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Old 11-11-2006, 09:55 AM   #1  
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Unhappy I guess my business is officially a public affair...

Hi, I'm new here and yes, I need to lose 100 lbs!

I need your feedback because honestly, after reading numerous posts from the various forums in this site has gotten me a bit sad...

To start off, I'm 19 years old and the last time I checked I weighed 242 lbs. My highest weight was a whopping 270!

I honestly feel so sad because I had gotten myself into this ditch! A lot of people tell me I'm pretty but I needed to lose weight. All my life I had believed that being pretty was going to cut it until I started going over the 200 lb marker. Right now, I feel so totally sad. I have stretch marks on most areas of my arms, my hips, my thighs, my butt a little on the south side of my belly button and maybe even more that I haven't seen!

I do wanna lose weight, its about time... besides I have always wanted a career in front of the camera.

However, I've kinda had disheartening thoughts. I'm terrified about having loose, jiggly skin! I can live with the stretch marks I have right now, I've accepted most of them but I've been reading a lot about how stretch marks become more visible once someone loses weight. Also, since I am still young, I wanna experience hanging out in a bikini and wearing a mini skirt without anything hanging out or without anything looking mutated.

Can someone help me please? I really feel like my future is very dim

Once again I am 19 years old, currently 242 lbs, and I've been over 200 lbs since the year 2000...

I need help please
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Old 11-11-2006, 10:22 AM   #2  
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cagebird, you are actually very lucky. Because you are very young and (i assume) you have not had any children yet you are likely to loose the weight and not have alot of loose skin. Young skin is very resiliant. I know exactly how you feel. I am actually 242 also and by highest weight was 270. (coincadince? lol) I have been overweight since about 1999 and realy want to loose the weight and feel better but i to am terrified about the loose skin. My brother is almost 30 and was near 300lbs. He was overweight his whole life and recently lost a bunch of weight. He looks awesome and all but has loose skin on his stomach. So that kind of scared me. I am only 24 but I have had kids so my belly has been stretched to its full capacity. I'm sure i'll have some loose skin and i have to just deal cuz id rather have loose skin i can cover up then fat that you cant hid with a mac truck. lol. So chin up. Your young skin will probably bounce back. Hope that makes ya feel a bit better. (not sure if i helped)
O and welcome!
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Old 11-11-2006, 10:25 AM   #3  
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One thing is that you have youth on your side. There is no guarantee that you won't have loose skin when you lose weight but every person is different, so you'd have to see when you get there. For me, I'm at my lowest weight in over 17 years and I have loose skin but I also have more weight to lose. I will tell you that I am happier now than I was at well over 300 lbs.

So you have a choice. Remain as you are or lose weight. The younger you are when you lose weight, the less chances you have of loose skin. I wouldn't let the fear of loose skin stop you from losing weight because I'm sure you will feel better and look better once you do.
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Old 11-11-2006, 10:35 AM   #4  
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cagebird, you are actually very lucky. Because you are very young and (i assume) you have not had any children yet you are likely to loose the weight and not have alot of loose skin. Young skin is very resiliant. I know exactly how you feel. I am actually 242 also and by highest weight was 270. (coincadince? lol) I have been overweight since about 1999 and realy want to loose the weight and feel better but i to am terrified about the loose skin. My brother is almost 30 and was near 300lbs. He was overweight his whole life and recently lost a bunch of weight. He looks awesome and all but has loose skin on his stomach. So that kind of scared me. I am only 24 but I have had kids so my belly has been stretched to its full capacity. I'm sure i'll have some loose skin and i have to just deal cuz id rather have loose skin i can cover up then fat that you cant hid with a mac truck. lol. So chin up. Your young skin will probably bounce back. Hope that makes ya feel a bit better. (not sure if i helped)
O and welcome!
Hey my goal weight is 130 lbs too! Hahahah what a coincidence Thanks for your reply it has pacified me... I don't know what it is but as I read through some of the threads here, it makes me feel scared... But I know what I've got to do... Can I ask how you lost the weight? Because what happened to me was I was on this diet of healthy stuff like chicken salads, grilled chicken... you know a high protein one... But then I pigged out once and I got a tummy flu and never fully recovered... During that time, I had lost my appetite and I was pretty motivated... Right now I've hit a little bump, I've been at this weight for about a week and a half (because school just started for me)
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Old 11-11-2006, 10:40 AM   #5  
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One thing is that you have youth on your side. There is no guarantee that you won't have loose skin when you lose weight but every person is different, so you'd have to see when you get there. For me, I'm at my lowest weight in over 17 years and I have loose skin but I also have more weight to lose. I will tell you that I am happier now than I was at well over 300 lbs.

So you have a choice. Remain as you are or lose weight. The younger you are when you lose weight, the less chances you have of loose skin. I wouldn't let the fear of loose skin stop you from losing weight because I'm sure you will feel better and look better once you do.
Thanks for your support It means a lot because sometimes I have a tough time talking about this even with my mom... I mean, I know she's my mom, she's my bestest friend but she can only say so much... She's told me she's been there (being overweight) but somehow she wasn't as obese as I am... I want to hear what people who are in my boat have to say... Based on their experience
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Old 11-11-2006, 11:16 AM   #6  
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Welcome to the forum cagedbird!! Both nelie and TraceyElaine have said it, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again....Your age is on your side!!! Now is the best time to lose the weight.
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Old 11-11-2006, 11:52 AM   #7  
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Hello cagedbird!

First, at 19, your skin is practically at its prime. Ok, you have stretch marks, but in terms of shrinking back and the marks fading, now is the best time to lose the weight!

I would say that the marks will not be "more visible" with weight lost. In time, they fade from dark pink to silver, and if your skin is shrinking with pounds lost, so will the marks. Take heart, most women have them, even models. I personally do not think they are that big a deal... I'd much rather be skinny and have some then be fat without any (of course being fat without any would be quite a miracle.) The only reason they might be "more visible" when skinny is if you are like me and start showing more of your new body off when you get thin

A bikini and mini skirts can definitely be in your future Chin up! Now is an optimal time to get a handle on your weight and establish healthy eating habits for the rest of your life.

Wisdom and experience comes with age but so can more pounds and it does not get easier to lose 'em with the extra years added on

We are here for you... jump on board!
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Old 11-11-2006, 11:56 AM   #8  
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Hello cagedbird!

First, at 19, your skin is practically at its prime. Ok, you have stretch marks, but in terms of shrinking back and the marks fading, now is the best time to lose the weight!

I would say that the marks will not be "more visible" with weight lost. In time, they fade from dark pink to silver, and if your skin is shrinking with pounds lost, so will the marks. Take heart, most women have them, even models. I personally do not think they are that big a deal... I'd much rather be skinny and have some then be fat without any (of course being fat without any would be quite a miracle.) The only reason they might be "more visible" when skinny is if you are like me and start showing more of your new body off when you get thin

A bikini and mini skirts can definitely be in your future Chin up! Now is an optimal time to get a handle on your weight and establish healthy eating habits for the rest of your life.

Wisdom and experience comes with age but so can more pounds and it does not get easier to lose 'em with the extra years added on

We are here for you... jump on board!
Wow Sarah thanks I can't believe the support I'm getting after a few hours of posting my first thread. Its overwhelming (in a good way). Honestly speaking I'm not new to diets and everything else that comes with it... I wanna start a new lifestyle... Any ideas? Thank you so much for the great reply
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Old 11-11-2006, 12:01 PM   #9  
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I have found that as I lose weight my skin takes several months to "catch up" to the weight loss but it has been shrinking down.
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Old 11-11-2006, 12:05 PM   #10  
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I have found that as I lose weight my skin takes several months to "catch up" to the weight loss but it has been shrinking down.
How is it? Like is it like some sort of extra suit? (I'm just really curious)
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Old 11-11-2006, 12:34 PM   #11  
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Honestly speaking I'm not new to diets and everything else that comes with it... I wanna start a new lifestyle... Any ideas? Thank you so much for the great reply
Welcome to the best resource on the net for losing, IMHO

My suggestions to you would be:

1) Research diets and see what would be a good fit for you. Low-carb? Low-fat? Simple calorie counting? Find one YOU love and which you look forward to eating, and that fits in with YOUR life. What works great for someone else may not stick for you. Tracking your food, either through a little notebook, or online (fitday.com is one site and there are others), is a BIG part of losing. Seeing your calories, or WW Points, or carbs, or whatever, right there in front of you, will keep you mentally aware of what you're doing. Our bodies do not intentionally sabotage us -- they are exactly aware of how many calories come in and how many are burned -- and they show the results honestly. Knowledge is half of the battle, the other half is ACTION

There is no miracle plan out there that can help us lose weight easily - it's work - but there are many people here who are doing it and there are others who have maintained phenomenal losses for years! Check out the Maintainers group for inspiration there

2) It's all about cutting calories, and/or burning up more than you take in through exercise. Combining both through diet and exercise is the best way to go. You don't need to go crazy with restrictions or an immediate hard-core exercise routine, but steadiness is very important. An off-day or night is not a total failure, but they can add up, and erase any loss for a week.

3) Speaking of off-days (hopefully only meals!), if this happens to you, try to nail down why. Hunger? Stress? Lonely? Tired? Angry? Develop a plan on how to avoid these triggers in the future, or how to recover from them if you do face-plant in something really caloric

4) Exercise can be your friend Start slow, but start. Your body will thank you. (I'm setting up my treadmill today in fact!) You will get increased energy, your muscles will grow, your fat will start to disappear, you will sleep much better, your skin will look better and work better, your metabolism will start to take off, and your heart will get stronger... along with the rest of your body. Oh yeah, and your mind will get the boost of endorphins and pride in a job well-done!

5) Water is a very helpful aid! I used to scoff at the push to drink "8 cups a day" but you know, it really DOES help weight-loss. Yes, you can lose weight without sticking to this, but it's more steady and faster with the water. Ease into it, cutting back on diet sodas or whatever else you're relying on, and your body will get used to it and love it. The bathroom will become your second home for a short time though as your body learns how to process all that aqua.

6) Get inspiration and support in whatever ways work for you:
* Here at 3FC
* Other health sites on the web
* With friends (some of whom may be exercise buddies)
* With magazines geared to healthy living and exercise
* Healthy cookbooks
* Making a scrapbook with photo clippings that inspire you or that are just plain beautiful, great articles, photos of yourself as you lose, journal entries, stickers, drawings, whatever cheers you up and keeps you going! This can be a great way to track your progress. Seeing results is awesome.

This can a huge gift to yourself. Caring about your body, its health and its appearance, will reward you with a happier and longer life 19 is a great time to start!
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Old 11-11-2006, 02:37 PM   #12  
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Just want to say that Sarah just wrote a great post! While it's tempting to lose weight as fast as possible, imo the goal is to keep it off and there's tons of good advice right there!

One other thing I would add is that if you are not a person who feels they can do all of this all at once, it is okay to take baby steps toward your goal. I started with just bringing lunches and snacks to work and portion control. My exercise at first was just "moving more". I gradually added more to the program and COMMITTED to it.

Finally, a note on loose skin. I too, was kind of depressed when I first read about it here, but don't let that be another reason to tell yourself you don't want to lose weight. I let fears hold me back for too long! I am finally not obese for the first time in over 20 years and I will take that (with loose skin) over weighing nearly 300 pounds without it!

WELCOME!
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Old 11-11-2006, 02:42 PM   #13  
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Hi cagedbird,
It's not just age you have on you side, the weight slowly came on, so you haven't maintained it there for long and your skin hasn't had years to get used to being that stretched.
I've struggled with my weight my whole life, but I did get to my goal weight when I was around your age and I had stretch marks and all of it, but I used a lot of rich body cream and took vitamin E while I was losing and my stretch marks shrunk so that you could barely see of feel them, and some even dissapeared, and my skin wasn't loose at all!
I suggest a loofa everyday and good body cream night and day. Buy the good stuff either from a health food store or a spa or salon, and your skin will look fabulous....and no tanning! It dries your skin out and makes lose the elasticity. (sorry I'm and esthetician...don't mean to preach)
You're doing awesome so far!!!! Don't let fear keep you from what you want...trust me, I'm 37 and just learning that now....I wish I'd found something like this forum when I was 19!!!! Keep up the great work!
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Old 11-11-2006, 02:54 PM   #14  
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I agree with the no tanning. Don't know if you are light-skinned enough to even consider tanning, but just in case, there is clear evidence that ultraviolet light/sun exposure leads to breakdown of collagen and elastic tissue in skin. Regardless of skin color, sun exposure does do damage to skin. Even if you are very dark-skinned, sun still causes some damage, just less than in a light-skinned person.
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Old 11-11-2006, 05:59 PM   #15  
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Hi. All the smart ladies here have pretty much covered everything there is to say in response to your post. I just want to add that you can truly turn this around in a relatively short period of time. When you do find a plan that you can stick to it is only a matter of a few weeks til you will be so into it, and so happy with your results that it will propel you to go on and before you know it IT will become your new way of life. It is so worth it. And this is DEFINITELY doable. You CAN do this.

My oldest daughter just turned 19 on Thursday. And I'll tell you the same thing I tell her. You deserve to have the best possible life there is. And being a healthy weight is something that you deserve. And that is one step closer to having the best possible life. Good luck. Get back to us and let us know how you are doing. And ask away.
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