esimnons's Journal, 20 January 2011

don't be intimidated and please don't feel alone. i know it's hard not being face-to-face with someone, but you will get great support from this site if you use it. there are so many wonderful, inspirational people - i don't think i would have made it this far without them. how does walking work for you? you can do that in a hotel - walk the halls back/forth, take stairs up/down level, keep on walking. just a thought. good luck and remember tons of people here to help! sending you a buddy request now :)  

Respectfully, I submit to you that you will not accomplish this goal with this defeatest attitude your words seem to project. And, when I read how "overwhelmed" you are with "all the weight you need to lose", I began to feel sincere compassion for you...then I saw that your goal is to lose just 40 lbs. What-overwhelmed with 40? There are folks on here who are determined to lose over a 100 lbs - I'm one of them. You can do this. You've stated your desire - you've admited where you need to grow. Change your thinking from "I'll try, I might, I hope" to "I CAN. I WILL. I MUST." You owe that to yourself, hon. I assure you dear-heart, you are NOT alone. We are all here to encourage you and support you on this journey. The only thing stopping you is the six inches that take up space between your two ears. Regarding the back pain, have you ever thought of walking laps in the community/gym pool? The water surrounding you will cradle your core and back, supporting you. And the water itself offers wonderful resistance, which will work out your legs. And if you tire, or stumble a bit, being out of shape, you can't get hurt because the water 'catches you'. My mom is 73 and walks for an hour in the pool every day - having multiple surgeries on her knee, and suffering from spasms and pain, she LOVES the pool-walking because she is never afraid of falling or further injuring her body. Best wishes - Change your thinking and change your life. 

Thank you both. Sophie - I would love to add you to my buddy list. Your suggestions regarding walking up the stairs is a really good one. I will try to remember to do that. I think getting into the habit will be the only hard part :) I am trying to make sticking to the diet my goal for this week and adding some exercise next week. Taking a few baby steps should help me change my lifestyle. Evie, you are correct. The hardpart of everything is changing your thinking. I don't normally have access to a pool but when I am at a hotel that has one, I will try to start walking in it some. That is a really good idea that I had not thought of. Rgarding the weight loss - you are totally correct, I don't have as much to loose as some do but weight loss is hard for all of us. Truth is, I am not sure how much I need to loose. I know I am over 200 lbs right now pretty sure it is over 210 but not certain how much over I am. I could set a goal of 130 lbs but I know that is not reasonable for my body type. 175 would be a great weight for me and that is my current goal. if I get near it and am still 'heavy', I will reset the goal. I am hopeful that we all reach our desired goals this time around. In my case, I have to reach it. I am not prepared for the heart problems that i apparently have. i am going to fight the Blood pressure, cholesterol and heart issues and hopefully, get off the medications and quit giving my hard earned money to the pharmacutical companies :) Good luck all! 

I'm so glad to connect with you. Have you thought about getting a scale so you can best track your progress, since, at this point, you are unsure about your weight? May I also suggest that you take a tape measure and measure your body so that when the scale seems not to budge, you will still see the progress in inches lost. This idea saved me! (smile) I recall on a couple of occassions finding the scale uncooperative indicating no loss of pounds. However, when I took my measurements I saw that I lost a LOT of inches! Woo Hoo! This can happen when the body is 'readusting' - while the scales says, uh uh, the tape measure says, "Oh YEAH!". Hope that helps! 

I am planning to go to the Dr next week for a general check up. I will get my weight there and then I will know. I am almost certian it is about 220. Give or take 10 pounds. The measurments thing is a good idea. I have to be honest - a major reason that I don't have a scale is because I get disgusted. I talk to people who lose a pound a week and more and I don't seem to lose anything at all. I honestly believe that the reason I don't experience good weight loss is that my body is programmed to eat the Atkins way. I feel better when I am eating that way. It is not something that jump starts weight loss for me because it is the normal way I should eat. that is just my opinion of course. I just know that other people can go on this diet and lose weight. Some of them say they feel bad but do it for the weight loss. I can eat the exact same thing and not lose a pound. I may feel good but the weight is not moving. That is why I think this is the way my body should function and possibly a jolt for their bodies. Feeling better is a good enough reason to eat this way. But I so want to lose weight!!! I am going to eat this way for my healt. I have to do something else to lose weight. I know that is exercise. I need to make a plan and stick with it. I know I will then look and feel better. What do you do for exercise? Are you a member of a Gym? Have you tried Curves?