Hey I'm a Newbie

[starduster]

Okay, I just joined in the past hour. I am a little nervous because I have never discussed my weight problem with anyone else besides my family. I'm a college student and being "bigger" than most college girls has really gotten to me. I used to be big boned and pretty in highschool. But since then, I have gained thiry extra pounds and I feel awful about myself. I look in the mirror and just want to cry sometimes-because the graduation picture I look at daily, isn't the same person I see in the mirror now. And that picture is only two years old. I did alot of moving in the past two years. My eating has been more emotional because I feel so lonely and outcasted because of my weight. I hardly ever see guys checking me out anymore and that is a real killer. I have been hipp to the low-carb eating plan for a few years now, but I constantly fall off the wagon. My goal is to loose 60lbs by my birthday. So, here I am for all the support I can get!

[Cara73]

Hello and welcome to the forum :wave:

I'm sorry you struggle so much with your own self image. The good thing is, many of us here are the same way. So you will definitely get the support you need here. I would recommend starting your own personal journal. You can put down your feelings, either high or low, your eating patterns and just your daily struggles or successes. NOBODY is here to judge. We are all in the same boat in search of the same goal. This forum has been the key for me to stay on this WOL (way of life). I do fall off, but because of this forum, I get right back on again. Ok, not always RIGHT back on :lol: but I do get back on. So please, visit people's journals, read some people's success stories. It might just do the trick to motivate you. And another very important thing, if you do fall off, don't beat yourself up over it. Just accept you cheated, and move forward and get right back on track. You need to look at this as a way of life and not a diet. You CAN do this!!!! I hope you'll stop by my journal and let me know how you're doing :)

I would visit the recipe section of this site. It's another key to staying on track, is having yummy food to eat. And if you want to log your food, www.fitday.com (http://www.fitday.com) is a great free site. It gives you the totals of calories/fat/carbs and so on. It's very helpful. That helps me seeing what I've eaten for the day.

I wish you the best of luck!!! And if I can ever help you in any way, just let me know. I'm a good listener :)

Cara

[LilaCotton]

Hi there! I'm not a psychologist, but got pretty darned good dealing with self-image issues years ago when trying to reconcile myself to the fact I was fat and likely to stay that way because the diets I tried just weren't sustainable. First off, I'm going to advise you put that darned picture away for the time being. :) Then ever once in a while I want you to stop and think which is more important--who you are, or what you are. The truth is, the value of a human being should never be based on the package, but on the contents. If we can get to that point in our heads we are so much better off for it. Try working on that--telling yourself you are a worthy person, no matter what you look like. It may take a while, but I can guarantee it will be worth it. Think of all of the people who love you and why they love you--it isn't because of how you look--it's because you're you!

I was a terrible emotional eater--all through high school and beyond. Thankfully I found low-carbing and by sticking to it I've put a lot of that emotional eating in the past. I went through a really hard time a couple of months back and my instincts naturally tried to pull me to food. I thought the whole process out, though (as someone on this forum suggested). I thought about eating pizza, and how much I would enjoy it. Oooh, the smell! The taste! And the comforting feeling of that food not only in my mouth but in my stomach. Then I got to thinking about how I'd end up eating too much of it and start to feel bloated and miserable, but I wouldn't stop there--oh no, because this was pizza, after all--my favorite food! I'd have to just have one more piece because it always tastes so good! Then after I ate all that no doubt the next day my weight would be up with 3-4 pounds of water weight gain and I'd likely be almost sick physically. Then I'd also feel really guilty about what I had eaten, knowing it wasn't the right thing to eat, and then how would I feel? It didn't take me very long to figure out that as miserable as I was going through what I was going through, eating the wrong kind of foods (for comfort) would only make things worse.

I hope you can find some peace and acceptance within yourself, and set yourself on a healthier pass. One of the best things I've found with sticking to low-carbing (and no, I haven't lost a ton of weight but I've gained so much that the slow weight loss is beyond worth it), is that eating foods like this helps to keep me in control of what I eat. It gives me a feeling that gives me yet even more power over my body, which makes me feel even better. In the long run it's just the opposite of the downward spiral emotional eating causes--it's an upwards spiral by sticking with it, feeling my body being purged of the cravings for the wrong foods, and knowing that because I no longer eat the wrong foods I no longer need (or want) them.

Welcome, and all the best to you! :)

[Talla]

Hi Starduster. As you can see you will receive alot of support here. I wish you well.

[hifive]

Hi, Starduster

I'm new here too. I see so much in your posting that I can identify with. There is nothing worse than looking in the mirror and seeing someone who *just isn't you*. I too have struggled alone with all of this, and don't have all that much (about 25 pounds) to lose (but it's a critical 25 pounds).

The best thing about low-carb (I've been at it about a month) is that it makes you feel so much better...and it stops that tendency to regard every calorie as an enemy. Counting calories is horrible, and low-fat diets are borrrring, and make you feel deprived. Low-carb on the other hand is interesting, taste-wise, and satisfying, and I find myself concentrating much more on the *nutrients* in food rather than just on their caloric content. A much healthier (and more realistic) attitude!

Weight isn't everything, of course, but it is important to be comfortable in your skin-- it lets you be your best self. I know it isn't important what the scale says, but I am determined to get to the point where the girl in the mirror (or the photos) looks familiar to me. I am hoping the same for you! Don't despair--and don't be shy--you have already thrown off the worst burden you have been carrying, which is isolation. You are not alone!

Cheers,

Lucy

[starduster]

I woke up early this morning feeling absolutely groggy, and totally not really wanting to decide what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat. But I went ahead and logged on to the forum to see who posted me. Man, was I suprised, the support you have given to me is completly awsome! :D I mean it was absolutely unbelievable! Thank-you so much for your encouragement!

[starduster]

LilaCotton,
Thanx for your support, self-image has been a pretty big downfall for me over the past two years. Thanx for the advice-I would definetely put the pic. away if Mom wasn't so anxious to show it off to company!! (LOL) But she is mom and totally proud of her "Baby." Anyway, I will definetely do my best not to be an emotional eater and try to focus on me-the me on the inside not the outside! Thanx again for your wonderful support!

[starduster]

Hey Talla,
Thanx for the support, I have been reading your journal and you totally rock! Keep up the good work and I am totally behind you!

[SLMDezi]

Hi, You can join the challenge anytime you want...the more the merrier ...welcome aboard and good luck to you!!!



:wave: