Significant weightloss topics..Entering last few pounds stage
 

Well...For my advice I need to give some background information. I'm 15 and have lost about 90 pounds. I've been on my diet for about a year. Both my parents are big and I incorporated their lifestyle into my life naturally. I was a pretty spiffy baby, not heavy, but after kindergarden I started plumping up. I ate the wrong things, didn't exercise, and pretty much did things by myself (which is still true today). In 2004, right around the holidays (Christmas) I was really depressed. I hated myself completely, was disgusted. I was tired of being treated badly. I was tired of low self confidence. I was just tired of everything. I decided that I needed to help myself. I cut out sodas, switched to diet sodas.

The first few pounds were so easy. Then, I started incorporating healthier options into my life, and stopped eating as many junky snacks. I had lost about 20 pounds...then hit a standstill which lasted a pretty long time...I few more pounds came off...I had lost almost 30, and then I went on a trip with a teacher to North Carolina. She completely changed my eating style around. I ate three times a day and exercised. I loved it, being in the mountains, too. I came back and had lost 12 pounds! So, after that, I was so excited. I had lost 40 pounds! It was almost the end of the summer, and I was really motivated. I decided that I wanted to be 130 and that I had the power to help myself. Ever since the summer I've been out walking all the time and doing exercise and eating 3 meals a day.

When I came back from the trip I was very obsessive and motivated. I tried to eat as little as possible and exercise as much as possible to lost the weight FAST. I took in an average of 800 calories. Then I exercised almost all of it off. It was very inconsistent, because one day I would have taken in 200 calories overall and then the next day go on a spree against my will and take in 2,200! And then the next day I would be angry...and I would take in very little and exercise all teh calories off until I have a very low numer of calories on me at the end of the day. I was happy with my weight loss but my hormones were going crazy and warning signs started showing up...

I did this crazy approach from August of 2005 to to November, where I decided enough was enough. My hair was falling out, and it was the only thing I had EVER prided myself in. So..I decided, "My friends and family would want me to do the healthiest thing for myself. And I deserve to feel good. If I do the diet right and healthy, then I can be healthy later on. If I keep doing it this way...I'll be paranoid of food when I'm down to my goal and always feeling miserable...What for? So I can reach my goal a month sooner? It's not worth it. I'd rather be content and feeling good and helping myself than to go to extremes. If I'm really strong willed, then I should be patient. There's a difference between being strict and paranoid."

So, since the middle of November I've been taking in 1,200 calories every day and exercising moderately. I aim to have 200 calories burned through exercise each day, which is a simple and relaxing walk outside.

But here are my concerns. I'm all about body image lately. I've made HUGE changes. I went from wearing boy's shirts and shorts my entire life to wearing jeans and pretty artsy button-ups. At the beginning of 10th grade was the first time I ever stepped into a pair of jeans. I take pride in going shopping now. At the beginning of the school year, after having lost 50 pounds, I could snuggle into a size 17. And now I can slip into 11/12's. I actually wear GIRL'S clothes now. And my hair, which I've never styled or done anything for was long and plain and I used it to hide behind in school...CHOP! I cut it off to my chin AND I can pull off the look without feeling like I've got to hide my face and chin.

I have a spine curvature, not noticable, and my back ALWAYS hurt. But since I've been exercising and losing weight I've been standing straighter, stretching constantly, walking prouder, and smiling more. My back doesn't hurt as much.

And I have diabetes. My bloodsuger when I was 250 was like an everlasting ROCKET. 300, 400 even. And since I've lost weight my numbers are a 90 and 100. Which is LOWER than recommended.

=)

And, I've always had online "lovers". I liked to talk and be liked for me, but when it came time for pictures...NONONO!

But now, I have a boy who lives an hour from me and I actually want to meet him. Him and his friends are really skinny little artsy kids. They know of my weight loss and support me, and the boy of my affections has liked me for a YEAR which is BEFORE I started losing my weight. He's not shallow and he likes me for my personality. (He's a wonderful person...I'm so happy I wanted to change. He thinks I'm amazing!) So...I want to change for myself...and I want to be my best so I can meet him one day and it's like, "WHOA!"

=)

And I went to a private school back in 2004 when I was 250. When I had left the private school I had lost 20 pounds overall. I was constantly in tears and so miserable there...but I went back last week and all my teachers and friends couldn't even RECOGNIZE me. They told me how different I looked, how I seemed happier and how I held myself differently. They told me I looked very confident and how amazing it was. They were very happy for me.

And a boy who had been mean to me and made me cry and poked fun at me, because of my last name, came up to me..."You look amazing." And he came up to me and hugged me.

So many people hugged me that I don't want to be TOUCHED whatsoever for monthsss. I thanked all the people who had helped me with my depression and supported me and were always there for me. I felt on top of the world!

And at school now (I now attend public), I have a group of friends who can't PICTURE me at 250. One of my friends comes up to me and says, "This morning I saw this girl from the corner of my eye and was all, 'Hey, she's hot! Wait, is that LYNN?!' HAHA! I thought you;d find that amusing.'"

I DID! That means I can be "hott" from the corner of someone's eye. I'm aiming for the entire eye ;)

Haha...no...It's amazing, though. My friend even was kind of disappointed a had a boyfriend because someone had asked about me. It's amazing to me. I feel so flattered!

But the boy I like I really think is wonderful. I think I'll meet him this upcoming summer and I want to be at my goal of 130 and looking as pretty as I can possibly be for him and myself. I think we both deserve it.

But underneath the clothes...I think we all understand...we still have improvements. Which is where I am concerned. I know for a fact that if I stay true to myself and my lifestyle change that I'll have off these unwanted pounds by April-May. But Im concerned about sagging skin and all the bumps and lumps (such as on legs and other unheard of places). It's really embarassing and not a confidence booster...

I have weights and I know the exercises to help myself...I really need to work on my arms and stomach and thighs. It's just that I need tips on what I should do as far as toning as well as still managing to do my walk everyday. Triceps are a real pain, and when I lay on my back to do the ab crunches I get a headache because of my spine. It really frustrates me.

I also have a lot of stretch marks and scars. It's not pleasant. Does anyone know if laser surgery works? I've been using firming butter and vitamin E lotions for the stretch marks...but it doesn't seem to help. I'm going to try and get an aloe plant.

I just would like to talk about how to tone up, tighten skin, ways of reducing the appearence of unsightly stretch marks, cellulite, what the body will look like after all of the weight loss, if there will be a more "fleshy" look to the body in some areas where they had been a lot of fat, and when and how I should go about putting toning sessions into my lifestyle.

...Sorry for the length of that...I talk quite a bit.