NiteOwl
New member
Hello, just wanted to jump in and introduce myself. I’m 42 years old and last month found myself at an all time high of 200 pounds at 5’5
I’ve been battling my weight since I was in my pre-teens. I was a ‘chubby’ pre-teen who lost a ton of weight during my teen years with fad diets, fasting, excessive workouts and occasional forced vomiting. My weight hovered around 105-110 lbs. Not the best way to go, not only health wise, but it set me up for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting.
After the birth of my son at age 26, I was up to a (then) all time high of 180 pounds. I had joined a weight loss center, and slowly and surely got down to a healthy weight of 135 by the time I was 27. I still carried extra weight around my hips, thighs and buttocks, but I felt happy with that weight and accepted that no matter what the scale said, I would always be pear-shaped. I liked the way I looked in clothes, and could accept the way I looked in a bathing suit.
At 35, a number of things happened that started the weight climbing back up.
First off, I went back to work full time after being a stay at home mom. What a difference sitting ten hours a day makes! I still ate the same way I had been eating for years, yet suddenly the weight started to come back on. Also, I knew I would be tired going back to work, but I wasn’t prepared for the bone-dead physical and emotional exhaustion I felt at the end of the work day. To make matters worse, I worked a later shift from 10am-8pm, so I wasn’t eating dinner until after 8:00 at night. I’d eat dinner, and then crash in bed.
The weight went up slowly at first, and then three years ago a combination of marital problems and problems with my son caused me to go on an extreme binge of emotional eating late at night. By the time I was 40 I was up to 180 pounds. I’d occasionally on different diets – Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Dr. Phil – and lose a little, only to gain it all back with a few nights of eating bowl after bowl of cereal in the wee hours of the morning.
A year ago last April, I was in a pretty traumatic accident where my little car was rear ended on the highway by an 18 wheeler. If I thought I was sedentary before the accident, that was nothing compared to what it was afterwards. Before the accident, I still was able to get housework done before going to work, which was at least some form of physical activity. After the accident, every morning was spent going to one doctor or another before work. It took six months of almost daily doctor’s appointments for me to start feeling normal again.
As soon as the doctor’s appointment stopped, I suddenly got a very large promotion at work which required extensive and excessive travel and longer work hours. I can tell you, you make pretty bad decisions alone at nights in hotel rooms! I’d get back to my room and read over the room service menu. It seemed like every night I’d be having the same internal conversation, “I know I should get the grilled chicken salad, but after the day I just had, it’s the Buffalo Chicken with Monterey Jack cheese sandwich, plus the large order of fries”.
This has all lead me to 200 pounds.
Last week I looked over a few pictures of myself from not long ago, and could not believe I am the same person. I think it was then that I decided to just stop the nonsense.
I’ve lost the first eight pounds of excess water, and now the journey begins for me. I know it’s stupid and unrealistic to want to be the 110 I was in high school, but I think that I can get back to the 135 I reached at age 28 and maintained for seven years.
I’ve pretty much decided to do this on my own without any type of a weight loss group or program. I’ve set up my food diary at FitDay and set my own nutritional goals of maximum calories, fat, carbs and sodium, along with minimums on water and fiber. I’m just making sure I stay out of the red on the goals reports pages, ensuring I get enough of what I’m supposed to get, and don’t go over any maximum limits.
I’ve also stopped drinking 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5) pots of coffee during the day. I am a caffeine addict and I still have my two cups in the morning, but after that I make a pot of hot water instead and drink glass after glass of herbal tea all day long.
Two days ago, I finally and for the first time in forever, started exercising again. We have the most beautiful little lake near our house with a walking track around it that is (I think) just about ¾ of a mile. It takes me 15 minutes to walk around it. My goal is to do this five days a week, and increase the laps as I get stronger.
I’m so fed up with the way I look and the way I hate myself. I am also fed up with punishing myself with food for situations with others in my life that are totally out of my control.
Thanks for listening.
I’ve been battling my weight since I was in my pre-teens. I was a ‘chubby’ pre-teen who lost a ton of weight during my teen years with fad diets, fasting, excessive workouts and occasional forced vomiting. My weight hovered around 105-110 lbs. Not the best way to go, not only health wise, but it set me up for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting.
After the birth of my son at age 26, I was up to a (then) all time high of 180 pounds. I had joined a weight loss center, and slowly and surely got down to a healthy weight of 135 by the time I was 27. I still carried extra weight around my hips, thighs and buttocks, but I felt happy with that weight and accepted that no matter what the scale said, I would always be pear-shaped. I liked the way I looked in clothes, and could accept the way I looked in a bathing suit.
At 35, a number of things happened that started the weight climbing back up.
First off, I went back to work full time after being a stay at home mom. What a difference sitting ten hours a day makes! I still ate the same way I had been eating for years, yet suddenly the weight started to come back on. Also, I knew I would be tired going back to work, but I wasn’t prepared for the bone-dead physical and emotional exhaustion I felt at the end of the work day. To make matters worse, I worked a later shift from 10am-8pm, so I wasn’t eating dinner until after 8:00 at night. I’d eat dinner, and then crash in bed.
The weight went up slowly at first, and then three years ago a combination of marital problems and problems with my son caused me to go on an extreme binge of emotional eating late at night. By the time I was 40 I was up to 180 pounds. I’d occasionally on different diets – Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Dr. Phil – and lose a little, only to gain it all back with a few nights of eating bowl after bowl of cereal in the wee hours of the morning.
A year ago last April, I was in a pretty traumatic accident where my little car was rear ended on the highway by an 18 wheeler. If I thought I was sedentary before the accident, that was nothing compared to what it was afterwards. Before the accident, I still was able to get housework done before going to work, which was at least some form of physical activity. After the accident, every morning was spent going to one doctor or another before work. It took six months of almost daily doctor’s appointments for me to start feeling normal again.
As soon as the doctor’s appointment stopped, I suddenly got a very large promotion at work which required extensive and excessive travel and longer work hours. I can tell you, you make pretty bad decisions alone at nights in hotel rooms! I’d get back to my room and read over the room service menu. It seemed like every night I’d be having the same internal conversation, “I know I should get the grilled chicken salad, but after the day I just had, it’s the Buffalo Chicken with Monterey Jack cheese sandwich, plus the large order of fries”.
This has all lead me to 200 pounds.
Last week I looked over a few pictures of myself from not long ago, and could not believe I am the same person. I think it was then that I decided to just stop the nonsense.
I’ve lost the first eight pounds of excess water, and now the journey begins for me. I know it’s stupid and unrealistic to want to be the 110 I was in high school, but I think that I can get back to the 135 I reached at age 28 and maintained for seven years.
I’ve pretty much decided to do this on my own without any type of a weight loss group or program. I’ve set up my food diary at FitDay and set my own nutritional goals of maximum calories, fat, carbs and sodium, along with minimums on water and fiber. I’m just making sure I stay out of the red on the goals reports pages, ensuring I get enough of what I’m supposed to get, and don’t go over any maximum limits.
I’ve also stopped drinking 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5) pots of coffee during the day. I am a caffeine addict and I still have my two cups in the morning, but after that I make a pot of hot water instead and drink glass after glass of herbal tea all day long.
Two days ago, I finally and for the first time in forever, started exercising again. We have the most beautiful little lake near our house with a walking track around it that is (I think) just about ¾ of a mile. It takes me 15 minutes to walk around it. My goal is to do this five days a week, and increase the laps as I get stronger.
I’m so fed up with the way I look and the way I hate myself. I am also fed up with punishing myself with food for situations with others in my life that are totally out of my control.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome