Very Confused

I am new to this forum... Hello :)

I have decided to do something about my weight.  I was skinny in my 20s, gained lots of weight during my 30s and now I am facing 40 at 238 pounds. 

On October 1, I began trying to eat only around 1600 to 1800 calories a day.  I have been doing that. 

I also took the clothes off that were piled on my treadmill that I got 2 years ago and started USING the thing.  It even has the incline feature.  I used it five times this last week, my goal is to do it AT LEAST 4 times per week and light weight lifting afterwards.

I have a active job that keeps me on my feet and moving around a lot.

So how long will it take for me to lose a hundred pounds (oooohhh that sounds so daunting when put like that)?  The calculators are telling me a couple of years????

I am trying to adopt a healthy eating lifestyle, not really "dieting".  I am choosing better foods, paying attention to fiber content, trying to eat more natural stuff, limiting my portions.  I want to learn to eat for life....I couldnt live on 1200 calories a day....

Is there any hope for me???? Will it really take TWO YEARS??????

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!!!

It'll take a lot less time than you imagine...   Once you're in a good healthy-eating and exercise habit the weeks and months will just fly past surprisingly quickly.   You're doing exactly the right thing by not 'dieting'.... diets are only ever temporary and tend to drag because they're so miserable.   A  healthy lifestyle is lots of fun, much more flexible and extremely rewarding. 

1 - 2lbs a week is a good working average so be pleased if you lose 1/2lb, thrilled if you lose 1lb and delighted if you lose 2!  And also have some other ways to measure success.  Everyone gets weeks where the scales stubbornly refuse to budge and that can be dispiriting.  So a good thing to do at this stage is to get some full-length pictures of yourself that you can compare at future dates.  Take some measurements because inches sometimes disappear quicker than lbs.  Be conscious of other improvements to your health.... clearer skin, more energy, elevated mood.  

Take it one day at a time.  If every day you do your best that's as good as it gets.  If you have a bad day (and everyone does!!) don't let it put you off your stride but carry on the next day as if nothing had happened.  Every day you get it right... treat as a triumph

Very best of luck... Keep smiling!

As hard as it seems, it really doesn't matter how long it will take you to lose 100 pounds................you just have to lose 2 lbs this week.  I feel if you jump ahead and worry about the whole amount it is overwhelming.  Just take it a day at a time.  You will soon see a difference in the way your clothes fit, then you will see the difference in the mirror.  We don't get overweight on a time schedule and we don't lose it on a strict schedule either.  You have taken a big step just starting!

Bravo and good luck!

Barbara

I was in exactly the same situation as you are now bitteronion.  In May I was facing my 40th birthday at 226 pounds.  Like you, I also felt this weight was unacceptable and that I needed to get healthier.  To date I have lost 41 pounds and am now 185.  I still have some weight to lose in order to get to my goal, but I feel so much better. 

Once you start losing 1-2 pounds per week, you will be amazed at how much better you feel, both physically and mentally.  I know it seems like losing 100 pounds is a daunting task that will take a really long time.  I am happy to tell you that once you start, you will feel so great that it won't matter how long it takes because you start feeling so much better about yourself.

I've added you as a friend and I would love to chat with you as we both continue this journey.  Good luck!

All of the previous posts are excellent advice.  One day at a time.  Shoot for an actual goal.  10% is a great number to start at.  Go from there.  That 100 lbs won't seem so daunting in stages.  You will feel better every day along the journey, and looking at 10 lbs as a first goal is a whole lot less scary than thinking about the bigger picture all at once!

I am in that same situation.  Will be 40 in April and I'm 216 pounds.  The above posts are very encouraging and I would like to add you guys as friends, too ... we all seem to be aspiring to the same goals ... at this juncture, it is less about how I look and more about how I feel.  I have a son graduating high school ths year, but I also have a 9th grade daughter and a 5th grade daughter.  I'd like to make it to each of their graduations healthier and happier!

Thanks for the replies and encouragement!!

So far, I have been amazed at how easy it is to eat 1600-ish calories a day.  I am not hungary for the most part.  I get some of the late night pangs at times but choose to drink water and think to myself that in the morning I will have a nice breakfast. 

In the past, I have always done low calorie diets that made me cranky, lightheaded and feeling generally like crap in addition to being so hungry I could scream.

I guess it doesnt matter how long it really takes as long as I am headed in the right direction.  The thought of just having the scale under 200 again and being able to shop and buy regular size clothes again sounds great.  I am so sick of having to wear PLUS SIZE....I want to wear cute clothes again. 

I am glad that I found this site.  I plan to come back here later today and really explore it. 

You people are great, and I am looking forward to having some online friends to share this experience with!!!

That's the spirit... This is a great resource.  I stumbled over it when I needed a recipe analyser one day and it's full of useful stuff.  1600 - 1800 sounds very do-able and, if you choose mostly healthy, filling foods (plenty of vegetables with all your meals) and be creative about your meal choices it can be positively festive!  If you feel peckish late at night... plan a little snack you can enjoy.  If a 100 cal dish of fruit salad is the difference between you going to bed with a smile on your face or a growling tummy... have the fruit salad every time. 

I made the mistake in the past as well of thinking that diets had to leave you feeling feeble and grouchy or they weren't 'working'. Put me off doing anything about my weight for years.   (Slaps hand to forehead and says 'D'oh!')  Daft, eh?

Keep smiling.... you've got exactly the right attitude and those regular-size clothes will be yours in no time!

You do have a great attitude.....you are well on your way!  I have gone from 247 to a wonderful 184.5 with 40 more to go and I am amazed when I get on the scale every week that it keeps coming off. So what if it is only 1 or 1.5 lbs...the fact is, when I look at what I am eating, I could not be more pleased.  Now I decide I would rather have a bowl of cereal instead of a Blue Moon!  It is not dieting....it is a lifestyle change for the better!  I just turned 47 and I cannot believe that I have been so abusive to my body over the years!  It is really nice having my size 16 jeans looking sloppy because they are too big!  Time is irrelevant!  It is about feeling good about ourselves!  Good luck and you have so many of us here for support!

By the way, gi-jane....you are awesome!  I would love for you to critique me!