How do I lose weight, or motivate myself to do it, in a way that I don't freak out about it.?

Question

I am 450lbs, I know I am slowly dying but even that is not enough to motivate me to lose weight. I've always been large my parents put me on a forced starvation diet when I was 10 and had me climbing the walls with in a week. I can't go on like this. I can't won't do the bypass and every diet I've been on has failed!!!!!

Answer 1

Maybe the diets you've tried were just a little too extreme. You really don't have to completely give up all of the foods you like, just start controlling portions and making smarter choices.

For example, try light soy milk instead of cow's milk. It's a lot lower in calories and is packed with protein and healthy omega-3's. Try artificial sweetners instead of sugar, I can't believe it's not butter instead of butter, frozen light and fit yogurt instead of ice cream, etc. It'd also be a good idea to give up soda. Try only drinking water, that will save you hundreds of empty calories a day. If you drink coffee, try tea instead. It's virtually no calories and will save you the creamer. If you have to drink coffee, use the soymilk instead of creamer to save some calories.

Also, try to find an exercise you enjoy doing. Don't try to make yourself run for an hour every night or anything like that. Try a brisk 15 minute morning walk and work your way up to 20 minutes, then 25, then 30.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Slow and steady wins the race, at least when it comes to weight loss. A starvation diet is not a good idea..... If you can track your calorie intake honestly for 2 days then you can get an idea of how many calories you consume now. It will not be harmful for you to decrease your caloric intake by 1000 calories. You will need to keep a food journal every single day in order for this to work. The good news is, if you reduce your calories by 1000 a day you will lose weight pretty quickly at first. Probably for several months. Of course you also want to consider eating less breads and sugars. You should also think about using "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" in place of butter or margerine. If you are a soda drinker, switch to diet sodas. I am a former Pepsi ADDICT, 9-12 a day. I switched to drinking diet soda and lost 20 lbs. So that should show you how making a small change can give results. If you were to make a small change like that, you would certainly lose a lot more than I did.

This website has GREAT software for counting calories and keeping track of them. www.calorieking.com It is free for 1 week so it wont hurt to give it a try. Good luck

Answer 3

Your parents starved you that is just horrible. And maybe somewhere buried in your physic you are still traumatized by that act. Perhaps you should see a physiologist or a councilor then see a nutritionist and a trainer. I know what I am suggesting is pricy but it is really worth it. It’s gratifying to know what the root of the problem is then you recognize it and won’t fall for it again. I saw a personal trainer for a month then took what I learned from her and do it at home granted I am doing all of this six months later but I finally found what motivates me again. Anyway I think that you should get some outside (professional) help then find something to motivate you. It could be the simplest thing like walking a marathon for a cause or wanting to travel somewhere exotic.

Answer 4

Hi

I hear you about losing weight and keeping myself motivated to do so. It seems so hard to lose weight. I didn't really gain until the birth of my children and now that my son is four...it's way past time to try and lose the weight. I have the same problem as you...finding motivation to do so. Everyone and I mean everyone loves my cooking and I do a lot of it for my immediate family, extended family and friends. For me, I have to learn that I am worth being healthy and I have to do this for myself. I appreciate your honesty and you are an encouragement to me. Thank you.

Answer 5

Start out by trying some new healthier foods you've never considered before. the most important thing is to get some degree of physical activity, no matter how little it may be. Try this with a friend so that you don't have to motivate yourself, and you wont be alone.

Answer 6

Hi, I too have been overweight and on a diet roller coaster. I can't have the by-pass or lap band because it is too expensive. I have recently started walking to try and lose weight and get exercise. I am a college student who has a full time job and the closest gym is 17 miles away. I know I can not afford to join the gym and if I did join I would never have the time to go.
One of the best things I have done is to find a walking buddy.
There are lots of people in our shoes and are just too proud or ashamed to come forward and ask for help.
Please remember you were not born weighing 450lbs and with baby steps toward loosing the weight you will not die weighing that either!
A doctor recommended Weight Watchers, they have weekly meetings and you can find a support person to help you get started and to help you forgive yourself when you fall off the wagon and have a stack of Oreos instead of 2.
Alas, the nearest meeting for me is over 20 miles away and with gas prices high I have not been able to join, so it is walking and low fat low salt low calorie for me.
One of my motivators is to be able to wear a size 10 dress at my graduation ceremony in May 2009. In order to do this I must lose 88lbs, and 1 pound a week is fine with me.
I hope I have been a little help to you. I strongly encourage you to talk with someone; your partner, parents, friends or pastor and tell them that you need their support in this battle.
Remember we are in this for the long haul and not only do we have to change our eating habits we have to change our life styles. Good luck to you and I hope to hear from you soon

Answer 7

See a doctor about losing your weight. Aside from seeing a doctor, I can suggest a couple of small changes which you can make and hopefully sustain throughout your life. Try to eat one more fresh fruit or vegetable per day than you do now. Cut out soda completely. Instead of buying soda, buy a Brita filter and keep it in your refrigerator, filled with water. That way, whenever you go to the fridge to get some food, you will see a pitcher of cool water to drink.

Answer 8

don't change just for now, change for life, lose weight slow and just be healthy, make a healthy diet that you would be able to stay pretty much completely on for your whole life. Start off by only having one pice of junk a day for a week then slowly get down to none. once you reach your goal weight then you can allow yourself a treat every now and then, but not every day!

Answer 9

find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have lean meat (protein) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio exercise 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, past etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried, oily.
ofcourse you can spoil yourself once in a while with a little treat:)

Answer 10

I'm trying to lose weight too and it's sooo hard. My aunt is using a weight loss product and it's really working for her. I'm gonna try it and I recommend you try it too. Check their website at
http://www.justlonline.info , my aunt got a free trial and paid only 6.95$ shipping and handling.