Asking the right questions

[bcipam]

As another person who carries too much weight myself, I share your pain and anguish. But you probably already know this, there is no magic answer. Folks who use diet pills, go on medical diet (like Optifast), use diet programs (like nutrisystems or weight watchers) still have problems. In fact, most folks gain most of their weight back, if not more, once they stop the diet. Why? Because they have not learned what is proper to eat or not eat.

First thing I had to do was admit I am fat. I'm fat! Not big bones, fluffy, whatever, FAT - I eat too much. Not only do I eat too much I eat the wrong things. I admit this. I know I need to be more food concious like alot of the ladies on this forums. I need to eat small portions of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and stay away from the french fries and chocolate shakes, and Claim Jumper size portions, but I don't.

So where does that put me? Well at the point I have to acknowledge I have a problem and just how motivated I am to deal with the problem. There is no quick fix. It's a life long problem and my overeating needs to be controlled, every day, every hour, every minute. I am not so different than an alchoholic or drug user.

I like the AA model, take one day at a time. Praise God for each step in the right direction. Keep exercising. Keep moving. Cycling is really good for someone overweight as it is easy on the joints. You cannot lose weight unless you exercise and that means exercise for the rest of your life, not until you lose 50 lbs. FOREVER!

I'm hoping this does not sound harse. It's just I'm there too and I've learned to be realistic. I know what I am and what I need to do. I still respect myself as a person even though I am overweight. I don't expect others to respect me though just like I would not expect others to respect a drug user, but I know I am a good person and I am capable and worthy of acheiving my weight loss goal. One day, one hour, one minute at a time!

Keep at it. Let us know how you are doing. The women here are sooooooo supportive and caring.

[Duck on Wheels]

"I still hurt in my joints but continue to try to do some kind of exercise like pilates or something when I cannot ride my bike. That seems to help. I know when I ride, my wrist will kill me during the ride and I have to constantly stop and kind of losen them up."

Hmmm. How well does your bike fit you? The one time I had wrist and elbow pain while riding was on a rental bike that was a tad too big for me. I was overstretched reaching the handlebar and after a few miles my elbows were hurting, then after a few miles more my wrists. I had to sit up and ride one-handed, shaking my free arm loose, then switch hands, then get off and walk for a ways, then back on ... I finished the ride and was fine after lunch, had even had fun and was glad to have met lots of TE gals, but next time I'll get there early and test ride the bike if I'm renting.

[bcipam]

PS... you know I hurt most the time as well. I'm not saying there isn't a medical problem you need to address, but after I get out and do a good ride, my legs hurt, my ankles throb, my back hurts - it's just part of getting your body out and making it work. After awhile the pain does go away. Right now I am in recovery mode and every little thing I do is killing me. My knee is throbbing as we speak!!!! You are overweight and the extra weight does cause stress to joints. I have trouble hiking as my weight causes my feet to swell and hurt.

I am a believer of going to the doctor. On another thread I posted about ignoring a problem, it finally got back and was dx'd as cancer. You just never know. You also need to make sure you are pre or diabetic or have some other medical condition that might affect your health and any weight loss problem you start.