I knew I had put on some weight but I hadn't had the guts to actually step on a scale for probably three, maybe four years, until this past Sunday. I went to a concert over the weekend to see my favorite band and when I woke up in the hotel the next day I could barely move. I pulled out a shirt I had just bought the previous summer and it didn't fit...it wasn't just a little snug - I couldn't button up any of the buttons. What was supposed to be a fantastic and exciting weekend with some old friends turned into one of the worst experiences of my life. I realized I wasn't just fat, I was morbidly obsese - in the very clinical sense of the word.
I went home and stood and the scale and nearly passed out when I realized that at 5'9 I weighed 310.6 lbs. I had doubled in size since I graduated from high school sixteen years ago. When I met my husband thirteen plus years ago I weighed about 190 lbs and he weighed about 330 lbs - he has a very active job and has since lost about 60 of those pounds, so I went from my husband weighing 140 lbs more than me to me weighing 40 more lbs than him. I feel really gross and uncomfortable. I sweat when I try on clothes. I'm out of breath just carrying the laundry up and down the stairs.
My mother has struggled with eating disorders her entire life and I never wanted to end up like her - bouncing up and down a 100 lbs one way or the other so I just didn't do anything when I gained the 5-10 lbs here and there. And now I have to do something. I have problems fitting into restaurant booths, I can't find tights that fit me because of my height and my weight, I can feel myself jiggling when I move.
Aside from my mother none of my friends or family really have problems with their weight so I don't feel very comfortable going to them for support because to be honest most of them aren't very empathetic to my situation. I need some kind of support if I stand a chance in losing the 160 lbs I've set as a goal. I have no delusions about being a size four, but I would be estatic if I could be the 12-14 that I was in high school. I've never really dieted or worked out before...hence being 150 lbs overweight. My diet has never been that bad - it's more eating the right amounts at the right times. I think my problem will be sticking with the lower calorie diet and actually exercising the five times a week like I set for myself. Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Hi punkrocksong,



Welcome to 3FC!! This is the right place to start! This site helped change my life and continues to inspire me and motivate me every day, I hope it does the same for you!

I learned the hard way how much I weighed last summer when I had to have some surgery. I had fought my doctor's office the whole way not getting on the scale but there is no negotiating with the anesthesiologist! They need your weight to do the meds.

Long story short, I weighed in at just over 320lbs and thought I'd pass out before getting the drugs! Needless to say, my weight was affecting my life in so many negative ways it was a real eye opener.

I am in a medically supervised diet at my doctor's office and it's only supervised because it's very low calorie and not safe to do without a professional watching blood levels etc. I couldn't have lost weight without this program. It's easy to follow, eat what I am told, do some exercise, and drink my minimum water. The medically supervised part sounds so serious but it's not. I needed guidance from a nutritionist and someone to be accountable weighing in every week.

It's been since last July that I have lost my weight and am still losing between 2-3lbs a week. I want to keep going as far as my body lets me before I get to the dreaded 1lb a week, not that it's bad but I'm hooked on the 2-3 right now!

I know that sad feeling you had when your clothes didn't fit and how you felt it changed the whole tone of the weekend. I never want to feel like that again, and we don't have to.

Have you decided on a weightloss program yet? I use myfitnesspal.com to track my calories and water intake, I love it. I also try to do 40-60 mins of exercise every day, even if it's just walking around my neighborhood, doing an exercise video online or doing my treadmill.

Good luck on your weightloss. If I can do this, anyone can!!!

Hi punk, I know exactly how you feel. Good for you for taking that first step. You'll get lots of support here. I know the journey seems almost impossibly long - but look at elvis' numbers and what she is doing - that can be you too!!

Thanks, it looks like you've done an amazing job so far! I think I am going to try to count calories for awhile until I can see a dietician to make sure I'm eating all of the foods I should. I don't think I could do something like Atkins or South Beach in the long run because of the restrictions and while Weight Watchers is a fantastic organization I feel like it would be too easy for me to cheat on it.

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!