Welcome to the new over 100 to lose club!

Howdy guys and gals!  I'm taking over this club, not because i think i have all the answers (i so know i don't) but because i'm super pumped up right now and motivated to help those people out there who have a lot of weight to lose.  we need a place that's more than a "can i join" place.. we need a place to talk about issues related to being this overweight.. 

Who here needs to lose over 100 pounds? Who needs to lose over 150 pounds? Or more?

I did! I did! And yes.. i did!

A small amount of background on me for those of you who don't know: i am a binge eater. I have had a problem with emotional eating, hidden eating, over eating, eating with a hang nail, eating because i have split ends.. you name it i stuffed my emotions down with the greasiest, nastiest food i could find!

Why did i do that (you might ask)? Because of many many different reasons.. frankly i think it was because this is how i was taught from a young age, this is how we handle stress and emotions. I learned that it's not proper to talk about your feelings.. or god forbid, express your emotions! You have to shove them down with a piece of cake and a smile!

Anyway.. onto the reason for this post.

If you are out there and need to lose a lot of weight.. just like i've got to.. i think we need to have a place where we can discuss these issues with each other and try and work through them together. Because, let's face it, people who are morbidly obese (yes.. i hate that word too) have uniquely different issues to work through and deal with than the average person.

Losing weight, for people who have this much to lose, have to deal with so much more than the formulas to figure out how much to eat.. and exercising. It's more complex than that. We have to deal with years and years of poor eating habits that have to be unlearned, we have to deal with the emotional torment of just being this size, we have to deal with the harsh looks and comments from strangers or from loved ones, we have to deal with our emotions for the first time in our life because we aren't shoving them down our throats anymore..

this is the hardest thing ANYONE has to deal with.. but, from my experience, things are different for us bigguns. :)

also, for those of you who don't know me very well.. (because i've kinda been in hiding and not posting much and there are so many new people out there) i started out in january weighing 324 pounds. I now weigh 232.5.. i have lost 91.5 pounds so far. I am not telling you guys this to get kudos.. i got those yesterday. I'm telling you guys this because i want anyone out there who is struggling with knowing they have, what seems to be, an insurmountable amount of weight to lose, that there is hope.. it IS possible.. you CAN do it.. but it's hard.. and you will hurt.. i know this because i've been there.. i've done it.. and i'm still dealing with it.

so.. come on in and share your stories.. i want to hear them and i want us to support each other until we are all at our goal weight!

So...on some days I only consume about 780-900 calories....so why arn't I loosing more than 1 lb a week? Granted some days I consume more than that, but I have been trying to stay at no more than 1600. What am I doing wrong?  Drinking lots of water...suggestions, anyone?

I'm beginning to feel like there is no one out there on this discussion...should I look  for another one?  I have hit below 230 (229) and no one to share it with here...WHERE IS EVERYONE?  Thanks Vicky for responding to my question!

I just wanted to welcome you all!  I have been on calorie count for quite some time now, and when I started dieting I had 154 pounds to lose.

You CAN do it (and sorry if this sounds like an infomercial).  After 11 months of dieting and exercising right, I have lost 117 pounds.  I still have 37 to go, but boy it has taken a load off.

This journey will be fun and exciting. You will have your ups and downs. It will make you want to pull your hair out, and honestly some of your hair may even start to fall out!

So stick with your alloted amount of calories, take your daily vitamin, and watch you and everyone around you shrink. It's awesome!

Cyndy - you are going about losing weight the wrong way.  If you do have more than 100 pounds to lose, and are only eating that many calories, your body is starving.

You eat that little and your body will hold onto every once of it for dear life. Your metabolism will slow, and your muscle will be eaten by your body for survival.  Its quite scary the things that can happen to you if you do not eat enough.

I suggest you use the expenditure tool on here to help you determine how many calories you need to be eating to lose weight. It is a big help!

And dont get discouraged, but at first you may gain a few pounds before you start losing again. This is because your metabolism is going at a slow pace! So keep at it, and your body will start to function properly again.

If you are feeling like you mentally cannot eat more than you are now, please seek the help of a professional. Eating disorders can be detrimental, but if you get to the bottom of it soon, your chances of pulling back out of it are a lot better.

I know all this because I was dieting like you in the beginning. It's really not healthy.  So please take my suggestions, because I care about your health.

I find all your stories very motivational, in a time when I need all I can get.

Thanks!

x17star17x  Thank you for your insite. I don't have an eating disorder, what I do have is the metabolism of a dead snail! I also have to take 7 different medications for a incurable degenerative nerve disease, and 4 cause weight gain...so that doesn't help. The day I had 790 or so calories is probably more of a misnomer than the norm. According to the food log I have been keeping thru this site, I stay between 1200-1600 and I guess that is fairly healthy. I know that my overall anylsis (sp) is about a 'B' ...just frustrating that this seems to take so long to even start loosing. I am going to try walking more...That is another thing...how does everyone keep track of all their activities..i.e.; driving/house cleaning/walking etc.?

Hi, I'm back and When I started I lost 40 lbs and got down to 302, but now I am back and I have gained that plus more so I am starting over. My ankles hurt, my legs hurt and I need EVERYONES SUPPORT,PLEASE HELP ME!

Hi! I am a newbee to the site, have been reading the posts (a few at the start and a few here on the end, or the current ones.) I was glad to find this site with active posting as I really just need to talk to people who know what it is like to be OBESE. God, I hate that word! I am 50y old female who has struggled with weight all her life, I lose 50, gain 60, lose 90, gain 110. I topped out at 303lb. in March of '07. My blood pressure is high (2 meds for that), my blood sugar is high (3 meds for that). My knees, hips and back hurt me so bad that all I could muster was to get up in the morning (after hardly sleeping due to the pain) and hobble to my recliner! I was depressed so another medication (which didn't help btw). In March I came down with pneumonia and thought I was going to die, a week or so after apparently getting better from the pneumonia I severely sprained my left ankle in a fall right at the refrigerator door! (Can we say wake up call!) Tough is weighing over 300lb and and trying to get around on one foot! HA! Within 2 wks. of falling, I came down with pneumonia again and this time it did nearly take me out! I realized that most of my problems were of my own making...the weight was killing me, one spoonful at a time, and what damage it wasn't doing, all the drugs I was having to take was poisoning me! With this thought I resolved to make a change in my life, NOT a diet. I am eating healthfully, since diabetis is an issue I am really watching carbs, the only fat I eat is a spray of pam, or in nuts, or avacado, or olive oil, then  VERY sparingly. I eat my fill of vegetables, keep meat or fish at 3oz or so, drink lots. I have gone from 303lb to 268lb to date. I have started feeling better to a point where I have added 30-60min walking with my dog, or the treadmill. (Pretty sad to be so big it hurts to move or walk, but I was, it still hurts but at least I can do it)  So with all in mind, any suggestions for me from you pro's? Any one out there who has lost bunches and KEPT it off for a number of years? That's where I get lost! BTW...I am off the diabetis drugs and depression  the drug!

Hi.  Welcome Newbies.  I am still somewhat of a newbie having only been on CC for a couple weeks now.  I am 43 yr old, currently 308 lbs, 5'3".   I have so far too go that I am learning to be happy with small changes.  I will make more and more changes as time goes by.  Right now focus is eating healthy foods, counting calories, and shopping properly.  I need to add drinking water and exercise.  Right now I am just so happy to have found this website that I spend alot of time reading people's posts and learning.  Eventually I will take the plunge and exercise but as some of you have mentioned, it is tough when your body hurts and is out of breath.  My dogs will be happier when I get back to walking them.  Have a good day everyone!

Brenda

Hey everyone! i want to join!!

I started at 305.5 lbs and am currently 291.5 lbs.  I need all the help and support I can get!

Good Luck to all of you in this club! I know we can do this!!

Brendakh and Toughjourney, Howdy! I'm new too and know what you mean about finding this site, I felt the same way! We can encourage each other!

I have done the same, yoyo'd all my life. Not this time, I am not doing this to look better, I am doing it for my health...I know if I don't I will die!

So...I aim to become a health nut! LOL! I figure if I eat properly (and only enough for one person) and MOVE (I have started walking) this time next year I will be a WHOLE lot healthier! :)

Welcome ! 

Glad everyone one is here to share stories. If anyone wants to communicate with me on a weekly basis to report weights, just email. I will be glad to be your support.

Welcome all newbies! I've been here since early March. So far lost 40 lbs from starting at 335. I want to lose 195 lbs total and try to get down to 140 again. I've been doing the usual- eating healthy, watching my calories and trying to stay under my recommended amount which is 1800. I'm trying to get the veggies in. That is a hard one. After losing just 40 lbs I am able again to do some of the physical things that I could not when I was over 300. Simple day to day things. I'm not as out of breathe and can do a little more. I've been trying to start exercising, but I am recovering from an injury and it was doing much better, but I overdid it in the pool one day and it's back to hurting. But that doesn't affect me as far as upper body exercise, which I can still do. It's just hard to get to the gym or exercise at home when I'm in pain. I feel like that is just an excuse, but that is where I am. Good luck to everyone on their journey, Vicki 

Figured I'd update some.

I'm 252lbs, been losing weight still, but a lot slower. I stopped writing down all my calories and instead kinda guesstimate things. I just needed a break from being so anal (I would log every piece of gum I ate, luckily breathing is calorie free.. It is, right?!)

So for a month or so I just tried to do it that way. Been going up a pound, down some, gain a bit, down again etc. Not sure if it was actual weight, figured it was water weight. My husband is hell on me.. always talking me into bad foods that make me retain water.

I'm glad to see that I -can- maintain, without having to log everything. My guesstimations are fairly accurate and I know darn well when I have eaten too much in a day.

So anyhow, still going on, during July I am gonna try and log stuff again, so I will lose a bit quicker again. My mom is coming from the Netherlands end of August and I want her to see a different daughter (I dont think I've been 250 lbs since high school). Go me!

HI all - It's been a while - Days seem to go faster and faster can't believe its almost 4th of july already. I haven't weighed myself in a while but still feel like i'm doing ok. Still going to curves but have slowed there a bit and going only 1-2 times a week but still going. I"m going to try going early am starting tomorrow before work since there seems to be so much going on in the evening. My youngest is in baseball so 2 nites a week its popcorn and cheering them on. If anyone would like to chat on messenger my hotmail address is arollie@hotmail.com - its good to have friends trying to accomplish the same goal . My last wt was 274. Have a happy 4th of july everyone. Stay healthy.

Hello all,

I now weigh 238 lbs and I hate it.  My goal is to reach 120lbs.  I am sick of all the fat I am carrying around.  When I think of all the things I miss out on because I let myself get this big, I get so disappointed.  I can't believe I have done this. 

 My approach right now is to concentrate on meeting the calorie goal I got from this site.  It is sooo hard.  I think about food all the time.  Does anyone have suggestions for food that is low in calories but fills you up?  Thanks for letting me rant.

Hi all can I join???

according to their tool on here I need to lose about 180, but honestly I want to lose about 150, women are supposed to have curves LOL we ain't supposed to look like a 2x4 in jeans. other than that, at my higest I was 328 I am not actually dieting yet, I am getting a base line (logging everything I am eating and doing now so that when I do start I will know how much to cut, I have been doin this for about 2 weeks now, and have actually lost weight even though I wasnt trying but just the thought of if i eat that I have to log it I have lost 11 lbs. but I have figured out that I need to cut back slow so I am going to do it over the next month 2 weeks at a time, (the tool on here says I need to eat 2600 calories to lose weight, I dont even eat that many now and I am a binge eater lol) I was averaging 2270 cals a day so starting tues I am going to cut to 1800 (500 less) then 1700 then 1600, which is not really going to be a problem for me, the problem for me is that due to medical issues I need to cut carbs, for a 2000 cal diet you are supposed to eat 300 I was averaging 255, so I am going to cut to 175 to start, then to 135 then to 100, this is going to be the hardest part for me I am a bread addict LOL, bread, rolls, muffins, ect are my comfort foods. anyone else ever tried anything like this? any advice on how to cut carbs with out feeling robbed?

I think that the biggest problem that I have had is what I am noticing from a lot of posts.  The weight is not coming off fast enough.  I have been logging since May 1, 2007 and have only lost a little over 15 pounds.  Since I have a lot to go that isn't that much but then last week I started noticing a few things.  The past two times I was on Weight Watches (both times very successfull)  I lost about 30 pounds within the first 12 weeks and by the end of the twelve weeks you could really tell.  Since the end of June, I have started noticing the same thing.  My feet aren't as swollen at the end of the day, my pants are just a little baggier in the bottom and legs.  My watches and bracelets feel looser and my shirts aren't as snug as they used to be.

If you look at yourself, I mean really look at yourself and then after you have been doing this for a month look again, you will see the changes.  I have thought about doing photo's but not sure I want to but maybe I should it might help to see the difference since the weight loss on this site will be more gradual than a "diet" would be but we will see.

Congrats to everyone who hit their goals this week, weigh in day is tomorrow for me and I peeked this morning and was down again so watching it tightly today so can have a great Tuesday again! :)

Keep positive and hang in there.

Hi everybody! It's so great to find this group, which seems outstanding in it's success stories and helpful support. Looking at the big number (100 or more) seems so defeating, but when i read about how you all have been working hard to get down, it seems like it might be do-able.

I started out at 226 last Dec. and am down to 204... not a lot, i know, and not the 120 my doc keeps nagging me about, but a lot of that time has been spent looking at the patterns of eating, sleeping and exercise and seeing how it matches up with bad or good days of diabetes and high blood pressure. There are a lot of moving pieces with losing weight and, you all have hit the nail on the head, it's about lifestyle change too.

So now i've got a system together and am steadily losing weight, as of this month; my husband and i have changed our diet and exercise together and support each other's weight loss, which really, really helps. I've also set the loss to be in twenty pound increments done four months at a time, just so i don't get discouraged!

I'm hoping the best for you and me, and looking forward to hearing everyone's good news, week by week.

I am glad I found this topic because you are all so encouraging. I have 190 lbs. to loose.  I know it will be a tough journey, but I am under the advise of my physician using a 1200 calorie diet with the sliding scale of going up to 1600 calories.  He knows I will add some so that is the reason for the lower number of 1200.

Everyone here keep up the good work.  I like hearing the goods and bads of things. And remember when you fall off the wagon consider it a mini vacation and get right back on it again.  The only way you will continue to see the scale go down is by staying on the wagon. Who knows by leaving the wagon you probably sabataged your scale from moving that 2-3 lbs that is was waiting to show all at one time.  Just remember that as Food for thought!