Obesity Discussion Forums

[LoraH]

Hi everyone. This is my first day here, so I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Lora, and I am living in Kansas. I am 38 years old, married and have 2 teenage daughters.

I have been overweight since I was about 8 or 9. I was up to about 200 by the time I started high school, and about 275 at the end of high school. After having my kids I went up to 350, and then after a divorce I went back down to 280. That was 10 years ago. I gained back up to about 300, and stayed there for about 8 years. A couple of years ago some health issues kept me in bed for about 2 and a half months, during which time I gained a bunch, and my weight went up to 375. I am at 380 now and I hate it.

I want to lose weight so that I can move comfortably and live longer. I still have health issues that make things difficult, but I am sure that as I lose weight some of it will get better.

My husband is also obese. My kids are not overweight, but struggle to stay at a normal weight.

The way that we feel is best for us to lose weight, is to increase our activity and exercise and to eat healthy. We have started eating boneless, skinless chicken breasts and ground turkey for most of the meat we have, and have cut beef down to only eating it if we are somewhere else that is serving it. We have also increased fruits and veggies and healthy stuff.

After a 25 year habit, I have been cigarette free for about 5 months. Yay! Since giving them up, I have noticed that veggies taste much better to me than they used to.

My weak spots are that I crave sweets too much, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE bread and cheese. I have stopped buying store bought bread and use a bread machine to make all of our bread now. I also use it to make pizza crust. I use whole wheat flour for much of it, but do use some white flour too.

I am rambling now. Sorry. I tend to do that a lot, as I don't talk to many people in person. I have agoraphobia and do not leave my house unless it is for a doctor appointment or something very important with my kids. My husband and I work from home as well, so really I don't talk to many people.

I look forward to finding some new friends here, and information and support while I try to get rid of some of this disgustingly heavy fat that is taking me over.

[Treasure]

Hi Lora. I'm new here too. Sounds like you are on the right track with the changes you are making. Congratulations on giving up smoking!

[bigdaddy38]

welcome hope you find what you are looking for here. If you like cheese laughing cow is really good it is recommended in the south beach diet book so I tried it and it's great, I have also read that one of the best snacks you can have is string cheese, an apple, and some almonds. As far as your story goes I have a friend that I grew up with that lived a couple houses down from me he is 40 and I'm 38 but his parents were always overweight and his mom passed away when he was about 26 and his dad a few years later, talking to him a couple weeks ago on the phone about my weight he brought up the fact that it was horrible as a kid of overweight parents to grow up because he felt the whole neighborhood even those that were his friends were laughing behind his back at his parents, in the end he had to help his dad even to the toilet and to wipe, and his dad lost his legs before dying. So my point is if you can't do it for youself do it for your children, kind of dramatic I know but it really was amazing to me that I never thought about what our families go through.

[Obesity Discussion]

Welcome to the site! I think you are absolutely on the right track, and you're doing it for all the right reasons! Since all these changes have you noticed that you've lost any weight? Were you planning on just changing your eating habits or were you looking at other ways to help you drop the weight such as counting calories or exercise?

[Chrisydj]

Welome to the site. Sounds like you've had a tough time of it but it also sounds like you are making alot of good decisions now for youself and your family keep up the good work

oh and you can ramble to me anytime if it wasnt for my family and boyfriend i'd be a hermit. I tend to have anxiety attacks when i get around alot of people so shopping is very difficult for me but i've learned to go to my happy quiet place and calm down when it starts i dont know maybe i'm just weird (my daughter thinks so) ok i've rambled enough here

[LoraH]

Thanks for the welcome and posts!

I dont think I want to go as far as counting calories and things. Not at this point anyway. I am still getting used to eating healthier foods, and I know that if I cut back to what I should have to lose weight fast, then I wont stick with it. It is difficult to leave the processed stuff alone and cook our food from scratch as much as possible. So far we aren't doing too badly on this. If I get rid of everything I like that is bad for me, and only eat tiny portions of everything, I will fail. I need to get used to eating the good stuff first.

I guess my number one goal is to eat healthy, and my second goal would be losing the weight.

I am in remission from cancer, and being healthy will help keep me that way.

I dont know why weight is so hard for me to control. I have been so strong in so many things, but this is one that I just cant get a hold of in the same way. I have kicked a strong hold on cocaine, methamphetamines and oxycontin, on my own, cold turkey. And I quit the cigarettes too, as I said before. And yet a cupcake can practically bring me to my knees.

Besides the cancer mess, I have Lymphedema in my legs, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Fibromyalgia with terrible back pain, and bi-polar disorder. And the agoraphobia. Since I cant get out without too much panic, I have to do my exercising inside. To tell the truth though, I cant do much anyway. I have a treadmill and I have some small hand weights. I use the hand weights while I am at my desk reading work stuff. I dont have any set routine that I do with them, I just do whatever moving with them that feels like it is using some muscles.

My legs are always swollen from the lymphedema, and my knees hurt terribly most of the time. Sometimes walking 25 steps on the treadmill is tough. Walking 100 steps puts me to gasping for breath, and my heart racing. I try to walk 100 steps at a time four or five times a day. Some days I cant do it. Some days I can hardly stand. Our treadmill is not an electric one, and it has a bit of an incline, so its a bit harder than a regular one.

I know that I HAVE to do more exercising. I know that the more I do, the easier it will become. I have to be stronger than I am.

I am very lucky that I dont have the typical health problems for obese persons, like high blood pressure or diabetes.

Anyway, I guess I should end this for now, before I bore everyone to tears. LOL

[Treasure]

Originally Posted by LoraH

And yet a cupcake can practically bring me to my knees.

Ain't it the truth! I've accomplished so much in my life. Why is this the one thing I can't beat

[sjm1027]

Good Luck, let us know how your doing from time to time

Steve