Newcomers – Introduction

The “Newbies” topic is so long I thought it was time to start a new one.

I currently weigh almost 200 pounds, and 75 of those were gained from psychiatric medications. I am still taking one of the most notorious offenders, Seroquel (quetiapine), which makes weight loss very difficult. My psychiatrist and I are working to get me off it, but it is a slow tapering process as we have to find out what happens to my mental health as we reduce 50mg at a time (from 200). I was 45 when the weight gain started and am now 65. I was diagnosed with diabetes at age 59 and currently am experiencing horrific sugar cravings in spite of medication.

I hate cooking, hate eating breakfast, and utterly loathe a lot of the most recommended foods like oatmeal, 100% whole wheat (or darker) bread, green tea (I like normal tea), and brown rice.

I admit I am approaching this program with a lot of suspicion, especially since that “short” presentation ran around 38 minutes, you had to pay $57, not $47, to get the full program, and immediately after entering my credit card for the membership I was taken through 3 pages of expensive “upgrades” to buy if I wanted (I didn’t).

20-odd years ago I worked my way up to walking 80 minutes a day, virtually every day, and lost – zero pounds. (This was not accompanied by dieting.) I couldn’t do this now – walking even 5 minutes causes too much pain for me to continue.

I’ve also lost almost 3″ in height since putting on all this weight. Some of that’s due to normal aging, but I suspect the weight also is a factor. At 5’10” tall, I looked wonderful at 132 pounds (VERY small boned). That means now, at 5’7″, I should weigh 125 to look the way I want to.

The thought of preparing, let alone eating, 6 meals a day seems overwhelming to me. I HATE to prepare meals. I grab bottled Frappucino when I’m hungry – usually 5 a day.

Yet I am desperate. 75% of my excess weight is in the waist and thighs, and I’m to the point where if I have to get down on the floor (which happened twice yesterday), it’s murder getting up again. Also, I have a badly arthritic knee that is definitely exacerbated by the weight it has to carry. I even have trouble getting into bed, and taking a bath (instead of a shower) is impossible because I can’t get out again without dangerous effort.

So I figured $57 wasn’t a huge investment for a lifetime membership. I used to be slim and beautiful. Now I literally look like I’m 9 months pregnant and am thinking about a face and chin lift. I know I should be going into this positively to get the best results, but I’ve been swindled by online diet programs before and I know my own limitations.

I’m going to need help fighting – myself. Thanks for reading.