What difference does a year make?
 

With there being so many new members and rejoiners at this time of year its made me reflect what I have achieved in the last year. Let me preface this by saying I started my weightloss journey at 290lbs in May 2007 and by the end of that year I'd lost over 60lbs.

As expected the last year my weightloss has been much slower than the first few months but despite the lack of dramatic results I've kept at it. Plodded on. Couple of little stumbles on the way but always straight back at it. So what have I achieved in that year: a total weightloss of 43lbs.

However at the beginning of 2008 I was still shopping in the plus size women's stores. I'm now a Medium in tops and a 12/14 in bottoms and can shop anywhere. I'm no longer morbidly obese. I reached onderland in August 2008 and 100lbs lost at the end of October 2008, both huge milestones in my journey. My next big milestone is to have normal BMI and to reach the goal I set in May 2007 which I have to lose 13lb to achieve.

I hope this post will inspire those who are struggling to keep on going in the knowledge that the prize is worth the struggle.

Kitty

I started on Feb 1, 2008 and to this day, I have lost 47 lbs and 22 inches (total). Hopefully, on my first anniversary, I will be down 50 pounds. :hat:

Congratulations to both of you!! It's inspiring to hear that people are reaching their goals!

I'm working on having a similar story to post next January!

I weighed 142 in January of 2008 and was at the line between my ten and twelve pants. By the end of January I was at about 150, and my twelves were snug. I never exercised and found myself out of breath if I walked up the stairs too fast. I had an elliptical trainer that I got for Christmas 2007 that I had not yet assembled in Jan 2008 and a weight bag that I couldn't use because the base was empty.

Today I weighed 119 and my size 4 pants are a little loose. I've already exercised 737 minutes this month and have done 23.5 miles of my 500 in 2009 challenge. I burned up that cheap elliptical in two months this summer and have already invested in a new one. I've added a stationary bike and a Weider home gym. I've filled up my weight bag and am about to need new boxing gloves. I just got fancy running shoes and can run for 2.5 miles at a time.

I feel like a completely different person than I was this time last year.

ETA: I didn't even think about the health stats side of my diet change. I have no more IBS-like symptoms so I don't drink a bottle of Mylanta each week, my cholesterol is back down into 'normal' range - before I was dangerously close to needing medication, and my BP was described to me by the lab tech at my doctor's office last week as "practically perfect". I did lose enough weight that it revealed a minor heart murmur, but in the testing to learn that was a non-issue I also learned that my V02 level was excellent.

So, a year can make a huge difference!

What amazing accomplishments!!! Thank you for posting! They are such an inspiration.

Started South Beach diet last January. I've lost about 25# in the last year and dropped my cholesterol from 214 to 184. I lost 6 inches in my waist and dropped my body fat to 17%.

Well, let's see:
1. At the beginning, I was wearing Size 28 pants, and my size 26 tops needed safety pins at the bust line. Today, I'm in size 20 - I probably have another year to go, but this isn't bad. Amazing how many more size 20s there are than 26s in discount and reuse stores. And I know that because there are a bunch of larger clothes that I just can't wear out in public any more.

2. My cholesterol is down 37 points, and, while I'm not at target, my doctor is not making noises about statins any more.

3. I lost 8 inches from my waist and 10 from my hips.

4. I exercise at the gym 3-4 times per week, but more importantly, I can climb stairs without sounding like a steam engine, and I can take the dog for a long, satisfying walk that we both enjoy.

5. I love the way my body feels when I work out. It really enjoys being a well-oiled machine.

I like hearing from those at all ends of the spectrum, those who have achieved goal and are fit, and those who are fit, getting fit, and on the way.
I "can" do good exercise, but it wears me out. My goal for the next month is to exercise daily, and have at least 30 min of cardio in there 5 days a week, and do an hour once or twice a week.
I want to be fit like you all, thanks for the inspiration.
And Krista's mom, especially, even before getting to goal, you are SOO much healthier. You have done so much more than lose weight!!!

Thanks for posting. I'm really frustrated after a bad weekend of bad choices and I feel defeated. This gives me hope! Thank you!

I started in late May/early June. I have lost -64 pounds. In some ways, the time has really passed quickly. The work has been consistent though. I would like to emphasize (to the newbies) the importance of baby steps. I started slowly and once I began seeing progress, it motivated to see what else I could do.

Exercise wise, I started by just walking with my kids down to park and actually getting INTO the pool to play with them. Once school started I began walking. I am now running three miles every morning. You can do it too.

This makes me smile, I love this thread.

One year for me has meant 142 pounds, size 22 TIGHT to size 6, a whole slew of health benefits and a great sense of accomplishment. My favorite part (this week anyway) is the weightlifting. It's beautiful, I love it and look forward to it. It feels soooooo good. Makes me look pretty good too. :)

A year makes an incredible difference. I started my plan and 53 weeks later, I was "normal weight", fit and FABULOUS (oh, and 85 lbs. lighter) :)

Give your plan a year, and it will change your life forever!

This time last year I was buying bigger clothes. You know, the whole dress the body you've got thing. I was tired of being a slob just because I was fat. Got some nice things that I really enjoyed. Had no plans to lose weight.

This time this year, I've been buying new clothes again. Because I had nothing left that wasn't falling off me :D

it is very inspiring! thank you for sharing your story! It really hits home because I started out at about the same as you 306 so 16lbs heavier then you were and I too want to be abotu 170ish!

I cant wait for the day that I can go into any store and buy something and I wont need to shop plus sizes! here to that day! and congrats to you! and on coming so far!

Wow one year...
One year and sixty pounds.
Going from huffing at five minutes on a treadmill to doing an extra five after 30.

It feels great. :)
And let us not forget THAT moment...the one you will never forget.
When my pants were getting loose (After they'd been deathly tight) and fell off walking up the stairs. XD
It took me 20 years to get to 365 pounds, and one and a half to get to 280. I guess it's a fair trade.

:congrat: to all of you who had success in the last year! I hope it will continue this year as well!!

I can only hope to be making a post like this, at this time next year!

Yay! Thanks for the inspiration!

I only lost 19 lbs last year, but I'm darn proud of those 19 lbs. I hope to lose alot more this year!

I lost 15 pounds in 2008, gave up diet soda, stopped putting sugar in my coffee, and committed to working out 4-5 days a week. I also gave up cafeteria lunches and starting brown bagging my lunch everyday.

Here's to a successful 2009!

And you will!

Looking back, I can say that it is the most difficult at the beginning.
Over time, you not only get used to the exercise and food limitations, you will actually crave exercise and you will become a food **** who wants only the healthy stuff. For example, yesterday at work, there were some leftovers from a meeting that had a catered lunch. Some cold cuts, lots of veggies and dips, a salad, buns and slices of bread, and VERY mayo-ey potato salad (like a tablespoon of mayo per potato). My colleagues chuckled when I put a pile of salad on my plate, carefully drizzled bits of dressing on it, then a pile of broccoli, 2 celery sticks (Ok, I did scoop with those a bit of egg salad) and three slices of turkey breast (cold cuts). Everybody else was grabbing the slices of WHITE bread or the buns, smearing generous amounts of butter on them and piling the cold cuts high, leaving the veggies mostly untouched (other than a truckload of the mayo-ey potato salad - that counts like veggies, riiiiiight???) :(

But that's ok, I am used to that, and it's not that those were malicious chuckles - just a friendly ones, to say "oh we know you are not going to eat THAT". :D

I started in June 2006 and since then have lost about 65 pounds. It seems that every 30 pounds or so I hit a killer plateau (six+ months) and struggle to break through it. I've had some backslides during those plateaus, but you know, I have never gained back more than five pounds. So I guess slow and steady weight loss really does help you keep it off long term! Who knew? ;)

Anyway, I stopped taking the time to post and read here during my last plateau, which I just broke this week, finally (hallelujah), so I'm going to try to get back into the swing of talking about weight loss. I kept working out through my plateau, but my diet could have been better. Cleaning that up really helped.

I only mention my slooooow progress for the people who are just starting and have a harder time losing, while it seems like everyone else here is dropping it like it's hot. I know the feeling! But the truth is that if you stick to it, you'll get there, even if your body is more stubborn than others.

So for me, one year = ~30 pounds of weight loss. Not exactly lightning speed, there, but you know, I'll take it over the alternative.

Wow, all of these goal-reaching stories are so uplifting and motivational. Thank you so much all for sharing and a million congratualtions to all of you for your hard-earned success. :D

:woohoo:

Wow...i feel so inspired reading all the great stories. I know i used to be an inspiring story to tell but not right now. But i feel so truely inspired by those who have reached their goals. My initial weightloss goal was 66 pounds. That was from 196-130. The first year i lost half of my goal, then gained back about 10-15 of it...then the 2nd year i lost that which i gained back plus another 30. I was within 3 pounds of my first weightloss goal...and then i just fell off track and ended up gaining back 20 pounds. So, for the year of 2008, i didn't lose anything, i gained 20 pounds. But next january...i will be a success story. I will reach my goal of 130 and hopefully surpass it into the 120's. And stay there!!!

Thank you all for posting your successes. I know that it can be done and I will do it. I want to challenge myself this year. I want to set up some excersize goals again and watch myself meet them and even succeed them. And i know if i put my mind to it again...I can do it!!!

I started my journey just this past September...I've lost 46lbs and gone from a size 24 to an 18. My current goal is just to hit ONEderland and we'll see from there. I've got 9 more lbs until I'm halfway there and thanks to inspiring threads like this I am quite sure I'll get there!!

Congrats on all the success stories and to those fighting the battle!!!

“but you know, I'll take it over the alternative.”

That is TOTALLY how I feel! The alternative for me is being broke ‘cuz I spend all my money on junk food, feeling like crap, deteriorating health, not being able to walk my dogs, a closet full of clothes I can’t fit into & being fatter than ever!

NO THANK YOU!

Even if I only lose what I did last year again this year, in 5 years that will be 100 pounds lost! Of course, I plan to lose much more, but still I know that it’s doable for me to lose & keep off at least 20 more b/c I did it in 2008!