Life don&#39;t go quite how we planned it

Thanks, darling. Will kick the post awful for you in return, since they've obviously eaten your Tim Tams!

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mortifyd.livejournal.com

\o/

Those evol bastards, eating my delicious Tim Tams - and they were the new flavours too. *weeps*

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whitemunin.livejournal.com

Losing weight is not easy. We are perpetually bombarded with conflicting messages that tell us to be thin then coax us to buy junk food.

Yes, it does take desire and commitment, but that's not all. A lot of other factors play into it. You've pointed out a few of them.

Don't let the e-mail get you down, and don't apologize for ranting. It feels good to blow off a little steam now and then.

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Yeah, a good rant does wonders, dunnit?

This kinda goes along with what you posted about Kate Winslet a while back. She was perfectly beautiful in Titanic, then she went and lost weight and now she looks like everyone else. And also, I just saw somewhere that people think Liv Tyler is fat. Uh, excuse me, what? Fat? In what universe?

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snapekisser.livejournal.com

I was dx'd with PCOS several years ago, although I suspect strongly that I have other issues involved with my weight.

Weight loss is hard. And diets DON'T WORK. Any doctor that tells you to diet and take pills in order to loose weight ought to be strung up by their privates. One of the problems is that having extra body fat is thought of as a disease--obesity (oh how I hate that word)--when actually it is simply a symptom of the actual problem: whether that be a glandular/hormonal disorder, or poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

For myself, my biggest problem has eating the wrong foods my whole life, and not exercising (due to lack of gross motor skills which made me very uncomfortable to do much real activity as I grew older). I joined Curves a couple of years ago and after getting on a regular work out schedule, and changing my eating habits (mostly fresh veggies, fruit, fish, chicken, nuts, and very little sugar and processed foods), I lost sixty pounds. I've still got another fifty or so to go, but I've never had this kind of success with any other program. I believe that strength training, combined with cardio, is what did the trick for me, because the more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism. Also, you have to actually eat more to lose weight. Not more bad food choices, but the good stuff. Starving your body only makes it hold onto the fat. When you eat enough calories (we're talking up to 2500 a day here), your body figures it doesn't need to store fat anymore, so it won't put any more on.

Oh, I could go on and on with all the stuff I've learned about how the body stores and uses fat, and how to get rid of it, but I think I've said enough for now, eh? :D *blushyblush* Just wanted you to know that you're not alone.

Love, your squishy sister, Elyse :D

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Weight loss is hard. And diets DON'T WORK. Any doctor that tells you to diet and take pills in order to loose weight ought to be strung up by their privates. One of the problems is that having extra body fat is thought of as a disease--obesity (oh how I hate that word)--when actually it is simply a symptom of the actual problem: whether that be a glandular/hormonal disorder, or poor nutrition and lack of exercise.

WORD! Yeah, Dr's theory was to cut down to 1200 calories a day and take either Meridia or Adipex. Yeah, ok. Meridia causes heart attacks, Adipex is speed, and at the weight I am currently, my body would think I was trying to starve it and shut down my metabolism completely if I went down to that amount of calories per day.

I'm hoping that the endo will have a better suggestion. I'm positive that part of the problem is the insulin resistance. If I can get that striaghtened out, I think that an eating/exercise plan similar to what you described will work.

Nice to hear that I'm not alone! :)

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apocryphaglibbe.livejournal.com

You know, about 3 years ago I went away to grad school and didn't know anyone and had 3 months of nothing to do so what I did was get insanely bulemic and retch my way to a 65 lb weight loss (something I'd also done the three months before I started college at 18). Still not skinny, but looking pretty good for me. My sister said I looked like a "normal" person -- something no woman in my family has ever really been able to say.

The thing is, I actually TOLD some people how I'd lost the weight and the attitude I got wasn't "get help" or even "oh my god, you're fucked up" -- it was a shrug and a nod as if to say, "well, anything's better than being fat, right?"

I haven't actually (voluntarily) thrown up since then, nor am I likely to (surrounded by people now, and have other more positive reasons why I am not interested in "going there" again), but I am still astounded and disgusted by a society that approves of weight loss by any means, no matter how self-destructive or disgusting, as opposed to carrying some extra weight around...

And yeah, it takes more than desire and commitment. My mom is a group leader for Weight Watchers, though, and I have to tell you they indoctrinate people into that sort of "happy talk." I find it unbearable.

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It is scary, that so many people think that being heavy (not even fat, really) is the absolute worst thing in the world. Glad to hear that you have a support system now. I had a friend who was bulimic and you're right, a lot of people just overlook the whole thing. Everyone just looks the other way or says 'wow, you look great', not realizing the reason why.

My friend has a lovely little girl, who happens to be bigger than average. Not fat, just built bigger. Her ex-husband said "Don't you think Hayley should be on a diet? She's so heavy". She's FIVE. She runs, she plays, she eats good stuff. Please, lets give her body image issues she'll have to live with for the rest of her life to fit your ideal. Asshat.

I think WW is great for the people that it does work for. But it's somewhat evangelical in it's practices, I think.

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I'm glad you've got on top of your bulemia, and I'm deeply saddened that people could admire your weight loss when they knew about the source. I knew a girl at University who was diabetic and loss a shitload of weight by screwing around with her insulin dosage. She went round telling everyone as if she'd done something really smart. Her glucose levels went haywire, she had two car accidents in a month and all the weight went back on and then some. So that worked well.

Having lost weight on WW, I found the programme really good - it was nice having a support group when I'd recently moved and didn't have a bunch of friends in the are. But I know what you mean about "happy talk". It does take desire and commitment, but it's not like you can wish the weight off by magic. It takes time and a whole lifestyle change, and you have to change the way you view yourself - which sounds like "oooh if you just love yourself everything is fine", but that's not what I mean. For a lot of people, food isn't just fuel for the body, there are a million other significances (is that a word?) to it.

I'm still fat by a lot of people's (ie fashion & tv) standards, by the way!

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Yup, I have PCOS. Was diagnosed with it almost 2 years ago. You need to have your doctor run blood work on you. Tell her/him that you need checked for hypothyroidism and for insulin resistance. (low blood sugar) These are the biggest factors in not being able to lose weight. Other symptoms are, facial/body hair, dark skin patches, male pattern baldness/hair loss, irregular periods, miscarriages, infertility, ovarian cysts etc. It's estimated that 10% of women in the US suffer from PCOS. And that's just the ones who've been diagnosed. If left undiagnosed/untreated, it can cause diabetes, cervical/ovarian/uterin cancers, heart disease, infertility, and death. It's not something to be taken lightly and if your doctor refuses to look at it as a possible condition, I advise you to change doctors.
Treatments usually include a diabetic or low carb diet along with Glucophage pills, Synthroid pills, and birthcontrol or some other hormonal treatment to help regulate cycles to prevent cancers and endometriosis.
If I can help you out with information or you just need to vent, feel free to get me on ICQ 9636129 or YIM toretaleweaver :)

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I kinda got the impression from my regular doc that she thought I was just making up an excuse for my weight problem. But I really do have all the symptoms. And I'm not generally a hypochondriac, so... She also said "Well, even if you do have PCOS, it doesn't mean that treating it will make you lose weight". Which is completely contrary to everything I've read. Methinks she just doesn't know that much about it.

Anyway, the specialist did order bloodwork. Um, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, whatever tests for the male hormone, and something else--I wasn't sure what its abbreviation stood for. I see him next week to go over the results. And since heart disease and diabetes run in my family, I'm definately concerned about that aspect of it. Once I talk to him, I'll get in touch with you--I'd definately like to talk to someone else who actually has/is being treated for it.

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TSH is the test for thyroid. PCOS wreaks havok with the thyroid and that is one of the causes of infertility in PCOS'ers.
You need to tell your regular doc to take a flying leap. When I was first diagnosed, and put on meds and my own version of an adjusted low carb diet..(wheat breat instead of white, diet soft drinks instead of regular, fewer pasta dishes and lean cuisine dinners instead of banquet dinners) I dropped nearly 40lbs in about 4 1/2 months. Granted, my hubby and I decided then we wanted to try for another baby since we got our house...and I had to go off the Glucophage cause my ob is a bitch! (there's one in every group of dr's) But as soon as I pop, I'm going back on the Glucophage and modified diet.
My senior year of high school, I followed a strict diet and swam laps EVERY morning for an hour before school, and was on my feet all day. I gained weight instead of losing it. Diet and exercise alone don't always treat PCOS weight.

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Awe, K. ~hugs~

Losing weight is HARD, and it's even harder if you have a medical condition interferring with it. I had to get a stomach ulcer taken care of before I lost weight. Every time I was hungry, my stomach used to BURN badly; my stomach was empty, and acids were getting into the ulcer causing the burn. So I ate to make it feel better, and that worked. It worked a little too well, to where I was carrying 214 pounds on my 5'1" frame. But once I got my ulcer straightened out, I was finally able to lose weight sensibly (notice I do not say "easily", because that is not true). Now my problem is just enjoying the taste of food too much! :(

I do hope you get to the bottom of this. If there's anything I can do for you, you know where to find me. :)

::pokes cousin with stick::

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Thanks for the hug!

Yep, part of my problem is that I weigh way too much for my height. So it isn't so much that I want to lose weight to be "skinny", cause frankly, that ain't gonna happen. I wasn't a skinny kid and though it's become something of a catchphrase I AM big-boned. I need to lose weight just so I can be active and fit and comfortable in my clothes.

And unfortunately, since I can't seem to lose weight no matter what I do, I end up with the "I might as well eat that cheeseburger, I'm already fat" mindset.

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I'm with you... I'll *never ever* be thin-thin. I've always carried 5-10 extra pounds on me (although right now it's about 50 extra).

And unfortunately, since I can't seem to lose weight no matter what I do, I end up with the "I might as well eat that cheeseburger, I'm already fat" mindset.

Been there; I know exactly how it feels. Still am experiencing it: last night I had a choice of taking a walk with V to start exercising again, or take the motorcycle to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard. Needless to say, we ended up at DQ...

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Needless to say, we ended up at DQ...

Well, of course. Who can resist the call of the Oreo Cookie Blizzard (or your own Blizzard of choice)?

Want to hear something really funny? The thinnest I've ever been in my adult life (about 180-190) was when I worked at Baskin Robbins, eating ice cream every day. But see, thing was, since we got a free scoop of ice cream every day as a perk, I rarely ever ate any sweets any other time.

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OMG... I think you and I are long lost twins! :) I was thinnest I've ever been my adult life when I worked at Dairy Queen... I actually managed to stay at 110 lbs during my 2 year stint.

Go figure!

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OMG DAIRY FAIRY!@#@!#!@#
Bring the pregnant one ice creammmmmmm NOWWWWWWWW~!@#!@# *tries to hide deamon look*

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You have to wait *at least* an hour and a half for DQ to open, C... ;)

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Yeah, I know. Well...for one of them anyway. The one in Batesville is open. They serve a sit down breakfast. hehe

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Maybe we need to write a book called "The Ice Cream Shop Diet". We could make a fortune!

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...and then we'd have money, so we wouldn't *need* to lose weight!! :D

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I end up with the "I might as well eat that cheeseburger, I'm already fat" mindset.

I really fancy a cheeseburger now...

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Well, it's possible that your cousin didn't mean it as a reflection on you, but then again it's possible that she was being a cow. As a person who has lost weight on Weight Watchers, yeah it does take desire and commitment but it's not easy. It's a weird thing - for years I was saying that I must get around to losing weight, vaguely tried a few diets, went to the gym a bit but didn't really do much about it. Last year, it was a switch going on in my head that said "Do this NOW".

There are so many psychological reasons as well as physiological ones - if your mindset isn't right it's almost impossible to start a diet / exercise regime. I'd been unhappy with my weight for ages and was getting really fed up of people saying "yeah, you should just exercise more and eat less junk". Well duh! I reckon most (not all) people who are overweight CAN lose weight doing this, but it's not that simple. I had asked the doctor if it was my Pill or a thyroid thing or something and got a pretty similar response to yours, except without the diet pills cos they don't really offer those in this country. And my mother "Well I lost two stone [28 pounds] really easily". Um yes mother, but you were ill and now you look really bony.

Don't worry about ranting. People put so much store by how much you weigh [she says, having been so smug about her weight loss] when there are so many more important things in the world than being thin. And if there's a nuclear war, bigger people will survive in the nuclear winter. Your cousin will be eaten by roving bands of fat people.

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Well, it's possible that your cousin didn't mean it as a reflection on you, but then again it's possible that she was being a cow.

*snork* Well, Carol does have a tendency to be, um, outspoken, shall we say? So not necessarily a cow, but more self-centered? She's also totally a hypochondriac. And so I usually blow comments like that off, but this one just got under my skin.

No diet pills in the UK, huh? That's probably a good thing. See, the funny thing is, one of the pills the Dr. offered me was basically speed. And I've taken over-the-counter speed and it didn't work, so why would this? I've also walked at least a mile every day, swam laps, cut calories, cut junk food, etc and STILL didn't lose weight. What she didn't seem to understand (or believe, truth be told) was that I had exhausted all of the 'regular' methods of weight loss because they were unsuccessful. And I really think she was just looking at me thinking "oh, fat girl=no willpower".

I don't really want Carol to get eaten by fat people, but that really was a funny image. Thanks, marrit woman!

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You could've taken the diet pills from the doc then sold them on the street.... Then you could hire a personal trainer with the profit. Or a gigolo. Maybe what you need is regular energetic sex. See, diet pills DO make you thinner!

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OMG, I haven't had energetic sex (or even lethargic sex, for that matter) in so long, I;ve probably forgotten how it goes.

Whoops, TMI there. Sorry.

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I;ve probably forgotten how it goes.

Haven't you heard the phrase "it's just like riding a bike"? ;)

From:

hawaii5063.livejournal.com

I think that you are right that your cousin did not mean it that way. For whatever reason, when people accomplish something they often lapse into all sorts of raving about what they've accomplished, and when they praise it so they are often praising themselves not critising others. Sort of like people who get a fantastic job and tell you all about it while you are looking for wrok, or a great car while yours is old and you can't afford a new one yet. It is as if they have forgotten who they are talking too completely. Just a human thing I think, although very annoying I agree.

You said in your post that you never tried to have children. Why did I think you had a lot of them? hmm....

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