Obesity Discussion Forums

[SunShine]

I am still doing my diet plan and still losing my weight. ad some set backs over the Holidays but now am getting back on track like I need to be. I am at 214 lbs. now and thats along way down from what I was in the beginning.
Want so bad to reach my goal by the end of this year and really working hard to meet it.
I have been having some problem with dining out and really do not know what to eat except for a steak and salad which I get most times. I try to stay away from buffets at lunch time. But if I do go to them I stay away from the desserts which are so tempting to me. I love sweets but if I ever get started on them I cannot stop eatinbg them. I make jello alot at home to have and eat some fruit to, really don't even have sweets in the house anymore.

But just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here and still hanging in with my diet plan. Want to make 2009 the best year for me in a long time with my weight loss.

[Obesity Discussion]

Hi there!!! You've definitely made great progress, good for you!

Steak and salad probably not the best. Steaks tend to be slathered in butter, and frequently the glaze/dressing on them is bad for ya. Salads are the same, because most dressings are horrible for you. If you do eat salad get dressing on the side.

Keep in mind you can go online to many restaurants ahead of time and see the nutritional values (calories included) of what is on the menu. You can always substitute the bad stuff.

The honest answer? Don't dine out. It's expensive and bad for you in most cases, but if you do, grilled chicken breast, grilled/sauteed/broiled fish, some salads, etc are still good for ya! Many places also have a special healthy section.

[jayjay8989]

good luck!

[SunShine]

I will remember that next time about steak when I dine out. We do not dine out half as much as we use to, it just has gotton to expensive anymore to eat out.

I am doing ok with my eating though and feeling alot better these days.
The weight is coming off and I am sure happy about that. Its been hard to do but i am doing it in spite of all the hard times with it.
I should have never allowed myself to ever get so big in the first place. I will never do that again when I lose this weight.
I has always been so easy for me to gain weight and so terribly hard to lose it. Think its that way for most people.
Guess I got into a rut and couldn't get out of it . Only when the health problems crept up that I relized I had to lose it.
But I am doing ok now and thats the important thing.

[chubbymommaNdallas]

Sunshine, you are doing so well--you are more than 1/2 way to goal. I can't believe I ever let myself go the way I did either. I think of all the years I spent uncomfortable and in awkward situations that I shouldn't have. Those were precious years I can't get back so I am trying to make up for lost time.

My weight is continuing down too. I have lowered my goal again because I can tell I am just not there yet. I am able to wear a size 8 now very well and even have a pair or two of size 6 that are looking nice. I am still running each morning and sticking to mostly whole foods. I don't have too many cravings for bad sweets anymore but still log my food to count my calories. I love nuts and savory things so I must watch with diligence.

What do you have in your garden right now, Sunshine? I am looking forward to getting something going in Spring.

[SunShine]

My cravings for sweets is gone to. When I want something sweet I will eat a orange or tangerine.
My weight is slowly coming off but it has been hard work to get it to come off. This has not been a easy thing for me but I am doing it.
My skin is now getting saggy around my stomach and that looks ugly and I don't know what to do about that.
But otherwise I am hanging in here and losing it.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by SunShine

My cravings for sweets is gone to. When I want something sweet I will eat a orange or tangerine.
My weight is slowly coming off but it has been hard work to get it to come off. This has not been a easy thing for me but I am doing it.
My skin is now getting saggy around my stomach and that looks ugly and I don't know what to do about that.
But otherwise I am hanging in here and losing it.

For some, the only way to get rid of a ton of excess skin is through surgery....I think we have a good thread here that discusses how some have handled the excess skin, may want to search for it.

[Chrisydj]

I'm starting to get excess skin too...my boyfriend and I discussed it and decided that once I reach my goal weight and stay at or very close to it for 2 years then I can look into surgery to remove it. I just want to make sure I dont backslide after spending all that money to fix what exercise and healthy eating is unable to fix.

[SunShine]

I was thinking of surgery would be the only way to remove my loose skin to but I still have more weight to lose first before I even consider it.

I am down to 210 now, was hoping to have reached 200 by now but its taking longer to get there than I had thought but i am eating healthy and watching my fats still. My goal is 150 for right now and if I can get to that I will be happy. Just hope thios loose skin on my stomach and under arms don't get to looking any worse than it already does. I have noticed purple colored stretch marks on my breast already to. Guess when I was so fat it kept it all stretched out.

Was sick with a bad cold and my breathing got bad to from my asthama so i was put on oxygen at night while sleeping. I am feeling some better now.

I will keep you all informed on how my weight is doing and try to get here to post as often as I can.
see you all later.

[chubbymommaNdallas]

Sunshine,

It sounds like you are doing so well. You are so content and making such wonderful progress.

I have the loose skin too. Toning really does help I have found. I will most likely have to have surgery on my abdomen. I want to get to my goal before I see a surgeon though. I want ME to know and my surgeon to know I did everything I cold before trying to get asking for external help. My stretch marks are problematic too. I think you are right, when I was bigger, I didn't notice them as much. Mine are sort of silvery in color. I have heard that once they are silvery, it's really all you can hope for. They will always be there.

I noticed you mentioned the swimming in another post. I am looking forward to swimming as well. I would like to start swimming early in the morning in place of some of my running routines. I am looking for a swimsuit and am somewhat limited because of the loose skin and stretch marks on my abdomen. I am determined to find a cute one this season though.

On another note, I made mashed cauliflower the other night. Wow! Delicious!

[Dustin]

I love the progress! Keep it up!

- Dustin

[SunShine]

I just updated my scales to show my weight as of today. I am now down to 206. Sure a long way from that 285 I use to weigh in at.
I am feeling much better to and have more energy that I have had in a long time.
I really need to go buy some new clothes but haven't yet because i want to get to 200 before I do. Thats not far off either.
I am still doing my exercises to and now that the weather is warming up I hope to get in our pool and swim some.
My only problem is that I have some loose skin hanging on my stomach area and it does not look nice at all. I am trying to exercise some of it off but still no progress with that yet. Maybe when I am able to swim in the pool some will go away, I sure hope so.

I have been here for a year now, my where does time go to. I have learned so much about losing weight that I never knew before, I guess thats why I was never successful before either like I am now. I have learned how to eat healthy especially when we dine out and make better food choices even at hamburger places.
It really has not been to hard to adjust to eating right, its just getting out of that old rut and habit I have been in most my life thats all.
I am just determined also to lose the weight now and I guess that has been my biggest motivator.
I like the new me emerging......

I will check back in later and keep you up on how I am doing.

[SunShine]

I am still hanging in there with my diet. So far so good.

[wildwoman]

yer doing awsome keep going....... I'd love to see some!

laters kerrie

[SunShine]

Have no pictures right now becasuse I never let anyone take any of me. I always was to embarrassed to have them taken because i was so fat. Maybe when I get under 200 lb.s I will have some taken.

[monique]

Oh, come on Sunshine, there's more to looks than size! I bet you looked great all along, everyone looks good if they SMILE! Here's a picture of me on my wedding day, I was around the weight I am now, 330+ pounds or so, and I got a photographer!

I would urge you to work on self esteem and seeing the beauty inside AND outside yourself! I can tell you're a lovely person just from your posts.

~Monique

[cazj]

Hi Sunshine, just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on your progress so far! Best of luck
Caz

[SunShine]

I know its my self esteem, I just have been fat most my life and I still feel fat even though I have lost some weight.
I know I have to change my thinking and I am trying hard to do that. My hubby took a picture of me last week-end and I deleted it from the camera. I still just cannot look at pictures of me.
Maybe when I feel I can look thin in pics I will have some taken but not till then.

[monique]

Sunshine, maybe it would help to look at a picture of yourself 88 pounds ago right next to a new one, so you can see how much your work has paid off?

I know people who don't have weight problems who are the same about pictures, I remember when I was in high school and very self-conscious about being chubby, we had an exchange student stay with us and she was a pretty girl with an athletic build but she would always freak out about how her head looked in pictures, I think she thought it was the wrong shape? It amazed me to learn skinny girls had self-esteem issues too!

Also I once read in Dear Abby a person wrote in who had lost a loved one that never let anyone take pictures of them because of their weight, and the writer said even if you don't like the way you look in pictures, remember that the people who love you already know how you look and are used to it, and you're just keeping them from having pictures of someone they love. That made me think that I was being silly worrying about how I look in pictures-- I mean, that's really how I look all the time, so hiding the pictures from MYSELF doesn't accomplish anything! Besides, now when I look at pictures of myself from years ago where I thought I looked terrible I think I look fine!

Just remind yourself of everything you DO like about yourself and maybe that will help. You don't have to share pictures if you don't want to, but I bet the change since last year is pretty impressive!

~Monique

[SheaGrl]

wow, dear abby had some insightful words. I am going to try to keep that in mind...I hate when people take pictures of me (especially if its their camera and i cant delete it). I pretty much always think I look horrible.

I guess a lot of people feel that way...maybe we dont really see ourselves realistically in photos, but we see ourselves in a more negative, distorted light....