So many great inspirational stories I didin't have time to read them all but just wanted to comment on a few that I did read.
Tummygirl - A gym in the apartment is a good idea. Glad to see you got your romm back.
Carolyn - Wow, I can't believe someone would say that to you. Some people are just so rude its amazing how they get by in this world.
Crystal - Oh I know how exciting it is to feel that tricep muscle. I still have some toning to do in that area though
Blakerae - That's good to see that both you and your son are leading a healthier lifestyle! It's always nice to have someone to support you and accompany you on your weight loss journey
Let's see... Even in high school, I wasn't exactly tiny (my family constantly likes to say things like "You're built just like your great-grandmother!" Picture this strapping German woman with a "my dog just died" expression and you've got her--not exactly the most flattering comparison. Especially when older people make remarks about "child-bearing hips." One would think this phrase would have gone out of fashion in 1890 or so, but apparently not), but through college and moving out to DC, I just kept gaining and gaining. I have a pretty "fun" (that sounds so ridiculous, I know, but I'm having trouble coming up with the right word) personality, so I have a decent social life friendwise, but this doesn't mean I don't feel out of place in clubs and bars sometimes. I've certainly been the recipient of a comment or two, but since I'm a b*tch, I tend to say something equally cutting back and shake it off. After awhile, though, the asides and remakrs here and there start to build up to where they can no longer be ignored... I managed to take off 20 pounds about two years ago (dieting has always been difficult for me--I had a very serious illness as a young child that really negatively affected my metabolism, but I put back on after a vacation got me off track--permanently.
I've known for a long time that I needed to make some sort of major change--the butt that I have now certainly can't fit into Prada, which makes me sad--but I took a very Scarlett O'Hara "I'll think about this tomorrow" approach. Then, last week, I turned 25 and I realized I don't want to be living the life I am right now when I'm 30. (25 is one of the horrible "time to assess your life" numbers.) Changes needed to be made. I realized that I'm tired and sluggish and a big part of that relates to my eating and lack of exercise. So, I did some research, found the South Beach Plan and decided to go with it. Today is my first day, and I'm feeling pretty gung ho and excited about it. You were right about the bottom--as much as it sucks, it also gives one a kind of rush of energy, or sense of purpose that was, at least for me, lacking before. Now I feel energized with the thoughts os possibilities. I try and be reasonable, but nevertheless, picturing myself fit, thinner and toned goes a long way to keeping my excitement levels up (I was in the planning stage last week--getting the SBD, planning menus, cleaning out my cupboards, going shopping, etc).
I have always been a big girl but just recently when going to the doctor and I had been weighed in. A massive 322 lbs popped up; I couldn't believe it this was the biggest I have ever been.This depressed me drastically. I already have a depression disorder this just added to it.I have always had heart problems; I have a heart murmur.
I want to have a baby; so when I went to the Gyno. he said hunny I don't recommend you try having a baby right now. You are to obese and with you having a heart murmur; it could cause complications.He said that the risk for you to die during labor is higher.He is a great doctor but I completely understood what he was saying.So I went to my regular physician and she was telling me to go get on Protein diet but the thing is she wanted me to go see a specialist which would cost $250 just for consultation.I don't have that kinda money; so determined I started with a Diabetic Diet. I did well on it but when I went to Maryland to visit my mom; she looked wonderful.I told her this and she told me about WW.So since then I have being doing WW with my husband.
So now u see why? It will be better for my health and I will be able to have a baby without being so highrisk.
Half of me is really sad to hear all the pain everyone has gone through and then the other half is amazed that we are all so self aware that we know how we got to this stage. We all deserve a big pat on the back for that anyway.
abfab, wish you great success with the new plan and continued motivation of a 2 ton truck.
lynnie you certainly have an amazing piece of motivation for your weight loss, the bringing a child into the world part must really help you stay on track, continued success!
Mine is similar to the rest. I've always been 'bigger' than everyone around me even as a VERY active/sporty child. When I was about 11 we moved to another house where I had no friends and wasn't allowed to leave the yard because it was a busy street. Since then (I'm 20 now) I have just been on a steady weight increase and I'm getting really close to 200lbs, which I just can't handle. I wasn't really teased by other kids a lot except a few total jerks, but I was teased by my older brother CONSTANTLY, and he still makes remarks eventhough we're both adults now, (he's 30). It seems as though I was on a diet every day, but I never did stick with it well enough. For a number of reasons, I'm ready to stick with it this time and I'm not going to give up until I succeed! In a nutshell, these are my reasons:
1. To shut my brother up and be as beautiful outside as I am inside.
2. So I can go swimming and do more things without being so self-conscious.
3. So I don't get any bigger and run into health problems. (My Dr. says at this rate I will be 300lbs before I'm 30)
4. So all of those really cute clothes will actually FIT me for once!
5. Sick and tired of being sick and tired
I just figure, if I'm EVER going to do this... now is the time. I'm simply not as happy as I should be while weighing this much. I DO love myself -- but I want to love my body as well! I'm just tired of hiding, I want to get out there and actually live my life!
Urgh...like many of you I have always been overweight. Even when I was somewhat thinner I still felt like I was overweight. I played every sport possible in high school and still ended up gaining a few pounds here and there. Then college came about...Freshman 15 here I come. I have one picture of me in the dorms that makes me sick looking at it. I actually lost a few pound that summer, but was still heavy. I pretty much maintained the same weight throughout college until my last year when I started playing rugby. I lost some weight and gained tons of muscle, but unfortunately I was still on the fat side.
Then I graduated...this is where the weight really came on. I moved to Tahoe for a while and met a guy. I then hurt my knee skiing. Between not exercising and hanging around a person that ate three times as much as I should, I quickly put on the weight. We then moved to San Diego. I became extremely depressed. The boyfriend was a loser, I had gained 40lbs in a year and I didn’t even recognize myself. I decided I needed some extreme changes in my life. I started working out at the gym, taking water aerobics, which I loved! I decided to buy one last thing for my loser boyfriend...a one-way ticket home. I moved from my dreary apartment to a bright cottage a block and a half from the beach. My depression was still there and I had barely lost a couple of pounds.
This was the pivotal point: The day I moved into my new place I flew to Tahoe to go skiing with my family. I went to put on my ski outfit and it didn’t fit. I cried and cried and decided I would just rent an outfit. I then started to ski and I was out of breath and so unbelievably uncomfortable. So, I continued to cry. No one wanted to be around me because I just cried the whole trip. I decided right then and there that I never wanted to feel that way ever again! I went home, threw out the bad food, started really hitting the gym hard and tried to get a better outlook on life. It worked. I slowly started loosing weight. I found out that sending my boyfriend away took a lot of stress off me and working out brightened my mood. I then decide I wanted something more so I joined a boxing gym. I could barely lift my arms the first day on the way home, but I stuck with it. I started going to WW…lost 5lbs the first week! I knew it was what I needed. Then I decided to join a rugby league. I thought to myself, what the **** was I doing, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to quit. I am now almost 50lbs lighter still have about 35lbs to go, but I feel great. I found the greatest group of friends through rugby, I went to my 10yr reunion and by far was in better shape and had a better outlook on life than most people there, and I have started dating someone. I saw someone at my reunion and he said, “gosh, I don’t know what it is, but you have this aura about you. You are absolutely beaming.” I know this all has to do with loosing some of the weight. That is what is keeping me going...the thought of how I will feel when I lose the next 35lbs!
