<--- cracking me up

Anyway, my name is L and I'm from Massachusetts. I am 27 years old and have been struggling with weight all my life. I've heard "you have such a pretty face" more times than you can count. I've even worked at Lane Bryant, one of the only places a fattie like myself can shop, and the comments I heard were out of this world. If a slim girl, God forbid, walked into LB, it was like she was going to catch fat. They used to run out like they were on fire. It was hilarious.

I really have a good outlook on this and I'm looking to end my life long struggle before I hit 30. I want to do it now that way I can enjoy the rest of my life in my new, healthier bod.

Last but not least, I'm single. I'm not "out there" so to speak, but I wouldn't mind meeting a NORMAL man for a change. More than that, I'd like to meet normal guys and girls who are in the Massachusetts area who are really dedicated to losing weight.

My first day on my new diet was today. I'm miserable, of course (lol). I'm hoping to lose half of my body (130 lbs.) by next summer. I hope I get close. That would be amazing. Right now I'm going to cut out the fast food, soda and overeating and step up the exercise. Does anyone have a good tip for losing belly fat?

Write soon. I love hearing from new people.

L

You are too funny L. I would love to be an email buddy if you are up to it. I need all of the help I can get. Just pm and let me know. Take care, welcome, good luck on your journey, and God bless!

Hey woman. Sorry not from Mass, but ya got 2 Hoosiers. I used to date a guy from Mass if that counts But im 26 for another few days so i totally understand not wanting to end my 20's fat. And my best friend sounds just like you! We used to give the little girls dirty looks in LB. Oh and we weigh the same so i guess im trying to say i know where youre coming from so... Good luck and you'll love it here. This website has really kept me going.

To wenonah and blondi, thanks for the kind words! Blondi, we weigh the same!! That's cool (it would be cooler if we were both 112, right?). Anyway, it was so funny when skinny chicks would come into LB. Here are some of the bizarre things that they would say:

1. "I wish you had clothes like this in my size." -- They do, honey. They're in EVERY OTHER STORE IN THE WHOLE FREAKING MALL. Check it out.

2. "I'm not shopping for me, I'm shopping for my mother. She's fat." -- And I'm sure she appreciates your skinny *** talking about her to me.

3. Me: "Well, how big is your mom?" Skinny girl: "Reeeally big." Me: "Like my size?" (Note: I am an 18/20) Skinny girl: "No, not that big." -- Great. Apparently anything 18/20 and above is made only for elephants like myself.

4. "Do you have any size lower than a 14?" -- No, we are a plus-size store only. If you are not plus-sized, please do not buy the clothes. Only buy the jewelry.

5. "Will this fit me?" -- Yes, it is a pair of earrings. Just because we are a plus-size store, doesn't mean the earrings will only go through fat lobes.

6. "I could wear this as a dress!!!" -- Please do. I will help you try it on ... and then I will strangle you with it.

7. Skinny girl walks into the store, unsuspecting. She looks around at the sales girls. They are all beautiful, plus-sized chicks. She looks at the clothing. Sizes 22 and 26. What? Could this be ... a FAT store? OMG, I have to get out of here!!!! -- You would often see a skinny girl wander in and then wander out like the fat was going to fly off our bodies and stick to her tiny thighs. Get over yourselves. You can't catch FAT.

8. "Do you have any plain bags?" -- No, we only carry the ones that say Lane Bryant. If you are egged by your friends for carring a bag from a "fat girl" store, then you might want to change your friends.

9. Me: "What size is she?" Skinny girl shopping for someone: "Reeeeally big ... she has such a hard time finding clothes ... come to think of it, she's about your size." -- Funny, I didn't have a hard time finding these clothes. They were in my closet, along with all the other clothes that come sizes above a 4.

10. "You sell sexy underwear here, too?" -- Believe or not, heavy chicks like to wear sexy underwear. We're even classy enough to wear it under our clothes, and not outside of them.

Congratulations on beginning your journey L. The comments are hilarious!

Thanks! Too bad they're true! Don't get me wrong. I love the skinnies. All my friends are slim. It's just that some people have NO common sense!

Me gonna be giggling about this for days! We dont have any good stores over here that cater to the cuddly ... darned annoying .. the shops here that dare to think big have that section always at the back of the store (I think they feel that if we are that big we need the exercise) and its always the area that is really cramped (and ppl wonder WHY the clothes down below dont sell!?) with the worst lighting and the narrowest mirror ... one really has to wonder at the logic .. AND I have never gone into a shop and see sexy lingerie over a size 14 (which is I think about a size 10 in the US?) ... for that we have to shop online and hope that it fits right lol .. otherwise its those gross wires and itchy grotty things in among (and I do mean among .. you really have to hunt for the size lol) the gorgeous sexy lacy things that I wished to be able to wear!

I have yet to work out the logic of store designers ... why do they put the biggest clothes in the smallest areas ... why do they put the largest sizes in underwear and shoes down the bottom or at the back ... aint it easier for a skinny to bend for ages rumaging than a cuddly chick??? I think if we had a store that catered to the bigger girls over here it would get mobbed everyday lol .. we have one for the guys ... where are the girl ones????

One other thing I loved when I was in the UK .. I went into a store which had all these lovely large clothes proudly displayed with every other size ... and the prices didnt change with the size range difference either!! In NZ if you go to the "larger" sizes in the range you usually pay a few dollars more .. its almost as baffling as when you compare lingerie .. the less material used ... you know its gonna be more expensive

Thanks for the giggles .... if you ever want to chat just drop me a line .. I know Im not in your neck of the woods .... probably the furthest from it actually (I usually am wherever I go online lol) ... but the net sure helps bring people closer

I can't believe there are no plus-size stores in NZ! Where do the girls shop? Online only? Man, that sucks. LB is a great place to go (despite weirdos and such) because thankfully they have sizes that I can wear.

I think Katt should start a plus-size store down there and I will help her, lol. Who's with me?!

LOL ... give me a year lol .. I just sold my shop and want to focus on the weight rather than the books rofl ..

Im sure up in places like Auckland .. maybe even Wellington has one SOMEWHERE lol ... but I have never come across a store just for large sized women ... and considering that the govt is constantly rambling about how "overweight" our country is becoming there is obviously a HUGGGGE gap for the plus size market in NZ ... or maybe ppl think that if they make it available it will make it easier on those to be that way .. I dont know ... what I do know is that I never try on clothes in the stores we have ... I just go to the rack, find something I like that stretchs lol .. and take it home ...

I dont know if I will stay and try things on even when I do lose this weight (positive thinking here lol) ... some of the stories you hear about changing rooms eeeek ... mind you ... if I did that now I would probably blind the poor peeping sod rofl

Ive had a look at LB online ... and boy am I tempted .. but as Im not buying anything until I am at least halfway to my goal .. Im gonna save up for a couple of really nice things on there instead lol . ... my daughter already knows her wardrobe is gonna be in jeopardy when I start gettin down .... got my eye on one of her pairs of jeans .. they are soooo kewl rofl ... do you feet shrink when you lose weight too??? Silly question I know .. but she fits my shoes already (and has nicked most of them too!!) so if my feet get smaller I can get shoes I can keep rofl ... ooh ... new boots .. definitely new boots ... omg .. my shopping list is getting bigger .. I gonna have to extend my mortgage at this rate!

Actually, my feet used to be a 9 but then I lost a lot of weight quickly and they went down to an 8 1/2. However, when I gained weight again, my feet stayed the same! I've been an 8 1/2 for about 10 years now. Crazy!

Are you originally from NZ? Lane Bryant has great things. I would be more than willing to help you since I've worked there for so long. That's a great idea about giving yourself goals to buy clothes. That's what I'm going to do as well. Maybe when you get to 280 you can buy a pair of jeans (usually 30 lbs. you're heading toward a lower size). I know that since I'm super short, it takes a LOT for me to change sizes. I can't remember a time when I didn't take either a 16, 18, 20 or 22.

Hiya

Yup me a kiwi born and bred .. lol .. BUT my dad is Canadian .. so I regard myself as half n half (went to Canada in 2004 and finally got to meet my family there .. it was WONDERFUL .. had my first ever Thanksgiving with them - lots to be thankful for - and got introduced to Pumpkin Pie which I am really happy is not over here or else it would be even harder to lose the weight lol).

Happy to lose half a shoe size lol .. that way my daughter wont nick my boots when I get em! I can remember when I was wearing a size 18 it was when I met my hunny and I had gotten down to that from a 32! Felt great! Just wish my butt wasnt the first thing to go in the weight loss lol ... I LOVE jeans, but havent found any that make me look like I have a butt, until now .. and Im too big for most of the ones I like lol .. forget the boob implants .. I want a butt one! Although I did catch the end of Tyra on her jeans day and I should have noted the type to get for no butts lol .. darn! Would love your help when its time for a treat

I have got another treat I reward myself with too ... Teddy bears! I collect bears of all different sorts mainly Tatty Teddys from the UK, and the Boyds little teacup/basket bear figurines and the trinket boxes ... so every little goal Im gonna look for another one to add lol ... its not make up or something on me or going somewhere .. but its very kewl to look at and think that every one of them has a special reason for being there I also collect badges .. I like to get ones that are from where my friends are .. it started when I did my travels in 2004 and I got a badge for each place I went to

So awesome, Katt. Your home will surely be filled with teddy bears because I know you'll be losing lots of weight.

My sister has the opposite problem. She's got the bubble butt, and she's found the right jeans to support her and make her look good. There are a lot of jeans here for "no butt syndrome," lol. Me, it's all stomach. My stomach is the biggest part of me and that's what I need to work on. Hopefully I can find a stomach exercise that will work with my diet to help my shed a few inches there. Tyra did have good jeans tips!

I would loooooooooove to travel, but I'm afraid to do it alone. Maybe that should be one of my goals ... taking trips.

I had never been out of NZ but always dreamed of travelling to foreign lands lol .. with my dads help (got my inheritance now instead of later so he could enjoy the experience too) I got to fulfill a little of my travelling dream ...

On my own I travelled through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, UK, Canada ... and 4 days in LA before coming home. It was wonderful, scary, exciting, lonely on occasion and I really missed my daughter and hunny as I was away for almost 2 months, but it was a wonderful experience and my next goal is to go to Hawaii with my hunny to be able to walk on the beach in a sarong at sunset

Thats a big goal .. and worth the big target Im going for I think I was just talking to my friend on the phone ... and I cant remember when I was last under 100kg .... at least 15 years ago .. even tho I got down to an 18/20 I was hovering over the 100 and to get under it was my aim .. but then I fell in love, quit smoking and my weight loss went out the window rofl. Still .. I know I have gotten close once ... and I didnt quit smoking until my second attempt (when I met my hunny .. before that I have given up for about 5 months) ... so maybe any challenge I do thats two shots at lol ... seems to be a pattern for any other challenge I have set up for myself lol ...

That's awesome. I'm proud of you for traveling alone. Maybe I'll meet you there in Hawaii. I'll be in a string bikini (I hope ..., lol).

Its a deal lol .. not gonna wear a string bikini .. it sooooo looks uncomfortable rofl .. my goal is Jan 08 lol .. not the best time of year I suppose .. but then .. as Im doing this we may have to put it back for more the middle of the year over here (winter time) so we can have a warmer break But the next 18months are for weight loss .. hopefully that will be enough time