Any HOPE.....................

[janelle]

Thats right, I am wondering if there is any hope for a girl thats over weight, & no money or insurance for surgery. Talked with my shrink a couple days again & keep this ugly thing between my legs is causing damage to meas I hate it so bad. I told her that at one point I could live with it but know, everytime I clean up it makes me sick & sends me mentally into another world.

I also am finding myself checking out guys now also which is a funny feeling. Think that is more wanting to know what it would be like other than anything else but who knows. Doesn't matter as neither male or female has shown any interest in me.

Sorry for this crazy post but had to get it off my chest as I am feeling like some lost child in a super deptment store or something. Take care & have a super week. This week for me than a week off, HURRAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs to all................................Janelle

[Céleste_B]

Janelle,
First off, a big :hugs: for you!

Secondly, weight for us is something that we can change without it costing much. All you need is the right attitude, perseverance & willpower to make yourself look & feel better. The hard part about it all is just getting started.

For most, the only thing preventing them from losing that extra weight is themselves! I would know, Last October I was hitting the scales at around 370 lbs...that's when I decided to change my life & start getting healthier. Today I weigh in at around 292 (that's almost 80lbs in 8 months) & I now know that I can do it all the way down to at least 200 lbs & then hopefully down to at least 170-180.

3 things I needed to change to start losing weight:
1) My Mentality (enough of creating excuses for anything that arises, take matters into my own hands. The only person that could change things was myself)
2) My eating habits. I now try to include Greens Veggies, Fruits & Lean Proteins into every meal. Eat smaller portions & you will notice how easy it is to make a difference.
3) Exercise. I started by doing 30 minutes a day of stationary bike. or you could go for a 30 minutes walk every day. Any bit of exercise helps!

As for the ugly thing between your legs, I'm sorry that it makes you feel so un-happy. Try imagining that it isn't yours when you're cleaning it. Or maybe even consider thinking of it as something else entirely.

You never need to apologize for posting what you feel in these forums. That's why we're here!
Sorry I can't help you out more...
:bighug:

[janelle]

Thank you.

My biggest problem is I am a meat & potato person. I only eat corn & peas & once in a blue moon carrots. No salads, only apples & pine apples for fruit & then add in the fact I get up at 4:30 am & work until 4pm, get home about 4:30, that does not leave much time to get supper made, house work done exercise & relax b4 bed time. I am gonna keep trying to fit it all in, but I keep feeling I am fighting a losing battle.

Thanks again, HUGS

[Billijo49504]

As they showed on Today show, use smaller plates. And limit yourself to one serving. Also get a pedometer, try for 10,000 steps a day. If you burn more caloeies than you eat, you lose weight. Just adding veggies to your meat and taters. Will help fill you up. Good luck, it's a battle I fight every day...BJ

[janelle]

Like I said I do not like veggies & I have counted my steps at work with a meter & I put on almost 10,200 steps a day, not including pushing big heavy parts around.

I'll try anything I can tho. Will do the smaller portions & gtry for more exercise not sure when or how but the veggie thing, sorry will never happen. I have tried & tried again & just can not eat them

[Karen564]

You don't have to necessarily drop all the meat, as long as their the leanest cuts, and white meats would be better...but you Will have to drop the potatoes & breads....
Eating way more veggies would definitely be to your benefit for a multitude of reasons..

Where theres a will, theres a way...and getting a hot bod takes LOTS of determination...

PS, I Used to be an avid meat & potatoes lover too...
But I dropped it all...over 1- 1/2 years ago..
I've had 1 steak since that time, and that was only because my daughter wanted me to cook a steak dinner on the grill for her birthday....

[Hope]

Sometimes we have to do things we don't like, or are not used to, in order to achieve our goals. Like eating vegetables. We hear you - you are not a fan of vegetables. And you are not a fan of being over weight. The question comes down to this: which do you least prefer? Do the other one. WAY to many people have a mental block about vegetables. Not everything has to taste like a twinky to taste good.

Honestly, you can lose weight w/o vegetables. Losing weight is as easy as reducing your caloric intake to below the quantity of calories you burn in a day... and vegetables will help you a LOT with that... and they are good for you too... and yummy. It sounds like you are moving around a lot during your day, so reducing your caloric intake should be all you need to do.

The question is: are you willing to make the necessary changes?

[Faith_G]

285 to 155 here. I still eat the same "unhealthy" stuff I always ate, I just eat a lot less of it. You just gotta want to be thin more than you want to eat until you feel full. You have to want it so bad you are willing to be hungry after you have finished. There is no magic secret, and nobody else can make you do it, you have to develop the self-discipline to always eat less than you burn. And it is way easier to work on the intake side than to try to burn it off.

You can do this if you want it bad enough. But unless you change your attitude there is no hope.

[Bree-asaurus]

I'm not a fan of veggies either, but I'm trying to be healthier myself and make myself eat them. I've found a couple different types of veggie dishes that I actually like. One of the first ones was sautéing sliced carrots and ginger in a pan. You don't eat the ginger, but it adds a very good flavor to the carrots. It's a lot better tasting than plain ol' carrots. Try different veggies, not just the run of the mill veggies. Try throwing in some herbs and spices.

I have a very close friend who actually gags and gets physically nauseous when trying to eat veggies. So unless that's the case, not liking veggies is just not an excuse. Do what you have to do to get them in your tummy! And as Hope said, calculate how many calories you burn in a day, and count the calories in the food you eat. So if you burn 2000 calories a day, only eat 1500 calories a day.

I'm also trying to get in better shape. I've been running and cycling in the hopes of strengthening my heart and improving my thighs. When I first started running it sucked! But I learned to not quit when I feel pain or feel tired. I learned to keep going until I physically can't run anymore.

If you want to improve yourself, you have to push yourself beyond your limits. Staying within your limits got you where you are now (not pointing fingers at YOU lol... I'm talking about you, me and anyone else that is trying to make a change in their life). It won't be fun at first, having to adjust your life around your new diet and exercise, but you'll get used to it and will begin to enjoy it. Especially when you see the progress you make.

[EnglishRose]

I've lost over 40lbs in the last year, partly by buying a house with stairs :) but also eating more salads. I don't particularly like salad veggies either but I love to smother it in very low fat honey mustard dressing for taste, also adding in craisins (sweet cranberries) and almonds.

[Diane Elizabeth]

Last year I started eating salads for lunch and watching the quantities of what I eat as well as reducing the sweets I take in (big sweet tooth). In that time I lost 30 pounds. I was hitting 195/200 and now am at 165#. I love my meat and potatoes too. I just worked at eating smaller portions.

[Jessinthesprings]

Aw the ungly head of the weight battle. I know how you feel. I still struggle with looking in the mirror and looking like some fat cow, but you know what? Women naturally have more fat on them... so a good layer of fat is feminizing. Besides it makes the boobs bigger LOL.

My suggestion is to cut out the sugar. Lost 10 pounds going from regular soda to diet. Diet Dr. Pepper in no way tastes clost to regular but of the diet drinks I've tried it tastes the best and pretty soon you get used to it.

Also... long work hours... if you are diving a truck or operating heavy equipment you probably don't have much opportunity for excersize at work, but don't work against yourself. Eat apples, and pineapples instead of donuts and snack cakes. Not only are fruits better for you they have all the right stuff and will make you feeel better and for me gives me more energy.

I feel for you in the surgery department. I too don't have the money but you can do what I have done. Set a time frame goal, and save monthly to reach this goal. I'm so poor I have set the surgery time for 10 years, but for you it could be less. It just depends on how much you can set aside every month. That way if nothing else you at least have that feeling of being in control of your future and that you are activly taking control of your transgenderism.

That offending appendage is there, and as much as I want to just take a kitchen knife to it, I know that it will impeade myfuture. Stay strong and do as I do... Look at it as little as possible. i can sometimes get away with not seeing it at all.

[Carole Cross]

Hi Janelle, I too suffer from a battle with my weight. I now eat smaller portions and should really get more exercisew out of work. One way to help burn off calories is to go for a walk for about half an hour, 3-4 times a week, something which i am trying to do during the summer. By eating smaller portions my weight dropped from 260 to 200 pounds in about 18 months, it takes awhile to see improvements but is worth it in the end, you will feel better and it will give you more confidence, maybe help you find a better job.

[janelle]

Thanks everyone, I will give it all atry.

HUGS

[Céleste_B]

Thanks everyone, I will give it all atry.

HUGS

Another piece of advice to make it easier for you.
Make yourself some goals. Both short term goals & long term goals.
That way you'll always be working & feeling that you're accomplishing something. Once you accomplish your initial short term goals, replace them with new ones all the while making sure that you're on the path to accomplish your long term ones!

Goodluck Janelle!
We'll be here if you need us!

[janelle]

Thanks