Hello, all!
Back in the days when I was just lurking here, before I committed to actually starting my first weight loss program, I used to come to the Success forum looking for stories which would motivate me.
Well, I'm not nearly at the end of my road, but I thought I'd give sort of "Success Update" on where I am at this point, in the hopes that it might help someone out there.
I'VE LOST 50 POUNDS! Look below for all the stat's, but I started March 1 of this year, and in five months I've lost 50 pounds, gone from a BMI of 46.26 at my starting weight of 284 to my current BMI of 38.12, at this morning's weigh-in of 234. I've still got a road before me, but I feel great about my progress thus far, and the lasting changes I've made in my nutritional and exercise habits.
I haven't experienced hardship or felt miserable during this experience, and I think the key to that is staying positive about the experience itself -- turning every negative into a positive, and focusing on this as an opportunity to recreate how I live and move in this world, and how I take care of myself, as opposed to feeling any sense of denial or loss of pleasure. I believe that it's all a mindset. This site has been so instrumental in my program as well; it's through the support and motivation that I've received at the 100lb forum, especially, that I feel I've had a support system and access to people who share what I'm going through at the time that I'm going through it, and can just completely relate.
Hope this helps someone who's wondering how it is to go through this process....you hear about the people who've lost all this weight after they've done it -- and it's flabbergasting!! But how did they feel earlier in the process, when they still faced a long road before them? I'm here to tell you, it feels GREAT!! I feel optimism and pride, self-respect (see quote below) and energy -- I hope it's contagious and infects everyone who reads this, because what I have, I would ABSOLUTELY wish on my very best friends....