[EnglishMuffin]

Hi there,

Why have I not discovered this site before?! It's great. I am so pleased to read other people's experiences of trying to lose what seems to be an impossible amount of weight to shift - I thought it was just me.

As the title says I have been working at losing weight for nearly two years now and have lost 106lbs so far. This is incredible to me and I can't quite believe it as it's been so slow and difficult and I've struggled at times and the scales have rarely budged this year. But it's a fact.

In Jan 2004 I weighed a whopping 23st 7lb or 329lbs
In Jan 2005 I weighed in at 21 st 7lb or 301lbs
In Jan 2006 I weighed 17st 9lbs or 247lbs
In Jan 2007 ? not sure but at the moment I weight 15st 13lb or 223lbs

As for exercise:
In Jan 04 - lying on the sofa, getting out of breath posting a letter
In Jan 05: built up to walking every day for an hour, tried a short term gym membership for six weeks, went swimming for the first time in 12 years
In Jan 06: Continued with daily activity. Joined a gym and went 3 times a week for the whole year to do cardio/ strength training. Went swimming twice a week Spring and Summer. Joined pilates and yoga classes to try these out. Went on a very active holiday to China that would have been impossible for me to enjoy at my heaviest and unfittest and I climbed four mountains and the Great Wall of China - it was tough but I did it!
In Jan 07: Having never ran before I plan to run a 10K in October - this will involve losing another 40lbs before I can even begin training - so the weight loss has to get started again.

I still need to lose another 76lbs before I'm considered 'normal' and my motivation has gone way down - it's hard to think about losing weight 24/7 for three or four years and I have just needed to maintain my weight for a while and get on with life. However, I'm determined to get rid of the excess baggage and really hope that I can shift at least half of the remaining in 2007.

I'll post again in the New Year and hope to catch up with your journals and read all your hints and tips - saw something about loose skin so am off to read that

EM

[Heather]

EM -- Welcome! Great to see successes here! I don't know about you, but I feel like it's a "whole new world" -- as I can do so many things I couldn't do before.

I think it's normal for motivation to ebb and flow -- after coming so far I find motivation to lose more weight missing right now (especially this time of year). Though I am highly motivated to keep the weight off I have lost and to maintain a commitment to my health. Like you, I plan to maintain my loss so far and enjoy the life I can live now. I don't want to worry about more weight loss just yet.

I hope you like it here as much as I do!

[CLCSC145]

Welcome, EM! Congrats on the weight loss so far -- that's awesome!!

[Sheila53]

You're doing an outstanding job!!

[EnglishMuffin]

Hi again,

Thanks for your messages Wyllenn, CLC and Sheila - hope to get a chance to catch up with your journals. I'm still finding my feet here. I agree it is a whole new world, but I'm still toddling around trying to find my way around it! I guess motivation is the biggy for all of us. Realistically you can not hope to lose 180lbs in anything less than three to four years - but how to keep the focus on weight loss for that period of time without driving yourself and everyone around you crazy? Best you can do is maintain - which still is an amazing achievement for anyone with food issues.

I'll definitely keep a regular journal here I think it will really be helpful to write it all down and hear from others who are faced with the same struggles. It's a bit hectic here with Christmas and New Year but shall get more time after the holiday.

EM

[PattyW]

Congrats on your great loss EM! Well done!

Your comment about the loose skin caught my eye because it's the one thing that worries me the most about losing a massive amount of weight. Do you mind posting the link to the thread about loose skin.

[JasonsLea]

WELCOME and CONGRATS on your success so far! I hope I can be that successful.

[Sandi]

Em - Congrats on your awesome success and welcome to 3FC!!!! It sounds like you know exactly what your doing - can't wait to see your input on some of our threads!!! Check out this thread for more info on navigating the 100 lb club!

[melsfolly]

Welcome to the forum EM! I can't wait to see more posts from you in 2007!