Hello! My name is Lisa McCann, and I am a morbidly obese woman. I grew up very thin, could eat anything, and weighed 103 before I became pregnant with my first child back in 1981. Had another child in 1985, gained lots more weight and didn't take it all off. I had a serious health condition in my mid thirties that kept me on prednisone for a little over a year, and in that time I ballooned up to 225 pounds! Ever since then (I am 50 now) I've tried various things to lose weight, but the most I've been able to accomplish is to lose and regain the same 20 pounds.

I am now the heaviest I've ever been (228) and I'd like to really make some changes. Biggest problems include a massive sweet tooth, a few digestive issues (2 perforated ulcers in the space of 10 years) and a basic ignorance about how to get started. I like walking and riding my bike. I have done and enjoyed yoga off and on. I've actually had clients and co-workers stare at my rather large middle and say "wow, you are really big." It hurts, and I never want to hear that again!

Any tips on amount of exercise to start with, frequency, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I'd also love some chocolatey tasting, decently healthy treats! My family is very support of my endeavors and my husband, an excellent cook, will whip up anything I decide on.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hey Lisa! Welcome!! Sorry to hear about the health problems. I know that being on prednisone can really cause some weight gain issues (been there, but only for a few weeks at a time never a year). So I'm sure that was very frustrating for you. But today is a new day, and it doesn't matter how you got here, what matters is that you are ready to make a change for the best! It sounds like you are in a great place! You have a cook (husband ) to help you out. Start looking for healthy recipes that you think you would love and from the what you said, he will whip it up for you. I think that having him back you up is going to help you out a lot!

Okay, sweet tooth. I also have a sweet tooth. It can be trouble sometimes. Try healthy alternatives. When you are craving something sweet, don't automatically turn to oreos (in fact, just go ahead and throw all that kind of crap away). Instead try berries or some other fruit. Here's a link to a discussion about sweets and healthy alternatives.

It's great to admit that you don't know much about being healthy. I highly recommend you read a few books on the subject. At the risk of sounding like some one else on this site, I will go ahead and recommend the Abs Diet. It is the most sound nutritional philosophy that I found so far. It is great. It comes with a diet and exercise plan. Even though you probably won't be ready for the work out portion just yet, anyone can follow the diet part.

As far as exercise goes, I would recommend you start out with some easy stuff since you've been out of the fitness loop for a while. Start with walking on flat terrain, pool aerobics, swimming, maybe some yoga or pilates.

Again, welcome! Good luck. We're here to help, so don't hesitate to ask.

Lisa, please be my friend and we can mentor each other! I have had a horrible time trying to lose 33 pounds after prednisone. No matter what they say about weight being a 'potential side effect' and that 'mild weight gain' is possible, it is pretty much the gold standard that one will put on a lot of weight! For me, it was 33 pounds in a summer, and I've struggled--ok, I've complained now for over a year and recently decided and committed to actually losing it.
My best friend is morbidly obese. She was my roommate in college and at the time, weighed only 250 at 5'1. I forced her to be more active--we lived in a loft on the 4th floor with no elevator. We didn't have snacks. But, the girl would drink 2 2-liters of pepsi and order the entire taco bell value menu. She is now 450 pounds and has started weight watchers. Without any excercise, she is losing about 10 pounds a month and plans to start walking for fun.
I know exactly how you feel. I had never been on a diet until recently, I was an elite athlete until recently...and now I have lost my sparkle, my confidence and a lot of what made me Andy.

Do you like numbers? It may help you to think of things this way. Find a budget of calories you can stick to--I dunno, 2500 or something. You'll have to check out one of Apollo's posts, he links to a BMI (but don't use it) scale to give you your BMR and find out how many calories you need in a day. Take your budget of calories and then think of how many sweets you can eat for those calories. It's not many.
Change your thinking and change your life. Imagine, you can eat sooo much more for the same amount of calories. I just think that I can eat 4 pieces/types of fruit in the place of a hershey bar. I'm hungry after the hershey bar but not after an apple, a banana, a peach and a pear. IT's all about choices. You've made the best choice ever to take care of your health. You are doing the right thing.
FAD DIETS DONT WORK. at the end of the day, you're going to go off the diet and eat real food again and gain it back even more and to a worse heartache.
Do you have a safe neighborhood in which to walk? do you like to dance? get a small, $40 indoor trampoline, put on your favorite tv show on dvd and bounce for as long as you can- it will save your joints and burn some calories.
Congratulations, you will achieve this!

AW

Yeah, it's this:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

That'll let you calculate your basal metabolic rate. That's how many calories your body burns if you stay in bed all day, just staying alive.

Multiply that number by the sedentary multiplier on the next page that says "Daily Calorie Needs": http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harri s-benedict-equation/

That's your BMR x 1.2 = Sedentary caloric requirements. That's how many calories your body will burn if you walk around a little bit and sit at a desk all day. Eat that much and you'll maintain your weight. Eat that much and walk three or four miles a day or jog a mile and a half and skip the mocha in the morning and you'll lose about a pound a week.

Find that number, though. It's important.

If you're looking for an easy diet that doesn't require much thinking, you can always try the No S Diet (No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds, except on days that start with S).

The little trampoline's a good idea. If you don't have $40, spend $8 on a speed rope and jump rope. It's a good low-impact workout and there are a bunch of nifty videos about jump rope technique that'll give you the low down on how to do it right.

Good luck. You've got me rooting for you. Find your star!

Apollo, you are too sweet. We're here to help you Lisa. I'm going through this too!

Good idea on the jump rope, but it may be difficult? Try a used sports store if you have a play-it-again-sport or second-hand style place to get the trampoline. I think you can find them at Dick's or Wal-Mart perhaps even less that $40, but I figured it's easy enough to bounce while watching TV and not terrible impact for the knees/joints at the higher body weight. Most trampolines are good to 250lbs, so you are good to go!

Best of luck! we are here with you!

Well, the jump rope's not difficult at all, once you fix the basic bounce. Watch the basic bounce videos I linked. 100 single under rope jumps takes me about 90 seconds, but at first that would take me about 5 or 6 minutes.

Interestingly, if I count every jump aloud, I land on the rope and get all pissed off. If I say every tenth one aloud, I can do about 120 before I stop and shake my legs out. bouncebouncebouncebouncebouncebounce bouncebouncebouncebounce ten...

Lisa I must say I have always had a sweet tooth. And I'm just starting in the diet part. But my two favorites are a low fat or non fat yogurt really cold with some yummy granola mixed. The other thing if fresh grapes or apples for that 9pm snack. Been two weeks and I'm down 8 pounds so far. Replace that soda with water and alot will come off (I was a pepsi addict my whole life). Toast with a nice real fruit preserve is something sweet and depending on the brands about 150 calories. Good Luck!!!

To satisfy my sweet tooth, I eat lots of fruit - bananas, apples, cherries, grapes, raisins, etc. And I love the Quaker mini chocolate rice cakes which are only 60 calories a serving.

As far as exercise goes, when I started out at 250, I just started walking - walking to work (1 mile round trip), walking on my treadmill for 20 to 40 minutes every morning, walking up and down the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator, etc. After I lost a bit of weight and it was easier to breathe, I added other activities to my exercise regime like Jazzercise, yoga/pilates, jogging, Turbo Jam... I'd agree with some of the earlier posts - start out a little slow with the exercise so you don't hurt yourself or burn out too quickly.

Good luck!

Yes, I would definitely agree...take it slow...I made that mistake, took me 3 days to walk normally again. But at 5'1" and I was 173, my best friend is 5'3" and she started at 223, there are options for exercise. We've both found the elliptical is easier on the knees than the treadmill, plus there less bouncing. And swimming and water classes are an excellent option. The only thing I would say is don't do more than your body can handle...

Welcome, Lisa. I am heavier than you and I started with walking, six days a week for 30 minutes. Then I gradually increased to 45 minutes. Now I can do an hour or more. Mix it up with bicycling if you enjoy that.

I am also a chocoholic. Here are a few treats I enjoy:
Dove dark chocolate Promises are about 50 calories per piece (if you can have them around without eating the entire bag).
There are also a variety of ice cream treats available: Weight Watchers cookies & cream bars, Healthy Choice fudge bars, Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. I usually keep one of these on hand for emergency PMS cravings.

The biggest thing that has helped me is keeping a Food Journal. I highly recommend it, and studies have shown that people who keep a journal are more successful at losing weight.

Good luck! You can do it!

Wow, I am so overwhelmed by the sincere support and wonderful messages that I have received from all of you!

Thanks to the tips here, I have done the following:
1) ordered the abs diet book
2) bought a share from a local organic farmer, which will give my husband and I lots of fresh organic fruits and veggies once a month
3) calculated my bmi (1712) x 1.2 = 2054 calories to maintain my current weight. I have tried diets before where I ate 1500 calories per day, but I've only been able to stick to it for about a month. I am thinking of starting with 1700 calories per day and continuing to monitor whether that is enough for consistent weight loss.
4) Exercise: this is a little tricky right now, since I am scheduled for abdominal surgery next Wednesday. Right now, I'm planning on walking every day, followed by yoga and pilates every evening, and working my way up to riding my bike to work and back (8 mi round trip) along with some trampoline bouncing and jump rope. I also purchased two pair of walking/running shoes after having my gait evaluated--the first time I've actually had shoes that work perfectly for me! (Brooks Addiction, if any of you are wondering)

Many thanks to all of you for your kind suggestions. I am really a little bit scared to try all of this, but I am more frightened of what I am risking if I don't. I would happily add any/all of you as friends, but I don't know how this traineo thing works yet!

Lisa

Lisa,

It isn't going to be easy, but with some good old fashioned hard work and determination I'm sure you (and hopefully me) will manage to drop the weight we need to become healthy. I found a fabulous website the other day for recipe and food ideas. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/R E99999 There are alot of things on there that just sound delicious, to the point that my non dieting, fabulous cooking man is excited about some of the things on there. And don't forget that you can usually find a somewhat healthy version of just about everything. Baked fries instead of fried fries. Fresh fruit instead of cookies. There will be bumps...but life without bumps is boring...

Karen

Bakes sweet potato fries instead of fries! They are so delicious!! Just take a sweet potato and cut it up into wedges, dump the wedges in a bowl and pour in some EV olive oil (you can put some sea salt or italian seasoning in there as well), mix until all the wedges are coated. Place on a cookie sheet and bake about 30 minutes at 400 degrees (time varies depending on how crunchy/soft you want your fries).