Andi's intro - long road ahead

[Andi]

Hi,

 

I am noob with a long road ahead.  I'm 38 & morbidly obese with the health problems that accompany that (diabetes & high blood pressure).  I've always been big & felt hopeless about it.  I had always thought of myself as one of the fat & healthier types, but.. it caught up with me.  I had avoided the doctor's office a long time (when you're this big.. anytime you go in with an ailment it always went back to being fat).  When I was 35 I was diagnosed with diabetes.  The doctor told me to "lay off the sweets a bit" and.. it enraged me.  I wasn't sitting around on my butt all day eating BonBon's.  I got so mad that I lost about 65lbs in about 6 months.  However as time went on & winter came.. my exercise (walking) became easily excused.  I had to see my doctor less as my blood sugar & pressure were improving so well.. and without the accountability.. I let things slip.  3 years later,  I had almost regained all the weight & things were getting out of control with my health.

 

For the past month I've been tracking everything I put in my mouth on the Daily Plate/LiveStrong.  I walk almost every day.  I am blessed and have some gorgeous areas around me, but winter brings its own challenges.  When the first frost came my favorite park became dangerously icy.  The occasional rude commentary from the random teen didn't help either.  Last week I switched to going to the gym & have gone every day except for when my cold made itself too obvious.  I didn't want to get anyone else sick (not too mention all the tv screens highlighting the flu epidemic).  For now I'm sticking to the treadmill.  I started dabbling around a few of the more popular machines & then read up on them.. and eventually that lead me to here.  I don't mind the treadmill so much, but I'd like to expand what I'm doing.  So, I'm doing my research and seeing what else I can add without my knees going "click click".

 

I don't have much of a support team at the moment.  I have a group on LiveStrong that once a week we report our weight with 100 lbs off in a year being the "Challenge".  My family is supportive, but not really in a challenging way.  I think anything I say is going to be "That's great!".  If I relax I don't really have anyone kicking my butt.

 

Anyway  That's me for now.  One month in, I'm eating pretty healthy (if that can be defined anymore?) & exercising with some good energy levels.  I've been there once before though & somehow let it go.  I'm hoping that I can find some inspiration & motivation to keep on the path this time.

[Laureleye]

You are not alone here; you might want to take a peek at this thread.  You can click on some of the profiles and see their challenge threads.  By the way, you are welcome to join the current challenge even though it has started.  The challenge is a great way to focus on a few concrete short-term habits.  Welcome to the rebellion. 

[Ghost Chant X]

Welcome!

[Tinaling]

Welcome to the forum! It's so great that you've deciding to make significant changes to your life for the better! I'm pretty new here myself, but so far everyone has been super helpful and supportive. If you're looking for someone to (electronically) kick your butt, you've found it Cheers!

[Andi]

Thank you all

 

That was a great thread & I've signed up for the challenge (woohoo!)  That sounds exactly like what I needed to help keep in check (and have fun with it!)