Hi everyone......I'm Samantha and I am morbidly obese......I hate those words. I have been doing the yo-yo dieting thing for about 15 years and now my doctor says it's time to get serious about weight loss. It was actually she who recommended I join an online weight loss support group. I'm thirty years old and at an appt about 3 weeks ago I weighed in at a whopping 337lbs. I almost threw up. I new I was gaining weight but I never thought it was that much, I still wear the same size jeans that I wore at 270 for god's sake...... Well I went to the Dr. because I was having chest pains. I thought I had pulled a muscle or maybe it was my gall stones that I was diagnosed with 3 years ago.....NOPE....It's my heart. I don't have a definitive diagnosis yet but the gist of what every one of the doctors I've seen in the last 3 weeks have said is that I need to lose a lot of weight NOW.

So far I have lost a grand total of 5lbs. It's depressing because I used to be able to drop 30 in no time but now I have a really hard time exercising because it makes my chest hurt really bad.....I have also had a lot of people (skinny people) telling me things that start with you should....."You should swin", "You should watch what you eat", "You should join Curves".....Nope I never thought of any of that myself....

I have been on a 1200 calorie a day diet for 3 weeks, my blood pressure is a little elavated, my cholesterol is 135, and my thyroid works just fine. I exercise for an hour a day but it has to be split up into 10 or 15 minute increments..I have been told to consider weight loss surgery but I am not eligible for that til I quit smoking......yes it's horrible but I am trying to quit...

That seems to be the end of my tirade.....Smile......It makes people wonder what you're up to...

If you need inspiration and motivation to keep going I always have to recommend Ironman's topic in Before and After.

Anyway just curious but what kind of exercise do you do?

I'm thinking that maybe if you try something different than what you're currently doing for exercise it might help ease the chest pain in your weight loss battle but then again maybe not.

Its a shame you don't know exactly whats wrong with your heart yet.

The doctor's ok'd your exercising in the meantime though?

So far all they want me to do is recumbent bike, and very limited walking....I can walk up and down my block twice a day. I have a Dr. appt. on Tuesday where they are supposed to lay out exactly what's going on.

Definitely keep us posted on that.

Also if you don't mind my asking...

What is your height and goal weight?

I myself am exactly 6ft and my goal weight is 200lbs.

I'm 5'7" and my goal weight is 145lbs. According to the Dr that would be just about perfect

Welcome Ksangele. I really hope that there isn't anything too serious wrong with your heart. Its good to see you here ready to make that change. Its a slow steady process so just stick with it and remember that we've got your back. Good luck.

Hi there Samantha,

first off let me start by welcoming you to the WLF. If anything, good on you for finding yourself an online weight loss forum. I assure you, most of the people on this site are amazing and give great advice. Take a look around at the stickied topics as well as other's diaries to get a feel of the forum.

Now as for your weight loss program, have you spoke with a nutritionist inregards to your low calorie intake? (1200 cals is really low at your starting weight, that is unless supervised under a dietician/ nutritionist/ doctor) As for exercise, walking a couple blocks from your house is great and doing a few minutes on a recumbent bike. If you can only do so for say 10 minutes, then that's fine. When you feel comfortable to do a bit more, then do just that.

I understand you have a substantial amount of weight you want to lose and believe me, you can do it. As long as you put your all into it (mind, body, and soul... I know that sounds cheesy, but trust me.. it takes ALL of that to achieve weight loss), then you won't fail. Also keep in mind, the weight will take time to come off, so do be patient and look to support from everyone here at the WLF. As for people telling you what you "should do," look at it more along the lines of what "I WILL" or "I AM GOING TO..." It all starts with you, little lady... Don't feel like you have to take on the world so soon in your journey, doll... For the most part, pat yourself on the back for "waking up" and starting a new way of life. You deserve it and you WILL achieve your goal, Samantha.

Wishing you the best,

-Sheryl

Thanks...I know it's going to take a while and the 1200 calorie was my Dr's suggestion. They want me to start losing as much as possible as soon as possible. I think they are hoping my heart problem will correct itself.