Trying to Keep this in Perspective

I have been struggling with my weight since I was a kid. Right before I graduated high school I managed to get down to about 150 pounds (started high school at 200 pounds) but did it in a very unhealthy way. Now I'm getting ready to graduate college in June and due to a thyroid problem and just the unhealthy lifestyle of a college student, I have shot up to 230 pounds. I'm trying really hard to keep myself checked into reality that I can lose a lot of weight before I graduate! If I lose 2 pounds a week until I graduate I will be under 200 pounds! And if I really get my but to the gym like I should I know I can lose more than that because of my size. It's so hard for me to keep that in mind when I'm struggling with what to eat but I really need to do it this time! I told my parents I won't take graduation pictures until I lose the weight b/c this is not how I want to remember my achievement. Anyone have any words of advice? Success stories to keep me going?

You admit that the first time you lost weight, it was unhealthy for you--and losing weight quickly is also unhealthy.  Your academic achievement is not diminished by your body size--consider your graduation as an example of how you met challenges bravely and came out on top, and then apply that thought to losing weight.  You can't graduate college in less than 4 years, and losing weight to be healthier will take time too.  Be patient with yourself--you can do it, and your long term success will be more likely if you do this slowly.  good luck to you dear

i wouldn't do the thing with the pictures.  college graduation is really important and a huge achievement--you can't diminish that because of how you look.

just make sure that you don't overdue it trying to get to your ideal weight.  it will be possible for you to lose quickly without being unhealthy--but make sure you don't walk to close to that edge.  try to maintain good deficits--no more than 800-1000 calories, and do it eating healthy foods spread out through the day combined with moderate exercise.

since december, i've lost about 15 pounds (i started at 160 and am down to 144-145) and i did it with regular exercise and a healthy diet.  i still eat normally and no foods are "forbidden" i have treats once in a while, and sometimes i go over my allowance.  but my lifestyle is different--and that's the most important change.

Oh hon.  Take those college pictures!  If anything, in the future you can see how far you've come from your college days.


You need to be CONSISTENT to lose that weight though.  No skipping days.  No having "bad" days.  Keep it at your alloted calories or whatever (Im not too much of a fan of alloted calories bc as you lose weight, your body burns less calories .... thus slowing the weight loss for some people). 
Just exercise 5 days a week.  And eat sensibly and do not lie to yourself about what you eat!  Eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans ... make sure you get your fiber and poop a lot :D  Good luck and stay consistent!!

Oprah says if there was a magical way to lose weight, she would have bought it already!

PS.  If "walking" is your exercise be careful.  A lot of people dont walk fast enough for it to really improve your heart health.  If on a treadmill try to keep it above 3.5.  Yep, you should be going that fast.  Otherwise, stick with elliptical machines, swimming, and things not so hard on your joints.

Congratulations on your pending graduation.  Remember the kind of persistence and stamina it takes to complete that kind of work.  Same thing with the healthy lifestyle.  Don't let weight diminish your great accomplishment.  If you wouldn't allow a good friend to think this way, don't allow yourself to...

I too have struggled with hypothyroidism for the past 16 years.  It demands persistent self-observation and manipulation of one's nutrition, meds and exercise.  I've added fish oil (2000mg 3x/day) and probiotics daily.  Don't consume foods that create any kind of intestinal distress, for me that meant I needed to end my espresso habit :(

Add as much "natural" food to your diet as possible.  Don't eat prepared food.  Shop daily or every couple of days and cook.  It is really worth it in the long run, both in terms of taste and also your health.

It is a manageable disorder.  Get all the supportive medical attention you can. 

I am trying to do it the healthy way this time. That's the hardest thing for me because I know it can be done quickly but it's unhealthy. I fall into that when I get really depressed about it. I graduate mid june so if I can lose 2 lbs a week that would be over 30 pounds by graduation. That would be a huge thing for me. I want to try and train with my dad while he's training for his marathon because then I would be totally motivated to keep working. I"m also planning to join his marathon team after I graduate to lose the weight and get more active. I just don't have the time now while I'm in school.

But my thing with the pictures is that I want my graduation pictures to be somethign that I can look back at and be happy about. I love looking at my senior pictures and my prom pictures because I looked awesome! I don't want to waste money on pictures that I"m going to want to burn everytime I look at them. It gives me something to work for too. I've done really well this weekend and today so I just gotta keep it up.

Thanks everyone!

2 pounds/week sounds completely within reason... Of course time will tell.  Just remember all the days following as well.  Think where you'll be in a year if you continue this lifestyle change.

It's smart to set attainable goals.  Be smart about what it takes to change a lifetime of habits.  It can be done.  Just be kind and gentle with yourself.

There's more than pictures at stake, there's the rest of your life.

trust me, graduation is just the first goal set. I am hoping to eventually get down to at least 150 and hopefully lower. But that will take time and that's fine. I realized I needed to set smaller goals for myself or else I just get discouraged with the whole thing.