I am struggling again. So, I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday to just have a check up. And I have been told that I need to start a diet of my choice and to start exercising more. What got me, is the fact that I’ve let myself get as big as I am, and I feel like an absolutely mess. I feel so gross and disappointed in myself. I mean, maybe as my journey goes on it’ll be easier but right now I am so fucking mad at myself for being such a pig when it comes to my eating habits. I just want to be back to a normal weight and not get out of breath every fucking 10 seconds. I’m thinking about going Keto, so if anyone has any tips to offer me I’ll gladly take them. I’m such a mess right now.
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Hi Brittany.
First and foremost, I understand wanting to be mad at yourself for gaining weight. I gained about 25 lbs during quarantine which may not sound like much, but I’m 5 ft tall so its a pretty significant number.
The thing about this is, there a some different avenues we can take that basically consist of different mindsets.
When I gained that weight, I was upset at myself for maybe an hour. And so, I could choose to stay in this mindset and be self defeating, or I could choose to accept. Yes, I gained weight, which is understandable because before Covid I worked an active job and went to the gym 4 - 5 days a week. After Covid I worked a desk job from home and the gyms closed. I think a lot of people under these circumstances would probably gain weight, and so its not fair to me to tell myself how I have failed and how disgusting I am because of it.
A healthier way to look at things is to remind myself that this stuff happens. I am not a terrible or disgusting person for gaining weight, I just let myself go. And the beauty of weight is that as long as you make an effort to change, you can change.
As for dieting, I find that fad diets are generally not a good idea.
As for a little history - I’ve always been a yo-yoer. At my heaviest I was 170 lbs which is 50 - 70 lbs overweight for someone my height, which equates to having a BMI in the high 30s and being considered obese. At the other end of the spectrum, I was 105 lbs at my lightest which is a perfect weight for my height but I wasn’t eating enough and I was riding my bike to and from my 2 jobs and could definitely qualify as anorexic.
Anyway, the way I was able to lose the 65 lbs I lost, for the most part, was to systematically remove things from my diet permanently as opposed to going on some named diet with a theme. I immediately removed any beverage from my diet that wasn’t water, removed all empty foods like bagels and pancakes and reduced my intake of processed foods. I also started exercising. I did this for about 1.5 years and got down to a healthy weight. (It was after this that I moved to a new town and only had my bike for transportation between my 2 jobs which I was using my paychecks to save for a car.)
So, long story short, stop beating yourself up. We’re all humans and we all handle change differently, and I can virtually guarantee you a lot of people have gained weight since Covid happened, so be kinder to yourself. Don’t do a fad diet because they usually don’t work, at least in the long run. Stop drinking your calories, reduce or stop eating processed food and get active. You’ll see the weight fall off. Oh, and don’t be discouraged by plateaus, they are a normal part of weight loss. Keep working hard and eventually you’ll get past them.
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Thank you for these words, much appreciated. See, with me, I am double my weight. I am 5’1 and I am 261 lbs. Now, I do need to start talking to myself better in regards of not beating myself up but I’ve been recommended this certain diet/lifestyle from both my family physician and my best friend. I just need to get all of this extra weight off, fast.
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Ok, so the best/fastest way I found to lose weight fast (this diet is really hard on the body and so it generally is recommended to people who need to lose more than 50 lbs) is the no sugar, no starch diet.
The idea of this one is, aside from the obvious, eating small, moderate meals every 2 hours. No sugar is allowed and no starch is allowed which essentially makes it impossible for your body to make new fat. I did try to do this closer to a healthy weight to support my husband when he was trying to lose a large amount of weight and made it 3 days - because I was very close to normal weight, it just wasn’t enough to sustain my body.
That being said, if you need to lost triple digit pounds, it may be worth trying but be vigilant. Pay attention to your body. You will have headaches at first and will probably feel ravenous hungry. Eat lean protein and vegetables, some fruit but not much as it has a lot of natural sugar. Eat as close to every 2 hours as possible and drink lots of water. You can lost between 5 and 10 lbs a week doing this, but again, its very hard on the body. I would also recommend vitamin supplements if you do this.
I forgot to mention, once a week on this diet you should have a cheat day to remind your body that its not starving which can Kickstart your weight loss if you plateau.
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Hi! It’s good to want to be a healthier weight, but don’t berate yourself for being overweight. It’s a pandemic. Many people have gained weight. You don’t have to feel bad about it. But do take my words of caution that I give everyone who goes on a diet. Don’t get obsessed with your weight, eating, or exersize. I’ve dealt with a low-grade eating disorder for years (I don’t eat much and my weight bothers me, even though I’m 5’4 and weight 96 lbs). Just be careful as I don’t want anyone else to feel like I do a lot of the time. Good luck! Stay healthy!
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I do have vitamin supplements with me so if I need them they will be there. I’m just so anxious to do this because of how fragile my mental and physical health is. But I’m sure I’ll be fine once I get started and start moving some more.
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Thanks for your kind words! I definitely will try to not become obsessive about numbers or my eating, as I know that isn’t healthy, but I will do my best to overcome my eating disorder and my obesity. (Diagnosed with binge eating disorder)
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Yes… admittedly there may be emotional symptoms as well because any time your blood sugar is lower than what you’re used to, thats when the hangry stuff starts to happen, so until your body gets used to the new diet, you will probably be emotional. But it will be so worth it! Another thing I did was buy an outfit that I wanted to eventually fit into to remind myself what I was working towards. Might be worth a shot for those hard days.
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I did that, actually! I didn’t buy a whole outfit, which I should though, but I bought a cute second hand Champion sweater that’s a little too small for me but I committed to losing the weight so I can wear it!
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Thats great! I hope it helps you. Best of luck to you.
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Thank you again for your kind words, it means a lot to me. 
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Sure thing. -20 character minimum-
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