I Finally Just Give Up . . . FOR GOOD

[D'Snowth]

Okay, you guys know I've struggled with weight almost my entire life.

For the past seven months, I've been trying really hard to really ramp things up to really push myself to the limits to try and shed poundage . . . one of the main reasons was because of my TECHNICOLOR DREAMS film I did back in February - I wanted to try to look not so disgusting and offensive on camera as I already to do - but it was also an experiment to see if by doing so, I'd see any kind of results.

So, as I said, for seven months now, I've ramped up my daily exercise regimen by "power" walking three hours a day (not three hours straight, three times a day, an hour each time) - I know that doesn't sound like much effort, but all my doctors have told me that walking is actually one of the best forms of exercise (even moreso than jogging) because you're actually working almost every single muscle in your body by doing so (running is better than walking, but I'm a little too far gone to run for extended periods of time). In addition to that, I've also basically gone on something similar to a crash diet: with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas (and the odd cheat day maybe once a month or so), I've eaten nothing by three squares a day - no snacks whatsoever.

So I had to go to the doctor today to figure out why I've been having pain in my lower back that's also been shooting down my leg (turns out my sciatic nerve is inflamed), and when I was weighed today, guess what? There were hardly any results whatsoever. Can you believe that? Seven months of hard work and determination for nothing! I couldn't believe it!

So I've finally decided that I've just had enough. I've been trying for fifteen years to try and lose weight so I can fit in with society and be a normal person, and I've tried almost everything under the sun you can imagine in those fifteen years: gym memberships, various different exercise regimens (including trying Richard Simmons tapes), and all kinds of different dietary changes (portion sizes, alternating certain types of grains or whatever for other subsitutes, cutting out occasional snacks and such), you name it. I've even begged my parents on different occasions to let my get lipo, but it turns out that lipo isn't at all how people describe (it doesn't just suck the fat out of you).

I will admit that I had an epiphanya fewmonths ago that I realized I did this to myself. I've often said my eating habits weren't necessarily my problem but lack of exercise, but I got to thinking about my teenaged years, and looking back on it in retrospect, my eating habits weren't the best when I was a teenager: for lunch, for example, I could eat up to three sandwiches; for supper, I could eat two frozen meals in one sitting. I eventually grew out of that by the time I was in my late teens/early 20s, so yeah, I kind of see that I pretty much did this to myself, and now I have to pay the price.

But, as I said, I'm through. I'm tired. I'm tired of all of it. I've been trying for fifteen years to lose weight, and no matter what I do, nothing works. NOthing. I've just had it, I'm tired and I don't want to do it anymore. As much as I hate myself, I'm just finally throwing in the towel and calling it quits. I just have to face the fact that I'll just have to live with myself as a 300-pound fat ******* for the lerest of my life - repulsing the people around me, and repulsing myself whenever I look at myself in the mirror.

I guess the only way to lose weight is to be a celebrity (Anthony Anderson, Drew Carey, Jeff Garlin, et al).

 

[Sgt Floyd]

As much as doctors want you to believe otherwise, your weight is not entirely controllable by diet and exercise alone.

Your weight is pretty much hardwired into your genetics. Now that's not to say someone who has been overweight all their lives can't lose weight, but it is harder because they are genetically predispositioned to be heavier.

Sometimes you just hit a wall and you are physically unable to lose weight. I have been roughly 220ish for the last...eh...4 or 5 years. i mean it fluctuates between 210 and 230 but i've stayed in that general area. and whats worse is when I have weighed 210 ish or so, its because i stopped eating. I was living on basically one subway sandwich a day and marching my fat butt all over campus. That's not a healthy way to lose weight.

So yeah. Don't feel too bad about yourself for not losing the weight like you expected to. Chances are its not anything you really did wrong.

On a side note, some of that weight may have been gained back as muscle mass, not fat. Honestly, the best way to tell if you truly lost weight is by how your clothes feel on you.

 

[D'Snowth]

Your weight is pretty much hardwired into your genetics. Now that's not to say someone who has been overweight all their lives can't lose weight, but it is harder because they are genetically predispositioned to be heavier.

Yes, there is that too, but I'm still incredibly overweight.

The ideal weight for the average male my age and height is supposed to be like 175, I think, but here's the thing: my genetic background includes Scotch/Irish and Cherokee - two different big and burly ethnicities. So with that in mind, discussing it with my previous doctor before he died, he felt that taking that into consideration as well as my bone structure that 210 would be better suited for my ideal weight . . . so I'm still overweight no matter how you look at it.

Honestly, the best way to tell if you truly lost weight is by how your clothes feel on you.

I am down a size, admittedly.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Society also puts pressure on people to look thin. Every diet claims to be THE one to lose weight. Shaun T. promises you'll lose a pound a day in two months ("SAY WHAAAAAATTTTTT????!!!!").

I feel for you. I feel bad weighing 180, and wanting to get rid of 20 pounds around my waist (my "middle-aged spread").

But don't give up. There has to be SOMETHING out there that will work, without risking your health or starving yourself.

 

[D'Snowth]

But don't give up. There has to be SOMETHING out there that will work, without risking your health or starving yourself.

Like I said, I've tried almost everything under the sun you can imagine for the last fifteen years . . . I think that only something that would work is if God Himself changed me.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I think that only something that would work is if God Himself changed me.

God just wants you to be healthy, regardless of how you end up looking. I know you said you already tried dietary changes. That's a good thing and I'd continue to look for ways to improve on that. Exercise actually won't do much unless you make changes to your everyday diet.

 

[D'Snowth]

I know you said you already tried dietary changes. That's a good thing and I'd continue to look for ways to improve on that. Exercise actually won't do much unless you make changes to your everyday diet.

It's a two-way street: exercise may not do much unless dietary changes are made, but conversely, even if that's the case, you still need to actually get up and move. One can't lose weight on diet alone, but one can't lose weight on exercise alone either.

But as I said before, honestly, once I reached my 20s, my eating habits did improve, but as I mentioned as well, within the last seven months, out of desperation (again, mainly because I didn't want to look gross on camera, even though I still did), I went on an almost crash diet, making sure I didn't snack at all, and resist occasional shakes or other similar goodies, and really ramped up exercising by walking three hours a day. The results? Eight measley pounds. Sure, my doctor and the nurse tried to make a big deal out of it, acting like eight pounds is an accomplishment, but it isn't. People who don't struggle with weight have no idea what it's like, and eight pounds isn't an accomplishment. I've lost more than that before, however. One time when I visited my previous doctor - it was going on two years since I started seeing him - he weighed me, and I was down to 275. Now that was an accomplishment, because in the two years I had been seeing him, I had collectively lost about 21 pounds. Then after that, guess what happened? It was the holidays, and in two months, I put back on (and even gained a little extra) what took me two years to lose. That's when I first hit 300, and even though I've always hated myself, I loathed myself ever since.

On a slightly off topic note, I remember watching Dr. Oz's show here a few months back, and he finally lost me. He had on a woman who claimed that after following whatever weight loss plan he was hawking that particular show, she lost 21 pounds in like four months (I think, I don't remember), and as a result, not only was she trim, but she also said she dropped two dress sizes. That's when I finally realized how fake his show is, because it took my two years, not four months, to lose 21 pounds, and not only was there not a difference in my appearance, I didn't drop any clothing sizes either! But, when I used to watch his show, I remember he once said something about once a person reaches 400 pounds, their chances of ever returning to a healthier weight and size are nearly impossible. That's a scarier enough thought, but it seems like once I hit 300, I can't seem to escape it - I don't like the idea of being a 300 pound fat b@$+@rd, but it seems like that's what I'm stuck with being.

Like I said, ramping things up was a seven-monthprocess, but honestly, I've been trying various different things for fifteen years, and it's clear that I'm fighting a losing battle, so I just finally throw in the towel. What's the point? If nothing's changed or improved in fifteen years, why do I bother still trying?

 

[fuzzygobo]

Losing twenty pounds seems no easier than losing a hundred. The extra twenty on me has been bothering me for four years and same as you, no diet, no exercise has helped. Maybe it partially comes with age, but I've got a noticeable pot belly on me and I can't even blame it on beer.

But I still encourage you not to give up. You don't want to end up like Homer Simpson where all he can wear is sheets, do you? Plus increased weight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. And having been a diabetic for 25 years now, that's something you do NOT want on your plate (so to speak).

Hang in there. Not for us, but for you.

 

[CensoredAlso]

But as I said before, honestly, once I reached my 20s, my eating habits did improve, but as I mentioned as well, within the last seven months, out of desperation (again, mainly because I didn't want to look gross on camera, even though I still did), I went on an almost crash diet, making sure I didn't snack at all, and resist occasional shakes or other similar goodies, and really ramped up exercising by walking three hours a day. The results? Eight measley pounds. Sure, my doctor and the nurse tried to make a big deal out of it, acting like eight pounds is an accomplishment, but it isn't. People who don't struggle with weight have no idea what it's like, and eight pounds isn't an accomplishment. I've lost more than that before, however.

As a former member of Weight Watchers, I can tell you a lot of people wish they could lose 8 pounds, hehe. And at least you already know you can lose more. It's normal to fluctuate like that. I know it can be frustrating. And holidays are definitely a killer. But now that you know it's possible, you know you can start over again.

And btw, Dr. Oz is a quack and should be removed from television.

 

[D'Snowth]

You don't want to end up like Homer Simpson where all he can wear is sheets, do you?

I'm surprised I'm not already there.

Plus increased weight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

I already have high blood pressure and various different skin conditions that are triggered by it; I have medications for all the stuff, and my previous doctor told me while they'll never completely go away, getting my weight under control would in turn get those problems under control as well to the point I wouldn't need medicated help anymore.

And at least you already know you can lose more. It's normal to fluctuate like that. I know it can be frustrating. And holidays are definitely a killer. But now that you know it's possible, you know you can start over again.

For fifteen years I've been fluctuating and starting over again?