seeming impossible to lose wieght.. am I alone?

Hello, my name is megan and I am a 24 yr old mother of 1. I just had my daughter about 16 months ago and I am struggling with my wieght! I have a very supportive fiance who loves me for me but i just want to do this for me. I want to lose 45-50 lbs! I have set a goal to lose 30 by june or july... does this sound insane? I am just new to dieting, since, before I had my daughter, I was never "skinny" but always happy with myself! Anyway I am just looking for some support/advice/secrets anyone may have. I have done everything from the Atkins to Weight Watchers and NOTHING works for me! Please share if you have any thing to help me along this journey. I am 5'2 and 180 lbs. I have always been very outgoing and had alot of friends but since i have gained all this wieght (over 50 lbs) I don't even want to leave my house. I feel trapped in this body and feel like this isn't me but seems nothing is working. Thank you for listening =]

Hi Meganleigh!

I just wanted to say hi and let you know that you aren't alone. I am 23 years old, 5'6 and started my weight loss journey at 235 lbs I am now 198 lbs. It took me about 8 months to get here through go eating habits and not working out. I am sure if I did (which I am starting to now since I said I would once I hit below 200) I would have lost the weight faster.

I too have tried multiple diet "fads" and none worked because they didn't teach you a lifestyle change, which is what you are doing so you can successfully lose the weight and keep it off without the chances of yo-yoing back. What has worked for me is the old ancient trick of eating less than you burn. Of course it sounds easier than it is but once you can transform your eating habits it becomes second nature. Truly amazing actually.

The way I lost my 37 lbs is first I cut out all carbonated drinks. (this by far was the hardest thing for me to do) I deflated fairly quickly. I also tried to steer away from processed foods because of the sodium content which is water retention and I am not a fan of. hehe.

Overall, to get started and take baby steps (One day at a time) try to be concious of your portion sizes, this will make all the difference in the world. Don't neccessarily cut out one particular thing, rather have less of it so you can slowly get used to your new FABULOUS lifestyle.

If you need anything else please PLEASE shoot me a message and I can share more of my "wisdom" with you.

Best of luck and remember Keep on keeping on!

Hi Meganleigh,

I too have tried Jenny craig & weight watchers in the past But now I am doing my own diet based on them both, I have decided to  lose 16kg (about 36 LBS)

I started at the end of last month doing 1500 calories a day, now I know it doesnt seem much but if its worked out right its great, am never left hungry,

Just make sure u eat the veges, fruit, protein and dairy that the weight places say, cut ur meat down heaps I read somewhere 100grams a sitting, which is very little for me, but I fill up on Veges which are low in calories.

U need a strong willpower tho to keep to it, also drink plenty of water, after my 1st week I lost 3kg, thats a great incentive :)

Good luck

Hi!

I'll start by saying good luck on your weight loss goals!  As long as you aim to lose 1-2 pounds a week, it's healthy. I will tell you what worked and what didn't work through my experiences trying to lose weight myself.

I've tried calorie counting and that really worked for me.  I saw results on the scale after only 1 week.  The problem I had with calorie counting my first time round was that I ate too little for the exercises I was doing.  One day after walking 5k to work and only bringing a 5 calorie jello snack to eat I fainted!  Not just once, but twice!  It was scary.  My doctor reeled me out and I totally gave up and gained all my weight back.

Last month I started jogging.  I didn't count calories but I worked out about 5-7 days a week.  I felt and FEEL great.  I went from feeling dead after jogging .5 a mile outside and now I'm at 3.1 miles (5km) and I still feel like I feel great when I'm done.  I love what my body can do.  I see that my body is firmer but I'm not losing weight or getting smaller.  This is definitely because my appetite went through the rough! SO I've just started to count calories again.  I'm starting with a 2000 calorie goal the days I work out and 1800 when I don't.  I might tweak that a bit depending on if I see results. 

I suggest you do the same.  Start with a reasonable calorie goal, wait to see if you see results and then change it accordingly.  You'll be easing into your new lifestyle (remember this is a forever thing) and you won't risk your health. 

Plus, make sure you get your calories from healthy sorces.  You'll get to eat more (which is always good) and you will feel better.

Hello Meganleigh!

Congratulations on being a mom... it's certainly a journey unlike any other.  All the changes & challenges with becoming a new mom are so often underestimated. After I had my first baby I didn't realize I struggled with isolation. Becoming a stay at home mom meant letting go of my job & the support network of my work friends. Like most moms, my time wasn't my own... the baby came first. On one hand I was ecstatic, but trying to get my body back was difficult. I was very hard on myself; I had to learn to be gentle.

One of the first things that helped me was not eating between meals and eating on a schedule. Those simple steps help me be conscious of my food without being obsessive & has freed me from mindless nibbling or comfort eating. Being on this website is a definite plus because it's simple to keep track of calories.

Getting out of the house and going to the Y helped me connect with other people and reclaim my identity. The Y is relatively cheap and most have child care... besides the gym, there are classes, some have pools... I love my dance aerobic class & have come to really enjoy the people, not to mention what it did for my body. No one is a real dancer there (we all mess up a lot!), so there's no pressure at all ... it's just a lot of laughs & healthy exercise & good company. Some Ys have classes & activities just for new moms. They also have flexible fee plans for different income levels, so be sure to ask if that's an issue.

Exercise, especially doing fun things, relieves depression naturally. I really love my daily endorphins & sleep better & have more energy, too. I can't do most of my regular exercise on my own, though, I really need to be around other people. I use 10-minute dance or exercise DVDs a few times a week at home, too, but the most significant results come from what I do at the Y (with or around other people). There are always people there who are worse off than me, some with physical handicaps who inspire me, older people, and others who remind me of what I want to achieve physically. It really helps my motivation.

Another thing that has helped me a lot is a exercise & heart rate monitor. I got one from PolarUSA.com  It takes the guesswork out of how much activity I'm really getting (& how many calories I actually burn in a 24 hour period). I subtract the food calories I log here from the activity calories number on my monitor and I can predict my weight loss each week. This simple math keeps me realistic, on track, continuing to lose weight... and encouraged.

The other thing I do, honestly, is OA. At various times in my life, I've been anorexic, bulemic and/or have been overweight. Because OA deals with much more than weight, it has brought a special balance and peace to my life. There are online meetings (every 3 hours, 24/7) as well as face-to-face meetings. It's not for everyone, but it changed my life.

Whatever you do, you're not alone, Meganleigh. You're so much more than a dress size or a number on the scale. Reading the other posts here to you shows people care and understand. Give yourself some fun, be gentle with yourself & know people love you.

All the best... you deserve it!

THank you everyone so much for your responses! It feels so good to know I am not alone! Weight is just such a hard thing to cope with. I swear my life could be absolutely perfect but if I am no thappy with me... somethings off. What I have been doing for the past 2 days is eating 1400 calories. I don't do much working out so I have started doing slow-aerobics work out video's from home. They are cardio and toning and about 45 minutes long.

I am going to go to the Y this week and check out what they have to offer. I need some adult interaction! I am just so insecure but I need to step out of that and get out there!

I will keep everyone updated and thank you so much for taking time to listen to me =]

And by the way Taryn... I just looked at your picture and you look absolutely AMAZING! not just the wieght loss but you have a glow to you and you look so pretty! =]

Hi Meganleigh6!

First of all, the thought of doing something about your weight is just great. That, in itself, is a big start.

My height is 5'1-1/2 inches and I started out at 180 pounds. I'm 29 right now.  When I was heavier, I had stopped meeting friends, people or sending pictures back home to my parents. The graduate student life killed me with sitting at the computer all day long, and I also had severe insomnia, making it very difficult to eat right and sleep right (which are the cornerstones of losing weight).

I've been exercising lately, but unfortunately due to sickness and Ph.d qualifiers, I had to take long breaks. But I'm back once again. Right now, I'm sitting at 170. 5, and I had lost upto 168. My target, with lots of lean mass is 133.

So, it's not impossible or difficult to get there....there will be good days and bad days but a lot of patience and motivation is the key.

Now, the steps:

1. Check with cc what your calorie intake should be.

2. Eat clean, raw and fresh--that is, leave out all carbonated stuff, and things with saturated fat and the bad guys (there are tons of information on diet...I'm not going to clutter here).

3. Go early to bed and rise early. I was a night owl and that can make matters really, really worse, trust me. You must sleep for 8 hours, at the least.

4. Go to the gym or run or jog or walk...do something. Ideally speaking, based on your weight, you should go to the gym 4-5 times in the week in the beginning and then take it up to 6 times a week, after 2-3 months. Incorporate strength training as well as cardio in your work out. You won't be able to lose fat and keep it off unless you build lead mass, so strength training is an absolute must.

5. A very important thing is--you need to build and strengthen your core. Firming up your core will indirectly help you lose weight, and they are your "functional" muscle.

6. You need to eat 5-6 times per day, in the interval of 2-3 hours. This is because by eating more, you revv up your metabolism, and having long gaps sends signal to the brain that you are starving yourself, leading to a drop in metabolism. So, eat a lot of times, and eat healthy and right! (lots of fibrous veggies, lean dairy, lean protein, healthy carbs, and some nuts (omega 3s!!)

7. Good Luck. To get this, combine all that you can do for yourself and luck will be on your side.

All the best!

awe thanks Meganleigh!

you are gorgeous as well and you will lose the weight in no time and have a 'glow' too! (even though I think you do already)

Keep on keeping on!

Hi again,

If u havent done a lot of exercise in the past, I wouldnt think that u will enjoy it for too long, I hate exercise (gyms included) but I walk briskly for 30 minutes a day, I force myself to do that, the way I look at that is 30 mins is 30 minutes more than I usually do ;) so I hope its enough for me, oh I had a total hip replacement 4 years ago, and the other side hurts now :(

I reckon 1500 calories is enuff, just make sure the foods u eat are healthy ones, read the nutritional info on the  stuff.

You say u did the weight watchers, take the good points of that diet to help u.

good luck