I feel like I'm wasting my life being heavy. I've only been considered "obese" for the last 4 1/2 years, since I was pregnant with our first son. I was a little overweight before, but I was happy and I didn't look too bad. I weighed around 185 when my husband and I got married in 2004. I'm tall, so I pulled it off pretty well. I was wearing size 12/14, which wasn't that bad because I looked good. I got pregnant about 1 1/2 months after we were married and throughout that pregnancy, gained a lot of weight...and a lot of stretchmarks. My highest was 246 lbs. From Jan 2005 to May 2007, I went down to 198 lbs. I took another job in Sept 2007, and went back up to 208 lbs. Got pregnant again, this time only getting up to 236 lbs. Absolutely no new stretchmarks this time! Too bad my first son got me good. Now, after the birth of our second son in Sept 2008, I am down to 215.6 lbs. I put my starting weight as 220, because I was this weight when I started back dieting. Anyway, it feels like I have no extra time now to exercise and really no extra money to really invest in it. I am really hoping somehow I can get back to my pre-babies weight and even less than that! I would really love to be able to just be within a healthy BMI. I hate seeing "obese" when I check my BMI. It is an awful thing to see, and seeing a "2" at the beginning of my weight just makes me feel depressed. I am really hoping that by having more support, I can lose these pounds. I have completely stopped eating fried foods and am doing better with getting more veggies/salads and less junk. It is really hard to stay away from "convenience" foods, because my time is taken up with taking care of an almost 4 yr old and a 2 month old. I am also working part-time. My husband is a truck driver, so he isn't home very often...only about 5 days a month. Well, I hope this isn't too long and I do hope this works!
*My short-term goal is to get out of the "obese" category*
First of all
Second for taking the first step and finding 3FC!
I know how it feels to think you're wasting your life being overweight - I wasted my entire 40s (and didn't even have 2 babies to cause it) - but believe me when I say "better late than never". There are lots of great support groups here. Look around and just jump in where you feel like and feel free to ask questions about the different plans. Pretty much everybody here recognizes that there isn't one "perfect" way of eating that's going to work for everybody so they are more than willing to help you find the one that's going to work for you.
As for the exercise - you'll feel so much better and whatever way of eating you chose is going to work so much better if you move more (honest). You don't have to invest money - take those babies of yours for a walk, use your muscles and do some stretches while you are doing your housework, even just a little moving is going to get you started in the right direction.
Come to 3FC as often as you can - I don't think I would have made it this far without the help and support of the friends I've made here.
WELCOME TO 3FC!! This is very supportive forum with lots of wonderful people on here as well as tons of information.
We've all been where you have been weight wise and feeling like you're wasting your life being heavy. I'm only 21 but I feel like I've missed out on so much because of my weight. There's so many things I could have done if I weren't heavy, but, like yoyodieterinvegas said, better late than never. I've always been really self conscious with really low self esteem. Since eating healthier and working out consistently I've learned to love myself regardless of what others may think.
I hope you make the most out of 3FC and I'll see you around the forums. You're already on the right path my joining 3FC. GOOD LUCK!!
As I read your post I don't sense that you are wasting your life at all...I hear a woman who has a really full life...a husband and two adorable children and a job! From my view, you have a very full and busy life. My kids are now 19 and 17....and sometimes I miss those toddler and infant years when they were so full of sweetness and I was the center of their world!
And it sounds as if you are also blessed with height....a larger sized number does look good on you!
Now, as for the word "obese"....it's just a word and a number is just a number....I think it is about how you feel and getting in touch with your own body. Do the extra pounds slow you down and make you tired and slugglish? Then that's your own body telling you that less cals and more exercise would help to feel more energetic, more healthy, more vibrant!
Thankfully, our bodies respond lovingly to our efforts....once we give our bodies what they are asking for they respond with losing weight and more energy...and we feel good and look better!
You are young and tall and are doing the most important job in the world (being a mom) according to Oprah....and she's a great example....no matter what the scale said, she wasn't wasting her life!
I really do believe that we cannot measure our life by the numbers on a scale.....but I do think that exercise and a healthy diet helps us to enjoy the blessings in our life and also it helps to over-come our challenges.
So, best wishes aaangel.....I am glad that you found this forum....it is good to connect here and there's so much inspiration and great advice.
I feel a lot better already, just by looking at this website and seeing other people's success stories. I am going to turn 24 in January, I'm hoping that I will be back to a healthier weight by the time I turn 25. The extra weight does make me feel sluggish and tired. I do need to get moving and get more energy! Right now, in central PA, it is too cold to take walks with my 2 month old...my older boy would love it though. When I was pregnant, my older son and I would go to the park and take walks. Hopefully we will all be taking nice walks when the weather gets warmer in the spring. I wish we had some nicer walking parks closer to us, the closest one is about 20 min away. I hope that I will stay motivated and inspired to accomplish as much as the other people on this site. It is just so amazing to see some of the progress pictures and see how people's weight, as well as personality, has changed for the better!
Wishing I can feel like I did five years ago!
Got pregnant again, this time only getting up to 236 lbs. Absolutely no new stretchmarks this time! Too bad my first son got me good. Now, after the birth of our second son in Sept 2008, I am down to 215.6 lbs. I put my starting weight as 220, because I was this weight when I started back dieting. Anyway, it feels like I have no extra time now to exercise and really no extra money to really invest in it. I am really hoping somehow I can get back to my pre-babies weight and even less than that! I would really love to be able to just be within a healthy BMI. I hate seeing "obese" when I check my BMI. It is an awful thing to see, and seeing a "2" at the beginning of my weight just makes me feel depressed. I am really hoping that by having more support, I can lose these pounds. I have completely stopped eating fried foods and am doing better with getting more veggies/salads and less junk. It is really hard to stay away from "convenience" foods, because my time is taken up with taking care of an almost 4 yr old and a 2 month old. I am also working part-time. My husband is a truck driver, so he isn't home very often...only about 5 days a month. Well, I hope this isn't too long and I do hope this works!
for taking the first step and finding 3FC! 
Thank you for the encouragement!
