At the end of the school year for 07/08 I weighed 140lbs. People said that was a healthy weight for my height but I did not feel healthy at all. So I went on a strictly vegan diet and lost 25lbs over the summer.
When I came back to school this year teachers, councelors, and students started commenting about how thin I looked and how it didn't look healthy. I was called into the councilors office and they wanted to talk to me about my diet and how I lost so much weight. I told them that I was very active, horseback riding, rock climbing and biking were my activites. People kept on bugging me about my weight, so I decided that I would put some on to appease people.
It wasn't long before I hit 130, and then after that I hit my current weight of 145. Now I'm frustrated. I'm nowhere near as fit as I was, my rockclimbing skills have declined and horseback riding isn't nearly as fun because I get out of breath.
I'm starting to diet on the anti-estrogenic diet now and I'm hoping that I can drop off the weight that I gained back off again.
I'm new here, so this is my post to introduce myself and my story =]
I have never been overweight but my eating habits have been very poor all of my adult life. I went to university weighing about 127 lbs and came home at 144 and yo yo'ed between 128-144 for several years. This summer it dawned on me that being a healthcare professional I'm always preaching the benefits of healthy living but not practicing it in my own life and honestly I felt hypocritical. Making the right food choices and making time to exercise is difficult especially when you have a busy life and are inundated as we all are daily with ads and displays of unhealthy options. The struggle to make healthy lifestyle choices is something I have in common with my patients and I was just fortunate I was still young and hadn't had the opportunity to do as much damage to myself as they had. I made the decision to improve my habits.
I have discovered a love of whole fresh foods and embraced clean eating. I had been a runner on and off since university but had knee problems that made running for longer than 3 months at a time impossible. On the advise of a physical therapist I lost 10 pounds and began knee strengthening exercises and have been able to run without much pain for the past four months. I hope I am able to maintain the changes I have made for the rest of my life and look forward to being further inspired by all courageous people on this forum.
Hi,
ive really enjoyed reading this thread and hearing everyones stories.
Im 27, newlywed and live in Australia.
I have previously always mainted a very low bodyweight (b/w 100-110lbs) and i am 5'4 however this year i have put on 25lbs in a matter of months due to my sedentary job and bingeing (depression as i am unhappy with my job and some aspects of my life). I am EXTREMELY uncomfortable with my body at the moment and dont feel at all sexy or attractive. My short term goal is 121lbs and 115 after that. I want to achieve this goal by excercise and calorie control and not by starvation which never really works anyway.
Currently i am looking for a new job and hope that i will be successful in that regard soon so that i am happy in all areas of my life!
i spent many years as a competitive swimmer so i dont really enjoy exercise but these days use my cross trainer daily and also take one of my 3 british bulldogs for a walk which we both love!
Hi, all! I just found this board - actually I found it first through the "before and after" photos section. Amazing inspiration!!
I am so glad to find this forum, as I need all the help I can get staying on track. Coming here and finding others in similar situations is really, really helpful. My friends are mostly either a) naturally thin, b) super-athletic and don't have to worry about extra pounds or c) not ready to improve their lifestyles.
My story, briefly: I was always thin, but of course I never really thought so at the time. Not necessarily a healthy thin, as in I never was athletic AT ALL. Before my 30s, I was always around 120, ranging from 118 to 128 or so. Then wham-o, got hit with a wicked metabolism shift.
In the last couple of years I have packed on almost 30 lbs - and that isn't muscle weight, as I wasn't exercising regularly. I am small-boned so it *really* shows up on me.
So - time to get serious for the long term.
I had done South Beach in the past with great success, but it wasn't working out when I tried it again recently. So I added calorie-counting (still mostly a South Beach diet). AND really getting into exercising after months and months of not really doing anything regularly. I started doing a weight-lifting Body Pump-type class, yoga and jogging or walking (@ 10% incline) on a treadmill.
[ETA: As of October 2009, I am doing C25K!!]
My focus is very much on long-term health and maintenance and I am trying really hard not to obsess about the number on the evil scale.
I seriously need to lose 15 lbs and in my dreams 20-30. Those pounds are mostly in my belly now, which is NOT healthy.
So here's to kicking the butt of those evil few extra pounds!!
Go, featherweights (love that name)!!!
Last edited by EmmaD; 05-23-2014 at 02:47 PM.
Reason: to change maximum weight :( and diet plan
Until the age of 22 I was super fit and a mere 98-102lbs at most. With a background in ballet, modern dance and jazz I never really had to do too much to keep fit. BEFORE getting married the gym was part of my life once or twice a day Monday-Friday and rarely I would go on a weekend. I could eat as much as any man I knew and not gain an ounce.
THEN...I got married at 21 and stopped going to the gym. In the first year we were married I would gain and lose 5 lbs religiously until I got pregnant into the second year of our marriage. I gained a healthy 26lbs while pregnant and had a beautiful baby boy. Three beautiful baby boys and ten years of marriage later I am at the same weight I was when pregnant with my first son.
I don't look bad. THANK GOD to my parents for having good genes! BUT my BMI is 27. My doctor says I should lose at least 15lbs. I need to be between 102 and 111 for my height. I am making a HUGE lifestyle change.
I am for the first time, SINCE I GOT MARRIED, making time to eat regularly, making time to workout, making an effort to know how many calories are going in versus going out. I feel that as a Mom and Wife many of us put ourselves last. I don't want to become a statistic and I want to take control now before I merge into the obese BMI area.
I am glad I was directed here to the "featherweights" because I FINALLY feel I can talk to someone about where I am at health wise and speak about how I got here and not make those mistakes again! Reading your stories makes me feel very normal and very much like I have a group of women who understand me!!! This is a wonderful feeling to feel like I can belong and that by helping each other we can be our best selves!!!
very glad to see this thread. i always feel awkward talking to people about losing 20 pounds when there are so many out there fighting with 100+.
In 2005 I was 140. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't particularly unhappy. I could still make myself feel sexy. I met my recent ex of 2 1/2 years that summer and the end of last year I weighed in at 170. Not vastly overweight, but I had to wear frumpy shirts to work to hide my body. I've lost approx 10 pounds though I yo-yo between 160 and 165.
I have bipolar, leaning toward depression, as well as ADD and undiagnosed anxiety-induced OCD, so even cleaning up my apartment is almost painful - I can't get up motivation to do *anything* these days. I recently started new medications, including Adderall XR, so I hope that will help me curb my horrendous appetite. I have had really unhealthy eating habits, but I'm currently experimenting with a variety of healthy alternatives to help my break out of the old ways.
Hi, I'm Joan, and pleased to be a "Featherweight" LOL. I sure don't feel like one.
Here's my story, which I just posted in the general "introductions" (hope that's ok, mods, just learning the ropes here):
Hello, I'm Joan, I'm new, and I'm excited to join the forum.
I am 5'5" and have hit 156-57, which is shocking for me personally. Not saying it isn't a perfectly ok weight for someone else, but for me it's just too much. I've piled on 20-25 pounds in the last two years. Reason? EATING! Reason for eating? Oh, probably too much work and stress, not enough sleep and time to myself. And now my stomach feels hopelessly stretched out and hungry. It's almost a game now, how much I can eat. It's horrible.
I'm down to one pair of stretchy pants, which I HATE! I want new clothes, but refuse to buy the size I need. I'm becoming withdrawn, avoiding going out in public, letting my grooming slide. (My poor husband!) I've gotten very sedentary, too, forgoing the long walks I used to enjoy. Am I gaining weight because I'm bummed, or bummed because I'm gaining weight? Bit of both, but now definitely more the latter. I used to be fit and cute!
I actually am blessed with a very nice life, nothing deeper going on and nothing major to blame, knock wood, just in a terrible, undisciplined rut. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm in my 40s.
Every day I vow to knock it off, then by 3 p.m. I'm binging. I just ate three slices of leftover pizza, and it's only 4 pm. Didn't even enjoy it all that much.
I feel I'm on the verge of REALLY going to a scary weight. I do know how to diet, have done it successfully before, but have never needed to knock off more than 5-10 pounds, so it didn't feel like the HUGE task it does now.
My immediate need is for a suggestion for DAY ONE. How do you get past that first horrible day, when you feel all blubbery, unmotivated and HUNGRY? I'd greatly appreciate any specific tips or tricks. Once a few pounds come off, I know I'll get motivated, but every day I try to take that first step and I always blow it!
As a newbie, I apologize if I sound whiny or weak or offensive in any way. It's not a huge amount of weight I need to lose, but I need to lose it--I feel heavy and sluggish, and it bothers me. I need my old energy back.
Oh, and how do you get one of those cool ruler thingys?
Coincidentally, Joan, you and I are nearly the same size. I'm 5'5" and 156 pounds (I think.) I'm also new on here. To answer your last question, to get one of those cool ruler thingys we have to send 20 e-mails and be online some amount of time -- it prevents spam. I better get cracking. I might as well start here. Before I start, though, I wanted to say, Joan, it sounds like you're going through a tough time and not feeling so hot and I hope this forum and this website provides you some support and I hope it is a good first step (for both of us!). Also I know you feel really huge right now but, as I explain below, 156 does feel big but we really aren't that far out of normal. I wear a size 10-12. What always worries me is gaining more weight. Your post said you were down to one pair of pants and I suspect you don't feel like doing this, but I would recommend you go out and get your hair done and buy an outfit that makes you feel good -- it seems like you're not feeling too good about yourself and that might help. (Have you seen that show What Not To Wear? It's taken me a while to figure out how to dress for a 5'5" 156 but there are some outfits that look good.) Also think about all the wonderful things about yourself. Someone once recommend that I make a list of all my good points when I get down on myself and it has worked well for me. Our weight is just a part of who we are. I'm worried that you might be on a downward spiral and I hope not. My goal is always to not gain any more weight and worry about losing weight later. So let's see where this website takes us Joan!
So here's my story:
Unlike Joan, I've been around 152-156 since I was 18 years old (I was probably 142 before that.) So sadly for over 20 years I've wanted to lose 20 pounds. (I am glad there is the featherweight forum because I do feel guilty complaining when I hear about how much weight other people have to lose.) I went on a successful diet once when I was about 20 and got down to 136 and gained it back pretty quickly and then 4 years ago I got down to 147 when I was training for a triathlon. The weight came back pretty quickly. Sometimes I think maybe I am suppose to just weigh around 150 and then sometimes, like now, I feel like I'm starting to slip and get closer to 157 or so. My goal my whole life has been not to allow myself to get any bigger than my highest weight. That's basically what I've done my whole life and then I have panic attacks every once in a while when I feel like my weight starts to sneak up higher than my highest weight. I'm there now. I also see the pictures of everyone here after they have lost weight (and are 5'5" and weigh around 135) and I do think I'd look better if I lost 18-20 pounds. I've always felt "not attractive enough" because I was carrying around the 20 pounds.
If I were thinking objectively about me and my weight, I would say that my problems are the following:
- I don't really have very good eating habits and, primarily, I don't plan well. I'm not a picky eater and I'm not attached to junk food. I actually really like healthy food but, with my current poor planning, it is really inconvenient to eat healthy. A lot of time I eat stupid, unhealthy things because I'm hungry and need to eat.
-I'm single and to eat meals alone is lonely and so I don't like to plan for them and focus on them because it causes me to focus on something that makes me lonely.
-I also eat emotionally.
-I snack mindlessly while surfing the net or watching tv.
-I also go to lunch with co-workers who eat very unhealthy food and they pressure me to go and I need to say no.
-Similarly my co-workers bring in a lot of junk food to share and have cake, etc. and I need to be able to say no.
-I have a sugar addiction
-I also don't believe in myself that I can lose weight
-I don't believe that, once I lose weight, I'd be able to keep it off.
-I exercise a lot (way more than I should probably, 3- 4 hours a day) and so it really comes down to how and what I eat.
-However, I exercise so much it is hard for me to figure out how few calories I can actually eat. I tried to diet a few weeks ago and almost passed out even though I had 1800 calories that day.
So here are my goals:
1. Goal weight 138
2. Condition myself to plan to eat healthy and make it a part of my life -- make it a priority to eat healthy. I think if I had 10 or so healthy recipes I fixed regularly it would be easier, and healthy snacks. Maybe I could start freezing meals, etc. Again, I need to make it a priority and learn to take care of myself this way. I was reviewing the posts on the Whole Foods forum and I will start posting there too.
3. Also eat at regular times and figure out when I need to eat
4. Find and make a habit of healthy alternatives to express my emotions rather than eating emotionally.
5. When I find myself wanting to snack when I am watching tv or surfing the net, stop watching tv or surfing and go do something else for a while -- maybe yoga or a walk or talk on the phone or play the piano or guitar or read a book or go to sleep.
6. I need to make it a habit to sleep more and drink more water.
7. I think I should start out trying to eat 1500 calories a day and see if I still have enough energy.
8. Create intermediate goal weights -- 153, 150, 148, 146, 144, 142, 140, 138 and be very proud of myself when I achieve each of those goal weights.
9. Believe that if I change my lifestyle as indicated above (in goals 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 above) I will be able to maintain my goal weight.
So that's a good start I suppose. I look forward to talking with you all!
Hey artichokegirl, thanks for the input. self-awareness is step one, I think.
I totally agree, 5'5" and 156 is not a bad weight for some at all. In fact, I am firmly convinced some have a body type and frame that is just meant to have a bit more weight, and actually look best that way. For example, I know some very healthy, athletic people who are just built strong, they are not meant to be skinny, they look great with a bit more weight, and they carry it beautifully. As opposed to people who are thin, but look like they are trying too hard to be that way--it doesn't look right.
I've gained my weight because I've been eating like a mad dog. No mystery. That's how I know this number is not natural for me. The bingeing has definitely been work/stress-related, but now the weight is creating more stress than the work, ya know? And though you're absolutely right about a new outfit etc. and self-esteem, I would really rather diet back into the nice clothes I already have. Stubborn that way. :-)
I really think if I just stop eating like a pig, I'll settle nicely back to my natural 135-40 range, which is something I can reasonably maintain at my age (48). There's no way I can be 120-125 again, like I was in my 20s and 30s. That was great, but just not reasonable now. My aim is really everything in moderation.
My husband's 90-year-old, slim and stylish grandmother always had the best dieting advice for everyone: "Stop eating so much!"
So in your original post you wanted advice on the first day of dieting. Did you get any advice about that? I'm always reluctant to make suggestions or give advice but, as i think about other people's problems, it kind of helps me to work through my own thing on here -- we all really have a lot of similar problems. Reading your post you say you're eating "like a mad dog" and need to stop eating like a "pig." Yeah I think we all know what that's like. As someone once said to me, we didn't get this way eating carrot sticks. So what I was thinking is maybe if you found alternative ways to deal with your stress. To me, emotional eating is always a symptom that I have something else going on in my head. So why not address the problem rather than the symptom? You also can start dieting, etc., but it seems like there's something else that makes you want to eat, as you say, "like a pig" so unless you figure out how to deal with the something else, isn't it going to be hard to diet? But, you know, you've sent two e-mails and so what do I know, huh? You know yourself best.
So I was thinking one thing that would make my life really easy would be for someone to write up a menu for me each week and then tell me what to buy at the grocery store. I never really learned how to plan meals, cook, shop, or really eat from my parents. My mom did everything. I probably should learn it for myself but I think I need a push start. I may look around for a nutritionist.
Anyway, at some point I think we're suppose to go to some other thread since this is the "what's my story" thread. Maybe I'll jump over to whole foods or the weekly featherweight discussion. Good luck to you.
I hear ya, and thanks for your thoughts. My "underlying problem" right now has been too much work, family obligations, etc. Busy working mom syndrome, really accelerated in the last two years. The eating is a stress reliever. I feel "out of control" in that department, so have been similarly "out of control" in the eating. However, I have had enough of that, and am ready to get back in control, in a good way. (Guess I have "control issues." Oh well, it's always something, lol.)
As for you, yes, at your age I couldn't cook and didn't know what to eat, either. There must be plenty of menu ideas on this forum. I think overall the idea is keep it simple: grilled lean meats, fresh fruits and veg, starches in moderation, not too much salt, etc. Usually it's more economical to eat this way, too.
Anyway, yes, I am in the weekly discussion thread now, too. See you there!
Well I was always a slim child, all the way up until I was about 9 or 10. Then I started to pack on a few pounds when my family moved and I had to switch schools. I guess it was the stress and I was just unhappy. I stayed at that chunky stage until I was 16. I tried small diets that never lasted over a few days until I realized that something had to be done. I chose to try Atkins.
When I started Atkins, I was 16 years old, 5'5", and 165 pounds. I was only on Aktins for 3 or 4 months, but I stayed on the Induction phase in which you're only allowed 20g of carbs a day, because when I rose my carb level, the weight loss stopped. I didn't exercise at all, but I managed to lose about 30 lbs in that 3 or 4 months of just not eating hardly any carbs. By this time, I was so sick of meat, cheese, and eggs that I knew it was time for a change.
I switched to a 1200 calorie-a-day diet plan in which I started to exercise 5 days a week. During the course of a few months, I was getting up at 5:30 in the morning to get on the treadmill, I was doing night exercises like crunches on my ab lounge, squats, lunges, arm work with small weights, push ups, etc. During that time, I dropped down to an all-time low of 125 pounds and stayed there for awhile.
I met my boyfriend a year and four months ago. In that time, I've gained 15-20 pounds of that weight back. I'm up to about 140 pounds and it's time to get back to the grind. As of Monday, I'll be working out again and eating better. My goal is 130 pounds and to tone my body up again.
I'm 19 year's old now and it's all about feeling good about myself. It's not about guys (my boyfriend refuses to admit I've gained a pound and insists I'm just as beautiful as I always was) and it's not about impressing friends. It's about ME and I want to change for ME. And I will...I just need to figure out how.
I'm new here, so thought I'd share my story and introduce myself!
I was always very thin (like ~100lbs thin), up until I went to college at 18. Like a few of you others, I gained quite a bit of weight my first year of college (that unlimited dining hall pass seemed like such a good idea to my parents...until I was piling up my tray 3 times a day because, HEY, it was free!). I went to a different school than all of my friends, so I was pretty isolated and lonely and filled my time with food. By sophomore year I weighed in at 165 lbs...and on a 5'3 frame, it was definitely visible. I felt gross, I had to buy an entire new "fat" wardrobe, and just felt awful.
So, like lbwhite above, I went on Atkins. I also stayed on induction for a long time, and ended up losing 55 lbs, and getting down to 110lbs, which is my "ideal" weight. I went off Atkins but managed to keep my weight between 110-120 for a long time (little fluctuations back and forth, but I mostly stayed around 115, which I'm happy with). While I was in grad school up until about 8 months ago a had a very active job, which kept me in shape.
This past summer, though, a lot changed. I got a "real" office job, and now am sitting a good 8-9 hours a day. I moved in with my boyfriend, who LOVES food and never worries about his weight, so I developed less-than-stellar eating habits (we eat out a lot, and like to veg with popcorn or ice cream in front of movies at night). Now I'm up to 130lbs.
Like some of you have mentioned, it feels weird to wine about 130 lbs when there are some with so much to lose...but it still stinks to be bigger than you want. Anyway, I want to lose about 15lbs and get back down to 115. If I can make it back down to 110, I will be thrilled...but I'm happy at 115.
To do this, I've made a resolution to cook healthy meals at home at least 4 nights a week (mostly using my Crock Pot since I work all day), and eat leftovers for lunch and the rest of the nights. Eating out will be a treat no more than once a week, and more like every 2 weeks (that's really up to the BF, as I am content to eat at home every night...he's the one who gets cravings for restaurant food!). I will take my lunch to work every day instead of going out. And I will exercise at least 5 days a week, for at least 45 minutes in addition to twice daily walks with my dog. I've already scheduled the workout time in my planner, so I know that will get done (I'm a slave to the planner!).
So that's it! Thank all of you who have shared your stories as well...It's great to share this experience with you! I know that we can all reach our goals if we're determined!
So, I'm new here. This is my first post ever. Here goes:
I was always a fat kid. I played softball, but I couldn't run. I came from fat genes. When I was 15, I decided I didn't want to be that fat kid any more. I lost a pant size before I could even bare to look at the scale, so I'm guessing my heaviest was about 170. From January through July, I worked my way down to 125 by free weights and guessing on calories (I never formerly kept track), and stayed in that ball park for some time. My juinor year of highschool, my dad went in the hospital. For most of that year, he was in and out, and I dealt with it by eating. He came out more or less better again, and i had gained 30 pounds. Since then, I've been boing back and forth between 142 and 153. 142 seems to be my plato mark.
This past Christmas I've felt the unhealthiest I have since i decided to lose that first bunch of weight, and decided it was time to get my butt in gear again. I've been using fitday, this time, to formally track what I eat, and I've added cardio to the free weights.
I hope this site will help keep me motivated. It's been awesome reading all these stories.
