Just had a revelation and it's hard to swallow...

Well I just re-did my math because well...let's face it folks, I'm not doing a whole lot of anything. All I've really done since I started this thing a week and a half ago is count the calories I've eaten and felt guilty for going over...

So I did the math. If I just eat what I'm eating now and don't exercise it will take me four years to loose the weight. If I add a little activity to it, (excersizing daily for half an hour) it will take two years. I want to do the two year thing, but if all else fails, and I can't get the motivation to do it, (because I'm a blob and don't like walking or moving around a whole lot...pathetic I know, but it's true) I will loose the weight I have on my in four years. I'll be 27 then...that's a good age...right?

I'm gonna say that that really depends on if you want to be how you are? I personally want to be thinner then I am now. I want to be able to do the things I love without having to catch my breath. I love to play sports and since I gained all this weight it makes it so much harder. I love going outside and doing things. I have a 2 yr old son that I want to be able to do things with and not just sit their and watch him. And he is enough motivation for me. But this is just me personally. You sound alot like me. I only started this almost 2 weeks ago. I normally would've exercised for a day then stopped. And this time I thought that it really is time to change. So far I have exercise all week. And I know that you can too. All you need is the right motivation(Which if your using c-c you will have no problem, they have helped me this far). Hope you decide to do what we all have done and get off the couch lol. Anyways theres my two cents worth. Good luck!!!

Well that is a good age. I was 27 once. But i was fat at 27. But hey if you are happy with it. And happy that it will be gone at 27. Then i am happy for you.  But working out a little will help you cut 2 of them 4 years off.

Angel, just try this. It will help you make a rational decision on whats best for you. Dedicate yourself to walking for one hour a day for four weeks while eating 1500-1600 calories a day. At the end of that month assess how you feel about the whole diet and exercise thing. Assess your energy level. My guess is that if you make yourself stick to this for four weeks (and at the end if you want to give it up then do) you will see a good weight loss, more energy and the desire to increase your exercise and weight loss.

Right now you are  being a blob because you dont have the energy to do anything else. Your "laziness" is caused by your weight, so giving into it is just a downhill battle.

Once you start to lose and see changes in your body, believe me, there is no way you will sit around. You will be out and about, even if its in your own yard.

Remember though, your not dieting, your changing your eating patterns and becoming part of the world.

hi angel...  i'm gonna throw this out there and maybe get slammed in the process but here's what i'm thinking... (i know - get to the point already!!)

count your calories like you are doing...  and work really hard to keep them at or below your limit...  don't beat yourself up if you go over by 50 or 100...  just try to not do that the next day...  cuz if you start beating yourself up because you didn't stick to your calorie limit, you run into the danger of getting into the 'cheryl mode'.... that 'i can't do this so there is no use in trying so just forget it'....  cuz that's a load of crap... oops, too much information LOL

and, if you can keep to your calories for a few days, once you see those pounds start changing on your scale, or you notice you can walk a little further thru the store and your feet don't hurt or you aren't as tired as you used to be, you might change your mind about throwing in some exercise of some sort.... 

you aren't alone when you say you feel like a blob, m'dear....  and it's extremely difficult to read about all these marvelous folks that get out there and exercise their tails off...  literally ...  i know i sit here and read their posts and think how great it would be to do that... and i'm the only one stopping me... well, me and a lack of motivation and a medical issue or two... LOL... but there are days that i actually get off my a$$ and throw in that dance exercise video my neurologist suggested i purchase...  i've never made it past 15 minutes....  but i might one day....  and if i don't, well, that's 15 minutes more than i moved all those other days....

and if you lose your weight in two years or four years, the whole point is to change the way you live and treat yourself....  27 is a great age....  if that's what it takes, that's fine....  and if you do it before then, fine....  do what you need to do....  just stick with eating healthy... 

okay - stepping down off my soap box now and back into seclusion...

All of this information and encouragement really has made sense. Except
for one factor...I can barely walk for 15 minutes a day let alone an
hour! LOL but I'm going to try. I want to get healthy. I'm not dieting,
I'm changing my lifestyle! Thanks again! I don't know what I'd do
without ya'll there cheering me on! 

Hey, I just noticed that you live in Payson. I used to live in Provo, now I'm up in Salt Lake. And we have almost exactly the same birthday (just four days apart, but same year and everything).

Yeah, the rate I'm going, it'll probably take me a couple years. We all understand your frustrations!

Take care,
Kirsten

if you can't walk for 15 minutes at one time WHO CARES??      walk for 3 sets of 5 minutes.. that is what some people have to start out at.. doesn't walking for 5 minutes 3 times a day sound better than 15 at a time?  at least you'd be moving.. i know from experience it's very very difficult to start a work out routine.  but i've been at it for 3 months and i'm actually to the point that i look forward to working out.. it makes you feel good.. but it sucks to start.. start off slow..

you might, mathmatically, be able to lose all of your weight without exercise.. but it is sooo difficult.. this is also not an all or nothing thing sweetie.. get down 20 or 30 pounds to start off with then reevaluate how you are feeling and whether or not it's time to include exercise.  even if all you do is dance around your room.. at least you're moving. 

I agree, lose some weight and then try to exercise - it's not all about weight loss - it is so good for your heart and lungs!  It is really hard to get going with exercise but you may just find you like it once you get going - if you eventually join a class or gym it is a nice social outing as well - plus they have hot tubs or sauna's there and it feels great to pamper yourself after a workout!  You will get there - just be determined to succeed - that is half the battle!  You have tons of support now!

you need to push yourself a liitle harder.  Trust me as someone who was SEVERELY out of shape when I started this.  I could not run up a flight of steps without wheezing and coughing, now I can jog 3/10 of a mile. 

I could not do one pushup without begging God for mercy, now look at my arms ;).  I can do two sets of twenty five without breaking too much of a sweat. 

You have to make yourself do as much as you can and then gradually you find you can do more and then more.  Your body starts to recognize that you are doing something positive and begins to work with you...

You cannot do the same things over and over again and expect the results to change... you need to be active to be healthy and you are FAR too young to feel that old and sluggish yet.  I know, I was there.... Words cannot begin to express the difference I feel now over then.  My asthma doesn't control me anymore.  I feel I can go out now and do things and not have to worry that I'll collapse or get too tired etc.  You can do this... you have to want it bad enough to push through the rough spots.  You deserve that self-respect you gain as well!!!

I am new here, but I just had to say, You all are doing great.  Thank you for sharing your struggles and victories. 

"Angel", you have already taken such a big step in changing your lifestyle.  The exercise will come.  Don't beat yourself up for not exercising right now.  If you can walk 15 min then that is GREAT!!!  Start out SLOW!!!  I use to jump in and start exercising 4X a week acting like a 140 lb woman when I was a 280 lb woman (now 311) and would always end up injuring myself.  Which would lead to down time and then I would get out of the habit and (you guessed it), the weight was back plus more.  So go Slow.  I am 38 and was fat since early teens.  So you loosing the weight by 27 going slow is a Great!!!  Just don't give up.  One day at a time.  :)  The VICTORY is YOURS!!!!!  

Angel - as has been said, you've already taken a big step towards a healthier lifestyle and that is being aware of what and when you eat.  I wasn't aware of this wonderful site when I started my program almost a year ago (already???  Gosh that went fast).  So, I started out switching out what I ate, i.e., healthy versus nonhealthy, and a lot of housecleaning (windows, screens, closets, scrubbed carpets, washed walls, etc).  That's how I started.  Later, I added walking and other forms of exercise.  Don't look at it as "in two years" or "in four years"....there will be so many rewards along the way - as you jump down to each new size it is such a wonderful feeling....or the extra energy to go another block than you did the week before.....you can do it.....

Hi Angel,

a warm welcome to calorie-count!! Joining this community is your first and most important step to your new life.

My recommendations for you are:

1) Find healthy foods you LIKE and try new recipes and combinations, don't ban all unhealthy foods you like but reduce portions, substitute high-calorie, high-fat foods with low-fat, low-sugar alternatives

2) Stick to your daily allowance for 4 weeks without cheating (do it and you'll be so proud of yourself!)

3) Don't force yourself to work out if you don't feel like it. With the first pounds lost you'll see that you actually WANT to be more active because you have so much more energy

4) Walk, bike, swim and do gymnastics (stretching, easy exercises) just for FUN not with the goal to burn calories. If it's for 5 minutes only, if it's only 1 exercise, fine. Remember, it's for FUN ONLY

5) Set small, REALISTIC short-term goals like a monthly goal of 2lb weight loss.

6) Celebrate every little success and share your success - and the frustrations along the way - with the fantastic cc community.

7) Think POSITIVE! You CAN do it.

Cherio, Anke

To be honest, I think you can drop weight faster than that with more of a work out. I am walking at a very brisk pace for one hour min. everyday. My work is a bit physical so I get that too, but I was gaining and working at the same time so I know that is not enough. Counting cals and being strict on intake and adding just one hour of good steady exercise a day will make the lbs come off quicker than two years. I have been doing this steadily for over five weeks and have lost 15 lbs. Not a speedy loss, but certainly noticable to how I feel.

  You can do this and we support you!

I agree with bigsister. Although it might take you four years to get to your goal weight, as soon as you start losing weight you will feel so much better.

The more you weigh, the faster you can lose it!

My advice:

Listen to Anke!
That is exactly what I was going to say. I started this site on 3/3 and did just as the post above suggests and I have lost 23lbs!

Try little things to make a difference. I did things like:
* I weigh my portions so I know I am having 6Oz. of meat for instance, then I add a larger portion of veggies to fill up.
* I eat four times a day to "keep the fires burning"
* I look at calorie counts as opposed to fat or sugars and I happen to pick things that are fat free and sugar free or reduced. If I need a sweet snack I grab a chocolate pudding, fat and sugar free of course, and it's only 60 cals or so.
*I like my coffee with cream and sugar so I switched to coffee mate and splenda. This brings coffee from something like 100 cals to < 30.

Look, it takes some work. You have to want to do it and you have to learn how to eat again but you can do it.

Honestly, I don't really feel like I am dieting, I changed HOW I eat so that I can be satisfied and lose weight not starve to death all day and get nothing from it. I feel way better now because I am eating healthy, I added a lot of fruits and veggies. It's just good and the longer you go without devil dogs the less you crave them anyway :)

Good Luck!
Eric...

Wow this is amazing! The support on this website is so cool! I just post one little thing and I have a rally behind me! YAY!

I'm trying to convince myself to get up and do the workout thing. But so far it's not working out. I'm going to continue watching what I eat...and counting my calories. The summer is coming up now too, maybe I'll add some swimming to the mix...I wonder what that would do...

Anyway you guys are amazing people and I thank you each from the bottom of my heart!

That's exactly what I'm doing! Looking at the treadmill! You crack me up United! LOL I'm going to hit the treadmill one of these days...and as for the meals...I ate out at fast food, but had a taco salad instead of a burger and onion rings and coke...I had a taco salad and Water! hehe I feel good! It's spring and gorgeous outside and I'm starting to make some positive changes in my life to go along with it! YAY ME!