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I haven't spent a lot of my life seriously overweight, but I'm 5'10" and I ballooned out to about 100 kg (222lbs) in my mid-20's, which put me squarely in the obese category on the BMI scale. The way I lost the extra weight was by being honest with myself and saying that a) it was going to be hard and b) it was going to take a while. Nobody I knew was giving me poo poo about my weight but one day I realised that I couldn't fit in my favourite clothes anymore, moving around was starting to be way more difficult than I'd like, and my gut was starting to spill out over my lap when I sat down. It was just really gross and I couldn't put up with it anymore. When I got on a scale finally I said "gently caress that" and committed to making a change. I started counting calories, started C25K and bought a road bike, and in the end got down to about 74 kg (162lbs) over the next six months, and I've been hanging around there ever since. My calorie counting actually significantly understimated my caloric deficit, so I got to my goal much quicker than I was planning to. Funny how that works!
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Jul 17, 2014 19:18
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Twee as gently caress posted:A lot of people wracked with self-hatred, guilt and insecurity will project a facade of happiness to the rest of the world so they don't come off as whiny and get judged, but once the door is closed that's when they stop smiling and acting like everything's alright. Maybe you should try and have a bit of empathy with people going through all of this instead of pointing at people who hate themselves and say 'Ahaha you hate yourself'. That's a pretty lovely thing to kick someone who's already down, you know. Says the most prolific poster in the FiB thread specifically devoted to doing this exact thing lmao.
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Jul 17, 2014 19:49
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NomChompsky posted:Says the most prolific poster in the FiB thread specifically devoted to doing this exact thing lmao. Hey, that thread is specifically for bitching about fat people, NOT for inviting fat people in to have a chat and then laying into them. That's our safe space to hate fatties, this is a safe space for fatties to talk about bein' hated on. Important distinction.
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Jul 17, 2014 19:54
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NomChompsky posted:Says the most prolific poster in the FiB thread specifically devoted to doing this exact thing lmao. About 90% of my posts are about working out, shooting the poo poo with regulars, debunking fat acceptance false claims, giving nutrition and workout advice to people who wander in and ask for help. Maybe you should try reading the thread instead of assuming. I don't go out of my way to mock people because they are fat, the people I mock for being fat are those who claim it's beautiful natural and healthy to be 200 pounds overweight. I have nothing for respect for people who are fat but trying to get better, even if they try and fail then try and fail but keep on trying until they one day succeed. I'm discussing over pm with some lurkers who haven't posted here and want help, a few others who came in the FiB thread and I'm always glad to help anyone who wants help. I'm sorry you can't see the distinction between mocking someone like Ragen Chastain who pretends she can do 100 push-ups and leg press a 1,000 pounds when she gets winded doing some hoola hoop tricks and pointing at people in this thread who talk about how much they hate(d) being fat. The stories posted so far aren't funny, most of them make me feel really sad.
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Jul 17, 2014 20:05
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I was never fat, but my best friend growing up was and has been since about sixth grade. The "low point" for her that encouraged her to start on a fitness regimen was when we took a trip to Cedar Point one summer, us and two other friends. We'd done so every year since HS and this was the second year of college. We stood in line at the Millennium Force on a hot day for about two whole hours, all excited about it, getting pumped, so on and so forth. I tell her I'll sit next to her. We get to the ride, she sits down, and the seatbelt won't buckle. She starts freaking out and then an attendant comes over and says she has to leave because he can't seat her. He didn't say why, but we all knew. It was devastating. I remember I didn't even enjoy myself on the ride because of how upset I was and how bad I felt for her. When we got done, she tried to crack a joke about it but I could tell she was trying her hardest not to break out in tears. Luckily, she lost about eighty of her 270 pounds after that trip and was able to go back the next year with us and enjoy herself then. I think sometimes it takes a "moment" like this one to kick your rear end into gear and make you see just how serious your situation really is.
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Jul 17, 2014 21:23
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Okay I'll make a real post. When I was a real real little kid I was skinny, but toward the time I ended up going to school I got a bit chubby. As an adult I'm way, way too fat. But as a kid, I also felt that way because of two things. The first was bullying at school, which was bad at first and got a bit better. The second is an incredibly obnoxiously stupid family and a mother who made a big deal about my weight, sparing no opportunity to tell me how I was "big as a house" and how bad I looked when I sat down (I was like, 7 at this point). However, despite that, she did nothing to encourage me to do things to change it. When I did request she help me take up a hobby since I was a kid and couldn't pay for poo poo (tried hockey, karate, that poo poo) she would constantly make me feel bad for costing her money. So nothing lasted. She is still like this. Now when I look at pictures of me as a child today, I was only chubby. But because of the constantly being told by my closest relatives that I was this huge disgusting loving thing, I sort of absorbed that identity. I thought then of myself kind of as I am now. It was hosed up to notice because thinking of yourself that way lends a hand in causing you to become exactly that. As I got older things just kind of spiraled out of control because I had to feed myself and would opt always for quick convenience food rather than taking a modicum of responsibility for my diet and cooking dinner for myself. A few years back I posted an E/N thread and got introduced to YLLS, started lifting and counting calories. And in about six months or so I lost something like sixty pounds. It was the best I'd ever felt in my life. Cue the next year where four close friends of mine would die one by one from heroin overdoses. I barely had a five month period where I wouldn't be grieving for someone that I'd spent time hanging out with and trying to keep off of the dope, developing deeper friendships with them in the process which just made the eventual loss that much worse. At around this time I was also accepted into grad school, which led to me being given an awesome job working for the state while I am doing so. So during this time I picked up bad habits again. After all the death I started treating my body like poo poo again, and taking up a grad program with a new job that takes up a significant portion of my time I went back to eating convenience food and in general being very lazy while not at work or school. It wasn't until very recently that I have started to count calories again and get some exercise in. Depression is a very real thing and it is really, really lovely. What made you turn it around? I feel like poo poo and can remember not feeling like poo poo when I was actually making an effort. Also recently an uncle of mine had a massive heart attack in his early sixties even though in the last few years he'd lost a ton of weight and become a lot healthier. He died in the hospital. I don't want to have a heart attack honestly they sound pretty poo poo. How did you start to lose weight? What exercises could you do, or was it all diet initially? I have asthma which is super kinetic in nature, so running sucks balls for me. Even in high school and poo poo when I kept up with it I can't do it without an inhaler. However, I love lifting weights. At the same time I hate going to the gym, which is why I am investing in dumbells and such. I don't hate the gym because of any sort of "oh it's full of bros blah blah." I just am naturally a pretty solitary guy and prefer to do my "me" stuff in private. Other than that I try to take walks. What do you think someone could have said to you to make you want to start earlier? What do you think you could say to someone in a similar situation? Not a goddamn thing. Eating really lovely food is actually kind of like a drug addiction and eating it lights up all the portions of your brain that get lit up when you shoot up heroin or snort coke or whatever. The only thing I think I could say to someone in a similar situation is that they can do it, and it really is possible, and when you actually start it's not nearly as hard to do as we make it out to be in our minds. It's easy to hype yourself out of doing it because movies and TV I think make weight loss seem like you have to run up a staircase for six hours a day or some poo poo in order to drop a few pounds. Honestly for me the biggest thing was getting my diet in check. I was losing a pound of two a week even when I skipped the gym due to injury or something like that just by counting my calories. Did you encounter chubby chasers? Did anyone tell you they found your obesity attractive? On your way up the scale did you think you were attractive for a while or never? If I have encountered chubby chasers, they didn't tell me. I've always had girls willing to date me and go out with me and stuff, even at my biggest (I'm pretty charming or so I'm told). My first real girlfriend had dated bigger guys, but also rail thin guys. She insisted once upon drawing me naked because she was one of those weirdo art people. I refused because I didn't have the same love for my body that she seemingly did. Other than that like I said before I'm a fairly solitary guy and even though in the past few years I've had offers from girls (even at my very biggest and worst) I haven't really taken advantage of it. I think part of it might be insecurity and the other part of it is in general I don't feel like I have a whole lot to offer right now since I still live at home (I take care of my 85 year old grandma during the evenings when the rest of my family works, because I work during the day). NomChompsky fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 21:50
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Twee as gently caress posted:I'm discussing over pm with some lurkers who haven't posted here and want help, a few others who came in the FiB thread and I'm always glad to help... Fatkraken mentioned earlier in the thread, but we're currently running a very successful Weightloss Challenge thread that provides a supportive and also logical resource for goons who are ready to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle and losing weight. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3601051 We've got people who have lost over 100lbs and are keeping it off. We're supportive but we're also no nonsense and hold each other accountable through weekly weighins. Anyone is welcome at any time. It's never too late to change your life!
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Jul 17, 2014 23:26
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Was at the doctor today, found out I've lost a total of 16 pounds in two months which isn't too shabby. My doctor looked so happy when she saw my weigh in it felt awesome to not disappoint her. In other news my resting heart rate is, like, incredibly bad. 89 bpm? loving REALLY? VV I took it while sitting calmly at my computer 
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Jul 18, 2014 04:30
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I always have a high heart rate at the doctor's office too. It might just be White Coat Syndrome. I just get really nervous around doctors. When I test at home, it is around 60.
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Jul 18, 2014 08:48
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Holy heck, kudos to you for coming forward to post about something real personal like that. I think you've hit on something that's pretty important and sometimes overlooked: for a lot of people losing weight does not cure self-hatred on its own. When I was a chunky hunk of animated Ben & Jerry's ice cream I hated myself and being fat was part of it. After losing weight I still hated myself, it turns out I had a bunch of other serious issues I had to address first. The fat question aside, though, I have to ask (and if this is too personal don't feel like you need to answer) are you going through therapy or anything like that? It's great that FA blogs have helped you get over the idea that fat is a thing someone is as opposed to an issue they have, one which does not define their entire personality. That said, fearing that getting skinny will automatically turn you into a meanie is not particularly healthy and the blogosphere is fickle, it could easily turn on you and convince you that poor life decisions are the only morally correct route to take. You clearly have the ability to differentiate between people encouraging you to overcome self-hatred and the cargo-cults that believe existing in a socially advantageous position is an evil into itself but people with the latter viewpoint more or less prey on emotionally vulnerable people to swell their ranks. Getting some therapy if it is available would have a massive host of benefits, one of which is to shield yourself from those who would take advantage of your situation - your rear end of an ex-boyfriend, for example, seemed keen to exploit your problems to justify his own immoral behavior.
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Jul 18, 2014 11:29
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Bifner McDoogle posted:Holy heck, kudos to you for coming forward to post about something real personal like that. I think you've hit on something that's pretty important and sometimes overlooked: for a lot of people losing weight does not cure self-hatred on its own. When I was a chunky hunk of animated Ben & Jerry's ice cream I hated myself and being fat was part of it. After losing weight I still hated myself, it turns out I had a bunch of other serious issues I had to address first. Not too personal for me! I'm actually in therapy right now for a sudden onset of massive anxiety (long story), but I've found the more I try to work through my anxiety, the less I feel a need to eat. And exercise helps both anxiety and living a healthy lifestyle! Bonus. The current therapy I'm doing is both CBT and valuing and validating my own feelings of self-worth and who I am, so I think it's going to help me overall. I have found over the past years that the more I realize my own self-worth and the more I am able to love myself, the less I worry about being angry. I've also found the less I use my weight as an excuse to not do things (ie, walking a half-marathon, teaching ESL in China and Japan), the more I'm able to see myself without my weight being my defining characteristic. So overall, I do think that I will not become an angry person. It is a fear and my fears aren't always logical, but anxiety therapy is helping me worth through that, too.
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Jul 18, 2014 17:05
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Thanks for the responses, and I'm sorry for minimizing the suffering from things I didn't know about. I looked at the thread title and who posted it and assumed the whole thing was in bad faith but it turns out to have been pretty genuine.10dishOkiku posted:I hear "everyone is beautiful, no matter what their body shape" or "everyone is worthy". That means the world to me, because I haven't found many people in real life who both believe that everyone is worthy of being loved and/or speak on that belief. Yeah that's right on, thanks for the sincere response. In a lot of the early posts in the thread there was this "i'm so horrible and fat" attitude which I saw as some kind of self-defeating social penance. Good luck to yall.
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Jul 18, 2014 18:59
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Well I decided to make some drastic changes as this thread made me realize how much of a fatty fat fat I am. Joined a real gym, met with a Dietitian and scheduled with a Personal Trainer once a week for now. Fourth day of my new diet (down to 2200 calories) a day it it loving sucks, not gonna lie. Worse part was that earlier I was watching TV (evidently that means feeding time to my brain) and I had to go to sleep to ignore it.
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Jul 19, 2014 06:47
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Gindack posted:Well I decided to make some drastic changes as this thread made me realize how much of a fatty fat fat I am. Joined a real gym, met with a Dietitian and scheduled with a Personal Trainer once a week for now. Fourth day of my new diet (down to 2200 calories) a day it it loving sucks, not gonna lie. Worse part was that earlier I was watching TV (evidently that means feeding time to my brain) and I had to go to sleep to ignore it. Good for you! It does get easier. Believe it or not, if you stick it out you'll likely get to a point where you're eating 1500 calories a day and it'll be easier than what you're going through now. It takes a while for your body to adjust to the lower intake and stop sending you hunger signals like you're about drop dead of malnutrition, or at least that was my experience. And no matter how hard it is now, when I lost a bunch of weight and literally every aspect of my life improved, I felt like all that effort was more than worth it. Keep it up! I watch shows while on the treadmill, and it really helps a lot, but I have learned that food is a pretty common theme in media. It can be pretty distracting sometimes when you're working through hunger and you're watching people chow down on a bunch of stuff. Silver Spoon was particularly bad for this, as food comes up in nearly every goddamn episode (to be fair, it is about a dude going to an agricultural school).
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Jul 19, 2014 10:43
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meataidstheft posted:Was at the doctor today, found out I've lost a total of 16 pounds in two months which isn't too shabby. My doctor looked so happy when she saw my weigh in it felt awesome to not disappoint her. Even though you are doing this for yourself, it's always nice to get validation from others and recognition for the effort you're making. Ain't that an awesome feeling? quote:In other news my resting heart rate is, like, incredibly bad. 89 bpm? loving REALLY? Are you doing any cario at all? That's a very good way to get your heart rate down over time. Doesn't even have to be HIIT or running fast. Even a brisk walk will help. Be sure your consult with your Dr as to your max heart rate target. Being obese does carry added risks to raising your heart rate, so the Dr may want you to start lightly and gradually increase as your weight continues to drop.
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Jul 19, 2014 16:31
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JibbaJabberwocky posted:There's a current fight in the medical/health community regarding whether or not food should count as a drug and whether a person can be addicted to food. I honestly think some people become addicted to food in the same way they become addicted to nicotine or heroin, though perhaps to a less intense degree. Food does give you a release of endorphins that boost your mood and so many people turn to food as their only method of feeling good. The taste aspect is why I thought a restaurant called "The Sampler" would be cool. Just miniature portions of food but bursting with flavor. I suppose that's the concept behind the whole gastronomical high end falooting tasting plates and courses and whatnot.
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Jul 19, 2014 16:57
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Gatts posted:The taste aspect is why I thought a restaurant called "The Sampler" would be cool. Just miniature portions of food but bursting with flavor. I suppose that's the concept behind the whole gastronomical high end falooting tasting plates and courses and whatnot. The word you're looking for is tapas and they've been around forever. They're also cheap.
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Jul 19, 2014 17:06
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meataidstheft posted:Was at the doctor today, found out I've lost a total of 16 pounds in two months which isn't too shabby. My doctor looked so happy when she saw my weigh in it felt awesome to not disappoint her. Do cardio and weights. My resting heart rate went from 85 to 49 over the course of my journey.
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Jul 19, 2014 18:20
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I've been going for walks after work 3 days a week - and have improved my time by 5 minutes (used to be 1 mile = 30 mins, now I'm down to 25). Doing random lifting with my 10 pound dumbbells. Obviously I need more of a routine. I am straight up retarded when it comes to consistency. Like I forget to take my medication every other day. I think it has to do a lot with my sleeping pattern, which isn't so much a pattern as it is... random I guess. I'll sleep for two hours, wake up for 5, sleep for an hour and a half, go to work for 10 hours. You really don't know how bad you've hosed up your life until you're trying to change it back.
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Jul 20, 2014 04:43
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Let me briefly tell you my story of being fit, then fat, then fit again, then fat again, fit for a third time, fat for a third time, and (hopefully) my future of being fit yet again. I started life as an active, healthy child. I lived with my mom and grandmother, and I played soccer, hockey and tee ball. My grandmother did the cooking and made sure I ate relatively healthy. Then when I was 7, she threw my mother out of the house because of her drug/alcohol problems, and I went to live with her. My mom let me eat basically anything I wanted, and filled the house with snacks, processed foods, soda, and any other unhealthy poo poo you could imagine. She rarely cooked, and when she did, it was always laden with fat and carbs. I quit playing soccer, and while I got some amount of exercise between baseball, hockey, and the occasional bike ride, it wasn't enough. By the time I left for college I was 5'10", 225 pounds. Not obscenely obese, but definitely fat. My first two years of college, I got almost no exercise at all. I didn't play any sports or use the gym. Around the time junior year started, I came to a realization: I was going to turn 20 in a month and I was still a virgin. I could not accept this. I immediately went on a strict 1600 calories a day diet, and started going to the gym every day. Within 2 weeks I had my first girlfriend. She wasn't much of a looker, and I didn't really have any feelings towards her, but at least someone wanted to be with me. And I was still fat. All it takes is a change in attitude to make someone more attractive. I kept going to the gym and counting calories, and by the end of the school year I had dropped 50 pounds. I went from wearing XL shirts down to a small, from a 36 waist to a 31. I was able to keep the weight off for about 3 years. Then in 2008 I went through a pretty devastating breakup and got depressed. Real depressed. Suicidal. I basically stopped eating, and most of my calories were coming from booze. I began turning into my father, who drank a case of beer every day but was skinny because he ate about once a week. Just lots of booze, weed and painkillers. I had lost around 20 pounds over 11 months before I started seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist. The doctor put me on a bunch of SSRIs that didn't do anything at all. After trying probably half a dozen of those with no results, we tried tricyclics. And that's when things changed. Not my mood, of course, just my waistline. I went from not being able to eat to not being able to stop eating. A typical lunch for me at that time was 4 slices of lasagne pizza and two bottles of soda. I switched meds and started eating like a normal human again but I was still drinking heavily, and the weight kept piling on. Pretty soon I was wearing XXL shirts and 40 inch jeans. The most humiliating part, for me, was the stretch marks. My stomach is covered in them. I'm still embarrassed to take my shirt off. Then one night, something changed. I was lying on my back in bed, and I noticed my big fat gut. Now I had seen it plenty of times before, but this night something was different. Looking at it made me think about how much happier I was thin, how differently people treat you when you actually care about yourself. The next day I bought a scale. 264.8 pounds. I started the diet that day. I joined a gym and went every day. This time I lost 80 pounds in about 7 months. I made it all the way down to 187, but I still didn't feel any better. I still had stretch marks, and with all the extra skin around my stomach I still looked fat. It wasn't doing it for me this time. I got lax with my diet, but kept going to the gym out of habit. Eventually I stopped exercising too. That was a year and a half ago, and as of Monday I was back up to 225 pounds. Back where I started 9 years ago. Then I saw this thread. And read everyone's stories. And got inspired. Now I've lost almost 5 pounds this week alone. I think it's going to work better this time, for a couple of reasons. First, I'm on a much better combo of meds than I was before. My mood is the best it's been in years. I don't drink anymore, so no more empty calories from beer and liquor. And it can't be understated how much of a positive effect sobriety will have on your mental health. I'll probably have the stretch marks and excess skin for a long time, until I can afford to get them surgically removed, but soon I'll be back to a 31 inch waist, and I think that's good enough for me.
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Jul 20, 2014 06:00
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I've been a lurker for four years and this is one of the best A/T threads ever. I'm gonna read this all again on my way to the gym today.
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Jul 20, 2014 16:46
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1st AD posted:The word you're looking for is tapas and they've been around forever. Good point. Didn't connect. That being said working out is good. Feeling good and looking good and doing stuff is good and the social stuff is good. Do more of it.
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Jul 20, 2014 22:02
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Working out is good. Lifting weights, as a fatass, is fantastic for motivation. Fat people, especially if they're at least moderately active, already have good untrained leg strength just from hauling themselves around. That translates to very motivating gains when you start lifting weights and the fat starts coming off. Not to mention that increased muscle mass is great for burning off body fat, so lifting gains make weight loss even faster. However, you -will- want to find someone to work with you on form. I know for me, it took some coaching because my gut and lack of flexibility made good form on some of the Olympic lifts hard. I still have to use a plate or something under my heels, because after multiple breaks over the last couple decades my ankle flexibility isn't coming up as fast as it should and I'm not going to do half squats. Seriously, though, if you're fat, drop by YLLS. They have good advice, and at least for me the Starting Strength program (minus the chins, as I can't do any at 340lbs) has worked wonders whenever I could stick to it reliably. Contrary to what your self esteem is telling you, most fit people aren't going to judge you, or make fun of you for trying to get fit. They'd like you to succeed as well, because they know that it feels good to be in shape. Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Jul 20, 2014 |
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Jul 20, 2014 22:17
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Liquid Communism posted:However, you -will- want to find someone to work with you on form. I know for me, it took some coaching because my gut and lack of flexibility made good form on some of the Olympic lifts hard. I still have to use a plate or something under my heels, because after multiple breaks over the last couple decades my ankle flexibility isn't coming up as fast as it should and I'm not going to do half squats. Have you tried Sumo Squats? I know I had to use those for a while because my gut would get in the way of me going parallel when I first started losing weight. It's basically a wider stance to allow you to go down to parallel with your thighs. These can be done with a dumbell or plate between the legs, or with a bar using either high or low back placement. The mechanics remain the same, it's simply widening the base. quote:Seriously, though, if you're fat, drop by YLLS. They have good advice, and at least for me the Starting Strength program (minus the chins, as I can't do any at 340lbs) has worked wonders whenever I could stick to it reliably. Contrary to what your self esteem is telling you, most fit people aren't going to judge you, or make fun of you for trying to get fit. They'd like you to succeed as well, because they know that it feels good to be in shape. Definitely second going to YLLS. I lurk there a LOT and get a lot of good motivation and tips on exercise and diet.
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Jul 21, 2014 01:08
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I have a few questions/comments for people who have commented on my last post, but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has pm'ed me so far, you have no idea how  and intensely happy it makes me that you've chosen to share what you shared, I'm more than happy if I helped and can continue to help, and by all means anyone too shy to post in this thread (or has posted but wants personal advice/has questions they don't think are relevant) please do you have no idea how happy it makes me to get those and to be able to help you all I'm also so glad and inspired whenever I read someone say 'I've been reading this thread and I'm using it as a motivator to make my life better' this is more than I could have asked from this thread in the beginning it really genuinely fills me with so much joy 
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Jul 21, 2014 13:25
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To anyone reading this who's inspired to start exercising/losing weight: in addition to weighing yourself (first thing in the morning after you pee/before you eat), take your measurements at least once a month and take pictures once a month too, if not weekly. Weight can fluctuate a LOT depending on multiple factors, but measurements and pictures do not lie.
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Jul 21, 2014 14:31
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Count me as another one who took this thread as inspiration to finally do something. I'm not that overweight, as of last week I was 225 at 6'3", but I've never been happy with my body. The last week I've been tracking my intake and going outside to move around, and have somehow managed to lose 4 pounds already. That, combined with trying to change my relationship with food has really motivated me to keep it up. I'm shocked at how easy it's been so far, and hoping the motivation I gain now keeps me going once the weight starts coming off more slowly.
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Jul 21, 2014 14:39
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30 Goddamned Dicks posted:To anyone reading this who's inspired to start exercising/losing weight: in addition to weighing yourself (first thing in the morning after you pee/before you eat), take your measurements at least once a month and take pictures once a month too, if not weekly. Yeah take a lot of pictures of yourself as you go along - I really wish I’d charted my progress like this the whole way, now I have to rely on digging up old pictures of fatty me.
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Jul 21, 2014 21:33
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New/questions for the crowd: - were/are you a picky eater? I asked this before but no one responded. Is this a bad question? - do you have a physical goal in weight loss (assuming you want to lose or are losing weight) like "I want to be able to do a particular activity or exercise" or "I'd like to fit into a size __" - how do you see food? (No, not literally.) - for those who are still at the start of or haven't started their weight loss (or don't want to lose weight), how do you feel about other people's success stories? Does it make you feel bad that you haven't done what they have done, or feel good to know that it's possible no matter what size you start at?
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Jul 22, 2014 14:18
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messagemode1 posted:New/questions for the crowd: 1. Yes. I grew up a very picky eater. I was very "smell" oriented with my eating. If I didn't like the smell I wouldn't eat it. I'm only now at the age of 30 really starting to be more adventurous with my palette. So as you can imagine I grew up with a lot of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. 2. I have a lot of "physical checkpoints" I'd love to reach. I'd love to eventually run a marathon. On a non-physical activity deal I'd love to be able to fly on an airplane without a seatbelt extender (which I could probably do now if I tried to). 3. Depends on the day. Food to me was comfort. It was the physical manifestation of a comfortable blanket that kept me emotionally warm. It's a habit I've mostly broken but trying to see food as something as a requirement to live not as a requirement to feel is the real challenge that I've spent a lot of time working on.
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Jul 22, 2014 14:26
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vyst posted:3. Depends on the day. Food to me was comfort. It was the physical manifestation of a comfortable blanket that kept me emotionally warm. It's a habit I've mostly broken but trying to see food as something as a requirement to live not as a requirement to feel is the real challenge that I've spent a lot of time working on. This is the biggest issue I'm facing still. I've only been consciously avoiding it for a little over a week, and I'm already seeing changes in the way I look at food, but it's still very hard to not look at it as something to make me feel better all the time.
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Jul 22, 2014 15:00
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Dr. Platypus posted:This is the biggest issue I'm facing still. I've only been consciously avoiding it for a little over a week, and I'm already seeing changes in the way I look at food, but it's still very hard to not look at it as something to make me feel better all the time. Building on this, I'm curious how many obese or formerly obese people in this thread, particularly those that describe food as a significant source of comfort, also drank or smoked (or still do either). I guess it's because I drink and smoke, and don't overeat, so I'm just having trouble understanding why food would be more comforting/attractive than either of those things are.
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Jul 22, 2014 15:22
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PT6A posted:Building on this, I'm curious how many obese or formerly obese people in this thread, particularly those that describe food as a significant source of comfort, also drank or smoked (or still do either). I guess it's because I drink and smoke, and don't overeat, so I'm just having trouble understanding why food would be more comforting/attractive than either of those things are. I never drank or smoked. I knew consciously that food was my vice and that in some strange hosed up world that it was ok. Food is comforting because of the chemical reactions we get from a lot of the terrible foods that subsequently taste great. Similar to the "highs" that heroin addicts gets from a fix. Food relaxed me and made me forget for a moment about my miserable, and lonely existence of a life. Think for a second about how going for a smoke calms you down, now picture in your mind that eating food could have that very same feeling in someone else but in order to continue the feeling you had to steadily increase the intake. It makes it easier to rationalize how someone could get so addicted to that.
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Jul 22, 2014 15:32
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Alcohol and/or other drugs never gave me any trouble, I suspect for the same reason why gin generally isn't a problem for an alcoholic who drinks scotch. I apologize in advance for how dumb this may sound, but when I watched The West Wing, Leo McGarry's descriptions of alcohol addiction sounded very familiar to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma3d-YdLjCs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6GxYVJcuo Among other things, he says "I don't understand people who have one drink. I don't understand people who leave half a glass of wine on the table. I don't understand people who say they've had enough. How can you have enough of feeling like this? How can you not want to feel like this longer?" Replace alcohol with food, and you've got the way I've felt about food my entire life. Is it an addiction, per se? I don't know, but if you look at many of the behaviors of addicts: hiding their use, denying their use, horrible feelings of guilt after using... these are all things that could have applied to me at some point in my life. I've treated the way I handle food in the same way many addicts deal with their addiction: I don't keep junk food in the house, I don't go to buffets, I try to avoid social situations where people will offer me food. I very strictly control my access to foods because it's the only way I can get a handle on it. I seriously wish I could stop eating altogether.
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Jul 22, 2014 17:07
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I'm only slightly overweight, and that for only the past few years of my life, but I'm afraid that I'm well on my way to becoming obese or at least unhealthily overweight if I don't do something soon. I have an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle, I always have. I still have a childish diet (ew, vegetables!) and I haven't exercised ever. Until now I must have just had a really lucky metabolism or something, I dunno. I know that I should do something, but every time I think of it I just come up with some excuse or another, or I just can't be bothered. - What are some things that convince you to ignore the excuses and take that first step? - For other people who've also had the problem of eating like a spoilt child, what were some ways that you got yourself to eat or enjoy healthier foods? I have no self-discipline, so I always go back to squidgy comfort food. (Although I love sushi, and that's supposed to be healthy, right?) And one of the main things that prevents me from exercising is shame - "What if I look silly?" - which sounds kind of unreasonable but it's a thing.
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Jul 22, 2014 23:10
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were/are you a picky eater? I asked this before but no one responded. Is this a bad question? Very. I used to hate new textures or any particularly different flavours and would often not try anything new out of fear of the unfamiliar. Anything involving gristle or bone was a no-go. I was even worse as a chubby kid, all I wanted was fast food and sweets. Now I’m way, way more adventurous. Trying new things has developed my palette and I’m a lot more willing. do you have a physical goal in weight loss (assuming you want to lose or are losing weight) like "I want to be able to do a particular activity or exercise" or "I'd like to fit into a size __” I don’t remember having a goal beyond ‘stop being fat as poo poo’. As time went on it became ‘get below 170’, ‘get below 160’. For the moment I’m happy hovering at 140. I wanted to get below 34 waist, now I’m 32. My goal now is to build some muscle. Not get bulky, but improve my definition. how do you see food? (No, not literally.) Food used to be so regularly consumed and in such large quantities that I barely appreciated it unless it was really salty or really sweet. Then it became fuel and nothing else, in order for me to rebuild my relationship with it. Now, I love food. Probably more than I ever have, and probably partly because I’ve learned to genuinely appreciate it rather than gorge myself. I also always used to associate food with guilt, which is gone now that I exercise regularly. Crackerman fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Jul 22, 2014 |
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Jul 22, 2014 23:23
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Laverna posted:I'm only slightly overweight, and that for only the past few years of my life, but I'm afraid that I'm well on my way to becoming obese or at least unhealthily overweight if I don't do something soon. I have an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle, I always have. I still have a childish diet (ew, vegetables!) and I haven't exercised ever. Until now I must have just had a really lucky metabolism or something, I dunno. I had to more or less hack around my laziness by making things easier/more appealing. I set up a monitor in front of my treadmill so I could watch shows to distract me from the fact that I'm on a goddamn treadmill. I don't really need it anymore because I now enjoy the workout, but getting over that hurdle took a while. In the end there's always going to be an excuse you can use to not do something. What you need to do is find excuses to do something. Look at the horrible body horror pics in the FiB thread and say "I don't want to become that!" if that works for you. Look at fit people doing loving awesome things and say "I want to become that!" if that works for you. Make it a real-life RPG and watch the good numbers go up over time and the bad numbers go down over time if that works for you. Pretend you're turning into a superhero, training yourself to become the next Batman if that works for you. Just find *something*. As far as the foods go, your attitude towards vegetables may have a lot to do with how your parental unit cooked them for you as a kid. It's pretty easy to turn yummy veggies into horrible bland, mushy poo poo. But, if you know what you're doing, it's also pretty easy to turn yummy veggies into even yummier veggies without significantly increasing their calorie count, if at all. Pick a vegetable, look up ways to cook it, try something! Turn it into an adventure. I guarantee you will find something you like. I don't venture into GWS myself, but I bet you they can help you out on that score. Also keep in mind that it is possible to train yourself to like specific foods. The whole idea of acquired tastes isn't fiction.
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Jul 22, 2014 23:34
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Laverna posted:I'm only slightly overweight, and that for only the past few years of my life, but I'm afraid that I'm well on my way to becoming obese or at least unhealthily overweight if I don't do something soon. I have an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle, I always have. I still have a childish diet (ew, vegetables!) and I haven't exercised ever. Until now I must have just had a really lucky metabolism or something, I dunno. For most people it seems to be a sudden realization. Here's what you should do right now: get down to your underwear, take out your phone and take a picture. Don't suck your gut it, try to have a straight posture but don't stick your chest out, just stand normally. Then look at that picture. That should get you to cringe because if you do nothing in two years you're gonna look back at that pic and think 'man i used to be so much better then' while right now you're thinking 'yesh that's not pretty i need to do something'. As another motivator, this will be your 'before' picture and a year from now you'll post the before and after on facebook, reddit and YLLS and get validation from hundreds of strangers online! Laverna posted:I have no self-discipline, so I always go back to squidgy comfort food. (Although I love sushi, and that's supposed to be healthy, right?) If you need to develop habits, it might be a good idea to use apps designed that way, or websites like habitrpg to keep track, see a progression in front of yourself and feel like you're doing well. Don't use just those to exercise, if you want to take up any good habits that could be really good for you. Specifically, I can't recommend Fitocracy enough. Great database of exercises, they have workouts already planned and they will motivate you to do things you wouldn't do otherwise so you can be really OCD and get all those quests trophies. Laverna posted:And one of the main things that prevents me from exercising is shame - "What if I look silly?" - which sounds kind of unreasonable but it's a thing. Ask yourself this question: would you rather look silly for an hour three times a week, or be 60 pounds+ overweight and actually obese all day long? If you are scared of looking like that in the gym, I have great news for you: what you see in tv shows is just that, fiction. For starters, no one cares enough to look at you, we're all busy working on ourselves and don't really have time to be bothered looking at other people more than at glance to know if you're done yet.
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Jul 22, 2014 23:39
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Laverna posted:- What are some things that convince you to ignore the excuses and take that first step? When I first started working out I financially motivated myself. I joined crossfit for a while, pre-paying for a couple months of classes meant that if I didn't go that was money down the drain. I went until I got into a routine then I quit and joined a regular gym and did my own thing. For your situation a few appointments with a personal trainer at times when the gym isn't too busy would be good just to show you what to do and put together a workout plan. This probably doesn't apply to most people, but my job offered free gym memberships but would only pay for them if you went 8 times a month so that was also pretty good motivation. I keep up the motivation by tracking my workouts on Fitocracy, it's kind of dumb but getting thumbs up from random internet strangers for a workout I didn't think was that good makes me feel better about it.
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Jul 23, 2014 01:08
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Roast literally anything green and put some balsamic reduction on it and you will love it. As long as you're not melting cheese on everything, you can't really prepare veggies wrong.
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Jul 23, 2014 01:26
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