First this is a support site and many of us have been overweight for a long time and take it very seriously I dont mean to sound harsh but you are really sounding negative and disgusted and i dont think you need to talk about yourself or being overweight like that you need to think positive and do you best not to be negative and mean to yourself we all have a huge hurdle ahead of us and if we are going to do it then we have to do everything we can to keep the faith and keep confident and you are not being confident by bashing yourself and making it seem like you have an incurable disease .. sorry if thats mean but thats how I feel ...I come here to feel encouraged and positive and seeing your post doesnt do that for anyone including yourself! Good Luck and I am here if you need some positive friends! We all start small so you dont begin by leaping up a flight of stairs just take it one small step at a time and in no time you will be running up those stairs. Take care!

I'll second Msyaya's recommendation to not be too hard on yourself. I can't tell you how important that is. As someone who's been overweight my entire life, I can tell you that self-loathing only leads to emtional eating and then you're in even more trouble than you were when you started.

I think it's important first of all for you to acknowledge to yourself that the blame isn't totally yours. You NEEDED that medication (and I'd love to know which drug it was, I'm an RN), and whatever other medical condition it was helping you with, was the first priority. If it helped you to get healthy from that condition, that's a big accomplishment that you need to be thankful for.

Second, you need to talk to your doctor. If it was a drug that lead to the weight gain, and it's actually still a medication you need (for instance, if you had a hyperactive thyroid and the med slowed it down..though too much), you need to really communicate with your doc to come up with a plan to treat the weight gain.

Third, you couldn't have sat on your butt eating bon-bons all day and been 120lbs! Get up, get active! I KNOW how bogus that sounds and how it feels to feel like a beached whale with someone hollering "Get up and moving!" It's irritating as all hell and can often make things seem more hopeless...but I promise it's not. Start slowly - going for walks with friends....go to the Mall and go window shopping!

Lastly, pay attention to what you're feeding your body. If it's nothing but sugar and junk food, chances are you're not going to have success. If it's more healthy, you're more likely to win.

My final thought for you - it took you a year to gain 80lbs. It's most likely going to take a year (bare minimum) to get the weight off and keep it off.

I see where you two are coming from but I really need support today and your putting me down for my feelings is not being supportive. I thought this was a SUPPORT group. Guess not.

I see where you two are coming from but I really need support today and your putting me down for my feelings is not being supportive. I thought this was a SUPPORT group. Guess not.

Hi Becky, don't let that word "obese" get you down... If you were always thin before taking the meds and are no longer on that medication, then just give yourself some time... if you eat the way you used to maintain your weight before gaining weight and add active play (swimming, biking, whatever) then your body should slowly go back to its usual shape. Beware of diets or other self-starve methods as they can lead to a nasty cycle of self punishment with food. Best of luck!

Firstly, I want to say that being obese is not a medical condition and is not the end of the world. People are different sizes and the same person fluctuates in weight during their life. Your size does not make you more or less of a person. Just by coming here you have faced up to your problem and started to solve it which is more than a lot of people can manage.

Just take small steps is my advice. If you look at the whole thing you just put yourself off. Just work on a little thing at a time.

Walk up a flight of stairs instead of getting a lift or escalator. Leave your car at home for short journeys. Go for a short walk instead of sitting in front of the TV, or if you want to watch TV, maybe do some stretches or exercises while watching. Buy multipacks of snacks rather than a massive bag, or if you get the big bag then as soon as you put away the shopping, divide it into portions. Give yourself small rewards like a relaxing bath, be kind to yourself. If you can afford it, buy yourself nice clothes. Don't get sucked into the trap of 'I'll buy nice clothes (or whatever) when I lose weight'. Denying yourself things like clothes just makes you unhappy and so you are more likely to be triggered to eat. If you are tempted by snacks while out and about, put the money you would have spent in a jar and save it up. Write a list before you shop and try and stick to it. If you do eat a snack, it is not the end of the world and does not make you a bad person. Food is enjoyable, it is not your enemy. Move on to the next thing quickly, don't dwell on what you ate. Keep busy in your job, or take up a hobby if you do not work. Do things that make you happy.

Hope some of this helps.

Porcelain, you tell Becky not to be hard on herself and then you say 'you couldn't have sat on your butt eating bon-bons all day and been 120lbs'. I do not think it is helpful to make that sort of judgement since you do not know this lady. And as has been said many times before on here, not all fat people are lazy and greedy and sit on our butts all day eating. That just reinforces the negative stereotypes related to fatness, please don't make statements like that.

Actually, Lizzy,

I said the exact same thing that Mars said, I was just more of a smart arse about it. My point was simply that Becky was probably very active and semi-careful with what she ate, considering her previous size. I was in no way making a reference that everyone with a weight problem is lazy, and it's too bad it was interpreted that way.

becky, many people here have been overweight for a long time (me, my whole life) but that doesn't make your problems any less than ours whatsoever and I do get that implication a bit from a couple of the other replies.

I can't understand how unbelievable and terrible it would be to go up so many sizes in one year (perhaps some people here should think about the addition of sizes or pounds rather than the starting weight compared to their own)

i haven't gained as much as you, but I did gain a lot over a short period of time due to an injury/depression/pregnancy... and yes, i too feel disbelief a lot of times. I went from an 18 to my heaviest at a 24 and when I looked at pictures (especially comparing them) I just couldn't believe it.. i was completely dumbfounded and yes, it causes feelings of panic, of being overwhelmed, not knowing what to do...

*hugs* the best thing you can do is talk to a nutritionist. get yourself a weight loss buddy or join some kind of support group. hopefully, without the meds, your appetite has gone back down naturally which means you should lose weight over time regardless... if you need to talk, message me any time.

Becky, I started to cutting my portions in half from what I normally ate and that did help. Once I got use to that I cut out desserts as much as possible. I found out that rice cakes are low in calorie and come in different flavors. I use them now for a snack when I really need one. Hope this helps. It takes the first step to get started on a new way to eat. Good luck. Plus don't be so hard on yourself.

Becky I for one am not trying to bring you down It makes me upset when I see people acting like it the end of the world I have been overweight my whole life and if it was the end of the world I wouldnt be here today so Im just trying to let you know this is not the end it is no where close to the end and if you do things right and you show confidence and grace and positivity it will be a new begining for you and never an end... good luck and dont take advice with such a heavy heart this is a support group and if you dont want to be acceptive of other opinions or suggestions you dont have to pout about it .. welcome to the real world .. there are the good and the bad! God bless!

Hello friends,

I for one could imagine how she feels. I mean I was never 120lbs but I was alot thinner than I am now so I do sympathize with her and on the other hand I have been overweight that majority of my life and know the struggles. Remember there is a reason she is on this site to find the support she is getting elsewhere so why dont we make her feel welcome and try helping her cope with this.

Yes. Obesity. Something we all have to deal with. It is not something to work yourself up about. We are all here to help. We all know how being overweight affects our movement and puts us in danger of illnesses.
I would say the best thing for you hunny is to start a diet and exercise, even with a buddy it helps. Start monitoring what you each throughout the day and you will see all the junk we put in our bodies. After that you would want to cut down on starches and start eating healthier meals and smaller portions. One thing i recommend is not eating past 7pm. but you can have a snack later on like grapes or something. Your heaviest(but healthy) meal should be lunch because when we work or school we tend to be more hungry so we we dont eat good we come home and eat everything in sight( at least for me and others i know)

i could understand why she may sound a little "disgusted". I am pretty sure she didnt mean it in bad way but in a more cry for help.

LETS SUPPORT EACH OTHER NO MATTER THE REASON WHY WE ARE OVERWEIGHT.

THANK YOU GOD BLESS.

Becky, I also take medication with side effects that will make you gain weight. In fact, I just managed to gain 40lbs in just a couple months...then I had another dr. tell me I was obese and HAD to lose weight or I was going to die! I turned 40 this year and he's worried about my heart.

The best advice I can give you is go see a Nutritionist. Keep a food diary...be honest, and bring it to your appointment. A Nutritionist can help you figure out an eating plan that's safe, healthy and will help you lose weight.

Don't beat yourself up for gaining weight. It happens. Just remember, you're an intelligent, beautiful person no matter what size you are!

I too had a tremendous weight gain secondary to medication. I gained 60 pounds in a year and although I wasn't 120 to start, I was 140 and it was a dramatic change for me. That being said....I had to do some of the things that I saw mentioned. I had to get a control on my attitude and do my best to turn to positive thinking. I also had to scratch and claw my way with exercise and diet to where I am now, 161 pounds. I'm still scratching and clawing and I refuse to give up. It will happen for me... it just takes time. And I believe that it can happen for you too beckyp! ; )