My mother in law is a chain smoker and we have been preaching at her to quit. She has so many health problems and i found this site that tells you after so many hours of not smoking your body will do ------ , then days, weeks, months ,years.

Well i just wonder.... how much you have lost... and what differance has it made? Of course smaller clothes... but health wise?

Me... Lost 30lbs so far. 220 to 190

I can stand and talk to people for well over an hour without looking for a place to sit. Before i would want to sit asap.

I have a long drive way ( not sure the distance, maybe 1/8 of mile one way, thats proably not right,,, i need to measure it) but at 220 i would ride a bike to the end and back and be out of breath , dry mouth, needing water!

Now i can go back and forth over 10 times without a break, ( still havent been able to ride to the top of the hill, i dont know that i could have when i was a kid and skinny)

I've lost about 35 pounds and am pretty much at goal. I've been within 5 or so pounds of this weight for the past year. I also do some form of exercise every day, including lots of cardio, strength training with a personal trainer, running 6 miles once a week and swimming when I can fit it in. I mention the exercise because I expect that a lot of the benefits I've experienced are attributable to it more so than weight loss alone.

In addition to fitting into a size 2-4, here are some of the other benefits I've experienced:

• I can walk up fairly steep hills in San Francisco and I'm not even winded. Two years ago, I would have been out of breath and sweating like a pig on those same hills.
• When I'm out hiking with friends, I'm no longer the one lagging behind, out of breath, sweating like a pig, and red in the face. I'm the one in front that eveyone has trouble keeping up with.
• I can speak in front of a group, easily project my voice, and not feel out of breath. I also no longer sweat like a pig from the exertion.
• I never have heartburn. I mean never. Two years ago, I was experiencing mild to medium heartburn around once a month. It wasn't so severe that anyone was worried about it yet, but it was clearly trending in the wrong direction. I've completely reversed that health issue.
• I also had intestinal issues (gas, etc.) I still have some of this, but it's definitely a lot better than it was. I used to get horrible stomach cramps if I let myself get too hungry and that rarely happens anymore. Also, I could not stand to have anything even the slightest bit tight around my abdomen; now I can wear control-top pantyhose all day with no problem.
• I can run six miles in one hour without stopping!!!! When I first started, it took me 45 minutes to run 3 miles and I had to stop and walk every 15 minutes.
• I'm starting to see some definition in my abs.
• My doctor no longer suggests that I need to lose some weight. Instead she suggests that I ought to be teaching courses in nutrition! That is so awesome; I hated those "you really need to lose some weight" conversations.

I have lost over 60 pounds and I can wear a tank top and not cringe at my arms. I sit with my legs crossed and there is shape to my thigh. I can go up and down dusting the ceiling fans without worrying that my knee won't give out.I sprained it last summer. I don't feel my hernia around my belly button because I have some abdominal muscles.
I can push mow for two hours straight( did it yesterday in 95 degree heat). I can climb to the top of a corral panel and sit there if I want- and I don't feel like a dork( and the horses don't snicker at me). I can do jumping jacks, mountain climbers and bunches of push ups. I can get up and down out of the back of a pickup truck and not be scared.

So far i've lost 42 pounds. Some of the things I have noticed is...

1) I can cross my legs much easier
2) I can also stand longer periods of time without feeling the need to sit down
3) I can walk up the steps to my boyfriends apartment without feeling winded
4) and of course, i went from a size 16 to about size 8 or 10 (depending on the cut)

ohhh... i forgot about the lawn mowing

Our yard isnt big enough to buy a riding lawn mower... we push mow... before i would mow and have to take a break between the front and back lawn... and pray that i didnt collapse while doing each side....

now i am do it all non stop and really not out of breath after wards

I've lost 92 so far and I have way more energy. I took my son to a Red Sox game a month ago and we took the train and the T and walked A LOT and I don't get out of breath or have sore legs. I do the treadmill EVERY SINGLE DAY and I look forward to it !!!! I would never have thought that. My diabetes is gone - my sleep apnea is gone. I'm finally making strides with my self esteem (this was a problem even when I was thin) and I LOVE buying clothes that look good. The saggy skin is nauseating and will get worse but I try to focus on how I feel and the health benefits - and the fact that I am doing everything I can to be around for my son. I just got my first piercing to celebrate !!!!!!!!

I've lost 58 lbs and I:

~can cross my legs without it hurting
~have the energy of a "normal" person (before I tired very easily and slept a lot)
~walk a couple miles without feeling winded or tired
~can sleep in a double bed with DH and not feel like the bed is too small
~can shop in a regular store (went from 18-20W to an 8-10 misses)
~can stand/walk in heels for most of a day without excruciating pain
~have good bp numbers now (I went from 135/89 to 117/72)
~can go to the movies and be really comfortable (this goes for trains/planes/etc.)

Oh, and I find this strange, but I get more attention from customer service people when I'm in stores now. Was I invisible when I was larger or what???

25 pounds gone, and I notice:

-I can fit into the bath tub comfortably when I take a bubble bath
-I've lost 2 pants sizes
-My waist is more defined
-I have alot more endurance

I've lost 33.5 lb so far, and:

-scary heart palpitations are gone
-drastically less PMS bloating (used to have 4-6 lb of water retention and gain 4-6" around my waist...now I get maybe 1 lb!)
-my blood pressure went from 130/80 to 112/68, resting heart rate down to 65 (previously 80-something)
-I definitely don't get winded as easily when walking
-less knee/foot pains
-no more chafing between my thighs!
-I fit much more comfortably into chairs & bus seats
-I can shop in "normal" clothing stores
-my problem used to be that all clothes looked awful; now, the problem is that I don't have the money to buy all the clothes I like on me!


The only bad thing is that my autoimmune disorders are not happy with me, but I think they'll settle down once my weight does.

I have lost about 38lbs so far and I can now shop in the juniors section a I actually bought a size 5 jeans!
*I bought a tube top and look good in it
*The 30 minute programs on my treadmill are way too easy now, when I started I thought the thing was trying to kill me!
* I can work all day, and still have enough energy to go work out at gym
* I have to have my wedding rings sized down AGAIN!
* My wedding dress is too big for me now!
* And I am begining to think I look sexy again!

Even though I've only lost a little under 40 pounds so far, I can definitely feel the difference already.
Here in Sacramento the summers are hot, so usually once it hits triple digits, I would be very uncomfortable. But this year, even though we haven't had as many triple digits as we did last year, still, I can really tell the difference in how I feel. I am not nearly as uncomfortable as I used to be.
Just goes to show how small steps can lead to big changes.

So far I have lost 40 lbs, and though I still have a long way to go, I sleep much better.

Also, my outer thighs used be numb and I am starting to have more sensation in them again.

Shirts fit much better, since I have so far lost quite a bit in my upper arms.

Other than that, I think that most of the changes for me are due to increased excercise rather than weight loss.

I've lost 74 pounds so far.

-I fit into plastic lawn chairs now without worrying about them breaking.
-I can shop in the regular section for some things now.
-I have more energy.
-I can cross my legs (and not just my foot to my opposite knee).
-I'm not as easily winded.
-My BP is lower (although it was always still in normal ranges, it's dropped further).
-My total Cholesterol went from 215 to 144. All my other ranges are in normal ranges.
-I can run around all day and not sit down as often.

I've lost 54 lbs. and I notice that everything physical is simply easier to do! When I sit on the floor I can get up without effort, I can bend over and tie my shoes easier, I can get in and out of my low car easier, all the little things. I also have a lot less pain in my back and feet but I notice the biggest difference in my knees! I also notice that I have lots more energy and want to DO things rather and bum around laying on the couch.

23Lbs. and counting

* More energized
* Better body image, self confidence, self esteem
* Feel healthier
* More endurance when I exercise
* Motivated to loose more!!!