I'm freaking out. I just weighed myslef and i reached my all time worse weight form 4 years ago when i just started college i've gained back 45 pounds!!!!. Now i seem to be back where i started all those years ago. I'm so depressed.
What makes it worse is i'm leaving in 3 weeks to go fulfill a lifetime dream and go on a working holiday to europe for a year. I'm going to be that stereotypical fat American. I can't believe i let it come to this I want to lose 65 pounds to be at my healthy weight, but I don't know if that's possible. I have always been overweight and unhappy. I'm so scared about leaving now, I'm going by myself and don't know anyone. i will have to learn to be more outgoing to be able to make friends and find a job and a place to live but i'm afraid my weight will hold me back and everyone will think me gross and not want to talk to me. I just want to scrap the $1500 I've already put into this trip and just not go and hide in my room and die, well not die, but I'm just depressed.
I don't know what to do please HELP!!
In the next 3 weeks you won't be losing 65lbs, of course, but you could decide that you're going eat more healthily and do some exercise. Just shaving off a few pounds between then and now will help boost your confidence. And healthier foods & exercise will have a positive effect on your mood.
The good news is that you'll find the European lifestyle very conducive to keeping up with healthy food and exercise. My observation is that portion-sizes in the USA are much larger than we tend to serve. (I know that's stereotyping but others will back me up, I'm sure) :-) If you're working and if you eat the local fresh food then you'll probably lose weight quite naturally. Which country(ies) are you going to?
So go with your dream.... hold your head high.... and don't be depressed. I'm sure you'll have a terrific time. Best of luck
I agree with gi-jane, we tend to eat a little healthier over here just cos its how we live. Shopping in markets for local fresh produce is so healthy and cheap. Maybe you have just got in some bad habits in America
Why don't you view your trip like this- you are coming over here to sort the things in your life out that your not too happy with. You can create a new healthier lifestyle without the baggage of your old life. You're going to get fit and healthy and with it more confident and when you get back home in a year you'll e the healthier happier person you want to be and it'll be so much easier to maintain it. You're gonna wow your USA friends and family when you come back after a yr!!! go for it!!! 
xxx
If someone labels you "that fat American", the shame is on them. Don't be that person yourself!
Your weight won't hold you back unless you let it, I promise. I have a few questions: Are you really just stressed out about going away and reflecting that insecurity on your weight? It's not like anyone can blame you for feeling a little nervous if you're moving away for a year. That anxiety may be transient and you'll feel great once you get started in a new country, or are you seriously dissatisfied with your body? While it is possible to live a full life with a little extra meat on you, I know what being unhappy and overweight feels like and I gotta be honest with you, there's more to life.
The good news: you can change everything. I sound like a cheap self-help guru on crack and my advice may sound equally kooky, but please hear me out: take a moment to just let your imagination wander, don't hold back at all and just visualize your ideal body. We're talking going all out crazy here. Don't attempt to be reasonable. You might come up with an image in your mind and then go, "Nah, too good to be true, that could never happen" - don't. Just stick with it. It's called visualizing and even though at first it sounds like a bunch of new-agey self-deception, give it a shot.
Now that you have an image of the body you'd like to inhabit, start planning. I cannot stress the importance of actually voicing out your goals. I routinely take pieces of paper and write narcissistic and deluded-sounding things like "I will be fit and lean" and "I will have toned muscles". The margins of my calendar are lined with mottos like "lose fat" and "be active" 
"I want to lose weight" is a good start. "I will lose weight" - getting better. The more specific you can make it, the higher your chances of realizing it, so try something along the lines of "I want will lose weight by [enter exact date here] so that I can feel confident, comfortable and proud in my [enter desireable adjectives here] body".
I did that and man did I feel nutty doing it. An overweight, out of shape pizzafaced lardass muttering to herself about her imaginary limber body, please. But lo and behold, it worked! All you have to do for starters is want it. I say your desire to change your life is directly proportionate to your chances of actually changing it. "It would be kinda nice to sorta maybe lose weight" substitue with "I am determined and committed to making the necessary changes in my diet and adding exercise into my daily routines so that I can attain the physique I want".
If I'm feeling down, dwelling in it rarely lifts my spirits. I just focus on all the positive changes I can make and planning a better future almost feels like I'm halfway there already. Just try it once, for me?
"The mountain, the trail, but you got it in sight / Sometimes our only way is jumping, I hope you're not afraid of heights."
Hiya,
Its quite simple as I see it really - you can forget your plans & dreams, sit at home & be a fat American - or you can get on with it!
YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST - ONLY THE FUTURE!! And its all yours & there for the taking! New beginnings start as of today!
What an amazing adventure you are about to undertake.
You are mad if you are thinking of throwing it all away.
You WILL find friends, work, accommodation - you will have an amazing time! But not on your couch at home.
Put yourself out there - LIVE YOUR DREAMS! & all the best to ya
You are going to have a great time. Trust me... sometimes we all just get wrapped up in everything and lose sight of the big picture. Maybe you are just worried about the trip... it is a big change for the year. But, calm down and relax. Enjoy yourself, walk all over Europe, enjoy the fantastic food, and come back to America healthier and happier than ever before.
Original Post by rmaddon:
I'm freaking out. I just weighed myslef and i reached my all time worse weight form 4 years ago when i just started college i've gained back 45 pounds!!!!. Now i seem to be back where i started all those years ago. I'm so depressed.
What makes it worse is i'm leaving in 3 weeks to go fulfill a lifetime dream and go on a working holiday to europe for a year. I'm going to be that stereotypical fat American. I can't believe i let it come to this I want to lose 65 pounds to be at my healthy weight, but I don't know if that's possible. I have always been overweight and unhappy. I'm so scared about leaving now, I'm going by myself and don't know anyone. i will have to learn to be more outgoing to be able to make friends and find a job and a place to live but i'm afraid my weight will hold me back and everyone will think me gross and not want to talk to me. I just want to scrap the $1500 I've already put into this trip and just not go and hide in my room and die, well not die, but I'm just depressed.
I don't know what to do please HELP!!
I'm a fat Dutch person living in South Wales (UK). Believe me...I'm not the only fat person living in South Wales (UK). My WW group is full of them!
There are fat Germans here too. And fat Frenchmen, Italians, Swedes, Russians, Danish (hmmm...danish), Finnish, Turkish, etc etc.
And i have spotted the odd fat Japanese person (though not many, must find out what their secret is)
Fact is...people don't nearly pay as much attention to a fat person as you'd think.
Come to Europe. Forge new friendships. And maybe lose weight along the way if the mood/opportunity allows. We're good people...honestly!
I had the same concern when i went to France this past semester. I thought people would stare at me and automatically think "fat american". But that didn't happen at all. People were great! Everyone was nice to me, and I really didn't have any problem with that worry at all. Going to France was actually great for me in terms of my weight loss! I walked a whole lot more than I do here in the US and the portion sizes were much healthier. I actually lost weight when I was there. Definitely go, I'm sure it will be a great experience!
rmaddon, Please don't let your concerns about your weight ruin this opportunity of a lifetime. I let my weight keep me from embracing many opportunities in my life- and I wasn't as heavy as I am now!!!
You're going to find that eating and daily activities are completely different in Europe as they are here. Just stay away from the American chain restaurants... the food tastes just the same!
Have a WONDERFUL time. I'm completely jealous!!!
Well, food is certianly more expensive there so maybe the financial incentive will help you loose weight :)
Seriously, they have fat people everywhere. Just smile and be your lovely self. Besides, what a great place to take walking tours and visit all sorts of musems, monuments, and historical sites.
One more thing... if anything, I've found people to be warm and welcoming. You'll be fine!
I can definitely relate. I'm moving in three weeks from the Midwest (the second-worst region in the U.S. for obesity) to Colorado, the skinniest state in the country! I'm definitely nervous as well, but I'm viewing this as an opportunity to jumpstart a new lifestyle.
I'm not buying a parking permit for school, instead I'm going to buy a bike and ride the two miles every day. My jobs are within 2 blocks of where I live, so I plan to drive from SD and then just park my car! That alone will be a huge help.
And, so you know, my sister lost a TON of weight when she studied in England for a semester. They definitely have a healthier lifestyle, just be sure to take advantage of it! Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you, and don't let anything hold you back! You don't want to return to the States wishing you had more fun.
If you don't let it get to you, nobody else will, either--at least, not anyone who matters--here or in Europe!! Embrace this opportunity and promise yourself right now that you will take every offer to have fun, have adventure, visit new places, and meet new people. That 45-65 lbs may go or not, but you will NEVER have such a golden opportunity again and your size is absolutely no reason to let it pass!
I was disappointed that I was so large going on my first trip to Europe, so I know somewhat how you feel. But it didn't slow me down one bit, because I was too excited once I got there and I pushed and pushed myself to do as much as I could because I didn't know when I'd get back, if ever. I have no regrets and had a marvelous time and I'm hoping to hear through you about your venture, because I don't know when I'll get back. Go for it, sweetie--be the big, bold, beautiful (at least at heart, if you can't bring yourself to see your physical self as beautiful) American who reminds Europeans why they LIKE so many of us (and they really do!!)
Thanks so much for the support. I really need to hear it. Even though I was completely panicked last night and vowed to to start eating less immediately i still overate today but at least it wasn't quite so much as I usually do. hopefully i will cut it down even more and get back into the habit of exercising again. I miss going to the gym at school. =(
My plan for Europe is to England for 6 months and then Ireland for 4 months. I just graduated from college with a degree in marketing so I want to see if i could find a job that uses my degree, but I just want to experience the culture so I'm willing to be flexible and waitress or something. After that planning on going backpacking around the rest of Europe. But that depends on how much money i have at the time!
Any advice you have on eating, where I should try to look for a job, advice for job interviews, or finding an apartment or any general advice would be really helpful!
Here's a link:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workinginth euk/tier2/workpermits/
As for the type of job you were describing, waitressing and whatnot, I believe if you haven't applied by November 2007, they're no longer accepting applications for work permits for that type of work at this time.
Anyway, you sound like you've got it together, i've posted this just in case because i've looked into it myself and it turned out to be really difficult.
In any event, have a great time!
Every supermarket in the UK has its very own "Good for you" - "Healthy Living " Helathy Eating" low fat/low cal brand. Same rules apply here as in the USA, plenty of fresh produce, cook your own meals, keep an eye on your portion sizes.
Job-wise, for the kind of jobs you are looking for you might want to try a job with a hotel chain that has its headoffice in the states but sub-divisions in the UK or Ireland. A friend of mine lives in Canada, works for a hotel chain, and on a yearly basis comes to the UK for several months to work. These are customer service centre jobs though, so you might want to rethink the kind of jobs you want to do.
If you like kids and aren't afraid of hard work, try au-pair agencies. In most cases you get to stay with the family, and eat at the sam etable. This might be helpful with your diet provided the family has a healthy lifestyle. Otherwise take your meals onces they're done and prepare them yourself.
Wow!!! You're going to walk... and walk... and walk. Those Brits walk quickly too. The last time I went to London, I rented a furnished flat for a week and purchased food from Tesco. Just a word of advice: if you have the time, buy your underground passes before you leave. It's so much cheaper to buy them here than it is to buy a single ticket over there.
I was morbidly obese as a child/teen until I was 18 and I went to Italy for extended periods of time to spend time with family there and later to study (especially in the summer when the shirt comes off and you generally wear less clothes hahaha) and you know what I was absolutely fine....I was just in Italy, as well as France, Monaco, Switzerland, and England and trust me I saw my fair share of overweight people....and I know how you feel because even now when I am extremely thin by US standards I still feel "large" compared to my Italian counterparts...but anytime I mention it they tell me to shut up hahahaha
oh and this trip comes at a great time, because EVERYTIME I have gone to Europe, even now when I am thin, I always end up losing a few pounds just by walking and eating their foods, meanwhile in the US I eat less than that and have to go out of my way to exercise and usually gain or maintain my weight hahaha....so maybe this can be a great starting point for a life change to shed the pounds you want...
and again from my experiences, the European view of the body is MUCH less superificial than that in the US...(hence why the US has such a distorted problem with obesity and body image related diseases)
so don't worry at all about your weight and enjoy your trip! I'm so jealous you're going because I won't be able to go back until January! Buon viaggio!
I was stationed in Germany for 3 years, and I lost quite a bit of weight for a lot of reasons. First, I agree with the above posters that portion sizes are smaller. Second, other than meat (hoof and mouth was an issue while I was there), we bought everything from local stores, which was much healthier than at the American Commissary. Third, I walked way more often from one place to another than I did here in the States. Public transportation and society as a whole frowned on jumping in the car to go to the local pub, store, etc. People just walk more and the fuel prices were way higher per gallon there than they are here, even now.
I'll tell you right away, if you eat better there and use public transportation like the London Tubes, you WILL lose weight. I went for like a week and a half and frankly ate whatever I felt like, and when I got home discovered I had lost like an inch and a half off my waist. It was crazy. All my stuff was baggy cause I (literally) walked my butt off all over England. I was heavy for my age, so I dropped it fast over there, I wanted to go back!
Cheer up.
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