Diet Community

Hi Haylen
yes I had a time where I was in denial about my weight
I knew I had put on some weight but wasn;t aware how much , I had the opposite of anorexia when I looked in the mirror I saw myself thinner ...It was some photos taken at my nieces house that I realized just how big I was ...
that was an eye opener,, tried to diet it off i was walking every day and dieting like crazy and all I did was yo yo up and down then up again...It wasn;t until I decided to make permanent changes in the way I used food I started logging on fitday and makeing sure I had better nutrition eating so many healthy unproccessed foods made a difference .
Hugs Judy:)

Hi Haylen,
Like Judy, I was living with rose colored glasses on too. Prior to this last January, I wouldn't be able to tell you when the last time I'd looked into a full length mirror, naked, had been.
Then, I caught myself out of the corner of my eye when I was rushing around trying to get ready, Jan 3. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked, REALLY LOOKED, at myself.
And you know what got me started on my journey? I discovered that I had what my oldest son so eloquently called "Cankles" . You know , when your calves and ankles are about the same size, all the way to your foot? Yeh, cankles.
That was my turning point. Sure, I had the double rolls of fat on my back at my waistline. The startings of the overlap where the thigh melts over the knee. The bulge across the front of my ribcage. The heavy , saggy butt. Yep , had it all. But , those cankles! LOL eyeroll . It was those that disgusted me the most.
Kim

Oh Kim! Cankles - you have me laughing out loud! Not that cankles are funny of course, but the word is right on descriptive. The body part of mine that has a catchy name is "muffin top". Also pretty descriptive.

Judy - you reminded me that there are NO photos of me for 3 years. Any that my mom took got immediately shredded. I don't think I looked in a full length mirror either.

Thank you for sharing ladies! You are an inspiration and I'm so happy for all the support you give this community.

Haylen

My turning point was last summer. I knew I had gained weight and I was the heaviest that I had ever been but I didn't realize I was almost 300 lbs. (for perspective, I am 5'9") My fiance and I bought a scale and once I saw the numbers I almost fainted. I immediatly looked at how I was eating and what exercise I was doing. I was eating out at least 4 times a week and was stressed out by work, and graduating from college. Exercise was non-existant.
Once I graduated, I changed my bad habits. I started taking care of my body and soul by learning destressing tricks, keeping a food journal, and walking 10000 steps a day. The support from my fiance helped me the whole way and now I'm down to 237 and feeling great. I see photos from last year at graduation and I can't believe how huge I look in them. My goal is to be 180 by the end of next year.

I think many people would say, "10,000 steps, hey, no big thing..."

At close to 300 lbs, 10,000 steps is more than a big thing...That is serious lower body and core development! Plus, getting in shape is the best way to avoid gestational diabetes when you start your family. So smart, ejmatt. What a turnaround!

Actually, Bruno, I was thinking when I read that, WOW 10,000 steps??!! That's like , what, 2 or 3 times up the stepped sides of one of those Aztekian pyramids??

k

WebMD had an employee challenge - we were given pedometers that uploaded to our laptops every day. The goal was 10,000 steps.

I was shocked at how much effort I had to put in to reach that number. It was very motivating because we could see everyone's step count on our team. After the kids went to bed, I would often zoom around the block a few times to make up when I was short.

I thought that this could be an excellent program to put in the schools - kids are so crazy about being online, it might motivate them to compete with their classmates for some sort of prize or recognition. Maybe I'll crusade for that and try and find a corporate sponsor for my daughters school!

Haylen

P.S. Read a review of The Step Diet here - counting steps, not calories.

I gained 100 pounds in last ten years. I have realized I am overweight, yet did not do anything about till last year when I started to Juice once a day. At the same time, I also cut out all artifical sweets and soda;, which I do not crave anymore since I started to Juice Natural Fruits and Vegetables. I really did not lose much weight but I hit a plateau and stopped adding pounds. Few weeks ago, I started light exercise, gentle form of martial arts plus once a week slow biking around the block. The hardest part is the start.

I wouldnt say I was in denial about my weight, but I was in denial of how bad my health was getting, and also the perception of other people towards me.

My turning point: I went to the dr because I was having major stomach pains, and I was bloating. I had an issue with CHF from a side effect of a medication a few years earlier, so I was worried when I had gained 5lb of fluid in just 1 day. When I mentioned this to the dr he said "Only 5 pounds? That's like dinner for someone like you, isnt it?" Right then and there I fired him and decided to start being healthier. I am still overweight, but I am over 100 less than I was when that occured and am feeling so much better about myself.

l2g2, congratulations for your weight loss to date. I hope you continue to work hard and reap the benefits. Same for TotallyWiggedOut. Outstanding achievements by both of you!

Question: Most people do not live in fear. Specifically, the fear of looking foolish or "uncool". Except in one arena: During exercise. During exercise, many overweight people share a common fear. That people are laughing at them. That people feel pity for them...

In truth, its a fear that's, principally, unjustified. People don't laugh when viewing others while they exercise. The majority of people neither notice or care. Doesn't matter...legitimate or imagined, any fear is real and the fear of looking foolish, especially, for women, is a very devastating thing.

1. How were you able to overcome the fear of looking "uncool" during exercise?
2. Do you think this is why so many women work out in gyms? Because, misery loves company? Do you think its hard for people to take walks, alone, when they are significantly overweight?

Please share your thoughts on this topic. Thx.

I still have thoughts about what others think of me while I work out. I dont sweat on my face, so my body compensates by dialating the blood vessels and it makes my face bright red. I have had people stop me *while jogging* and ask me if I was OK or if I am going to pass out.

Now I listen to my ipod really loudly while Im working out and I get lost in the music. I also bring a buddy, and that tends to make people not ask questions.

I also worry sometimes that people look at me and pity me because I am overweight. It has happened before. It's taking time to realize that I shouldnt have to care what people think of me, just what I think of me. If I look like an idiot trying to jog on the track, huffing and puffing, red faced, sweating like a pig... I take comfort that at least I'm out doing something other than watching tv, doing more than most of the people who would judge me.

Thanks for your "healthy" & honest reply, l2g2. Much appreciated. A person in denial would, most likely, never give a response like yours. They would immediately attach a negative spin to my question (regardless of its legitimacy) and surmise that my motives were to be condescending or to imply you were "stupid" or "lazy".

In other words, obese people often hold deep reserves of negativity towards not just towards others but, mostly, themselves.


Healthy people understand that individual performance often fall short of expectations and that's acceptable. "I'll do better next time." or "Well, it wasn't perfect but I nailed this part!"

Healthy people live in the moment so there's no need to provide details of previous failures and endless rationalizations to complete strangers. "It's a new day; I can do this thing, now, because it will benefit me." In other words, doing healthy things is not selfish and requires no perfection in its execution.

Healthy people don't replay a single unpleasant moment or dwell on it, over and over, until the entire experience is a complete disaster. For example, getting into an argument on the first date. A healthy perspective realizes the world is not made up of black or white, perfection or failure.

Healthy people set goals and objectives but don't attach the word "should" or "shouldn't", "must" or "ought" to them. In other words, they don't set themselves up for failure.

Many of the responses I get from fellow posters are aggressive and steeped in negativity. The reason: They judge themselves so critically they don't realize (or don't care) how negative their thoughts and words come out to others.


l2g2, you did not conclude that my question was meant as an insult, thus, you answered it in a way that was "positive" and "healthy"...for you and for me. In other words, someone who reads your response sometime in the future can benefit and learn from your words. People in denial don't do this nor think in these terms...

Stopping the negative self-talk is a critical first step in overcoming any challenge but, most especially, obesity.

It's as critical to lose this as the weight, itself, imo...

Give you a picture, I'm 25 and I finally realized I had to change my lifestyle was when I finally jumped onto a scale for the first time in a few years and it said 212lbs. I already knew I was up in high areas of weight because of the way my clothes fit. I couldn't wear 2 of my work pants and had to constantly wear black because it could hide a lot of stuff. Since I saw that, I have been working out 5-6 times a week and eating a lot more fruits and veggies. Plus, I have been cutting down on my sweets intake. I have dropped 40lbs and all my pants are falling off me if I don't wear a belt.