Goal! Have you reached your goal? Share your success story and celebrate your victory!

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Old 12-21-2010, 12:56 PM   #1  
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Default Goal: 260 to 145 in 2 years

I'm living proof that an indoorsy, unathletic woman with PCOS in her late 40's can lose 115 pounds on moderate diet and moderate exercise.

I was always chubby, usually about the second-heaviest girl in the class. My mother tried to get me to diet in high school but it didn't "take". When I was in college, at 18, I went on my first serious diet, from 166 down to 134. I still had terrible eating habits, though, so I started gaining again almost immediately.

I joined ROTC partly because I wanted to serve my country, partly because I got a scholarship, and partly because I thought the military weight limit (147 or 148) would be good incentive to keep the weight off. Unfortunately, it felt like a straitjacket and put me under constant stress. I flirted with disordered eating as a way to stay out of weight trouble, which I mostly did (though I flunked a few weigh-ins). I was on active duty from 1982 to 1986; when I got out, I was so happy not to have to deal with the weight limit anymore that I gained 70 pounds in one year!

Through my life, I went on several diets and could lose weight or gain weight, but could never really maintain a weight. I made the mistake of trying to eat low-fat when I dieted (though I really had no way of knowing it was a mistake, at the time). Having PCOS, a high-carb diet was the worst thing for me. I was hungry 24/7. All The Time. It's no wonder that my weight rebounded when I was done "dieting", especially since I still had terrible eating habits.

In 1989, at the age of 27, I dieted from 225 to 173 before I stopped dieting and started to regain again. By the mid '90's, I was in the 240's. I tried low-carb in the early 2000's and did fairly well, probably down to around 220, but, after a week trip where literally all there was to eat was carbs, I got off track and never really got back on.

Something changed in the mid 2000's. One is that I sort of got my head together. I was mildly to moderately depressed pretty much my whole life, but never really considered treatment because I thought it was just my personality. I had some scary downswings but was strong enough to withstand them without any permanent damage to my external life.

In the mid '90's, though, I had a scary enough downturn that I decided to try medication. I'm really glad I did--it improved my quality of life a lot, and may have saved my life. I was on and off meds for about 10 years, including an amicable but still painful divorce in 2002.

By 2006, somehow I got my head together, and I've been depression-free and med-free since then. I also made a decision to stop worrying about food for a while. I gained a little extra weight, but I honestly think that was one of the key steps that set me up for success on my latest weight-loss journey.

At the end of 2008, I weighed 260 pounds. On December 29, 2008, I decided that I Was Ready. Despite all logic and previous experience with traumatic and unsuccessful diets, I somehow knew that it was different this time.

I decided to count calories and try to limit, but not eliminate, carbs. I started at 1500 calories a day. In the spring I started walking about half an hour (about 1 1/2 miles) six times a week (I'm still walking six times a week, without fail). I lost exactly 2 pounds a week for the first 15 weeks, then the pace started to slow down.

The milestones kept adding up, though. August 3, 2009: 50 pounds lost (that's about when people started to notice). September 28, 2009: Onederland. December 28, 2009: 77 pounds lost in one year. February 8, 2010: 81 pounds lost, 179 pounds no longer obese. August 30, 2010: 155 pounds, more than 40% of my original weight lost. October 25, 2010: 110 pounds lost before my 49th birthday. And I officially weighed in at goal on December 21, 2010.

I know that maintenance will provide its own set of challenges, but I think I'm ready. I had cut back to 1400 calories a day in mid-2010; I now estimate that maintenance will take about 1700 calories, but I'm going to raise my intake to that level slowly and cautiously. In 2011, I hope to fine-tune my maintenance regimen, and I may also try to start doing some strength and flexilibily exercises.

Here are some photos. I'm including the one from when I was 155 mainly to compare the effect of the last ten pounds.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg OboegalBefore.jpg (14.2 KB, 1208 views)
File Type: jpg Oboegal155tight.jpg (24.7 KB, 594 views)
File Type: jpg Oboegal145tight.jpg (20.7 KB, 597 views)
File Type: jpg Oboegalafter.jpg (15.2 KB, 1120 views)
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Old 12-21-2010, 01:04 PM   #2  
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Great job!!! Good for you that it finally snapped & you were able to do it!!! I know with all that hard work, you will do great maintaining!
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Old 12-21-2010, 01:27 PM   #3  
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Congratulations, Oboegal! What an inspirational story!

b. strong,
KAW
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Old 12-21-2010, 01:36 PM   #4  
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An amazing transformation!!!!!!

I'm so happy for you
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Old 12-21-2010, 01:36 PM   #5  
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Congratulations. You are such an inspiration!
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Old 12-21-2010, 01:51 PM   #6  
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I recommend Kettlebells and Z-Health for turning the clock back. At 44, I now have the energy and flexibility I had as a 17 year old.

Great job!
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Old 12-21-2010, 01:55 PM   #7  
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Thanks for your kind comments.

One thing I forgot to say in my original post is how *untraumatic* this lifestyle change has been compared to my previous diets. I'm hungry only occasionally, and if I get hungry enough I "borrow" from the next day's calories and pay it back. I allow myself occasional treats, within reason, but I always strive to pay back the excess calories--that's my "fail-safe" to guard against going off the deep end. I basically eat anything I want, but I always go through the thought process of "is this worth not eating something else later?". Many times, the answer is "no" and that solves the problem. Sometimes the answer is "yes", and, 90% of the time I've indulged, it has been worth it.
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Old 12-21-2010, 02:07 PM   #8  
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wtg YOU SHOULD BE VERY PROUD!!!!
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Old 12-21-2010, 03:32 PM   #9  
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WTG. Congrats.
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Old 12-21-2010, 05:23 PM   #10  
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You are an amazing inspiration. Job well done!
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Old 12-21-2010, 07:09 PM   #11  
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Congrats!!! Well done!!

YOU definitely ROCK, Oboegal!!!
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Old 12-21-2010, 07:38 PM   #12  
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awesome job!
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Old 12-21-2010, 10:37 PM   #13  
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You look great!
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Old 12-21-2010, 11:33 PM   #14  
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Those last ten pounds made a big difference, didn't they? Wow! You've done so well! Yours is a true, and very realistic, success story. So many of us can relate to the lose/gain cycle.

Congratulations!
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Old 12-22-2010, 12:35 AM   #15  
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Congratulations! Well done! You look amazing, and thanks for sharing your story.
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