A really honest post

Hi guys.  I'm new here.  You seem to be a good bunch of people and your diet style is the same as mine -- counting calories.  I hope you will welcome me and offer me some support because I REALLY need it.

I know calorie counting is the right thing for me because it's the only thing that allows me the variety of foods I need to stay on track. I read in a popular magazine yesterday that no matter what diet you choose -- it's the calories that make the difference.  So that is another thing to make me feel good about my choice to do it this way, even though I know it's going to take a really long time.

I have been dieting most of my life -- I've lost a lot and gained it all back, plus some.  I became so obsessed with it that I created a binge eating problem over the past few years that I never had before (before I just made bad choices).  I'm trying to stop doing that because the pattern has been over the last year or so that I lose some weight and then I binge it right back on.  I am working really hard on this.  I also eat in response to my feelings, which I'm also trying very hard to overcome.

I am trying desperately at this point to stay on track and get the support I need to be successful -- no matter what it takes.  I know my life is at stake.  I'm in trouble -- BIG TROUBLE.  I'm trying very, very hard to do something about it.

The reason I say I'm in big trouble is I reached my highest weight ever in August. I had to help my parents move so we had to eat out a lot. Even though I moved a lot, I didn't get to rest much and the foods we ate were salty so I started retaining a lot of fluid. I gained and lost 12 pounds of fluid in two days (lost it with the help of a diuretic).  I couldn't breathe.  A voice said "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!"

The weight I reached was 347.  I am only 5' 1" tall.

I have kept off 10 pounds and am going to keep going this time.  If not, I will definitely die.  I even walked a mile in the mall the other day to get in some extra exercise.  I'm very serious about what I need to do. And I'm very serious about asking for help. I only recently started telling people how much I weigh so they will know the seriousness of my problem -- I am a very private person so for me to do that is a big deal. But I have been asking everyone I know for help.  I know I need the help.

Thanks for letting me tell you about myself. I hope we can both benefit from my coming here.

Welcome to C-C, tashabella :)

What kind of help can we offer? :) We do have a 100-to-lose club you should feel free to join so you can meet others in similair situations to you :)

Hi, tashabella! (OK, that sounds like the AA greeting, doesn't it?)

I would go "rah rah rah" for this site all day long... but I think in a day or two I won't need to.  This is an amazing, supportive place, with some folks who are doing (and have done!) amazing things.  I can think of several people who have lost 100+ pounds... and had fun doing it, believe it or not.

It's good to have you here, and congratulations on making a commitment to your life!

HA! tag, HK!

Welcome Tasha, your story is very touching, hope you find what you need here!

I win ;)

Saro is too slow ;)

oooh, saro types long thoughtful replies, geekboy :)

:PPPPPPPP

(tasha, you see what i mean? we're a bunch of dorks, but we're fun to be around)

Wow Tasha - just use the sight - take everything the site has to offer and continue being honest with yourself and accountable to yourself and you will succeed!!  People have lost ALOT of weight when they dedicated themselves.  I have no doubt you can do it.  Today begins your new lifestyle that will bring you happiness, a sense of accomplishment that you've never had before and wonderful friends and of course a healthy lifestyle!  Welcome!

Any support you guys can give me is helpful. I just need to know I'm not in this alone.

My husband is supportive, but he doesn't understand the amount of effort that it takes to eat right (counting specific numbers) every single day, and when you are tired and don't feel like it, or when you don't feel well, or when you get discouraged.

Just being there is enough. I'll ask for help when I need it -- and I'm pretty good at offering help too (though I have a hard time following my own advice).

Nope, not in this alone :) Almost all of us are or were where you are now :) When i started, I was about 100 lbs. over a healthy weight, so... yo comprendo :)

My gf doesn't really understand either, but I appreciate the support. It's good to have someone just to smile and say "Wow, you're doing great!" once in a while :)

Welcome Tasha,  You have found a home here!  Us all of the tools C-C has to offer and I am sure you will have success.

Hi Tasha, welcome, we're so glad you're here with us on this journey to a better lifestyle!

I think everyone's better at dishing out advice than taking it! :)

This site has everything you need, tools to help you be aware of what you're putting in your body, information to help you make better choices and become more educated, and hundreds of helpful, caring, supportive people who have succeed or who ARE succeeding in living a healthier lifestyle! You're not alone! Two people I think you might benefit from speaking with are two amazing gals: united2gether and obsidyan. I believe they have shared similar struggles and they've been inspirations to all of us. Keep an eye out for their posts! :)

Janelle

Hi Tasha!  I'm glad you've joined us here on c-c.  We're mostly harmless :-).  Don't hesitate to ask for advice, support, recommendations, whatever you need.  There's always someone around.  And with such a diverse group as us you're bound to find someone who can relate and has gone through or is going through whatever you are.  Welcome!

Tasha, congrats on taking a HUGE step in admitting you need help.  I always wanted to lose weight, but it wasnt until I admitted I needed help and got that help that I started losing weight.  There are lots and lots of people here in the same boat going through the same thing.  I myself was a binger (more out of boredom than anything else) and have been able to bring that MOSTLY under control by counting calories and exercising.

You may indeed have a long road ahead...but at least now you have a map so you don't get lost :)

Tasha - Welcome. This site will help so much with motivation, inspiration, education - look through the library, you will pick up some tips for weight loss - I know I did.

I started, in May, at 305 and I am down to 278 - but my all time 'high water mark' was 320. I am 5'4" -

There are many here who have lost a 100 pounds or more - I promise you can do it, too. Just be honest about your calories, find ways to cut them, and Never Give Up!!! We know its a battle, you can be a soldier.

Tashabella,
  You are on your way to becoming much healthier and happier than you are now! You are doing great, and it takes a lot of courage to admit your weight, no matter how over-weight you are. I won't even tell my husband how much I weigh (177 at 5'4"... down from 180 in 2 weeks here!) You will be successful! You're doing all the right things to help you stay on track down the road. If you haven't already, download the Eat Meter. I love that I have a constant reminder of how much I have eaten of my daily allowance. I only wish it would factor in exercise, but it is still a nice little reminder all day long that I am working on becoming more healthy.

This is a great place! There are many people on here who have lost or are in the process of losing over 100lbs, so you will have good company and encouragement along the way. I'm a supporter by nature, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.  I know that I don't have as long of a weight-loss journey in front of me as some people on here, but really, this is a way of life for me, not a diet, so I will be doing this for as long as I live. I'm off the roller-coaster, cut the string on the yo-yo... This is who I am now. I am not a binge eater. I am not a junk-food junkie. I am not an emotional eater. Not anymore.

You sound serious about your decision to get healthy, and you are in the right place. If you need help planning meals (which I highly recommend... planning in advance), finding low-cal foods, healthy alternatives, exercises and the like, let us know. The people here are great and helpful and generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences. 

Welcome, and God bless you in your journey!
-niki

Tasha, welcome!  We're glad you're here.  I could not have lost a pound without the help of everyone here.  I've never met a more generous and helpful group of people.

I'm looking forward to seeing you often.

Hi Tashabelle.  This is a fabulous place full of motivation and inspiration.  Eveyrone here has been super supportive so ask any questions you need answers to and when you need some help just shout - we're all listening.  You've already done the hardest part - starting.  We're all learning from each other.
Amanda

Hi tashabella!

I'm glad you found this site too, because it has the most helpful tools and the most supportive and incredibly helpful community.  We're all on the same journey to good health -- we're all walking our own paths coming from different places, but yet share a lot of things in common.

Believe me, you have found your people!

I'm only 5'4" and last July was 307 lbs.

I've only lost 30 pounds in the last year - I am the turtle of weight loss (Hey, fear the turtle!) but I'm OK with that because this time it's for good.  It's been about changing more than just what I put in my mouth -- it's been about changing how I think about food, exercise, my health!

Anyway - just wanted you to know you've got good company here with all sorts of people at all the various stages of getting healthy.

Welcome!

Congrats, Tashabella on making the first step to becoming a more healthy person and having a new lifestyle to live by.  I just recently joined this site a week ago and have already lost 7lbs as of today.  Down one more pound.  I still have 89.8lbs to go.  I started this website at 232 and weighed in today at 225.  I have been a yo - yo dieter and everyone on this site has been great and a wonderful inspiration to keep me motoviated in moving towards my goal weight of 135.  It is a long journey and the best thing you can do is look at this not as a diet but as a new changing lifestyle to always eat healthy.  I would agree with the earlier post about talking with obsydian and united.  They definetly are a great inspiration to us.  I also have been posting under the 100 to lose club.  This club understands the difficulty and the long haul ahead. 

Use the tools and the food log to track your calories.  It takes the guess work out of everything and I have yet to come across a food that isn't in the search engine or I enter in the nutritional information from the label as I am preparing it.  I just started planning my meals ahead of time as of yesterday due to a game challenge and it was one of my goals.  It does seem a lot easier to take the guess work out of trying to find something healthy to eat at the last minute.  Feel free to add me to your friends list and ask any questions of any of us.  We are here to help and support each other and this site has been great for me.  I love it!!  I even inspired a friend of mine to start walking with me everyday.  Next step is to get her on internet access and on here :).

Hi, Tasha! How about filling out your profile so we know even MORE about you? :-D

I think once you get into a groove, you'll find things much easier. Logging your food becomes automatic. I often log all my food for the day in the morning, so I can see whether I need to make some adjustments in what I'm thinking of eating that day (and so I know how much wiggle room I have!). You can also log your food in advance; I did that last night for today, because my son is hoping we have pizza for dinner tonight, and I needed to see whether I could work that out calorie-wise, and how. (I can, and did, woo-hoo!)

I'm big (hoo, boy, am I ever! :-D) on little changes; little changes over time can reap great benefits! When you know you need to change something and you aren't up for a big change, make a little one that has the potential to stick: another bottle of water a day, for example.

You've got the will, and now C-C has given you the power!