Hello Everyone!

I happened along this website with a desire to connect with others who are sharing the LONG journey of weight loss with me, share my wisdom, offer support and hopefully receive support.

I was struggled with my weight my entire life, starting with being the "chubby" girl in elementary school until the age of 18 where my weight topped 300+ lbs.
After years of unhappiness and with an unwillingness to go through my 20's being fat, I decided to change my life. I started in June 2000 and within a year and a half I shed 150 lbs. Over the past six years I lost an additional thirty-five more and today I fluctuate between 113-120 lbs (usually).

I would love to say that once I attained my goal life became magical and perfect and that I can now eat hamburgers and chocolate cake and still fit in a size four. That is a far cry from the truth. Food is still the center of my life, everything I eat has to be carefully considered and controlled, and my body still shows many of obesity's many battle-scars. More importantly, it takes years for your mind to catch up with your changing body, and many of my body issues have plagued me over the years. It has been enormously difficult to sift through the emotional baggage, the people who treated me badly when I was heavy who miraculously started paying attention to me after I lost the weight, and struggling with body obsession and a desire to stay thin at all costs.

Losing the weight has changed my life, and for the most part that change has been positive. However, it does have its pitfalls. My one hope is to reach out to people who may be beginning or in the middle of this journey and paint a realistic picture of losing weight. I don't feel that any of the programs out there address the psychological aspect of the process.

I hope soon to post before and after pictures of myself as well.

Looking forward to meeting new people, and good look to all with their own personal journies!

What an inspiring and delightful post!

Glad to have you aboard - I'm sure you'll find many who'd love to share their thoughts with you, especially in the Maintainers Forum.

Congratulations on your life-changing weight loss journey!

Heather

Hi and welcome to 3FC. I am in total agreement with you on so many of things you have stated in your post.

I couldn't agree with you more that weight loss programs don't address the all important psychological aspects of how one came to be morbidly obese in the first place and what it takes to try and overcome it. Much, if not all of that has to come from within, I have discovered. It's an ongoing process for sure. A process I myself am still going through, though I have hit my "goal" several months ago. A process I most likely will go through forever in fact.

Yup, food is still the center of my life as well. I plan every single bite that goes into my mouth. Yes, it's tiresome sometimes, but the alternative is much worse. So I will continue to plan and then plan some more. Losing the weight was only a small victory. Maintenace is a much bigger battle, no doubt. But with determination and that same commitment that allowed us to lose the weight, it's a battle that can surely be won. I'm sure we've got lots more in common. Our starting weights for one. I topped out at 287 lbs, though am only 5 feet zero inches.

Anyway, I just want to say congratulations to you on your incredible, life transforming weight loss. What an incredible feat! And like Heather says, please come join us over at the Maintainer's Forum. We've got an active bunch of very successful men and women there. Nothing we'd like better then seeing another "Big Loser" beat the odds and successfully "maintain" their weight loss. I hope to hear much more from you. Robin

Hi Koren, welcome to 3FC Congratulations on your weight loss! Now the fun begins - Maintenance We have a whole forum devoted to maintaining weight loss and we hope you'll be a regular there. I'm looking forward to seeing your journey in pictures!

Koren Michelle!! Looking forward to hearing more from you, so much support to give and receive here at 3FC!

Thank you to all for the warm wishes. Yes, maintenance - after half a decade it's still my *favorite* part (note sarcasm)

WOW, awesome...I'm struggling right now and you've just inspired me that much more!

I would love to know more about how you lost all the weight that you have. I look forward to hearing more and talking with you.

Wow.. I'm still in shock over your before and after photo collage, and it took me a bit to finally find the 'how' part, but I finally did! I'm still amazed..

I'm at the beginning of my weight loss odyssey, as I got up to about 230 and just felt my weight was causing me so much misery in my life.. I used to be so outgoing and when kids started noticing that I was overweight I became suddenly "shy" and "withdrawn" when that's not really "me" but rather the result of my weight.. I'm about 5'3"-5'4" which I think is about what you are - and hearing that you were overweight for a lot of your life really gives me hope that I can get down to "fighting weight"! (I've gotten down to 128 before, but I was flabby from losing too fast and not working out, looked closer to 150lbs) Because of the similarities in height/weight/age, you're definitely a major inspiration to me!

On another note, there's one book that I LOVE lately (though I don't follow the diet guidelines/recipes at the end of it), and it's called 'Thin Tastes Better'. What I like about it is it is one of the few books I've found that addresses some of the psychological motivators/factors for over-eating. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but it 'speaks' to me. May want to look at it at the library if not for the diet plan/recipes, then for the psychological aspects of it.

That being said, I completely agree that there aren't really any books out there that FULLY address the psychological motivations for overeating as well as the implications that come after losing the weight. Maybe 3FC should start a specific thread about that in the meantime?

I hear ya about dealing with those who treated you badly. Mostly my issue is about those who see you as one thing and only that. I'm an incredibly fit and getting fitter woman (started at 320, now about to dip below 290--long way to go but will happen in time). Anyway, the judgment is my harshest problem. I don't know that you ever get over the wounds it causes.... Just get smarter.

Congrats!!!!

Thanks for keeping us all in reality--- that this is a LIFE CHANGE and not just a "get rich quick " scheme.

You give me the courage to keep going. You look like a VIXEN pinup girl!!!! Oh man, I would LOVE to get to the point to take pics like that!

I am over 335 lbs and i want to loose atleast 100 lbs. Im depressed because i am out of work have no income coming in, i have 3 children and my husband leaves me now after 15 years because i am too fat for him and im not challenging enough in bed anymore, plus i embarrass him when we go out. i feel like such a failure and a ugly fat one at that. please tell me how you lost all the weight. I need to start my journey in order to live better because right now everyday i wake up feeling like im a waist of life

Hey Koren, I have gone through many profiles and goal photos, but yours are the ones that stuck with me. I love your before and after photos and the fact that you look amazing in a trikini is like the best! One of your sentences got to me, the one about not going through your 20´s overweight... neither do I . This is the year I am going to do it...no choice, my health is at risk and now is the time to do it. I wanted to know what are the kind of scares that stay behind? What about skinwise? I have a lot of stomach, and am worried that I have al lot skin "leftover" any advice? anyway jst to say that u look great once again.

Congratulations Koren, Gina, and Robin on your tremendous losses! You are an inspiration that it can be done! I know that maintenance is the most difficult as well as those last pounds near goal! Looking forward to hearing more about all of your journeys and the challenges that come with keeping the weight off, Bethz

Never think that!