Huge Amount To lose and Feeling Impossible

[SunsetRunner]

So, here I am yet again trying for the zillienth time.  This time round I'm my heaviest yet, even more than when I was pregnant with my two children. As a recovered Bulimic (14 years), I'm careful not to get too hooked up on my triggers. I now have 5 stone to lose.  Couple of stone put on whilst in recovery and the rest from me eating too much in comfort.  Unable to do much exercise which start with a broken back 15 years ago and now Fibromyalgia and MS with more recently losing some sight. So all in all feeling pretty lonely and sorry for myself.  I no longer have any outside life (even before covid-19) and need a big kick up the bum. I'm sure there are people in a far worse situation than me and need to stop mulling.  You know what its like when your feeling down on yourself - its just hard to pull back up.  I need my life back.  I need to be healthy for me and my children and so that I can fight any other health issues that him upstairs decides to test me with.

So I guess if your in a similar boat with a similar amount to lose, able to give me some inspiration and a kick up the bum and be a bit of a buddy I guess - I really need you xx

[WendyB]

Nothing is impossible and you need to reset the way you think

Should Be I CAN! I WILL!

Talk to your Dr And see what they say as far as exercise. I'm sure there are some things you can do.

I had a hip replacement a while back and I use Sit down exercise DVD to get through it. There are many out there. Search Amazon for what you like to do. I loved Boxing so I used a Sit down boxing DVD to get through until I could go back to regular. Sit down weights/stomach as well

But Talk to your DR first and see what they recommend

Keep us posted as I'm sure you will find something

[emili]

@SunsetRunner weight loss starts in the kitchen which is a good thing if you are struggling with limited mobility. Ask yourself how much time you put into your kids, partner and running the house. Take that number and divide it by half ( I am being very generous to your family and home) and spend that time planning and cooking meals specific to you. Meals that are lower in calorie and saturated fats. Meals that are high nutrition but low effort and tasty. Spend time researching how many calories you should be eating per day to lose weight and then create menus and dishes that work with that number. spend time on yourself - you don't need a kick in the bum, you need to treat yourself as an equal to everyone else you take care of. 

[SunsetRunner]

Your post was very good to get me thinking, I do spend most of the time I am well thinking and sorting everyone else. I need to treat me the same. When I'm not well hubby does the cooking so that's probably 4 days out of 7. Im going to sit and sort a menu plan so it have easier meals for when I have to cook because he's at work and ones he's able to so for me - even if it's jus jus baked potato. Thank you for your ideas, they actually have helped, not rocket science but I guess I just needed to hear it.

[gogogoebel]

I too have 30 (now 38 pounds) that I wanted to loose for my son's wedding in August and now I have no motivation since I have gained the weight back.  I gained almost 8 lbs during my quarantine for COVID-19 symptoms (test came back negative thank goodness!!!) from August 2nd through today.  I  feel like a COMPLETE failure gaining just those 8 pounds back.  I'm going back to work on Tuesday and hope to get my eating under control again.  My husband has lost 60 lbs over the last 3 years and is somewhat supportive (he makes what I will eat for lunch during the week)  I am in Nebraska in the United States.  Where are you from?  Maybe we can motivate and cheer each other on?

[SunsetRunner]

Bless you, its so hard and demotivating isnt it. One thing to be thankful for is your covid test results.  My Husband is supportive in his own way, but, because he finds it easier to lose it always sounds like hes preaching and doesn't understand how hard it is. I would love to buddy up with you and to help motivate each other.  Currently doing challenges by myself lol.  Have got the old Wii out this week and doing little things on there to help, just the step one to begin with. I'll send you a friend request if thats ok then.  Although I only started officially Wednesday I weighed in today as I want my weigh days to be on Saturday so I can have one even meal thats not counted. Huge motivation for me as I lost just over 6lb since then. I know mostly water but it is what it is and its given the boost that I needed. x

[gogogoebel]

Please do send me a friend request-I would love to buddy up with you!!! Saturdays are the best to weigh in for me too since I weigh EVERY day and get frustrated.  Congrats on the 6 lbs!!!  Hopefully, I will see the scale move if I just do it once a week.

[Kanga999]

I have found that I really need to recalibrate my brain when it comes to food and the calories they contain. The only way I lose weight is to be absolutely honest about what I put in my mouth. 😱 And lifting my game with exercise.

I have a Salter nutrition scale - that I leave out on the counter so I have no excuse not to use it - and I weight everything. I suggest, if you invest in some scales, get one that you can zero easily so you can not include the bowl weight, and if you are adding several different foods, you can zero the scales after each addition, making note of each weight, then work out the calorific value. A new thing I worked out was to put the butter container on the scales, zero it, and then use the butter as needed. The scale will now show a negative weight = what I have consumed. This may seem obvious, but I cannot tell you the problems I had trying to weigh the butter knife load by knife load 😬

I still eat 'bad' things, like potato chips, but I weigh them and log the calories. I reached for two truffle Easter eggs last night. At 91 calories each, the pair would have taken me over my daily limit, so I put one back. I am not about denying myself things that give me pleasure. I am not on a diet, I am eating in a mindful way that I can sustain for life. I too have lots to lose. And it will in reality take well over a year to lose it safely, and with any hope of it staying off. I have blowout days, but that doesn't mean that the next day I cannot get back on track.

Last time I lost about 10% of my weight it took about 8 years for it to creep back up. That is why I am recalibrating my brain again.

I am also using a challenge on the Get Moving forum here to set some goals for ME to achieve - and not just exercise. It is another way to keep myself honest, and to celebrate my achievements, small though they are in my case. The challenge is called April Showers this month, and rolls over each month with @Baltoscott  setting the parameters. If mobility is an issue, and XXX steps a day is your goal, then great, set and meet that goal, post it, and bath in the glow 😀 Maybe next month you will want to set XXX + 50 as your new goal. Or as @WendyB  mentioned, there are lots of armchair activities - especially in the Covid-19 era - to be found on YouTube etc. Chair dance for 10 minutes every day, excellent, tick that goal.

Play the long game, lose it slow and steady.

And, how annoying is it for men to be able to lose weight more easily than women? SO annoying! 😉

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you for posting. You sound like your really do well. Funny you mention about steps as I did increase them to 8000 as I'm moving little and often and finding the target easier to get .

I do have some good nutrition scales, about 15 years old but I couldn't love without them.  I shall try measuring the whole butter tub and taking away so a negative - never heard of that. If you struggling to weight/account for butter, use measuring spoons, I always use the teaspoon and tablespoon ones, I have a few sets so I have some when one lot is in the dishwasher.

My head is in a really good place at the moment. With some really great posts on here I'm loving it. Chocolate isn't a huge problem unless I have an urge or craving. I bought dark chocolate Easter eggs as I don't like them, so no risk if I end up having a bad day.

Thank you for all you ideas xxxx

[LionLady]

Baby steps, baby steps!! You can do it! Set mini goals, and celebrate/reward yourself (non-food reward, that is) when you reach them. NEVER LOOK BACK on the failures or beat yourself up over them.

I highly recommend two things: Start a journal - get a pretty notebook to scribble down your goals, successes, and to ruminate over your fears. What is your dearest desire for yourself in a year? What is your motivation for losing weight? Write those down at the front of your journal so you can see them regularly and keep your eyes on the prize as it were. Use your journal to tease apart your failures - what was the trigger that sent you to the freezer to eat a pint of ice cream, etc - so you are better able to sideline that reaction next time. When you're feeling defeated or anxious and want to go to the pantry, pull out your journal and write what you're feeling! Come up with alternatives to the food you "want" - look inside and ask, "am I really hungry for this, or am I just 'needing' this emotionally?" Seeing behind the comfort cravings is a huge step in changing how we respond to stress/food.

Get a food scale  - so you can weigh portions. Most of us eat far more than an indicated portion of a given food. It is an eye opening experience.