I started this weight loss journey for the final time the week of Thanksgiving, 2005 (Nov. 23rd to be exact). I have lost 44.2 lbs since that time. I lost over Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter and I am very proud of that fact. I have had a loss every week at my weigh-in during this time except for 2 times when I maintained. Some weeks I only lose 1 lb or even .8 but that's OK - as long as it's a loss. I made it my goal to not let my emotions and feelings control my efforts and so far I have been able to do that. I am very determined to make this my last time and have no reason to think that I won't succeed this time. I am close to being half way done and that spurs me on.
I have received many nice comments about how good I look and I can only imagine what the next 50 pounds will bring. I think I have finally been able to accept the fact that this is for the rest of my life.
I started Weight Watchers on December 31 and as of weigh in last Saturday I've lost 14.4 pounds. It may not sound like much, but I'm learning a ton about myself! I've learned that when I pay attention to what I'm doing, and journal what goes into my mouth, I have successful weigh in's. But if I really don't care about anything, I gain weight.
I just started swimming this week and have been at the pool 4 days for laps. My goal is to go Monday - Thursday. I don't care how many laps I swim, I just want to do better than the day before. With that said, the majority of my laps have been with a kick board, so I'm going back to square one on Monday and just swimming. If all I'm able to do is 1 lap, that's great! On Tuesday I'll work on doing 2.
I'm almost a year into my journey!! My first year anniversary will be on June 1 (and I will be celebrating). It was such a life-changing day for me. I weighed in at 179 earlier and I started at 307. I'm having probably the hardest time I have ever had right now. It's so much easier now to gain weight from going off plan, and I tend to lose 2 pounds, and then gain 4 pounds (binge eating). But the whole journey has made me tougher and has given me more willpower. It's tough and my weight loss is a lot slower than it used to be, but I've had to accept the fact that it's not going to come off as fast as I'm used to and want it to.
And I survived the holidays!!!
Everyone is doing a great job!! Congratulations to all on your successes.
I started my weight loss journey in January 2005. I lost 64lbs last year. Now I seems tuck. I love my exercise and am really devoted to it. I think this year I have been to the gym 5 days a week at least, apart froma stint where my asthma was bad, and even then I swum every other day.
I have maintained my loss, and feel really happy with where I am at on some levels. And I have to start thinking of this as a good thing, rather than beating myself up over not having lost more.
I have really healthy habits now. I am over a bit on my calories each day, or most days, hence the maintenance. Now I exercise so much, I want food more than ever!!! But the difference is I want good food. I am sure its a case of making some little changes to get back on course.
Wow, Sandi - what a good idea for a thread (and a good place for me to get reaquainted as I haven't posted in ages). I started my WL journey in May 2004, and here we are almost exactly 2 years later. I'm officially 117 pounds down from my starting weight, and I feel fantastic. I'm a little disappointed that I still haven't hit my initial "goal" of 145. I don't know if I have a mental block or what, but every time I get close, I gain a couple of pounds and have to re-lose them. That's OK, though, because I've learned that I can maintain.
Next week I'm headed to Italy for two weeks to celebrate my tenth wedding anniversary. I'm hoping that the extra walking and hiking we'll be doing will offset the couple of extra pounds I'm probably going to gain, but I'm not going to over-worry about it. But when I get back, I really want to buckle down to meet my goal and lose that extra 15-20 pounds.
It's been great reading everyone's stories. I miss you guys -- I really should post more often! I've just been in such a holding pattern that I haven't had much to say. Rest assured that I'm a consistent lurker!
I started my most recent attempt at weight loss in September 2005. I started by restricting calories and managed to lose about 15 lbs, but it was so hard. I added exercise in February 2006, and I was doing SO WELL. I was down about 30 lbs total by the end of March and I was really starting to make peace with nearly daily exercise.
Unfortunately I got in a car accident in early April that left me with some pretty severe internal damage and broken bones in my upper body. I lost weight in April, probably due to the appetite loss from the pain killers. I'm on over the counter stuff now, but I can't really exercise. I'm worried that I'm going to gain. I'm trying to be good about what I eat, and now that I'm starting to feel better I can probably start walking (my legs were only bruised).
I just don't want this to be the thing that makes me give up and sends me back up to 250+. I was (and still am) so proud of myself for losing what I have lost so far. I think reading the 3FC forums, watching what I eat, and trying to gradually walk more will keep me on track.
It has taken me a couple of years to lose 49 pounds. I have my good days and bad days. I keep working on making healthy choices and walking. The weight is slowly coming off.
What a relief to see that a lot of people are in the same motivational slump as me!! I've been really horrible lately. It all started with my back playing up and not being able to exercise... then it turned into NOT WANTING to exercise. I had a couple of sodas.. and cookies lately too. :/ I lost one pound last week but I don't think it was quite a healthy loss seeing as I wasn't eating as much as I should have been.
I think I will start tonight and put my foot down. 10 minutes.. I will exercise. NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS! I need to get rid of my butt! :P
I've lost 102lb in total, and have pretty much been in maintenance mode for the past six weeks. I've had a healthy BMI for nearly four months, and am relatively happy with where I am. I'm still losing a bit more, slowly, but I don't have any weight goals any more other than staying under 160lb at the moment. I think that will probably change in the future, but for now I'd rather focus on behavioural goals, like building up my running for a marathon and dealing with some remaining food issues (boredom eating being the big one).
I started this particular phase of my journey last July, when I weighed 295 on my scale (and 5 pounds heavier on the drs). I've lost 80 pounds since then.
I'm trying to do things I can do for life. I've made many many small changes and am loving so many of them. Exercise is still a struggle, but I've found ways to make myself accountable for that. I'm exercising more than I ever have in my life, and weight training for the first time ever.
Most days I feel great about everything. Some days I still struggle with different aspects of this, but overall I feel that I'm in the groove, and I hope I can stay there.
Tracy -- I think you'll fit fine in the airplane seat. I traveled last December at 240 and was so much better than before!
I feel so comforted by seeing that I am not the only one who has gone back & forth with the motivation. I had lost 25lbs last spring & maintained that through the summer - which made me happy. But then came winter & with a move & major depressive episode (I always suffer from low-grade depression) I gained back all 25 plus some. I am now at 280 - my highest ever.
But yesterday I joined Herbal Magic (I think it is only in Canada)!!! I like it because for the first 2 weeks you check in with them daily. After that it is 3x per week but she said I'm welcome to come more if I like. It is only 3 blocks from my house & have that kind of accountability is what I need. Obviously, left to my own devices I do not plan adequately so I feel really positive about this change. (the downside is that it's kind of expensive).
Gayle, I work 12 hour night shifts as well and it sure doesn't help with the efforts to lose weight. I work this schedule where I work 2 nights have 2 days off and then 3 nights over the weekend every other weekend. When I am not working I am so tired I don't feel like exercising or shopping for healthy foods. But like you I have to work this shift so I need to find ways to energize myself. I think the weight holds me down a lot in that respect. Its a catch 22 situation, I would feel more energetic if I was lighter but in other to lose weight I need to be energetic!
Originally started March 04. I lost 80 lbs by end of Oct 04, got pregnant Dec 04 had a preemie and pre-eclampsia July 05--gained it ALL back +25 more. Tried the dieting thing again, no luck.
Started this past monday 05/01/06-- preliminary weight loss is around 4 lbs so far for the week. Will confirm at first official Weigh in on Saturday.. I'm BAAAACCCCKKKKK.......
I posted here for a while almost 3 yrs ago. I had been laid off, and weighed I'm sure over 300 lbs, but didn't buy a scale until I weighed 290. I estimate my top weight from knowing that I wasn't really fitting into 28s any more. I started working out, and got down to 263.
I then took an 8-week contract as a tech writer, and was going to have knee surgery after the contract was over.
I've now been with this company 2.5 yrs, and in December we went on vacation to NY, and my knees hurt horribly, and I wasn't in shape at all, and found walking around the city, which had always been one of greatest joys (I'm a 3rd generation NYCer - you can tell 'cause I've never been to the Statue of Liberty, althought I once lived in an apartment from which I could see it, and the first time I went to the top of the Empire State Building was to show my husband) to be very difficult.
I went to the doctor - I was back up to 280 and I've been doing water aerobics and watching what I eat since.
I'm now down to 257, and own a stationary bike and a workout ball.
I go back and forth, and sometimes I plateau a bit, but I'm going slowly down, and my 24s fit really nice - and there's this one size 22 top ...
I find reading here to be helpful - I find reading about people who are at my goal complaining about being so fat a little difficult.
I started trying to lose weight in September of 2005. I've lost 80 lbs since then. I still want to lose about 80 more lbs. I either walk outside or use the WATP 3 mile video 5 - 6 days a week. I haven't really hit a plateau yet, although March/April was slow because of lots of travel and then a stressful surgery for my daughter. I'm back on track now as long as sugar (the thing I have to stay away from) doesn't derail me.
It may not sound like much, but I'm learning a ton about myself! 
