I'm new to this web-site and in fact I'm new to admitting that I even need to lose weight. Unfortunately, I have spent the last ten years telling myself that I was just a big girl and that I was healthy. However, I have come to the conclusion that I am in deed a big girl...but not very healthy. I am 5-5 and I weight 225 pounds. According to the doctors I am supposed to weigh about 150 pounds. 75 pounds!!! I just keep saying it in my head over and over again 75 pounds!!!

I joined this site because I need to know if the weight can really be lost. I need to hear from someone that was heavy and really lost weight. Mentally, I feel like I have the ability to do the diet and exercise route...however, my fear of failure has prevented me from truly trying the last ten years. I am terrified to actually try and find out that this is really me and that there is nothing I can do about it. Please write back if you have done the diet and exercise route and have truly succeeded.

I am 29 year old woman, and my husband and I would like to start having kids soon, however, I do not want to start until I am in a healthy range. I am terrified that I will have a stroke during the delivery because I am sooo overweight. Also, I can't even imagine how incredibly heavy I would be after having a baby. Please let me know if ANYONE has had success. I don't want to take pills...or have a surgery...or join some commercial program where the only thing getting thin is my purse. I just want to do diet and exercise even if it takes me five years to do it. HELP...PLEASE!!!

Hi Gal,

You have such a healthy attitude! I am 5"6', and 28. I've had 4 kids. I wasn't always overweight, but my good weight is the same.. 150. Yes, it is very much possible for you to lose weight, and be happy as you go! I weighed between 140-145 before I had my last 3 in a year. After my twins were born I weighed 210, and instead of losing weight, I got up to 240!!!!! OMG!!! That was the biggest I've ever been in my life!!!!!! I had pre-eclamsia with my first daughter, and almost died (it turned to eclampsia), my second daughter was great, and a good vaginal delivery. (I started pg at 140 and got up to 205 at delivery, and back down to 175 before getting pg with twins..) brb..

Hi Gal - and the answer to your question? **** YES! Of course you can - I agree with ugga, you've got a great attitude - now all you need is a plan, and the motivation to stick to it.

YES!!! You CAN lose weight and keep it off!

Hop on over to the Maintainers Forum and read through the Introductions thread ... you'll meet people there who have lost - and kept off - far more than 75 pounds. Check out at my stats - I've lost more than 120 pounds myself. And we have people here at 3FC who have lost far more than I have and kept it off for years!

Thegal - believe that you can do it because you CAN! It IS possible to lose 75 pounds with healthy diet and exercise and to keep it off for the rest of your life. There are plenty of people here at 3FC doing it every day. The key is to find a way of eating and exercising that you can live with for the rest of your life.

Best of luck to you - it can be done and yes, YOU can do it too!

Hi, TG. This is my first post here at 3FC. I've been posting at another site since I started on March 31st of this year. And like ugga and Meg have said...yes, you can lose weight!! I remember saying the same thing when I first started. "How am I ever going to lose 112 lbs??!!" But one of my favorite statements now is "Life's greatest accomplishments are those that at first seem impossible." One day when I was lurking on the other site someone made the comment :"I can't lose 100 lbs, but I can lose 10 lbs 10 times." So I took it that way. I can't look at the big picture. I just concentrate on little steps. 10 lbs at a time. That's a goal I can reach. And so far I've done it 8 times. I started out at 252 and have lost 81 lbs to get to 171. I intend on doing it 3 more times to get to goal of 140. You can do it, too! Just don't give up!! And what you've said about fear of failure..."Failure isn't falling down, it's staying there." I know that I'm using alot of quotes, but they've helped me so far. I keep a notebook which I carry with me everywhere and write everything that I eat in it. I also write these little quotes plus my goals and accomplishments. I read it when things get tough. I hope this has helped. If I can help in any way, just let me know.

Meg, I am in total awe of you. You have really done fantastic! ( I also saw you live in Pittsburgh. I live south of you about 50 miles.) You're a great inspiration!

Take care and keep at it!! Dee

Of course you can. But, please, do not think of it as 75 lbs to lose. Think one or two or five pounds at a time. Then it will be easier and suddenly one day you will be at goal.
Now you will have bad days, learn from them what to do next time the situation arises and do not let it suck you down.
YOU CAN DO THIS!!

All I can say is that I have lost 155 pounds so far and have only 15 or 30 left to get to my ultimate goal. AND I did it with Jenny Craig, a commercial program. Not to say that you have to do that, of course, but don't dismiss a solution just because it costs money. This is the solution that worked best FOR ME. Lots of people can do it on their own -- I couldn't, and I'm not ashamed to say that.

As the others mentioned, though, I didn't start thinking about losing 170+ pounds. I started with the idea that maybe, maybe, in my wildest dreams I might be able to lose 120, but even then I really only concentrated on small, meaningful goals. Carve the journey up in manageable chunks and celebrate each milestone, and be sure to recognize accomplishments that have nothing to do with the scale. You stay optimistic and driven when you recognize that you have already had success. Success breeds success.

What they all said.

Take this a day at a time...in small bits. Set SMALL goals and DON'T be in a hurry!

You might want to read the article I've got linked here in the Ladies who Lift Forum titled "Get Thin Slowly". I've said this before...if you look at the TOTAL weight you want to lose, sometimes it can seem like you're trying to move Mt. Everest with a teaspoon. A pound a week? What's a measly pound a week going to do for me??? Welll...think of it this way. That's Fifty-Two Pounds in a year and losing the weight slowly is BETTER.

The proof is in the pudding...pictures are worth a thousand words...



This is me in 1990, at 245 pounds (I'd lost 20 pounds at this point, that's why I have the big smile...)

This pic was taken last week at a Christmas party...



So is losing weight hard? I'm not going to lie to you - **** YEAH it can be really hard - changing eating and exercise habits and overcoming addictions/habits (to sugar, comfort eating, etc) is TOUGH. But I can tell you...the rewards are SWEET. And as I'm always saying...you can make healthy eating and daily exercise a habit - a healthy FUN habit that you look forward to and enjoy immensely! Mindset has a great deal to do with it, IMO!

YUP - You CAN do this!!!

Yes! What everyone else has said. You CAN lose the weight! It's a matter of finding out what works best for you. For me it's just been plain old calorie counting and exercise. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, just the basics. The most difficult part - patience ... especially in the beginning. Setting out to lose a massive amount of weight (heck, any amount of weight) can be pretty overwhelming. After a cartain point though, the calorie counting and exercise became habit ... now they're part of my life. It really is a lifestyle change ... and I'm not going to kid you and say that it's easy ... but it's worth it, and in the end it's a heck of a lot easier than living life as an obese person. Good luck! Grace

WOW!!!! I guess I can truly say I am INSPIRED!!!!! Thanks to everyone who took a moment from their lives to reach out to a total stranger!!! Hugs for everyone!!! Thanks sooooo much...I'ld say more, but I'm gonna go work out...now that I KNOW it will work!!!!

thegal good luck on your journey! yes absolutely you can do this!! we all can do this!! i have to say mrsjim you rock!!! wow what a great photo of you. a total inspiration! thank you for sharing.

I didn't take the time to read all the other replies, but just wanted to say attitude is everything. If you believe you can't, you won't. If you tell yourself you are just a "big girl," then you'll stay a big girl.

I know this because I've been there and am still a big girl. LOL

I used to be in complete denial about my life and my body. I used to tell myself there was no reason to be thin as I was happy and life was good. Then I realized, I couldn't do the things I wanted to do when I was 220 pounds. I couldn't run, couldn't even do physical labor for long periods of time.

I think you should ask yourself why you want to be thin. Are those reasons better than being heavy? For so many woman, the answer of "to look good" or "to wear a bikini" just isn't lasting. I have seen so many of my friends say these things, lose the weight, then gain it back even after maintaining for awhile.

I swore I wouldn't do it again. The gain, the loss, the gain, the loss. Now I'm slowly going down in weight and every time I feel down, I remind myself of why I wanted to lose in the first place ... to run again, to work hard, to be in control of my body.

You can do it, but only when wanting it for the right reasons becomes the focus! If you ever need anything, give me a shout!

Yes, you can lose weight as others have said. You might wish to read the book 'thin for life' by Anne Fletcher. The author asks hundreds of people who have lost and kept if off how they did it, etc. Its truly motivating. See if your library has it. If you buy it, make sure you get the 2003 revised edition, though the first is certainly well worth the read.

JanSanta

Can I lose it? It's a question I've been asking myself recently. I'm just so sick of being this size, some 40 lbs overweight. Ms. Jim, you look great. Hard to believe those are the same people, the 1990 photo and now. Are they the same people though really? With habits totally changed maybe not, eh?

Well, thanks for sharing your stories. I'm going to try to make this coming year a good one!

Anyone can lose it, even with a medical issue, one can still lose it. Expect it to come off slowly. Some people will lose faster than others, their metabolism and age help with that factor. I am 29..And have lost 35 pounds eating low fat and walking two miles a day. Of course the holidays took their toll, being out of town and having to eat what an old grannie could make, I put on 5 pounds. 5 pounds is not bad considering!
Anyway....I was fooled by the yo yo several times. I did south beach (lesser of low carb evil) and Atkins( the antiChrist of diets). Several people have been successful on a low carb woe...not me. I cannot stand such a bland blend for my pallet. I am better off eating things in moderation. I usually have palm hearts or artichoke hearts for breakfast...instead of a sugary cereal. I sometimes have cream of wheat for lunch...or eat a few slices of low fat meat. Dinner is the lightest meal.....Chicken breast with a side veggie. Before each meal I have an 8 oz glass of metamucil. IT fills up the tummy before you load up on food. I mix the orange flavored in with milk...it is not bad. My doc recommended it. And because your stomach cannot digest fiber, it sticks to the fat in your system and pulls it out with it...as fiber slips through the gi tract unscathed.....