Hello my name is.......and I am OBESE - Page 9

I've done the weight yo-yo since I hit puberty. As a child, I was bone thin. My mother and sister had weight problems their entire lives. My mom, raised on the 'eat everything on your plate' philosophy, crammed the same thing into our heads from birth.. fill 'em up so they aren't hungry was the belief at the time. And she especially encouraged me to eat since I never seemed to keep an ounce on. I believe this is the first of my problems. I was raised to eat until I was bloated full. This habit was fine until puberty struck, and coincidentally, my thyroid also started misfiring at the same time (or maybe not such a coincidence) and I was diagnosed hypothyroid at 14. I gained 30 lbs in a matter of a couple months. A very difficult thing for a teen. I dropped the weight soon after, only to gain that and more within a year. I held on to that weight until I was 19 in which I hit the Susan Powder diet and lost 60lbs in about 3 months. I kept that weight off by eating ultra low fat for over 5 years. Then I got married. I steadily gained weight over the course of a few years. I then jumped back on the wagon and lost most of the weight again right after I quit smoking (exercise was much easier at that point).

Then, I got pregnant. I gained 60lbs in the last 4 months of pregnancy. It was insane. I was just started to take off a little when I was surprised with baby #2 a year after my first was born. Gained another 60 lbs with that one. After him I lost 60 lbs only to gain it all back shortly after, then lost 40, gained it back, 20 lost, gained back. It's a never ending cycle. My 'all or nothing' approach works like a charm when I'm on the wagon. The problem I have is it takes one little mess up and I'm off and I can't seem to jump back on.

I'm not a sweets eater. I occasionally will have some chocolate or sweet tarts or something but I'm not a desert eater by nature. I actually love healthy foods. (love the fat laden comfort foods as well) My problem stems (I believe) from a childhood of conditioning that you can't be satisfied until you've eaten so much that you're full. Portion control, that is where my issues are. Even if the food is low fat and healthy, I feel almost an uncontrollable compulsion to eating until I am full.. which is a LOT and has been since I was a skinny child.

Making things more difficult is the fact that my thyroid hasn't been under control since my second pregnancy. At one point, my TSH levels were in the 90s. It took months to bring it down to the 60s, more months to get it under 10 and it's still above what it should be, we're still slowing adjusting the meds.. hopefully someday it will be where it should be and hopefully that will help.

Weight problems are more than food. For many, physical issues also contribute. For me, food is number 1, but I do believe my thyroid plays a role in the sheer amount of weight I'm able to gain and maintain.

Calories consumed must equal calories spent to maintain.
Pre-plan meals to keep you from binging.
Decrease 500 calories daily to lose 1 pd. a week. 3500 calories=1pd.
Simple. Hard to do, but simple if you plan ahead, buy healthy foods, and exercise. I lost around 40pds and have kept it off for about 3 years.I almost never exercise but I feel better when I do exercise. I do fluctuate 5 pounds either way and need to lose more. As long as i keep a food diary to keep me in check I can do it.

Well said

Get the word "diet" out of your vocabulary! If you want better nutritional habits, start slowly. Perhaps make it a goal to eat a nourishing meal once a day, and eat nutritional deprived the other 2 meals. I used to love high calorie and sugary foods, but anymore I can't stand the taste--I crave fruits and veggies and can almost feel my cells plump up after eating them--such a good feeling--but it does take a bit for your body to adjust. Just make a few simple swaps, 2% milk for whole milk, wheat flour instead of white, a piece of fruit instead of chips, etc. You don't have to go all or nothing here--heck, I still eat a piece of cake every now and again and I really enjoy it--but it's a once in awhile thing. Good luck to you--and I promise you relly will start feeling better if you focus on nourishing your body with foods that love you, instead of depleting your body with foods you (for right now) love.

Ah another thing I don't have a ton of sympathy for is people who just keep saying "this is too hard" or " I can't"

Friend of mine came to me crying yesterday because she put on another 3 pounds and has been struggling to lose weight for some months now. While I was trying to comfort her, she then told me, "This is too hard," and "I don't know if I want to do this. I don't know if its worth it."

I was able to give her a good pep talk about it and some advice, wheather she takes it or not is th question. I found it very frustrating to to encourage someone who doesn't want to make the change in themselves or the effort.

Another guy I deal with had been coming to the gym for a long time although he couldn't really work out much other than walk slow on the treadmill. He was in such bad shape that when I sent him to the doctor (because he needed a PARMED-X ) he couldn't complete the test without having chest problems. Eventually he was able to complete it after the put a catheter in his leg for his heart. He disappeared for several months and returned heavier, then disappeared again and got heavier again. Finally he came to me one day looking for sympathy, (his insulin wasn't working well and they had to keep switching it up because nothing would work well for long). I finally suggested that he get a gastric bypass. He told me the docs suggested it but he didn't think he wanted to do i t. I asked him why not and he said he didn't think he could stick to the diet. Again, why not? Because hes poor and cant afford the proper food. I was puzzled at this because the foodbank here will give people decent fairly clean food, and will specialize what they give people that have health conditions. I had also talked about his finances before and there was no reason why he couldn't afford to fix himself some proper food. I asked him, what exactly is it that he has to be eating? (Maybe there was something I didn't know about). Oh, he didn't know what was in the diet. I said to him, you can come to the gym and do all the walking and stretching you want, you will NOT lose weight. Even if you stayed on he treadmill all day you will NOT lose weight. But if you changed you diet, even for one week (for a man of his size) I guarantee, swear and promise he would drop weight and feel much better. He said he would come in to do stretches more. I said that will not help him lose weight. Then he said "well I'll do men best"... ARRRRRRG!!! I wanted to say " Your best clearly sucks!" I gave up trying to help him. (Did I mentioned I saw him a few times outside of work and would see him buying burgers and onion rings, chips and pop?)

Why won't people take ownership and responsibility????????!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

A message to those that "Can't do it" Your excuses have an expirey date.
Either be satisfied with how you are as you are (and don't start complaining of how crappy you feel neither!) and eat everything you love till your hearts content (or bursts) , or educate yourself and make some changes and get some help.

For those that are finding it difficult but still make the effort, my heart goes out to you BIG BIG HUGZZZZ and thank you for being strong. Keep it up you will make it!

Calioter, did u ever get tested for this at all? Just curious.

Understanding obesity is something not everyone can relate to .

nice article..