Finally turning it around

[Lord_of_Annandale]

Hi guys,

 

I've been trying for many, many years to lose weight. I know it's cliche, but I never was able to make something work. It just never clicked. I did successfully lose about 15 pounds once 3 or 4 years ago, but as soon as school started up again I gained it all back. Years later it has gotten to the point where my doctor said I would have serious complications unless I changed my lifestyle. In fact, my insulin resistance has damaged my eyesight, the extra weight caused plantar faciitis, and I developed severe GERD. On another level, my weight caused me to stop doing many of the things I loved, the things I had built my entire identity on. I stopped hiking and backpacking because it was painful, and I stopped playing sports because I kept injuring myself. I even stopped camping because I'd set up camp then be exhausted and just sit in camp all day doing nothing.

 

My size also affected my social interactions, and I stopped going out with friends, started drinking too much (even alone), and lost contact with a lot of friends. The combination of physical pain and extreme isolation led to deep depression.   

 

However.

 

About 8 months ago I started teaching myself to engage in positive self talk.

It always sounded stupid before, but I came to realize how evil my inner voice had become. I was consistently calling myself weak and a failure and disgusting multiple times a day, and it changed the image I had of myself. I hated that image, which of course led to more self hate, etc. Talk about a cyclic hell, lol. 

 

Once I realized the toxic effect I was having on myself, I started relearning how to think. At first I just made sure to stop and acknowledge what I was doing. Whenever I called myself disgusting, I'd mentally take a moment to realize what I'd just done and why. Next, I moved on to replacing that self-depricating thought with a neutral thought, then a positive thought. It doesn't always work, and I lose the battle sometimes, but I finally started to have more good days than bad. 

 

Recently, I found a nutrition plan on which I've been consistently losing while being mostly full. I'm excersizing more, and even started hiking my my family again. I'm excited that I've finally started on the long journey back, and I joined Nerd Fitness because it makes getting healthy interesting and the posts make me laugh. I figure I should use every weapon at my disposal; NF is a great one. 

 

TL;DR: I got fat. Got depressed. Used the power of positive thinking *gag* do work out the depression. Now I'm fighting back against the weight. 

[Wobbegong]

Welcome to Nerd Fitness, Kevin! Congratulations on your recent success. 

 

We're starting a new 4 Week Challenge next week, so if you're interested you can go sign up in the Level 1 / First Time Challengers guild. You'll get lots of support and encouragement, and plenty of accountability to help keep you on track.  Plus, you'll get the chance to make friends with other people who are also just starting on their NF journey. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions about the forums, challenges, guilds, or anything at all. We're a friendly bunch, and there's always someone around. To get a specific person's attention, you can PM them, tag them (@Wobbegong), or quote them. 

Good luck with your transformation! I'm rooting for you! 

[Blethan]

Hey!

 

Welcome to NF (I'm pretty new here too).

Its great to hear you've already made some big positive steps towards your goals. Having the forums and support can only help, right?

 

Good luck on your adventure!