Edit: Finally got over my shyness and put up some photos in the Goal album!!
Hi, Everyone!
My original goal when I joined this site was 150, but I lowered it by 5 lb to give myself a bit of a buffer. I’ve been so close to 145 in the past couple of months... I was losing quite steadily until my health conditions started to give me grief in early September, and I've been flickering between 146.5-149 lb ever since. This past week I've had some new health issues, and I’ve come to the conclusion that body isn't healing itself the way it needs to.
I have to wonder if the weight loss is getting to be too taxing for it with both the emotional stress of aching to see that scale go down and the physical stress of cutting calories.
So, I've decided to maintain at around 148 lb and give my body a bit of a break from the stress of pushing for those last 3 lb. This leaves me at a nice round 40 lb lost.
So!
My story
Pretty straight-forward: the freshman 15 account for me getting from an athletic 135 lb to a soft 150 lb (too many grilled cheese sandwiches and steamed milks). Then, I got very ill in 2000 and wasn't diagnosed until 2002 with Interstitial Cystitis. In that time, I had a bunch of medications thrown at me because doctors couldn't figure out what was going on (the antibiotics alone, I had 13 different courses in 6 months), some of which made me gain weight...add that to being pretty much bedridden, and it's no surprise that I gained. When I was finally diagnosed, I was put on more meds that helped me gain. I ended up gaining ~40 lb from the illness. I always told myself that I would focus on getting well and worry about the weight later. Well, that finally happened in February 2006, but it took me a little while to remember that I was supposed to be losing, until I had a scare with irregular heartbeats, which I think was the world's way of telling me to get off my butt! So, in January 2007, with my illness finally under control, I started working to lose my weight.
Plan: started out at 1500-1700 calories per day, then 1400-1600. Get to the gym 4-5 times per week during lunch hour; lots of walking and such. Weight training & cardio.
So, here are some stats...
Stats:
Start weight (January 22nd, 2007): 188 lb
Current weight: 148 lb
Start BMI: 31.3
Current BMI: 24.5
Start body fat %: 39.6
Current body fat %: 24.0
Starting waist measurement: 34”
Current waist measurement: 25.5”
Starting pants size: 15
Current pants size: 5 or 7
I don’t have full measurements from when I started this, but here is a comparison of my first and most recent set of full measurements.
Measurements: March 1st, 2007 (178 lb)
waist = 32", hips = 42", thigh = 26", arm = 14"
Measurements: October 1st, 2007 (147 lb)
waist = 25.5", hips = 35", thigh = 20", arm = 10"
(The widest part of my hips has actually changed, but I measured at the same place for consistency's sake. Widest part of the hips now = 37".)
Boob size did not change, for some miraculous reason...
Perhaps the fates pitied me because I was flat for so much of my life.
So, yes, into maintenance mode I go! I'll be reassessing my weigh goal on April 1st; depending on a variety of factors, I may push for another 10 lb. I need that break to give my eyes time to readjust to my frame before I decide what to do next, because my self image is incredibly messed up in my head right now! (I mentally see myself as larger than when I started...whoops. Better work on that.)
Pics coming as soon as I get home...hehe. This should be interesting...
Thanks to everyone for your help. I originally wanted to be 150 lb by New Year's, and I'm amazed that I came so far in so much less time.
PS: A bonus that I didn't expect to accompany my weight loss: My DBF, who was originally very opposed to my lifestyle changes, has totally changed his eating habits, and is starting to lose weight himself! I finally clued in to how much things had changed on Sunday. A typical Sunday dinner he might have suggested previously would have been homemade nachos with ground beef and a pop. This Sunday, we had a big salad with baked chicken breast, and he even bought sunflower seeds "as a source of healthy fat." I was absolutely floored to think about how much times have changed. To be honest, seeing that healthy habits have rubbed off on him is almost as good a feeling as reaching my goal!
Choosing to maintain. 40 lb gone forever!
from one newbie to maintaining to another!
You're very wise to choose to maintain where you are right now, rather than getting hung up on the numbers on the scales. Join us in the Maintainers forum, OK? We'd love to get to know you and hear more from you. 
Hehe... Glad your gal became more supportive of you, too. That's the joy of being with people who loves us for who we are and want us to be truly happy!
