very well for some. Congratulations to you for taking this step, and I wish you lots of luck and good health! Please do let us know how things go for you. |
Anonymous
Hi OP, 00:16 here again. For some at-home workout ideas aside from videos, you could try doing some simple body weight/strength exercises at home. Squats, lunges, wall-sits, calf raises, one-legged (unweighted) deadlifts (you will really feel DOMS with these at first!!), bridges, planks, tricep dips, push-ups. Look at videos on YouTube for proper form. Do the push-ups against the wall or a sturdy table/sofa arm at first, and eventually move to regular push-ups on the ground. You'll get more benefit from this than doing them on your knees. You could also get a set of hand weights and do a variety of arm exercises with those (just look online). I still hate burpees
|
Anonymous
| I really like weight watchers especially if you have time to go the meetings. It is very supportive, and you get great ideas. The online only plan also works. I love that it really encourages you to have your fruits and veggies. |
Anonymous
|
Another vote for Weight Watchers if you are looking for a sensible program, lifestyle change and accountability.
We lost weight with a revamped diet--cutting out most processed carbs and really upping the clean protein and vegetables. I've tried scores of new recipes over the years, some of which were gross and many of which were great. We have a core group of favorite paleo and South Beach recipes that we rotate through, plus lots of stir fries, soups and egg dishes that can be pulled together quickly. We always have lots of fresh fruit and vegetables on hand, and those are the starting point for every meal. I have found that exercise alone doesn't really move the scale for me, although it makes me feel much better. Good luck! |
Anonymous
I agree with this. I have recently lost 25 lbs and was always saying "I'll start my diet Monday...or after Christmas..or 1/1" Start tonight. Start today. |