For those who have ALWAYS been "fluffy"

[MzJuicyD]

I need to hear some thoughts from those who have always been fluffy their entire lives. And yes i said fluffy lol. I refuse to say fat! lol

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my weight loss goals, and I find myself constantly battling myself. It's like, I tell myself that maybe im just meant to be fluffy because ive ALWAYS been fluffy! Maybe it's impossible for my body to be any smaller!

I've been stuck in the 260s for months now and it seems like no matter what I do, im never going to see the 250s! So ive been thinking about what ive been doing. Surely, i dont have the same drive I had when I started my journey. I'm always cheating then feeling guilty about it later, which causes even more anxiety! Ugh!!!!

Deep down I think im really afraid of being any smaller. Am I ready for all the attention I will get? Will I look like a freak? Will I still have my curves that I love so much? It's hard to imagine yourself thin when you've never been thin. I don't know! lol. I need your thoughts....

[Lovely]

*raises her hand* I don't know what I look like thinner.

Been overweight since being in the 95% in kindergarten. Tallest in the room. Usually the heaviest, too.

I don't know that I'm afraid of looking different. I'm curious. I want to see the difference. I want to know what I "really" look like, if that makes sense. We do have to be a little brave in order to see past our armor and really have a look at ourselves.

About the "cheating" cycle. Warning! Incoming cliche! The only person you're cheating is yourself. You're at a stage where the shine is gone. This is no longer new and exciting. This is life as normal. And that's a good thing! But, since it's life as normal, we have to keep on truckin' as the case may be.

We don't skip out on bills. We don't leave dishes in the sink for weeks at a time. We don't stop brushing our teeth for days. And we don't stop tracking our food or exercising or eating healthier. This is the new normal.

Stand up, brush yourself off, and make the very next meal you're about to have delicious and healthy. You can do this, because you're already doing it!

[josey]

Same here! I was about to ask a question on this forum myself.

Can it really be done? How does it feel? I can't even start to imaging being at a normal BMI. I have never been below 190 lbs. I have never been athletic (obviously!) either.

Maybe some ALWAYS fluffy, now normal weight 3FCer can comment on how they feel?

[fattymcfatty]

Well, I was probably always in the "overweight" BMI during high school and spent most of college being obese, and stayed that way for over 10 years. Once, when I was 23, I dieted down to 205. I could not get the scale to budge past that.

I am now 33 and started this journey when I was 32 last July. And, I had a baby a year and a half prior. I changed my lifestyle, and started counting calories and staying active. Once I hit 205, I remember thinking to myself that I could not get past it, this is where I got to last time and gained it all back, and started playing emotional head games with myself thinking that yes, I am meant to be fat. I posted on here, and a responder said something to the effect of "what? you think you are so special the laws of physics aren't going to apply? stay on plan, eat less, move more, and the weight will come off. you are not an exception."
So that is what I did. I stayed on plan, kept plugging along, figured that even if I stayed 205 forever, that is better than 270. I told the voices in my head to shut up, and just kept going. And guess what? I'm 195 now, and working my way to being the thinnest I've ever been as an adult.
If you keep cheating, maybe look at your plan. Can it be modified in some way so that you feel satisfied, and not wanting to cheat? Maybe incorporate a 100 calorie fudge bar if you want something sweet, or a serving of popchips if you want something salty?

[TooManyDimples]

I started getting fluffy when I was about 8. Over the years my weight has steadily gone up and up. I think even though we're not really happy with what we look like we've just come to accept it, and maybe even have just gotten comfortable with it.

Over the last 5 years I've tried losing weight more actively then in the past. I've gained and lost more times then I can count. I think I've just never been ready to commit to the full journey. Even now I like to imagine I'll be to goal in a year or so, but I don't know for sure that I'm going to make it. Even if I can just get to a new lower weight and maintain it for a while that will be a big accomplishment.

My head has definitely been in the right place lately, but we all know how easy it is to fall back into old habits, I did it AGAIN last month. Staying in the right mind set is really hard, but really important in order to keep going.

One of the ladies that posts in a challenge thread I follow (Emme) has a quote in her siggy that I always try to keep in mind. "Being fat is hard. Losing weight is hard. Maintaining your weight is hard. Pick your hard." Everytime I get frustrated and think that trying to lose weight just isn't worth all this effort I try to remember that.

[Riestrella]

There was a point early in my high school years where I looked a lot thinner, but I wasn't officially thin. I still was bigger and didn't have a flat stomach, so I too join the club of having no idea what I'll look like when I'm thin (and it WILL happen!). It's quite exciting thinking that my face will change, that's the one thing I think is amazing about weight loss is the change in the facial features. I'll look forward to not having a roll under my chin and a sharp jaw line!

If you have a curvy body type then I'm sure you won't lose your curves! I have an hour glass shape, I have quite a big curve from my waist so I too wonder what will happen to it. As long as I look like Beyonce or Salma Hayek, I don't mind!

[beerab]

I go through these phases where I am comfortable so the loss stops. But all in all I'd rather be as healthy as possible and not worry too much about that number.

I'd say you need to tell yourself to embrace your fears and unknown and push through. Maybe all you need is a change in your routine, maybe now and then check to see how much you are eating (you might be eating more than you think if you have been stuck at the 260s for a while) or if you are working out enough, etc.

I often joke and say my body wants to be 200 lbs but in reality I know that's not healthy for me.

[josey]

I think part of my problem is that I don't know any different. I lost 44 lbs in 2002 dropping to my lowest weight (190lbs) ever. I felt great and stopped. But I never got to experience being anything but being overweight. There are some doubt I will ever make it and also I don't know how I feel being normal. Hopefully I feel so great that I never get it back. If I ever make it there...

[Engraved]

Well.. i ve never been thin. I think around 13 i was already 155 lbs.
I always wonder how i will be when i m at a normal BMI. and that curiosity is what makes me try harder each day.
I use to think that i am "special" and that i was meant to be always fluffy.
That comment that fattymcfatty talks about from a 3fc poster really touched me.
After almost 70lbs lost i can say, that no i am not "special". Laws of nature apply to me, and when i eat healthy i lose weight. If you dont have any medical conditions, it is just that simple.
It is a mind game to think that you ll never going to see the "inside" but if you stick to it, if you focus and turn all those negative thoughts into determination it will happen.
I ve seen it.
I think for "us" that dont know what to expect when all this weight comes off it is an even more exciting journey
Best of luck and never give up!

[Skittlez]

I've been fluffy as long as I can remember. The lowest weight I remember being was 220lbs. I'm sure I was skinnier than that at some point, but I guess it didn't bother me until I was around 220! If I ever get under 200 I think I'll frame my scale! :-P

[Arctic Mama]

I was a thick child, an overweight (but highly attractive) teen, and now an obese adult. I've cruised, very slowly, down the scale over the past three years. I'll tell you, I believe all different body types are normal, and I doubt I'll ever be dainty. But I also don't believe morbidly obese is natural on anyone. Thick, chubby, dense, sure. But with fat padding every organ, as I was when I started? No. Unless I was seven feet tall, there is no way that 250 was my body's happy, heathly, default weight. For me, 150-160 is likely the spot where my body composition is ideal for my health, as that was my natural set point for years. I was curvy and overweight by the social standard, but I was active, healthy, and lovely. I could have stayed at 250, or here at 195, or starved myself down to the 120's, but none of those are right for my health. My number is higher than many women, but it is mine. A short woman above 200? I could have easily eaten those calories for the rest of my life, but I can't fool myself into believing that was where my body really needed to be.

Your journey is your own, but I encourage you to stick to a sensible calorie budget for a year with as close to no cheats as possible, and just see where you end up at the end. Worst case scenario, you stay put and you are correct that your body just wants to be in the 240-250 range, but I think you may be pleasantly surprised by what you can achieve with a little self discipline and minimal discomfort.

[Horo]

I was always fluffy as a very little kid, fluffy all throughout elementary school, briefly fluffy as a teenager... then I lost 70 lbs and discovered that I am not, in fact, big boned, nor was I ever someone who was meant to be large.

[amandie]

I've always been overweight/fluffy since I was 8 or 9 years old. Only once I actually felt "skinny" was when I was 150-155lbs (still overweight) at 5'2 in high school and now I'm aiming for 136lbs? It seems inconceivable to me to even try for it but I keep holding on to that feeling I remember when I was 150-155.

[stacygee]

I feel like I have always been "fluffy" compared to others- but it go out of control these past 10 years. as someone who started this journey in the 260's let me give you a little tough love: Perhaps you don't want to make the sacrifices that you have to make to lose the weight. It is about limiting your calories and being more active. It is about being consistent on a daily basis. It is hard. BUT- I am telling you this becasue I started at 264 and the difference in how I feel is incredible. I thought I always felt bad becasue I was getting older... but it is really because of my weight. I know that now. I can't remember feeling this good. It is SO WORTH THE EFFORT. Please try!

[MzJuicyD]

Thanks guys! Im DEFINITELY trying and striving to get the weight down. I started at 293 and now im in the 260s. I just got discouraged because once i hit 263 i hit a major plateau and wasnt losing anything.

I definitely kno how to get the weight off since i am 30 pounds lighter. This is just my first time REALLY focusing on weightloss and had never experienced a real plateau before. I'm back on the right track now with exercise and really try to be mindful of what I eat.

I just hate how my body is resisting change! lol