New chick here!

Hi, I'm 22, 197 pounds (can't bring myself to say 200 yet) and have gained fifty pounds since I entered college 4 years ago.  I have obsessive compulsive disorder and I think it has definitely manifested itself in my eating habits.  I get depressed, I eat.  I get happy, I eat.  It's a terrible combination!  Not to mention, I love crappy food.  Pizza, wings, beer, fast food, you name it.  And I don't know if I'm quite ready to make the big change that needs to be made in my lifestyle.  I just want to LIKE myself and be HEALTHY.  If that means I'm a size 16, then so be it, as long as I can comfortably walk up a flight of stairs and like the way I look in the mirror!  I'm really hoping to make a change, but right now all I want is a hot dog! 

good luck.

I hear you!  Welcome and good luck!

Well, I've definitely been there and done that... multiple times.  I've had problems with my weight throughout my life and have a family history of overweight relatives who think its commonplace to eat when happy or sad.  At 32, I've been able to slowly alter my way of thinking about food, but sadly to say, there is no magic pill to cure this behavior.  I eat very well throughout the week and have a cheat item each week because no one's perfect.  Unlike those who weren't raised on junk like you and I, we know what the wings, pizza, and burgers taste like.  That's something hard to replace completely with bean sprouts, tofu, and salads.  I'm still losing weight but I'm just not as miserable eating "the good stuff" knowing I can occassionally revisit "the bad stuff" for ONE meal/week.  At my heaviest, I was 340 pounds.  Today I weigh 218 pounds.  I'm still 89 pounds away from my goal weight of 130 pound at 5'4, but as the saying goes, "I may not be where I want to but at least I'm not where I was!"

Wow!  I thought I was reading about myself for a minute there.  U just described the exact issues I have.  the only difference is our age.   I am a major emotional eater and I am having a tough time dealing with it.   I eat when I am bored, sad , happy angry you name it and I will eat and like u said nothing but the bad stuff.   Since I have joined this I have started drinking more water instead of eating the fries.  I have swept the floor instead of having cookies.  Some days are easier then others.  My motivation is that I want to look in that mirror and smile instead of cry.   I want to be able to run and play sports with my children.  We can do this together but you have to WANT to do it for yourself over anything else.

Candice

Even if you can't overcome the urge to eat you can significantly improve your health and your weight if you make better food choices.   Foods like pizza, wings and beer are not filling because they contain very little in the way of nutrition.  People with a poor diet routinely take in a lot more calories than people with a healthier diet for this reason......

Rather than radically changing your food, of course, you can simply eat a lot more vegetables & fresh fruit... and learn how to make healthier versions of your old favourites but with all the same flavours.  Lean grilled sausages in a good-quality wholemeal roll are just as tasty as a hot-dog but you'd save some calories and be getting more fibre.

And the other thing you can do that doesn't affect what you eat is to get moving more.  200lbs is not all that heavy and you should be able to incorporate some brisk walks, swimming, cycling and other physical activities into your day.  All of these will help your body burn fat a little quicker and give you positive results.