Hi Kimberly!
:welcome3:
I'm so glad you've joined us! Congratulations on all of your health accomplishments so far. You know, I've heard/read a lot of people who say that when they study abroad in European countries in some ways it's easier to maintain their weight loss because people in Europe tend to walk more, appreciate truly delicious/quality food more, and eat more intuitively. Hopefully you will find this is true. Sounds like a great experience. I hope to "see" you around!

Countingdown, welcome to you too! I'm glad you've joined the maintainers and congratulations on all of your hard work!

Dagmar, welcome, again, glad that I see you around the maintainers forum already. ;)

Finally Introducing Myself
 

I just realized that I've posted several things on the Living Maintenance section, but never got to the Introduction part... So, here I am in a nutshell...

As far back as I can remember I've never been comfortable with my weight. I was never the biggest girl in my class, but was never the smallest either. I was always self conscious about my appearance, whether it was about my poochy tummy or my non-existent boobies. I always felt like I should be skinnier than I was - I have a pretty small frame that just seemd like it was meant to be carrying less weight than I made it carry. This self conscious feeling was compounded by my 5'3" mom who weighed 105-115 pounds when I was young and constantly felt like she was overweight. She was always talking about how she needed to diet, had to lose weight, how disgusted she was with herself for getting bigger. Looking at myself through that vision said "wow, she is disgusted with herself for weighing 105, she must really be disgusted with me for weighing 110, 120, 135, etc..." I used to hide snack chips under my bed so I could eat at night when no one would see me. I said it was because my brother always ate my favorite things if I didn't hide them, that was a lie to make myself feel better.

I outgrew her when I was in junior high so we couldn't share clothes anymore - she commented on that a lot too. As an adult, I realize that she had her own body issues, ones that she still hasn't dealt with to this day. She is still unhappy with her weight, only now it is because she went from an unhealthy 82 pounds to an only slightly less unhealthy 97 pounds. She has an assortment of health problems, all of which I track back to never eating right. It worries me. I also realize as an adult that I'm 4 inches taller than her, so it makes sense I would outweigh her, even as a teenager.

Enter my brother's girlfriend, now wife. Cute, thin, smart, big boobs, great hair, loved to shop. The daughter my mother had always wanted me to be - they shopped for clothes, talked on the phone, shared clothes. I acted like it didn't bother me and told people how bad she was for my brother and treated her like poo. :( As an adult, she is great for him - and I learn as a grown up that her thin was hard fought.

I let myself gradually gain weight all through high school and college, always telling myself 'when I weigh XXX' I'll do something about it. Never did anything about it. When I graduated college I was in a size 16-18, weighed somewhere in the 140 range - didn't really weigh myself, didn't want to know. Took a job I hated out of state for a year, came home just under 150, started working as a trainer for a fast food franchisee. I was on my feet all the time, but was eating fast food every meal. Lost back down to the 145 range, but ate nothing but french fries it seemed.

Enter alcoholic ex-husband, well at the time, he was soon to be husband who told me he had stopped drinking. :) I ran all the time, lost down to 135 before our wedding - the on my feet all the time thing. Didn't have any healthy habits, just running flat out, never eating, stressed all the time weight loss. He commended the weight loss, but bought me 'fat clothes' anyway. Constantly talked about my SIL and the bikini he saw her in the first time he met her. Reality crashed in on me just before the wedding, but too late to cancel out... I focused in on the good things, well, I only told my friends the good things, lets put it that way. :( I left him weighing back at 147 in 2001.

I wavered up and down from that 147 for a year, always staying just under that magic '150 will be when I change things'. Then, I crossed 150, the next 'I'll change then' because 155, then 160, 165. At 165 I started taking kickboxing and yoga four nights per week - never lost a pound. Did it to support my Starbucks twice a day habit... I kicked my constantly refilled at every restaurant stop Dr. Pepper habit for the same Starbucks habit. Luckily, the soda habit never came back. The kickboxing and yoga faded away.

Enter my now DH in 2005 (and his son, an infant when DH and I got together) - I was 174 when we got together. I dropped to 145 in the first few months by stopping the snacking (yes, I still hid food in my bedside table, even when it was just me in the apartment), eating more cooked meals, and having a vigorous new sex life. Hey, it was exercise! :p

We got married in Nov 2006 and I was 134 at that time. I maintained it for what felt like about a minute and a half... was back up to 145 in Jan of 2007. Hovered between 143-147 until this year when I decided I needed to do something. Was there a trigger event? Sometimes I say no, sometimes I say yes. I halfheartedly counted calories starting in August of 2006 when DH and I moved into our new house - didn't get really into it until May. DH bought me a dress for my birthday that was the right size for when we got married, but snug for May 2008. (He didn't see the ten pounds impact on my clothes because I didn't let him, he wasn't trying to be mean. He started dating me when I was 30 pounds heavier, he didn't care what I weighed.) He also bought us tickets to Les Mis, for this weekend actually, and I wanted to be able to wear the dress to that event. It is at the tailor right now getting altered, because it is now two sizes too big... :carrot:

I've had other 'ah ha' moments this year - about my mother and her own weight issues, about the fact that she can't see me as smaller than my SIL. For years she bought me a larger size than SIL, because I was larger, then when it flipped and I was the smaller one she still bought me one size larger most of the time. That hurt my feelings, but I'm learning to let it go, and educating my mom to who I am now. SIL and I are actually both dieting and exercising at this point, she is likely always going to be bigger than me now, and she is dealing with that too. We are all working on our issues together. The most recent hurdle was convincing my mom I wasn't wasting away and making her tell me why a size 6 was too small a size for me to be, but not for SIL. Still don't think we are quite done with that, but, a work in progress...

I chose to marry a man with a child when I was always saying I never wanted kids - I love the fact that I can be a part of this wonderful little boy's life. I can see me in some of his behavior and it makes me feel good about who I am and the choices I've made. I want him to see me as an example of a strong, healthy woman.

I'm terrified of maintaining because I'm convinced I'll gain all the weight back. I've never been the engineer of my own weight loss in the past and I have doubts about my ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I've worked hard to craft menus that are workable, eat new foods (I discovered I love brocolli, tomatos, carrots, yogurt, almonds, a lot of things I would never have eaten before), build good habits. I exercise a lot now - so much that I know I will hit a wall eventually and that will drop a little, so I'm learning what I need to do now so I can adjust with the future. I have come to love the way I feel with exercise - never thought that would happen...

So, the questions:
1) This is the first time I've tried seriously to lose weight. Other weight loss efforts happened to me by circumstance, I can't take credit for them.
2) Am I where I want to be? Yes and no. I'm at goal, but not shaped the way I would like to end up. I'm shaped completely different than I was six months ago, but I know I still have room to improve.
3) How has my life changed since I've lost the weight? I feel like I am who I'm supposed to be, not who I've let myself be the last several years. I'm more confident, more comfortable in my relationships. I have to credit DH for a good bit of that - he always sees who people could be and encourages them to make themselves better without beating down or disparaging who they are that minute. He is a change agent in the lives of people around him, not just me.
4) What is maintenance like? Well, I'm only a week and a half in and I'm still scared to death. I started maintenance at 124.8, jumped to 126.1 after the first week, to 127.3 yesterday, but am back to 125.4 today. I'm researching some changes I made recently to my exercise pattern and realize that is the most likely reason for the change. So, for me, maintaining is about learning myself and my patterns. There will likely be more ups and downs, I'm going to learn how to weather them.
5) Do I exercise regularly? 6 days per week of 45 min cardio, either elliptical or stationary bike right now, want to add in using the weight bag in place of a couple of those I think. Three days per week of 50 min strength training on my Weider home gym. Yoga, pilates or ab video (10 - 20 min) every day before cardio. I might be a little over the top with the exercise right now, so it could settle down in the future to less total time, maybe not. I'm channeling my fear of increased calories into more exercise right now!;)
6) Concerns now that I'm at goal? I already answered that up there - scared I won't be able to maintain the changes I've made. Scared that I'll sit back down and let life happen to me instead of me controlling it. Scared that a hershey kiss will make me gain five pounds. Scared that I'll still be 'hands shaking, a little nauseated' scared about maintenance a year from now and won't learn how to live without the fear.

So, moral of the story, I've taken control of my life in the last few years. I left a dead end job I'd had for 12 years for a position I hoped would be permanent, but turned out to be a bad fit. I used it as a springboard to the position I have now, which is a great fit. I love my job today. I'm using my knowledge and skills to influence, not sitting back like I used to and doing just enough to get by. I've done the same thing with my weight - I'm making changes, not just getting by. This website was a big part of that process - I learned things here I don't think I would have learned anywhere else. I can rant here, I can vent here, I can learn here, I can support other people here with things I learn. I firmly believe that I can do this. I can maintain, I can improve, I can survive.

wow, that was longer than I expected...:o

But it was a fantastic read! :)

I was fat from the time I was little. I have no idea when I actually became classified as "overweight" - my parents were both heavy, and I guess in my mind I just took it as being what it was - I didn't associate it with my eating.

I've been home-schooled all my life, and when I was younger all of my fun activities included reading, watching television, playing video games, doing crafts – all sedentary activities. I didn’t really have anyone to play with, so I rarely went outside or walked around the neighborhood.

After I joined Girl Scouts, I started to see that weight isn't something like hair color and height - you don't inherit it. Being around a group of girls that I was by far the heaviest of made me feel like the odd one out. They had their own little clique – and while I know that that was because they went to the same school, I always blamed my weight on why they wouldn’t accept me.

Before I went to a Girl Scout camp I had a physical; I weighed a whopping 160 pounds. This was the first time my weight really hit home for me, because my mother (who had started exercising regularly) weighed the same amount and was 5 inches taller than me. I decided that I needed to get serious about losing weight, starting now.

At the camp I started by hiking around a bit and forgoing dessert. I also ate a lot of the salad bar (though not knowing much about calories, I did eat a lot of Ranch dressing). After I cam home in a week, I had dropped two pounds. That was enough to start getting me motivated.

I started walking and doing workout tapes with my mom. Gradually, I started to eat fewer desserts and less junk food. I also started eating healthier foods. It wasn’t until after my family moved though, that I started to see real results. My family moved near a Navy base that we have full access to. This allows us free gym access. My mother, father and I all started going to the gym four times a week. I still remember the first time on an elliptical. I had never experienced any kind of workout that rigorous, but the feeling of pride I experienced after finishing on it was enough to keep me going.

So, here I am, 45 pounds lighter, happy, healthy, and hopefully remaining so.

My story...
 

I have never had a weight problem growing up, althought I was almost 2 feet long when i was born ;) By the time i was 12, i was 5'11" and hovered around 145-150 ish. Around age 13 i developed a late night binge habit, although at the time i had no idea that that is what i was doing, i just thought i liked larger snacks than most people. I did not gain weight until a few years later, over about a year i put on 40 pounds. I realized it beginning of my sophomore year of high school and went on an innocent "diet". Well 50 pounds and 2 months later, I found myself in an eating disorder hospital with some nice nutritional deficiencies. 6 weeks later i came out at a healthy weight and a much better outlook on things. I maintaned my weight for a few months with minimal slipups, and then i got a boyfriend...Who loved to eat. I slowly began to put on weight and while i was not thrilled with it, i did nothing to stop it. After we broke up, i spiraled out of control pretty bad with drugs, drinking etc, and the binge eating came back full scale. Within 4 months I was up to 275 and while it scared me enough to stop the gaining, i did not make any effort to lose it.
For 4 years i stayed at that weight, had awful eating habits, and was basically completely out of control with everything going on in my life. Although i was completely aware of how big i was, i told myself the usual excuses of "well its better than being too thin", "Im tall so i cant look THAT big". I was, however, completely miserable. I refused to go anywhere, would never have my picture taken, and absolutely HATED shopping. But despite how unhappy I was, I did not stop the binging.
Sometime in august of 07, i had a random idea to weigh myself, and the scale said 252. I was not sure how long of a time period i lost those 23 pounds, but as soon as i saw that they were gone, something clicked. That day i decided I was going to see if i could lose anymore. I did not set any goals or follow any particular plan, just started making better choices and taking a walk everyday. To my surprise the pounds started FLYING off. For months i was losing 4 pounds a week minimum. I suppose its because my body type is just not naturally heavy, and i have been told being young helps. I decided in the beginning to not count calories, because i was afraid old habits would come into play. Well around january i hit my first plateau at 170, and thought i was well enough to start counting again. I was wrong:^: Between february and july it was pretty rough, i told myself i was not going below 1200 a day, although looking back it was probably close to 600. And my whole plan of "eating healthy through the week, treat yourself on saturday" turned into full scale restricting during the week, full scale binge on saturdays. I felt sick and cold all the time, was not losing any weight, and was just overall not healthy
Beginning of july i crashed. It was a saturday and on top of the tens of thousands of calories i had already consumed, I ate 2 pints of ben and jerrys and got awfully sick. The next morning i realized I had a choice, I could just quit and go back to my old eating habits, or buckle down and get healthy. I chose the latter. I did some research, started a food journal, and started eating 6 balanced meals a day at around 1600 cals. And what do you know, once i started eating more, those last 15 pounds came right off.
As of now, I do have some bad days where i don't eat enough, but the good thing is i LOVE working out. Running, weight training, you name it I'll do it. But if i don't eat enough there is no way i can work out the way i want to, and i love the feeling i get from running a few miles so much better than the feeling i get after skipping a meal. Now I am just trying to keep up that happy medium, trust myself and learn to read the signs my body is giving me.

Sorry if this seems so long and rushed, on my break at work and wanted to get this down. Thanks for reading!

Tell us about yourself! I name is Jason. I lost 130 lbs on WW. I have kept it off now for over a year. Looking for weight loss and maintenance talk. Love to encourage others.

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight? I tried everything before and WW coupled with running took the weight off and has kept it off thus far.

Are you where you want to be? Right now I would like to lose 7 lbs max. I would like to be in the 170's but my life time hope is to stay under 185 and I am there so that is a good thing.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight? Well, I can breath. HAHA. Everything is easy from running, sleeping, sex, driving, working, etc. I love it.

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you? It is good but a struggle still. I find myself wanting to just say screw it and binge. I keep it in check most of the time but that is why I am here. I want to be able to talk about the issues.

Do you exercise regularly? I do. I get around 50-80 AP's a week and my goal is at least 5-7 hours of activity. I am current planning on running my 5th ultra marathon, the Strolling Jim 40 miler in May.

Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns? Gaining it back and losing control over my eating. It freaks the heck out of me.

Tell us about yourself!

I joined 3fatchicks in January of 2007 . Over a period of 8 months I lost 80 pounds. I walked with WATP until I was fit enough to work out with Jillian's Girls.It was fantastic. I changed my eating habits and my son began to also understand how eating could change his ability to perform as an athlete at school.

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?
This was the first time I seriously did something about it. Between the babies I managed to lose weight, but I would gain it back again.

Are you where you want to be?
Well no, I am four pounds over the weight I had when I stopped posting at 3FC.I never made the 142 pound goal I set for myself mainly because I was so happy at the spot I was in.Right now eating is still healthy with a burp here and there. Exercise is 5 days a week because it's apart of my job.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?
I think that is a huge part of my story. I am now a single Mom, working on getting a divorce and dating. I live in the city and gave my beloved horse away. I work full time as a catering assistant around food after being a SAHM for five years.I can climb an 8 ft fence and the last trek on the bike was for 25 miles.

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
Maintaining is easier than dieting as I don't measure calories. I look at fat and protein no longer use fitday although I have visited there to remind myself of the way life was when I started. I do have one day a week that I make a turkey burger or fix myself eggs and cheese on the grill.

Do you exercise regularly?

Part of job involves walking a facility that employees 3600 people.I no longer lift weights, but cases of soda and water. I sit down at lunch and for a small morning break. Before I moved to the city and was hired for my job I ran the stairs at the small high school stadium. Regular jogging gave my knee fits- but I knew I had to so something to keep at it.I still do some pilates and yoga on weekends when my kids are with their Dad.

Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns?
I know that my muscle mass has changed from when I was lifting and being true to plan. I don't think it is an issue of weight loss, but I just need to eat cleaner and focus on getting more exercise on the weekends.

Hi Jason and Sirak, welcome to the maintainers forum! We're so glad that you're here. Congratulations to both of you on your successes so far, and successes to come as well. Please dive in to our weekly chats about the trials and tribulations, as well as all of the rewards and day-to-day shtick that goes along with weight loss and maintenance.

Jason, I hope you won't be intimidated by the fact that the maintainers forum is mostly women, though we do have a few men who pop in from time to time. Please, jump right in! ;) A lot of us on the board sometimes experience the "just wanna binge" feeling that you mentioned, and I find it's a great help to me to have 3fc to come to when I get that feeling.

Sirak, it sounds like you've been making a lot of changes in your life lately! It sounds like you've got a wonderful job that lets you be active, too.

Tell us about yourself!


Here the California poet Kim Noriega looks deeply into a photograph from forty years ago.

Heaven, 1963

It's my favorite photo--
captioned, "Daddy and His Sweetheart."
It's in black and white,
it's before Pabst Blue Ribbon,
before his tongue became a knife
that made my mother bleed,
and before he blackened my eye
the time he thought I meant to end my life.

He's standing in our yard on Porter Road
beneath the old chestnut tree.
He's wearing sunglasses,
a light cotton shirt,
and a dreamy expression.

He's twenty-seven.
I'm two.
My hair, still baby curls,
is being tossed by a gentle breeze.
I'm fast asleep in his arms.


I share this poem because it happened to me too. I am over fifty and have been on a healing journey my whole life. Not all trauma survivors become obese but I did. Most of my adult life was spent on the yo-yo train so at times I was overweight and others at around 160 pounds. I became morbidly obese after a triggering event. I was attacked with a knife and that was when food became my only medication and friend. Trigger because when one has PTSD everything seems to go out of control. So I was out of control until I reached my highest weight in 2002. January 2003 made a resolution to become healthy when I got sleep apnea, heart palpitations and was diagnosed prediabetic. I did South Beach and walking 10k daily in 2003 and lost 85 pounds. Regained 33 pounds the next year and hovered around 170 until I joined this forum this year. I decided enough's enough!

Tried SB again and had an initial loss but when I moved onto Phase 2 the added carbs triggered binges.

Reread Atkins book and began to follow that WOE. From the end of July to December it was a steady loss curve down until goal was reached.

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?
I have tried may times to lose weight.

Are you where you want to be?
:goodscale Most definitely! This weekend my friend and I are going to to Whistler where we discovered a recycled clothing store (mostly brand name) and do some heavy duty shopping. Then we will go snowshoeing later.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?
It has been wonderful. I no longer have sleep apnea etc. and I stick to my WOE so no cravings. Did I mention newer clothes? Imagine going from wearing size 38 waist men's jeans to women's jeans size 4. :cool:

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
I still consider myself a brand new maintainer and so far it is going well. So well that even though I am eating more I have lost three more pounds.
I survived my birthday, Christmas and New Years day parties. Gained a pound or two but adjusted my eating and lost it.

Do you exercise regularly?
Yes daily. I walk 10k and did 30 Day Shred which I am going to do it again. Also doing 100 day push ups program. :faint:


Now that you're at your goal, what are your concerns?
I am an emotional eater so I use mindfulness meditation to keep in touch with what is real for me. Observing my thoughts which trigger feelings= binges has been a saving grace.

I also read the forums daily. Especially the maintainers threads where I have read a ton of good information. :thanks:

And anything else that you might want to share with us!
My cat Felix. He is in his tux.

http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/o...caryfelix3.jpg

INtroducing myself!
 

My name is Jessica, I am 27.

I grew up obese. My family was all obese. I ate a lot; we all did. I also stole and hid food--not sure why. I did that up til my freshman year of college--can we say I was the WORST roommate ever?? At least once I went to a warehouse-type store and bought a retail box of candy--the kind you buy if you own a convenience store--and ate it within a few days. I always swore I'd never binge and purge--at least, never purge. I was sure that throwing up my food wouldn't help me learn the over-eating lesson, and would plunge me down the narrow rabbit hole of bulimia. So I'd eat until it hurt, especially when with other people. I couldn't stop til it was too late. I blamed my mom for teaching me bad habits, for emotionally abusing and neglecting me, etc. It wasn't until a kind friend reached out to me that I started thinking maybe I could try losing weight--and it wasn't until I realized that my mom may have made me a fat kid, but I'D made me a fat adult, that I could really own my weight, whatever it was--and change myself.

* Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?

I struck gold on the second attempt. The first was just very ill-informed, so I was kinda sunk from the start.

* Are you where you want to be?

Yes and no. I feel like I could lose my five more pounds and be numbers-happy for the rest of my life, but I am flabby and have loose areas that I really want to tone. I feel like that is attainable for me for the first time. If the scale never budged again, I guess that's be fine. But I DO need to lower my body fat, so that's my next big thing.

* How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?

Hmm, let's see, I got my first kiss! And a lot of other firsts. I am engaged. I have a lot more confidence and ownership of my life now. I care about myself, I like who I see in the mirror. I can ride amusement park rides, and horses. I can sit on play equipment with my friends' children and not worry about breaking it. I ride a motorcycle now...something I would NEVER have done, in a million years, before I lost weight. At least in part because I was so certain I would suck at it. I wear regular clothes, pretty dresses, cute underwear--no more Just My Size, etc. I have a way smaller chest now, but I also don't have a "Shelf" under my bra band. Little things like that make me feel like I fit myself now, when I never did before. People who meet me now and find out I used to be fat won't believe it. People don't see fat first, me second. That's huge. I eat more frequently. I eat SOY! Tofu! Veggies! (sometimes). My favorite foods are the same, and I still eat them, I just realize that there are a lot of ways to prepare things like pizza without loading up on bad stuff. I make a lot of foods at home. I eat a lot less red meat. I can walk places and not get winded--ditto for stairs. I can run when I want! Sometimes I run across the room when it isn't necessary just to do it. I am not afraid of being looked at anymore.

* If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
It's a lot of habitual behavior, being easy and hard on myself at the same time. It means watching my portions without even thinking twice. It means eating sweets if I want, but integrating it into a whole eating plan and being mindful that if I eat too much of one thing, I am going to miss out on a lot of other really tasty and satisfying food--but I have the strength to hold myself to that consequence. It means realizing that my diet is fluid. It changes. It means listening to my body. It means working out often enough, and with purpose. It means eating, and really loving food--more now than I ever have. I can ALWAYS CLEAN MY PLATE if I serve myself sensibly to begin with. :D

* Do you exercise regularly?

I have been. Currently I am between gyms and it is hard. I do yoga and pilates at home when i can't go to the gym. But for the last month it has been tough.

* Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns?

The honest truth? I am terrified to get pregnant. Terrified. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to get fat again. I want to be a mom someday, but I am really afraid. I don't want to be like my mom, who got fatter with every child, until she couldn't do anything fun with us. Not wanting to be like her is one of the things that kickstarted me into losing weight to begin with.


It's cool to be here. For a long time I wanted no one to know I'd been fat, because I just so desperately wanted to be normal. But I can feel proud of who I am, who I was--not just a sad, fat girl, but a fat girl strong enough to change her life a pound at a time.

That's me! I have a dog and a man I love who supports me in my goals and is committed to helping when I need it--we eat together, work out together, etc. He's an athlete/body builder of sorts, so he is helping me get some muscle!! I Will Never, Ever weigh what I once did. I will never again be obese. That is my commitment, and its been...4 years since I lost my first 50! (now 75 and counting.)

Hi Jessica and :welcome3:! Thanks for sharing your story and wow, congrats on maintaining for so many years! You were so, so smart to get it together while you're still young and have so many years ahead to enjoy your new body and life.

We hope to see lots more of you!

Welcome!

thanks
 

Thanks for the welcome! I'm happy to be here!

Hi Jessica! What a great story! (and kind of like mine!)

I can relate to the fear of getting pregnant. It seems so weird and vain to fear the unkown in regards to pregnancy. I've been doing this new lifestyle for 5 years, over which time I got married. For a loooong time I was worried about how pregnancy would figure into maitenance, but the longer you maintain and "get the hang of it", the more secure you may become :)

Welcome to 3FC!

First, I want to say that I truly and deeply admire everyone who has lost and kept it off! There are SO many great role models here. You all just totally ROCK and, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for sharing your struggles and triumphs and all the stuff in-between.

Someday maybe I’ll post my whole long story in the Success Stories Goal Section (with all the tragedy and drama and stuff) but for now I figured I’d just answer the introduction questions:

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?
This is “One of many”. I did a lot of unhealthy "diets" (translation=starvation) in my youth, but I won't go there for now. I remember joining one of the places where you buy the food from them when I was in my mid or late 20s, but I only had maybe 15-20 lbs to lose at that time. Many memories are fuzzy back in those days.

I first started moving into the seriously overweight category in my early/mid-thirties. In... 1999 or 2000? I joined WW and lost from 150-ish down to 120. Six months later I was back up to 150, then got pg with twin girls. They were born in 2001, and I lost for a while - back down to around 150 again, then started gaining (3 teenagers, two babies, full-time job, a LOT of personal stress, an anxiety disorder that was out of control, mild depression, tough days... ). In Jan 2003 I hit a new high of 170, then I joined an online subscription diet service. I lost 50 lbs in 8 months – hit my goal of 120 in Aug 2003, then had a pretty major disaster/tragedy a few weeks later - if I thought I was stressed out before, I hadn't seen nothin yet! I started stress/comfort eating again, and by the end of 2004 I weighed 178. I have some really sad pics -- me at goal in Aug 2003 holding out my "too big" pants, then at 178 in Oct 2004 wearing the same pants & shirt which were way too tight. Actually in the avatar those are the same pants - I still have them.

When I was finally ready to try again in early 2005, I decided to take it very slowly, baby steps – so I’d lose maybe 20 lbs, maintain for a bit, start gaining, put on maybe 10 or so, get serious, lose another 15-20 or so, etc. I got down to 145 in, I think it was late 2006? Then at the end of 2007, by the time the holidays were over, I was back up to 164, so knew I had to get serious about losing and learning to maintain.

I joined a free diet support forum and set my goal at 135 b/c it was at the top of my healthy range – I figured I’d have the best chance of maintaining a healthy weight that way. I told myself that if I could maintain for 6 months, then I’d try losing a bit more, maintain a while, etc. I reached 134.5 on May 1st, 2008, down to 128 in Nov 2008, back up to 135 after Christmas, and am on my way back down now.

Are you where you want to be?
I feel good about my progress, and about being where I am (as opposed to where I was). At the same time, I still have goals. Eventually I think 120-125 would be a good, healthy range for me, but it depends on fat/lean% and other factors like how my body responds. I’m in no rush. I’m just enjoying the journey of healthy living. My primary goal is not gaining. Don't cross the red line! And sitting w/my toes on it isn't feeling too good either.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?
Which time? lol! Life changes daily, but some of the things on my ‘being healthy gratitude list’ include:

• I have more energy to play with my 7 yr old twins, and I'll live long enough to play w/my grandkids and great grandkids....
• My knees and back ache less
• My skin doesn’t feel tightly stretched and itchy all the time, like a snake preparing to molt
• My thighs don’t rub together when I walk (they don’t get chapped from my pants, and they don’t make that awful “swish-swish” noise with every step)
• I can cross my legs “like a lady” when sitting (at higher weights, my thighs are too fat to sit with my legs crossed at the knees – it just doesn’t work)
• I don’t huff and puff walking up a flight of stairs
• I’m more confident. Most of the time I feel pretty, occasionally beautiful (and sometimes even sexy)
• If I have trouble finding “my size” while shopping, it’s the clothes that are too big instead of me being too big for the clothes
• There are a billion other things, but most of all I’m just grateful that I’m healthy enough to walk and run and play and laugh and have an amazing life!

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
Like losing, only less exciting :lol: As you all know, preventing weight gain takes just as much diligence in exercise and portion control as losing does, only without the “big bang” rewards. When losing there’s the rush and excitement of change-something new, the thrill of victory when the scale drops another pound or two or three, the anticipation/excitment of having people notice and say, “wow, you’ve lost weight, how'd you do it”, you get to dig out your “skinny clothes” from the back of the closet and/or shop for cute clothes in smaller sizes… the list goes on. It's hard, but it's also exciting.

Maintaining, by its very definition, is about remaining level – being static, stationary. There are obviously rewards during maintenance, but they aren’t often of the “big bang” variety. They are slower, further between, and most of the time much more subtle. The "wedding" was thrilling, the "honeymoon" full of romance and new experiences, but those are over and now it’s just day to day life. BUt day to day life is beautiful too.

I have to learn to see beyond the immediate and come to know in my soul that good health, like most worthwhile things in life, is not about “reaching a destination” but about growing & learning & enjoying the journey. Instead of always racing ahead full-steam screaming “are we there yet?!”, I have to slow down and see the beauty in the little things all around me. That's what the "gratitude" list does - helps me to remember where I came from, what got me here, and why it's worth the effort to stay here.

Do you exercise regularly?
I know it’s important, and that if I don’t I will gain back all I’ve lost – not just the pounds, but also the misery. But I’m not always 100% on it. I believe motivation is a decision not a feeling, but even so, sometimes there are periods when it’s really tough to motivate myself. Sometimes I find I’m doing the minimum, and fighting to get myself to do that much. Other times it’s easier, feels more natural to work out and eat healthy. When I’m doing it right, I always feel better though!

Most of the long term maintainers I’ve observed get very involved in one or two competitive sports – running, biking, weight lifting, kickboxing – something that involves other people, scheduled events, and some form of competition. It seems to be a major milestone in maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle for the long-term. I see this and think, “I need that”, but as of yet I haven’t found something that makes me excited in that way, so for now I just keep plugging away at various cardio and strength workouts – elliptical, On-Demand exerciseTV videos, hand weights, floor exercises, stretching, etc. I try to get in at least 20-30 of cardio/toning and 10-15 min of stretching/toning 3 to 6 days a week, and while doing it, I try to really picture myself continuing to do this year after year and feel good about getting stronger and healthier. I want to be a good example for my kids, my grandkids, even my great grandkids!

Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns?
The same as everyone always – how do I live in a society where being inactive and overeating are the norm (even encouraged) and live comfortably doing the opposite of that? I know how quickly I can start ignoring the “signs” and start to gain – put on a few lbs, decide not get on the scale “for a few days until I get it back down", more bad choices, ignore, gain, deny, gain, whine, gain… It's a slippery slope and I’m a pro – so I just need to remain diligent and connected to solid support.

Okay, so if this is the short version, maybe I won't post the "long version" :o Anyhow, I'm grateful today to be healthy, and I know I need support to stay that way. So that's why I sought out a place where there are maintainers actively supporting each other. :D I need you!!! :hug:

Hi everyone,

I am brand new to this forum & I’m very fortunate to have found all of you. I’m 37 years old, married, a full-time working mom, & I have a 4-year old daughter. I’ve been maintaining my weight loss of 33 lbs (11 inches lost) for about 8 months now & I’ve been desperately seeking guidance & motivation on weight maintenance with little success prior to this. I’m 5’3.5” & currently at 132 lbs. I am so very excited to have found this forum. I don’t feel like there are enough hours in my day to catch up & read all of your posts & I’ve already learned so much. I look forward to posting a lot more but first I’ll start with my story:

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?
Nope. When I attended college I gained the dreaded “freshmen 15 (actually 25)” because of dorm buffets, late night eating due to studying (think – Pizza Hut), indulging in vending machine food such as candy & chips, fast food restaurants, & convenience stores. My normal breakfast was coffee (lots of cream & sugar) & a sugary pastry (i.e. donut w/ chocolate icing was my favorite). This is about the same time I met my future husband, who by the way was an awesome cook, but it didn’t help my waistline since he cooked fatty meals. I remember waking up really tired one day & thinking “I shouldn’t be feeling like this…I’m only in my 20’s!” My weight was 140 lbs. Fortunately in college I had the wisdom to seek out the advice of a nutritionist on campus & she advised I follow the low end of the FDA Food-Pyramid and educate myself to make better food choices. This allowed me to eat whatever I want but to exercise portion control. I also cut down on my sweets & fatty foods. In addition, writing down everything I ate in a steno book, along with my feelings for the day, helped me out tremendously.

I’m not sure exactly what compelled me to start running but it seemed like the perfect sport for a poor college student. So I started running…very slowly. It was especially difficult because where I lived had a lot of hills. I remember my shins hurt so badly after the 1st day but I kept going & I kept going farther & farther. I decided to enter my very 1st 10k race & the thrill of participating in a race with so many people was intoxicating & the fact that I didn’t need to run with anyone else was exciting – I was hooked! There began my “hobby” of entering races for years to come. Through portion control & running I managed to lose 25 lbs to settle at 115 lbs. Although deep down inside I knew it was an unrealistic # I was ecstatic with the results & compliments. Sure enough I didn’t maintain that weight for long. While in college I could walk to my classes, fit running in the morning before my classes, & learned to choose healthier foods at the on-campus food courts & restaurants I frequented. However, life changes: I graduated & started my 1st real job at a bank. Eventually I gained back the weight …albeit slowly.

Suddenly, I was working a full-time job that left little room for running, except in the afternoons – the hardest time for me because I was exhausted at the end of the day. In addition, I was surrounded by unhealthy food (pastries, candies, cake, etc) that customers or my co-workers would bring. Finally, there were new restaurants (Italian) nearby that I wasn’t used to making healthy choices. Although it took a while, slowly but surely over the years I began to gain the weight back & then some. During those years, I still managed to enter races but I would mistakenly say to myself “I run so I can eat” & began making poorer food choices and eating bigger portions. I would still be in denial even as I bought bigger sized clothes & donated my old clothes away. Meanwhile, my husband continued to cook fatty meals (fried chicken cacciatore with lots of pasta & cheese, pork chops with cream sauce, steak, fish baked with mayonnaise & Portuguese sausage, tons of white rice) that we both willingly indulged in.

In addition, our get-togethers with both our family & friends were primarily food centered. We also hosted a lot of bbq’s at our home & food became a means of socialization. We’d all eat to our hearts content & sit around afterwards feeling like beached whales. In addition, our camping parties also consisted of a table laden with unhealthy food choices & minimal veggies if any. Many times I would wake up in the middle of the night with indigestion. I started working for a new company several years later as I hit my 30’s at 130 lbs. Eventually, I gained even more weight at a faster rate & in just a mere 4 years later I was at 145 lbs as the denial, shopping of bigger clothes, & donating of old clothes continued. I would scoff at “heavy” pictures of me and continued to avoid weighing myself. My running was inconsistent at 1-3x a week (if any) as I made up any excuse not to run (rain, tired, no time). Although I’d still enter races, I’d train in short bursts before the race, complete the race in really slow form, & completely stop running afterwards for weeks or months at a time.

During that time, I said to myself since I lost the weight that 1st time in college & I should be able to do it again so I followed the same process: I studied the food pyramid & ate at the lower end, wrote down what I ate & felt as well as my goals, bought healthy foods, and continued to enter races. Yet, I was really frustrated because if the weight came off it was a very slow process. Finally, I would get bored with being healthy & I’d go back to my poor eating habits & run sporadically. This cycle would continue for years as I avoided the scale even though I knew in the back of my mind I was getting heavier.
Additionally, even though I knew how to eat healthy & that I needed to run more, I would falter during my PMS days, when I’d get sick, after a big party or bbq, etc. So I’d fall off the wagon, & stop running & eat like crap – fried foods, pastries – for immediate gratification. It would only be about 1-2 lbs up & down but it was a painful 1-2 lbs and eventually, a few more pounds would show up the scale.

I was finally on my way to losing a few pounds then I got pregnant & gained 40 lbs during my pregnancy – probably a little more than I should have. Of course I completely stopped running & ate whatever I wanted, which included a lot of fatty foods and take-out. I knew it was going to be difficult to lose the weight and I wondered how I would ever fit running into my schedule again after being a mommy.
Someone told me I could start exercising about a month after giving birth. Yeah, right…try a year. I started running but I was still inconsistent. I was really tired from lack of sleep in large part because I was still breastfeeding & my baby didn’t “sleep through the night” like everyone else’s. However, I did start on weight watchers with some co-workers so we could all provide support to each other. Although I didn’t really follow the plan to the tee, I learned a lot of information about portion control & especially liked the weekly weigh-ins as I slowly started to lose some weight.

Finally after I weaned my daughter off I put back on some 5-lbs within month & that’s when I decided I really needed to get serious about it. I had ballooned to 165 lbs, I was exhausted all the time, and I really hated myself in pictures. In addition, I couldn’t believe I had to buy a size 12 pants! Although they were loose I was determined not to go up another size. In addition, my tops were edging close from medium to the large sizes. One day I was complaining to someone at work about how too tired I was to exercise, & she replied “That’s how it is being a mother”. I reflected on this for a second & said to myself “NOT ME” & I made a commitment to start running again but this time more consistently. I watched what I ate & I was finally running 4x/week for at least 40 minutes. Slowly but surely I lost 10 lbs – about a pound a week during the summer months & I was down to 155 lbs. However, this plateau would last through the end of the year & I was got really frustrated.

I knew I had to do some strength training but as I researched on-line, I became overwhelmed with the amount of information out there, got easily frustrated, & kept putting it off. I never thought I’d ever hire a personal trainer but it was the best investment I’ve ever made. One day my husband told me an acquaintance we knew just got certified as a trainer & I knew I had to take this opportunity. During my first session in February 2008 she showed me proper form, tweaked my workouts (cut down running to 3x/week & added jumping rope 1x/week), & provided me a new wealth of information both on exercise & nutrition. I was on my way to losing the rest of my baby weight….

Are you where you want to be?
Yes, I’m currently at 132 lbs (-33 lbs), which is what feels “right” for my body. My initial goal weight was 135 lbs & I actually went down to 128 lbs & finally settled at this weight. Although it’s been the greatest feeling ever I know I still have a long road ahead of me because the hard work is just beginning. As time passes, I do find myself more at ease with my healthy eating habits & workouts.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?
I have so much more confidence, strength, & I have energy to keep up with my 4-yr old daughter. I also feel more relaxed, partly because I started practicing yoga too. I’ve been shopping a lot more too…which doesn’t really help my budget but I truly believe non-food rewards are important. That said I have a lot more pride about what I wear. I no longer choose loose, black clothes to cover myself. I’ve been choosing clothing that flatters my body in different colors & prints (I’m a size 6). I’ve also starting using more accessories & jewelry.

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
After reaching my goal weight, it was an adjustment not focusing on lowering the # on the scale anymore.

To keep on track, I make sure I incorporate many of my own little “healthy habits tricks” everyday. For instance, I make sure I eat every 3-4 hours so I’m not starving. I also eat when I’m 8/10ths full so I don’t feel like a beached whale after meals.

I also plan a lot prior to my “food trigger” moments. For example, prior to going to a restaurant I peruse the menu beforehand on-line so I can make healthy choices. As I face these situations more often, I’m not as nervous about them as I used to be because my confidence grows in learning to deal more effectively with these situations as I face them head on.

I’m not perfect & there are times where I eat more than I’ve planned. However, unlike the past I get back on the wagon & eat lighter at the next meal & continue with my workouts & even add an extra workout to compensate.

Compliments from others were nice at first but now I’m over it. I’m glad because I don’t need them to keep going. I’m actually kind of irritated when people ask me how I did it & when I begin to tell them they start having this glazed look in their eyes because they don’t want to hear that it’s hard work…they want a magic pill. I believe a lot of people don’t take me seriously because of comments such as “you’ve always been a runner” or “you weren’t that heavy”, etc (I have a small frame). Nevertheless, people are surprised when I tell them how much weight I lost then I get the “it doesn’t look like you had to lose that much” or “you weren’t heavy for that long” (my daughter turned 3 when I finally lost the baby weight). It’s almost as if they think I can’t possibly understand how it is to really be overweight because I wasn’t that big. Or maybe it’s because when I was really big it wasn’t for that long so it couldn’t have really had it that bad or it wasn’t that difficult for me to lose the weight.

It was a lot of hard work & although it gets a little easier it still is a lot of work. People don’t realize there is no “magical place” once you reach your goal weight where you can eat whatever you stop exercising – unless you want to gain the weight back.

Do you exercise regularly?
Yes, I have to admit, while most people struggle with deciding whether or not to workout, I find I spend more time planning my workouts in advance so when I get up in the morning I just do it. I don’t waste my time thinking up excuses. I know exercise is great for my body & I’ll feel awesome afterwards & I’ll have a better day. I think back to the times when I didn’t work out & remember telling myself if I ever get fit again I will never take my fitness for granted because I did not want to feel the way I did this very moment. I workout every other day for at least 40-60 minutes as follows with a combination of cardio (running, jump rope, stationary bike, fitness DVDs or elliptical) & strength-training (free weights, bands, or medicine ball). I also practice yoga once a week. I do not particularly enjoy strength training so I follow my “10-minute rule” & just do it for 10 minutes (most of the time I fit in at least 20 minutes).

Now that you're at your goal, what are your concerns?
#1: I’m worried about becoming overconfident & allowing the weight to creep up on me slowly like I did over the years.
However, I have tools in place that I didn’t before to keep me focused: “just fit” clothes I try on every month, I track my workouts on an excel spreadsheet, I have a calendar at home & at work with colorful stickers indicating my workouts. In addition, I enter my daily weight in the google15 – just curious if anyone does this? I used to keep track of my food on fitday but slowly weaned myself off (although I still log on & write my feelings in the journal). I think I got a bit obsessive about logging every food item & although it helped me during my weight loss period, I realized I eat pretty much the same foods on a daily basis. If I do gain the weight back (my magic maximum # is 135 lbs) then I’m back on fitday. To compromise, I made an excel spreadsheet cheat sheet indicating the calories of the foods I normally eat including cheat foods so I won’t “forget” & keeps me on track (you can tell I love excel spreadsheets).

Sometimes I worry about not being able to keep up with my workout schedule. To counter this, I tell myself as life changes, I need to be flexible. When I look back at when I regained the weight, I realized I didn’t have a back-up plan when life “happens” even though I saw it coming (i.e. job changes). I know life will change & I may not be able to have the exact workout schedule I do now but I’m confident I can find a way to fit in my workouts in one way shape or form.

I also realized my workouts need to be varied & if I want to run for a long time & prevent injuries I need to cross-train too. As I mentioned earlier, at least once a week I practice yoga and try other forms of cardio – jump rope, kickboxing, elliptical, or stationary bike. I also like taking classes at the gym at least a few times a year with friends to learn something new. This year I want to try Pilates & kickboxing.

In addition, I am very fortunate also to have a very supportive husband who understands working out is very important to me. He oftentimes takes care of our daughter so I can workout. Fortunately, he’s finally on the same page as me when it comes to choosing to live healthy. For years he had a high metabolism & I swear he could eat fried chicken every other day and not gain a pound. However, his metabolism finally starting slowed down & when he went to the doctor for a routine physical (which took me years of prodding), he received a scolding from his doctor due to his poor triglyceride, cholesterol, & blood pressure readings. So he decided on his own to start working out more consistently & watching what he ate & cooking healthier for both of us.

Another very important attitude change that will help me to keep on track is my mantra “I don’t want to take pills when I get older.” I see too many people use this as the easy way out. Genetically, I have a high cholesterol but I’m determined not to have to take a statin to keep it under control because I believe I can control it with a healthy lifestyle (incidentally, I have a cousin who takes a statin for cholesterol & now has a liver problem).

My goal when I turn 40 in 2 years is to be as fit as I am now or better =)

Hi workingmom! Glad you've joined us and thanks for posting "your story" so we can get to know you a bit. Please jump into the forum wherever you feel comfortable - we have a weekly maintainers chat, food & exercise accountability thread, and a bunch of other threads here, and there are many forums filled with interesting and supportive people all over this board. Glad you've found us! :wel3fc:

Hi there workingmom! Welcome! This forum has been very helpful to me trying to maintain my weight loss, and there are a lot of great people here with amazing success stories to answer questions and provide support! :) Like Megan said, check out the threads and jump in wherever you feel comfortable!

Hi workingmom! Welcome!

Hi
 

Hi everyone, I'm new to this. I have been visiting this website for over a year, but never actually registered to it. Now I wanted to come on here and introduce myself.

I am 25 years old. I just graduated from law school, and am studying to take the bar exam, which is next week. Growing up I had always thought of myself as the "chunky kid" or just plain fatter than everyone else. I always felt like something was wrong with me, and I focused way too much on it. I look at the pictures now of what I looked like back then, and I was a healthy weight. I have always been super athletic. I think my problem stems from the way I was raised. My parents made my weight the center of attention. I think they had good intentions, but went about it the wrong way. My mother was concerned for our health and just never wanted us to get unhealthy. However, her constant telling me to stop eating and persuading me that I was no longer hungry, always made me think I was ugly or fat. After my mom passed away when I was 13 years old, my dad increased his pressure on me. My father has always mentioned that I could lose another 5lbs. After my mother died, I did not know how to handle anything. I ended up losing drastic amounts of weight, that I now look back on and think was unhealthy. I thought that was my only way to cope.

Anyways, speeding things up to the more present time. I have always been a healthy weight and very athletic, though I believed otherwise. I started gaining some weight in college. I started college at about 112lbs. I maintained about 125lbs most of college. My senior year, I shot up to 140lbs. I started trying to diet, but kept failing. I think my whole life has been a diet. I stopped eating. I would starve myself, and I would do excessive amount of exercise. The most I would ever manage to lose was about 5lbs. Then I would hear my father tell me it was good, but 5 more was better. After a short while, I would give up and gain so much more weight. I started law school in August 2006. I had been with my boyfriend for only a short while and he made me feel so liberated, and not worried about my weight. At the end of that first year I was up to 170lbs. I tried to diet and went down to 160lbs. I was so happy for my progress, but it just was not enough for others. I gained it all back feeling like a total failure. In March 2008, I had gone up to 186.6. My father constantly mentioned my need to lose weight. For some strange reason, I felt liberated at 186.6. I felt like I had no cares and worries. I felt great for the first time in my life. I then started bumping into people that once knew me at 112lbs. I started getting a lot of comments. I also got engaged in April 2008, and figured it was about time I got serious. I then discovered this website. This website helped me immensely. Though I never posted until today, it was a source of encouragement and strength. I realized that weight could be lost and health gained by being healthy. It was possible if there was healthy food and healthy exercise. I started on a very healthy exercise and food plan. I checked calories, but never really strictly counted calories. I never went hungry. I ate to make sure I got what I needed. I worked out about 5-6 times a week for about 1-2hrs a day depending on how much time I had. I ended up losing 64lbs. I originally set a goal for 51lbs to get down to 135. When I hit 135 back in January I adjusted my goal weight to 118. I managed to get down to 123lbs the day of my wedding (April 4, 2009), and felt fantastic. I never have felt so great in my life. I managed to drop down to 122 right after my wedding and maintained it for a little while. A few weeks ago I started my incline again. I feel like such a failure at times, but I decided to visit this website again. I thought it was time to post because I needed encouragement.

I now weigh 132lbs. I cannot believe I let myself gain 10lbs in about 2-3weeks. I thought this time was going to be different. I told myself I was not going to gain weight. I never was going to let myself go above 130lbs. I must admit though, that i have no stuck to plan. I have no worked out since I started studying for the bar exam back in May. I have stopped eating healthy. I just can't seem to stop eating. I am overly stressed out about the bar exam, and my only refuge is food. I came on here to get encouragement because I do not want to relapse further. Though my father was so happy I had lost 64lbs, everyday he constantly reminded me how hard it was to drop weight. Everyday he reminds me of how much I have to eat less. When I was down at 122lbs he asked me everyday how much I weigh. I just do not know how to deal with all the pressures, and still manage to maintain. I hope I am able to get myself back on plan.

I know this was merely supposed to be an introduction, and if you read this far, thank you. I am sorry for the long post. it has just been one of those days. I ate everything in sight, I'm studying non-stop for this bar exam, and I am overly stressed out with my weight and life.

Okay I shall go back to studying now. Thanks for listening.

Hi,
I've been enjoying the posts and support of 3FC this year. I started my weight lose on Jan 20--inaugeration day. I wanted to bring "change" to my own life. But my biggest reason was I sincerely believed that weight loss would help the pain in my knees which had been developing the past year or two. I also have had back issues that core strengthening would help.

I kept a journal that reminded me of the national issues going on with a new president that sometimes paralleled my own daily work to lose weight. There were days when I had my entire agenda on track. There were days when it seemed there were too many outside issues defeating my serious efforts. I found it fun and interesting to see the similarities.

I decided in January that I hoped to get to my max BMI (145). By May, I'd had enough consistent weekly success to consider lowering my goal weight. I planned myself to lose one pound a week--through injury, illness, busy-ness, and strange outside forces. I ended up losing about 1.5-2 pounds per week. Mostly because I walked many many steps but never "counted" that as exercise. I only counted the burned calories of my early morning dvd workouts. Anything else was to hedge my math for each day's calories.

I ended up targeting 138 and looked like I'd make it by my vacation home. I came darn close at 140. On vacation, I hoped to enjoy some delicious food while keeping to my fitness intensity of the past couple months (1 1/2 hours of intense cardio, five days a week).

Unfortunately, when I returned from vacation I ended up in the ER with what now looks like my first bout with sciatica. I'd been struggling with my latest hip pain issues for a month. Vacation, running for miles and hours on concrete, and train travel did me in. I injured an ab muscle trying to flip with my injury. My sciatic nerve was causing numbness, severe tight hamstring, and weird walking gait. I also had the pleasure of experiencing a horrible rash over both my nicely toned arms that was horrible. It's called KP and a lifelong condition that is flaring up--both my sons have it too (but no flare-ups thankfully).

My office work continued to be intense and demanding. I was on daily muscle relaxers, pain meds, constant carrot juice (yuck), and evening baths with sugar/sesameseed oil exfoilation.

It's been a month and I'm slowly recovering my former strength. I've been off most meds for two weeks. I've been constantly stretching and working my hamstring and entire leg. My gait is much improved. I'm getting used to the numbness. My KP (skin thing) is completely gone. This week I have done my regular dvd routine (with the next lower weight for hand weights---5 instead of 8 pounds). Tomorrow I hope to continue this and insert my normal ab routine too.

After all this...I've gone up and down three pounds. Around my TOM, I had maxed to 144. I have binged but I've compensated with a low cal next day. I'm now able to exercise more.

I feel safe now to know that I can have serious health crisis and not turn back in to that heavy woman I was last year. I can maintain--and lose the last few pounds to perfectly fit my dream dress for the upcoming inaugeration party for our incumbant mayor (there are no other candidates this year).

For me, clothes to fit into are serious guides to my maintenance. I am dumping all my larger sized clothes. My "save everything" mindset is allowing me for once to give every single non-fitting clothes to Goodwill. I will never need them for any reason ever again--no matter what.

•Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?
-----This is my first time to combine exercise and a food plan (not a diet). I never really knew enough to know the connections of food, calories, exercise. I learned volumetrics just before I started in January and I felt supremely informed and prepared to be successful.

•Are you where you want to be?
---If I can really believe I wear size 6 & 8, then maybe I'm where I want to be. I do want to fit solidly in size 6 so I can more reliably shop for clothes.

•How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?
---I'm so much more powerful. I am defending myself to women who normally can be very passive agressive with me. Yesterday, I told a 60 yr-old woman at a group meeting that I will not take her comment and I feel attacked for no reason. (Later everyone said they were so glad I told her off. She's always cruel to people). I have committed myself to a PhD program starting next Fall (2010) because I feel so empowered and able to handle everything.

•If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
---I have tried maintaining--basically--for two months. I feared reaching goal. I feared it. A 3FC supporter suggested that I keep creating goals to target. Right now it's the very slow application process for the PhD program. I haven't suddenly gained 40 pounds. I'm still plugging along. I do see that I need to count calories. Luckily, I'm perfectly happy eating volumetrics for life. I also love the meals I eat. So, I see this process continuing. My binging is an issue that needs to be examined and look for some solutions to reveal themselves. 3fatchicks will be important for some time.

•Do you exercise regularly?
---I am working back up to five times a week. I want to get down to 138. My next goal after that is to increase muscle and reduce fat percentages.

•Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns?
My binges are my biggest concern. I do not feel that my knees, sciatica, hip and medical issues do not slow me down. I've had these issues all year. I only find them motivating and reminders that I lost weight and maintain my fitness level because I must have core strength and leg muscle.

And anything else that you might want to share with us!

I learned and continue to reflect on my visit to family after weight loss. My sisters practically ignored it. No one in my family took a photo of me (except my sons when I asked them). One friend who lives near us here (who was visiting her family at the same time I visited mine) asked about photos and I told her no one had taken anything. She snapped a few for me.

When I talked with my dad about my almost complete application PhD program and the very positive support the PhD chair continues to give me, my dad told me I should instead go teach an evening class at the local community college. He later said my niece (who almost was arrested this past Spring for her wild ways) was brilliant and likely to be able to get a doctorate.

I finally was able to place my support network where it belonged--inside of me. I can't rely on family, friends, or anyone. I need to review each success, say each thing I'm grateful for, and continue my maintenance. I am strong now and practically pain free. This is maintenance--living and continuing.

Welcome to maintenance, iaradajnos! And congrats on your loss!

This forum has been so much help to me during the maintenance process. Everyone is supportive and helpful, and have answered so many crazy questions from me! I hope you find some of that same support here! I'm sorry you don't get it from your family. :hug:

What a fantastic story you have! What are you going to study in your program?

Oh, thank you. I do find so much support even while lurking. Sometimes I'm reading a message by someone that really is asking my question or revealing my own issues. The replies and conversations are so helpful. I just think there's so much here.

I tried to consider a PhD program about 2 yrs ago but didn't. Last year, I'd loss some weight and I stood up for the entire office and put myself on the limb to report a very abusive boss. Five people had quit and it looked like nothing would happen. After my report with the CEO, the boss was fired. Now, this year I'm more than empowered--I'm anatomically changed to allow me to pursue the impossible. I'm going for a PhD in Public Policy to focus on vulnerable populations.

A very good friend of mine was about 230 pounds or so last year. She had been about this weight or more for the past six or seven years taht we've known each other. She has lost so much weight. Well, recently she was called in by her CEO of her company where they asked her if she would tell them about her direct supervisor. They had lost four employees because of him. After a 1 1/2 hour meeting, the CEO asked if she would consider taking on that key director's position.

Losing weight adds so many valuable changes in life. It's more than getting healthy. And for me, that was my greatest hope. I was (and still am) living in pain. Getting in shape has helped me to manage and reduce the pain. Losing weight adds even more.

It's finding value within and around you. It's prioritizing life, direction, and purpose. These skills grow from within the process of losing or shedding the covering to get to the core.

Very glad to be here, Shannon.

My name is Sonja.

Bright Angel Introduction
 

Hi. I have lost 50 pounds over the last 18 months. I didn't follow a specific diet, but cut out the junk, added lots of fruits & veg, and started a modest exercise program (mostly walking). I found this forum when I was looking on info on maintenance, and have been lurking for a month or two. I hit my goal a couple of weeks ago, and decided to join the forum, because I am concerned about gaining the weight back and want some accountability in case I backslide. I have already learned a lot by browsing through the threads.

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight? One of many times, but the first time in about 20 years. I dieted a lot in my teens and twenties (I'm 41 now) but always tried very low cal diets, got cranky and weak, and went off them before I could lose 10 pounds.

Are you where you want to be? Not sure. I have a BMI of 22.1, but some weight-loss tables say I could lose 10 more pounds to be optimal. Nevertheless, I am going to maintain for at least 6 months before I decide if I want to continue.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight? Feel so much better. I lost weight for health reasons and I have much more energy and stamina and my general mood and outlook on life has improved.

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you? Hard. Have only been doing it a week or so. Not sure how many calories I can add.

Do you exercise regularly? I log 10,000 pedometer steps a day (some jogging but mostly walking). Occasional calisthenics for resistance training.

Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns? Losing sight of my goal. Losing healthy habits. Binging. Backsliding. Going out to eat (haven't been to a restaurant in 6 mo!). Trigger foods.

Belated welcome to BrightAngel, and welcome to HoldingSteady! :welcome:

Congrats on your loss, and please come join us on the maintainer's chat thread!

* Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?

One of many, although most times were short term and not sustained. It is the second time I have dieted for a sustained period to lose 45lbs plus, and both times I did that using the Weightwatchers points system. Last time I stayed at or under my goal weight for a year, although as I continued to drop weight during that time slowly, then started regaining, it's debatable whether I truly learned to maintain. This time around I went to the doctor about pitting edema on my ankles and breathlessness after doing small things like climbing stairs. Since my dad has heart failure, I was worried about that possibility. My doc told me to lose weight and sent me for various hospital tests. The tests came out normal, but that was such a huge wake-up call that if I didn't have serious problems now, I'd probably get them later. That caused the *click* in my head which got my motivation back.

* Are you where you want to be?

Earlier, shortly before going on maintenance, I said I felt quite comfortable where I was. However, 'comfortable' seems to be relative with me. I lost some more weight after going on maintenance, most of it in the first 3 months after goal. As of the time of editing this I am at least 15lb lower, and prefer being the size I am now. I can still see areas I would like to improve but I have some loose skin and saggy bits. I'm not sure that more weight loss is going to help with that. Give me a time machine and I might finally be satisfied with how I look. ;-)

* How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?

Physically, I felt older than my years before this. Now that I am fitter I feel younger again, and I don't suffer much from the aches and pains and bad circulation I was getting. Although I get cyclical water retention I haven't had swollen ankles since. I love having more choice of clothes and generally feel a bit better about myself. I like that my cooking has improved this time around, as I wanted to have a good repertoire of healthy recipes so that I wouldn't get tempted to eat out or get takeout too often. I live in a very hilly area and one thing that pleased me recently was walking up a particularly steep hill from my local train station and not feeling like I was struggling every step of the way. :)

* If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?

It feels very similar to losing the weight, except I'm not so haunted by the impatience I used to suffer when the scale doesn't move down. I still feel better about a loss than a gain though. My routine of counting points and keeping an eye on my weight is still the same, only involving a little more to eat. I don't intend to stop weighing myself and nor do I intend to stop counting points yet. I have moments when I wish I could be 'normal' so that I wouldn't need to rely on counting anything to control my food intake, but I don't trust my weight not to creep up if I abandon it at this stage.

* Do you exercise regularly?

Ahem. I *aim* to exercise at 5 days a week, not to any high level, just regularly. I have grown more inconsistent though, and I now notice my strength and cardiovascular fitness isn't as good as it was months ago. For possibly the millionth time I'm working on the regularity again.

* Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns?

I am worried that I'll get back into old patterns of emotional eating and drinking, particularly when under pressure. Last time I genuinely thought I'd made permanent changes to my habits, but as soon as I started going through a stressful period in my life with some financial problems, everything fell apart. I didn't revert to good habits once my life became more stable again. So I don't know if I can ever get complacent.

:welcome: Lora! Congrats on your loss! Please feel free to join us in the weekly chat thread, or any of the other threads on the living maintenance forum.

Hello Maintainers,

I'm not quite to goal yet, but have been lurking, and decided to introduce myself.

I have lost weight off and on all of my adult life, and each time reverted to old habits and regained all I'd lost and they brought friends with them. So each time I lost weight, I had more to lose than the next time.

I have lost 53.5 lbs. and have 4.5 lbs. to go to reach goal.

I feel and look better since losing the weight.

I do not regularly exercise in the way one normally thinks of exercizing, because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, which has impaired my ability to function, causes pain, and depletes energy. The exercizing I do is low impact and focuses on maintaining function as much as possible.

My biggest concern as I near my goal is that I might repeat all my past mistakes and gain it back. In the past I lost weight rapidly & had the infamous "diet mentality". I just kept going back to my previous WOE. This time my weight loss has been very slow. It has taken me 3 years to get to this point, & I have been focusing on learning to be a good steward of my body & learning to eat in a way I can live with for the rest of my life. I am very hopeful this time, but know I need all the support I can get to maintain. For me maintaining is so much harder than losing.

I've been at my Goal Weight - I'm a member of TOPS weight loss group - for about 3 months. As I look back at my childhood in San Diego, amongst many very thin children (by todays' standards) I was usually the slightly larger child. I remember being 5'5" in the 6th grade, and 120#. I'd get the occasional comment from classmates, like "wow", but the comments that really hurt were from family and friends. My grandmother called me "fattie". My sister said I had a big butt. I remember glances from grown men who looked at me as if I were a grown woman. Also, the Barbie Doll and Twiggie came into my life just as I was beginning to develop. I know in my head that these things combined to make my own body image somewhat twisted. Before it had a name, I was anorexic. I got down to 95# in Junior High. My mother was worried, so we moved far away from family and friends. I quickly gained 45#. I would stay in our apartment, skipping school, and just eat. In High School, I was my current height of 5'7", and 160#. My doctor kept telling me I had to lose weight. I should be 125#. I hated going to the doctor and hearing that. I was already miserable and friendless. Many years later, I'm at my goal weight of 150#. Still 5'7". I think my body looks terrific....in clothes, anyway, but I'm still not sure. I've gone from a size 18 at 180# to a size 10. That's my history. I know I will always have a problem with food. I try to eat healthily - I eat out less than 5 times a year - but sneak snacks as if I am still a child. I consider exercise a blessing. I work hard at it, and am good at it for my age of 58.

Introducing myself...
 

Hi - I'm thrilled to find an established forum of fellow maintainers! :carrot:

Is this the first time or one of many times that you've tried to lose weight?
This is the first time I've attempted a sustainable attempt to lose weight. I have had a weight problem since early childhood. Apart from a few unsustainable attempts at dieting in my early 20s, I continued to steadily gain weight. By the time I reached my mid-40s, I weighed 100kg (about 220 pounds).

Are you where you want to be?
Yep. I've lost 40kg (about 90 pounds) bringing my BMI to 23-point-something, and will reach my eight-year "thiniversary" later in 2011. Best of all, I'm maintaining steadily.

How has life changed for you since you've lost the weight?
It's changed in so many ways! I feel completely different - far more confident and energetic, and people treat me very differently (that was an unpleasant realisation at first).

If you're maintaining, what's that like for you?
I've found maintenance to be a part-time job. The longer you do it, the easier it gets, but sometimes I feel I'm on a treadmill - no pun intended! I'm aware that I need to stay on track, but sometimes, to be perfectly honest, I do get a bit fed up with it.

Do you exercise regularly?
I exercise for about 15.5 hours a week (8 hours of which are intense exercise). That 15.5 hours includes warming-up, stretching, prehab-type exercises, and other activities just for the fun of it such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi and hiking with my husband.

Because I've built up considerable muscle mass, I no longer need that much exercise to maintain my weight, but I do it anyway because I want to improve on all fronts - strength, flexibility and cardiovascular output and endurance, as well as improve my form and skills. I have a very stressful full-time job and exercise is both a hobby and means of stress reduction for me.

Now that you're near or at your goal, what are your concerns?
I guess my main concern is finding time to fit in my exercise regime, for example when I need to work late night after night, or work on the weekends.

My secondary concern is that, since I took up kettlebell training a few months ago, my body is changing shape very dramatically, and my pants are all baggy. I know that's a nice problem to have, but it's messing with my self-image a bit. I feel like I did when I first lost weight and sometimes didn't recognise my own reflection. But as I say, it's a nice problem to have... :lol:

My before and after pix are published on another forum, but I'll wait until my husband has taken some "after-after" pix before publishing them here.

Wow.Glad you posted this redpanda.I'm 7lbs away from goal and have had major anxieties about maintaining. It's nice to have a heads-up from women like yourself ; your post is a nice synopsis of many that I've read.It's interesting you talk a lot about exercise but not about food.I infer that,for you, the fact you exercise a lot helps with eating what you want within reason? I love the exercise part of my weight loss and health improvements as well.But I love good food too! I've learned that a smaller amount is as satisfying as a mega plate..go figure.
Thanks again for the post redpanda.

Hi Singing!

I've figured out the right food/exercise balance for me. For me, maintenance is down to 50/50 diet and exercise. I certainly don't starve myself, but I'm very mindful of what I eat. I eat roughly within a set calorie range every day and my diet is very "clean" - no sugar, processed food, refined carbs etc. The good part is that stuff doesn't call to me - well, at least not very often!

I've also think that exercise is necessary, not just to burn calories, but to keep our metabolisms humming along at a good level.

:strong: :boxing: :ebike:

Hi RedPanda! Welcome!

Sounds like you are doing a great job with the maintenance road. :)

Look forward to getting to know you!

7 pounds away! (long)
 

Hi,

I have been lurking for a long while and figured it was time to introduce myself as I am 7 POUNDS AWAY FROM GOAL and have felt the urge to post replies to threads and have refrained from doing so, well because I have not formally introduced myself.

I need to post a profile picture, maybe some before's and afters, and will try to do so soon, but in the meantime, here is my story in a nutshell.

during my childhood and teenage years I went from being a skinny baby and preschooler, to being a chubby fifth grader, to being slim in middle school (though I felt fat compared to my peers) to gaining a bunch of weight in highschool. Around ninth grade I went to a nutritionist and started going to a gym and lost a bit of weight, though that lasted for about a year maybe two.

Gained a bunch of weight the first year in college, made it to around 160 pounds (I am 5 feet 2 inches). then did Jenny Craig. lost 20 pounds with the program. went on to lose about 5 more on my own, thoguh the 135 weight lasted for about a week or so. but was able to keep the 140 for about 2 to 3 years. developed bulimia unfortunately. I would binge and make myself throw up or exercise excesively. then several lifestyle changes happened i.e. got a job out of college, did my MBA, got married (to a chef, can you imagine the yummy yet fattening meals we had every night :)) , bought a house, had two kids. so, ended up at 225 when pregnant with my second child. lost to 191 on my own after the birth, then went back to Jenny Craig. lost about 20 again with them, then went down to 147 on my own. but... i did it the wrong way... though the bingeing did not come back, I did go back to purging, and though i did not make myself throw up, I started abusing laxatives and eating very little or at leat not balanced diet, and this time I wasnt exercising. the 147 weight lasted about a week, but I was able to keep it around 150 for about a yer or so. then another lifestyle changed, we moved from Puerto Rico to northern Virginia, so sold the house, bought a new house, started a very rewarding but stress filled job, have an almost 2 hour a day commute, etc. etc. etc. and over the last 4 years managed to go up to 201.6 (except for a brief period in 2008 where I managed to drop 10 pounds or so for a vacation).

So this January/February several things happened which I consider my triggers: I broke a camping chair (yes, it was a 4 year old camping chair, but still, I am sure it was my weight), I got a (false positive turne out to be) pre-hypertension result which scared the heck out of me as there is history of cardiovascular disease/diabetes in my family, I realized that come Spring/Summer I would have NO clothes to fit me and I would have to either get a new wardrobe or spend the following seasons uncomfortable and being the fat mom at the pool, and of course, going over the 200 pound mark, yikes. So I decided I needed to do something. I realized I had forgotten how to eat and i remembered I had done well instructured plans (jenny craig) but this time around i did not want to (nor had time to) go to weekly appointments, etc with a counselor so I decided to try nutrisystem instead (less expensive too, whcih was a concern for me). Started February 22 (right after the holiday!). My plan was to follow the eating plan to a T and exercise at home in the treadmill every morning. I did strict Nutrisystem for 2 months and for the last 3 months or so I have been folloiwng their meal plan but wiht my own food OR eating what my handsome husband makes BUT in tiny portions or with certain substitutions. so while it was tough initially, now I dont feel deprived at all. I have done away with sugar and artificial sweeteners. I only drink water all day and one cup of black coffee (no creamer or sweetener) in the morning, 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day, low GI carbs, high protein, etc. I ahve been on the treadmill every y since, for 30 minutes, except for three days in which I was still physically active otehrwise (either went to a park and rode the bike, were in an amusement park logging in thousands of steps, etc. I started this journey with the goal of it being a healthy one (which has been so far, no binging, purging, starving, etc but rather healthy diet and exercise and moderation, and vitamins, etc.) and that it woudl be a lifestyle change (not getting any younger here and dont want to be a diabetic ever which is my biggest fear).

anyway, I am down to 143 as of yesterday (after 5+ months) and I had originally set my goal weight at 136 (which would be 65 pounds lost) since that is the highest weight in the normal range according to BMI. after I get there I plan to continue doing what I am doing (1,200 to 1,300 cals a day plus the half hour exercise) for a bit longer to see if I can drop down to the low 130s for a buffer. If i lose into the 120s then that will be the frosting on the cake since I have not seen that weight since 7th grade. but somehow this time I feel that I could do it since I am doing it the healthy way and not the crash and burn way. my husband does like a bit of meat on the bones, and I am feeling pretty comfortable right now with my current weight, so goal is close!

i have been reading old threads here in maintainers, (since I know in the past my challenge rather than losing has been maintaining the weight loss) and if there is something I have learned is that maintaining looks just like losing, which is why i have made sure the plan i have is sustainable for me in the long run and i am pretty confident it is. i am not blind to the challenges that may come my way, but i have made a vow to myself to never be in denial again thus weighing myself twice daily (works for me despite normal fluctuations, i prefer to understand the normal fluctuations and embrace them :)).

my biggest challenge so far comes this week during a week long busienss trip (happens annually and usually gain weight during it) but this year I am more than mentally prepared and have a plan to succeed, at the minimum maintain, and maybe even lose. i know where the fiteness center is, where the supermarket is, have checked restaurants menus online, etc.

so, i am sorry for the looong drawn out post, but I think it helped me to put all of this in "writing" and wanted you to konw who I am for when I started posting. again, my plan to lose the last 7 pounds and then maintain is to continue watching the cals, stick to low GI carbs, high protein, lots of water, daily exercise, daily weigh in, etc. just continue doing what I am doing.

thanks for all your wisdom and support!

Rosario

:wave:Rosario!

Thanks Shannon!

Hi, I'm Val. I've been maintaining for about 3.5 months now, just found 3FC while looking for a Beck Diet Solution forum.

Welcom Val! I read the beck diet solution book and it definitely helped me change my way of thinking about food, specially realizing that hunger is not an emergency, etc. Congrats on your success and maintenance!