Skparker's Journal, 22 February 2016

You have to put yourself first. You have to know you are worth a change. You are worth the effort and time to put into YOU! Change comes from within. You cannot be happy with work, others, anything, without being happy with yourself. Life is short, enjoy every day you are given. YOU ARE WORTH IT!  

I am very lucky because my wife and I are doing it together. I suppose that is your point that you are feeling alone. You are welcome to friend me and we can keep track of each other. Are you on Atkins? Are you in Ketosis? 

Thank you both for responding. It's just been an emotional year. I am not on Atkins, but in Ketosis. Just eating a HFLC diet, mainly following the one from r/keto. 

what do you mean your dog had to be returned? I cant even imagine returning my dog . I have 2, a rescue pit lab mix and shes small but hates other dogs. She can be difficult sometimes but I love her to death. My puppys keep me motivated to stay active and just my body image in general. I have a closet full of clothing I used to fit and look amazing in. I can't wear 80% of them and if I tried I feel fat in them. So that right there keeps me motivated. You will find what pushes you, it takes time 

I haven't achieved "getting into better shape" and, well, am probably not even really working on that, but what finally pushed me/motivated me into better eating habits was making it as a commitment to God. Sorry if that sounds corny or if it isn't your thing, but for me it was the thing that finally worked. I apparently couldn't do it for me, my looks, or my health, or my husband or my kids...although all of those were/should've been enough reason, but I just could not sustain making healthy eating choices consistently over the long-term. Then I did well during Lent last year (gave up excess calories by setting a limit of 1200 per day and giving up everything above that), and I was able to successfully complete my Lenten promise. Why? I wondered? Because I promised God. (And God would know if I cheated or fudged.) I decided that it stood to reason that if promising God was my key to making consistently healthy/reasonably portioned food decisions every day, then that was what I should do for the rest of my life. I balked at the notion, though, for a couple of months. Too hard. Too much of a commitment. I didn't want to commit something that big to God and fail. But I finally did it this summer. I gave myself a slightly higher daily calorie amount with some built-in flexibility to move calories around during my week, promised God in church one Sunday, and I have stuck with it since then. I guess the issue is you have to find the one thing that makes it to where you can/will be consistent and stick with your healthy eating/fitness plan *NO MATTER HOW YOU'RE FEELING* on any given day. The commitment has to be greater than the excuse. I'm sure that the *what* or the *WHO* is different for different people.  

Pain is my motivation. I believe I will feel better if I lose weight. I am in pain. 

I am enjoying the feeling of being in control of my weight. For me managing calories is like managing your money. Is it really worth it to eat (buy) something that you reget later? It's a learning curve and a challenge to eat healthy and learn what my daily "budget" is for calories. I feel like I am working on accomplishing a goal which is to look and feel the best I can. I have been on a roller coaster my whole life and not really understanding how to manage my weight. 

Lakeontario, that's a really interesting way of thinking about it! I try to be smart with my money so that I'm better prepared for the long run. Likewise I need to be smart with my calories so I'll be healthy for the long run!  

Heres a tip.... find something you will enjoy, but you need to lose weight to get, such as an outfit. Make it your goal to be able to fit into that oufit, then once you reach the goal, u can reward urself by going out in ur brand new outfit :D 

my depression was bad until I started doing low carb. I didn't want to get out of the house, didn't want to do anything. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat. I ate my way to 254 and was still miserable. My nephew introduced me to the dietdoctor.com and low carb. My energy is boundless, my depression is gone. I am eating healthy exercising which is a very big deal for me. 6 months in and I have lost 32 pounds in the process. It has changed my life enough I will never ever look back.  

I'm finding that the process of the diet has gotten much easier now. I love to cook. So being creative with a low carb is easier for me and my wife. I keep my net carbs below 20/day and my calories below1700. The amounts of other nutrients within that can swing up or down but usually around 100 grams of fat and protein a day. The weight will come off.  

These are all great tips and I especially like Laeontario's take on this because it was one thing that I've struggled with for years! I knew a lot of what I ate was not good for me and I would feel so terrible about myself for giving into temptation. I was also discouraged because even after I was making a bigger effort to lose weight and I had built up to 4 times a week in the gym I wasn't seeing any results which made me feel like it was a waste to bother at all. It wasn't until a gym buddy suggested running and I really started making that effort that I began seeing results. Once I saw and felt results it was so much easier to turn down a bagel or piece of cake at the office because I knew that the extra calories were not worth it. Keep it up Skparker! It can be an awful and difficult fight but it is so worth it in the end! 

These are all great tips and I especially like Laeontario's take on this because it was one thing that I've struggled with for years! I knew a lot of what I ate was not good for me and I would feel so terrible about myself for giving into temptation. I was also discouraged because even after I was making a bigger effort to lose weight and I had built up to 4 times a week in the gym I wasn't seeing any results which made me feel like it was a waste to bother at all. It wasn't until a gym buddy suggested running and I really started making that effort that I began seeing results. Once I saw and felt results it was so much easier to turn down a bagel or piece of cake at the office because I knew that the extra calories were not worth it. Keep it up Skparker! It can be an awful and difficult fight but it is so worth it in the end! 

Thank you all for sharing your stories! Depression is so difficult some days, and for me it's also coupled with anxiety, which makes it more challenging at times. I really need to figure out an exercise routine that I can actually keep up with and enjoy because right now I don't have much that I enjoy besides dancing (and I do that only a few times a week). I also need to learn how to meal-prep better and be prepared for each day. I know it's a learning curve, but maybe I can just learn to cook more, one day at a time.  

I wish I could add to these great tips...but I just think about wanting to feel well and how what I choose to eat will fuel me daily. Yes, depression can be a challenge but research tells us exercise, therapy and people help us recover. Could you get a new pet? Focus on yourself and your needs right now. Self-care is essential. 

My brother is dying. I want to live as long as I can with good health. time to get my ass in gear. at 45 it's not about being "hot" for me anymore. I just wanna stay alive and have a life worth living in a healthy disease free body. I know it's a struggle. sometimes everything seems so hard. but you can do it. love from texas.  

skparker i hear you about depression. do you get more depressed in the winter? a light box saved me. i have seasonal effective disorder. google it. don't spend to much time alone. find the right antidepressant. to many of us self medicate with starchy, sugary foods. g' luck