I Stumbled Upon this site and fell in love!

[Animal_Nerd]

Hey NF world, my name is Marissa. I'm 24, an avid do-er of nothing and sedentary activities. I read a lot, and spend a lot of time just relaxing. But even relaxing gets old after a while. I work at as an animal care giver at a shelter, so most of my workday is spent on my feet, which helps me rationalize my laziness during my off-times. But no more! I've had weight issues all my life, stemming from a horomonal problem when I was younger which was treated with a two year series of monthly shots that were later discovered to increase weight gain. It just went downhill from there, which was about age 8. I've dealt with depression, and while I'm mostly out of it, my weight is one thing that can bring it back for a visit. I've tried a lot of diets, my mom put me on every diet imaginable when I was still at home (while she sat across from me and ate cake). Over the past two years, I've seen my dad go downhill steeply with renal disease. I take after him and his side of the family, we look similar, I don't look at all like my stick thin mother. I want him to be proud of me, and to not have to worry about my health as much as he does; I know now how hard that is having watched him get sicker.

This has all been kind of sad to write, but I'm really a cheerful person. I am. I currently weigh about 230 lbs or what equates to a size 18/XL (I don't have a scale). I find that I need motivators, I tend to get lazy doing this alone! I really want to succeed this time. I've also just moved to Daytona Beach, and know basically no one except for my brother/roommate and his gf, and a couple of people from work. So if you're from the area, I'm looking to make friends.

Aaaand I can't upload a picture. Not the most computer savvy one, right here.

[RescuedRuckus]

Welcome!!! I completely understand the rationalization of lazy off time because of having a job that requires physical work. But declaring that not an excuse is a big first step in the right direction

[Animal_Nerd]

It's rough because sometimes my feet hurt so bad after working in the kennel for 10 hours. But I know my physical body needs more love than I'm giving it right now, so I'll make myself suffer through the pain to go for a walk or something on those days

[RescuedRuckus]

What kind of shoes are you wearing for work? Cause the right shoes will make a difference.

[Animal_Nerd]

Well I have to wear rubber boot/galosh things for the first 4-5 hours because we hose everything down when we clean. After that I have a pair of sketchers that have a thick sole on the bottom which feels amazing after wearing those thin sole boots. It just takes it's toll when all you walk on is concrete. Especially for 10 hours! I try to put my feet up when I'm on my break though, that seems to help. Also, hiking socks for extra extra padding.

[Guest Alpha Bookworm]

Maybe you could get inserts for the rubber boots. I think they sell them for less than $20. I've used some in thin soled boots and they make a huge difference.

[Animal_Nerd]

I've thought about that, and will probably purchase some when I next get paid. I don't know why they don't make those boots with more padding. And having high arches doesn't help much either.

Alpha, I love your quote, LoTR is my favorite movie/book series

[connally7]

Animal_Nerd, cheers for Newbies! I have been there with the "diet-crazy-mom". I took mine out for lunch last week for my birthday and she made 3 different comments about my weight. Very discouraging:( But hey, that's why we're all here! Solid encouraging support group-yeah!

I've also had hormone problems. Took me a long while to get them under control; I take bioidentical progesterone now. So been there too, not fun.

Hope I can help encourage you on this new journey:)

[Animal_Nerd]

Thanks connally7! It's certainly tough out there for anyone who is overweight who has lived with a itty-bitty family member. My brother is naturally thin (takes after mom) and can eat anything and never gain any weight. Then there's me, who gets death glares from across the table if I reach for food. I say we stick out our tongues at them and get even more awesome on our owns!

I took Lupron via injection for two years, I haven't really changed height since then, stalled out at about 5'4" by the 5th grade. All that's changed since is my waistline lol!

If you like, I can add you as a friend here and we can help each other stay motivated.

[connally7]

For sure! Add away:) All friend encouragers are welcome!

PS my brother has a ridiculous high metabolism and plays college football, so he's built like a tank. My sister and I take after my dad, so we're short, curvy, and easily pack on the pounds.

[RescuedRuckus]

If you can make the investment, MUCK brand boots are something that a lot of my friends who work at barns use. They're like Wellingtons/galoshes, but more comfortable from what I have been told. I just wear my Ariat cowboy boots and waterproof the seams every once in a while.

[Animal_Nerd]

Thank you Athena! Your post is really helpful, I definitely need to get my diet on track, waaaaay too many pop-tarts and pizza going on. The bad thing is that I'm very low on funds, and I live with two other people and we all eat one meal a day together at least, so I'll have to try and swing them towards my new way of dieting (when I figure out what that is). It's hard because my brother/roommate doesn't eat green things. And he's the one without the weight issues!

KI4WLG - I've looked into Ariat boots, people I know love them! They're so expensive though. And I am also poor. So everything is expensive to me. I might just get some inserts and see how that goes.

[Go Kixxy]

Hey I get that! All my siblings are naturally thin/fit and I've always been the opposite. Definitely agree with what Athena wrote, diet is key! Maybe you can plan your meals for a few days/rest of the week. I find that when I plan and cook meals (as opposed to ordering out), I spend less at the grocery store because I'm less likely to buy other stuff that's bad for me! And you can supplement cardio with other things besides walking, something that will put less stress on your feet - biking, swimming, etc. Best of luck

[Animal_Nerd]

Thanks Go Kixxy! Isn't it silly how people can have such different body compositions within the same family? We all ate the same thing growing up, and yet we're all so different! I am going to start planning out my meals, I just have to make sure that the meals are easy, I'm not the best cook and my work only has a microwave and a mini-fridge for everyone to use. Plus, I need to plan on a budget.

Does anyone know if canned veggies are worse for you than the frozen ones? I know fresh is best, but it's not always feasible.

[Animal_Nerd]

Thank you Athena! Those are all great ideas, I'll definitely be putting them to use! I'm not a huge egg fan, but I could probably do ham on toast for breakfasts. I'll probably benefit from the extra protein since I do physical labor all day at work. I already eat multi-grain bread, I've lost my taste for white, but I'm still a carb addict. Of course, I just went shopping, so I need to eat through or give away all the naughty food that I just bought, along with my soda. Then after that, no more soda for me. I've just got to get my pantry sorted so I can start making some progress with the diet.

I also tried the Beginner Bodyweight Workout today. Boy do I need work! I only did about half since I've got a chest cold but as soon as I can, I'll do the whole thing, thanks for suggesting it!