I thought I'd introduce myself as I'm new to this set of threads, and actually haven't posted anything here for about a year!
I'm 35, a single mom with two great boys! I've always been heavy, started life at 6 lbs, 4 oz., and just kept on going! I was over 200 pounds when I graduated high school, and lifted weights for a while in college, right before I went out into the work world, and loved it. I made a number of half-hearted attempts to become healthy and commit to a regular workout regimin, but was never successful, for many reasons, I see now. Over the course of the next years, I put on more and more weight, was in an unhappy marriage, and by the time I finally decided to take charge of my life, I was heavier than I had ever been. I left my marriage, took charge, and lost about 60 pounds, then made some lifestyle changes, and never got back on the wagon.
A little over a year ago, I weighed close to 300 pounds. I finally came to the realization that if I didn't take charge of my life, and change my lifestyle, that I would be dead before I was 45. I started going to the gym, could barely huff and puff through 15 minutes on the treadmill, walking at 3.2 mph and started a limited lifting regimin.
I did have some success, but by late November was feeling restless, and not seeing the results that I wanted, so I made the decision to hire a trainer. This was absoloutely the best decision that I ever made. I have the knowledge and know-how to put a program together, but having some accountability elsewhere definitely made a difference.
Since last January, I have lost 34 1/2 inches, 10 inches on each thigh! Wow! And I am feeling tremendously good about myself. Weight wise, since last summer, I have lost 33 pounds, but I'm not as focused on that as I am on making lifestyle changes that will allow me to have continued success. I have run in 2 2 mile races, just climbed a mountain, and have changed my eating and lifestyle habits in so many ways. I am much better equipped to handle stress and difficulties in life, and I am involved with a wonderful man who is supportive and understands where I've been and where I'm going.
I love lifting weights, love the feeling of being strong and absoloutely positively love the feel of muscle underneath my skin, as opposed to fat! My back doesn't hurt anymore, and I have this small glee inside of me when I'm at the gym, and am lifting heavier weights than many of the men!
I thought I'd join this forum because I love lifting and have been duly impressed with what I've read as I've lurked. I know some of the people here (hello ktownjenny!), and think that this kind of support is essential to lasting success!
Hello! I thought I would introduce myself here as well as on the daily. I have come a long way in this journey toward health and strength, and look forward to the next "leg" of my trip!
My real name is Ellen. My DH used to call me Franny after the character Franny Glass in the book Franny & Zooey. Mae was my mother's middle name, so that is a tribute to her! I am 43 years old, have 4 kids, 3 goldfish, 2 dogs, and 1 DH (One is enough!) I live in Southern Ohio, near Dayton. I work as a 9-1-1 dispatcher on the night shift, which presents its own unique challenges! In a former life I was a Russian Linguist in the US Air Force and spent the bulk of my 20's in Europe.
When I was in the military my weight was always an issue. My "weight limit" was 145 pounds! It was almost impossible to stay below that...I'm 5'8" with a large frame, so 145 isn't really much. No wonder it was such a struggle. So, of course once I didn't HAVE to weigh less than 145...I didn't! I packed on the pounds like nobody's business. I have never gotten down to 145 since then, and probably never will. Not with all the muscle I plan on having!
I started my journey at the end of January. I just decided it was time. I weighed 215 pounds w/45% BF. For a few months I just basically counted calories and did cardio. My diet really wasn't what it should be though, and my weight loss stalled. I started the South Beach Diet in June, and have lost 20 pounds since then. I am now eating a much healthier diet...lean proteins, tons of veggies, whole grains, limited sugar...and have continued the cardio on a pretty regular basis. At the beginning of August I knew I needed to add strength training to truly get healthy. So I started with a very basic whole body program 2-3 times a week. I love what it has done for me, but am ready to take it to the next level and challenge myself! I'm down to 170 pounds w/33% BF, but know I can be much leaner and stronger. And that's where lifting heavy comes in! I've been doing my homework and checking out info about lifting, and feel like I am ready. As of today I started a new, more challenging routine. My goal is to work out 3x a week and to either increase weight or reps each week. Pretty basic stuff, heh?
I love reading about your journeys and how far you all have come. I hope to be able to sing the praises of "lifting heavy" before long! I joined the MSN group and might even post pics! I have a full set of them....I like to call them "Then" and "Now" instead of before and after as a reminder that getting, and staying, fit and healthy is a process that will hopefully never end!
Good evening (at least, it’s the p.m. here in beautiful Indiana) and greetings to you all. I’ve been lurking for quite awhile, but thought I would introduce myself, since it’s widely rumored that you LUVS NEWBIES!
My name is Robin, but since I think I’ve seen a number of Robins, I’m happy to use my sign-on name, Airegrrl. My husband and I have only furkids -- Airedale terriers -- hence the name.
I’ve lifted weights off and on for nearly 30 (!) years, but it’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve realized I was lifting about as ineffectively as possible. Sigh. Too many light weights, no real training schedule, thus not much progress. Oh, it probably kept me somewhat healthier, but nothing to write home about. I’ve also battled my weight for most of my life, and had the most success with WW, from which I learned portion control, the wisdom of a balanced diet, portion control, record-keeping, portion control, weighing and measuring, and the importance of working the program instead of tweaking the program. And did I mention portion control?
Right now I’m holding pretty steady at 140-142. That’s my goal weight, and there was a time when I weighed about 185 and I thought everything would be perfect when I reached my goal. Well, my weight is fine, but I can’t say my body is. I’m 5-foot-4. I’m satisfied with how I look in clothes, but most of me is heading south, and it’s not a pretty trip.
More important – much much more important – I’m not strong, and I’m not very fit. And at 54, those are even more overriding concerns than how I look, because I’ve come to realize that strong-and-fit is a big key to my future.
I stumbled across 3FC and LWL about the same time I discovered a host of other resources – Pamela Peeke, BFL, Strong Women Stay Young, etc etc etc – and there’s no looking back. I thought I knew it all about nutrition, diet, exercise, fitness. Well, you can imagine the comeuppance I’ve had.
So, now I’m trying to get my head wrapped around all this new data. I’ve added to my collection of weights (I work out at home); I’m eating far more protein than I ever did before (and still monitoring that portion control); and looking forward to becoming an all new me, although I think I’ll keep everything else I’ve learned along the way. No reason to turn another year older come this Friday if I can’t gain lay claim to all that swell life experience!
You’ve already taught me more than you can imagine. I look forward to joining you.
Newbie to LWL....Nice to be here!
I am quickly copying my bio post from the Atkins thread because that is the WL plan I am following as per Drs. orders.
DATE: 9/22/03
USERNAME/REAL NAME: Kim in NJ / Kim
AGE: 38
BIRTHDAY: 12/3/64
MARITAL STATUS: Married
FAMILY INFO (anything you care to share about your family, children, hubby, etc.): Married 16 years to a wonderful man and stay at home dad, 2 daughters (7 yr old and a 1 yr old)
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Camping, Sewing, Teaching Bible Classes for elementary/middle school grades.
PETS: Lucas - our 100lb yellow lab
ATKINS START DATE: July 10, 2003
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE ATKINS: I think it was the only thing I hadn't tried....and I could easily give up breads, pastas and rice. It's the sweets that kill me!
TOP WEIGHT: 260
CURRENT WEIGHT: 223
GOAL WEIGHT: 140
HEIGHT: 5 ft 5 inches
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Brown with blonde highlights (non of it natural of course!)
OCCUPATION: Systems Analyst
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: The New Jersey Shoreline
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: It's actually my biggest problem in LIFE...I do not know or understand the word "MODERATION". I'm either all for something - or not trying at all. I tend to put all my efforts into something and then other things have to give. So that I am on Atkins and really trying to follow the program, my house is a mess!
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: My pulmonologist asked to see my dd's pictures at my summer checkup and said "They are beautiful...how many more years do you plan to be around for them?" And he's painfully right!!!! I've tasted pretty much everything in my lifetime, I need to again taste the "Feeling" of being thin and active with my family.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Unfortunately I have had the taste of thin-ness before and I blew it. In 1992 I used Slimfast for 2 years to go from 200 lbs down to 128. The most horrifying day of my life was when I found out that I indeed am a "Petite" size and I could not rely on the excuse of being "Big boned".
WHAT EXPERIENCES CAN YOU SHARE:
I am finding Atkins to really work well with my lifestyle. I just need to keep reminding myself that I have a different metabolism than my husband and children and therefore cannot eat as they do. But when I am 60 my family will hopefully care less that I ate differently than they did....especially if they can recall bike rides as a family and just general "active" type activities as a family. I've been hiding in my house too long in my size 26 nightgowns! Please pray for me - I am happy to be here with you all.
I know I haven't posted a profile here yet but I wanted to post my first Body for Life challenge results.
I lost 18 pounds, 14 inches, 2 jeans sizes, BF down 3.9% in 12 weeks.
Challenge 2 starts October 1. I have a verrrry slow metabolism and I'm happy with the results from C1. I think that the numbers don't show what I see and what a lot of other people see - I have dramatically changed the way I look and people are noticing. In fact, I've inspired a friend to go on a challenge! I never thought that would happen, but I'm happy now I have a real-life BFL buddy who is also a member of my gym!
Getting ready for C2. I'm taking a few days to relax (I'm very tired from all that lifting!) and figure out my goals for this challenge. Some of them are no-brainers, but writing down the actual goals is very important and it will happen by 10/1.
I am waiting for my local library's copy of BFL to return so I can check it out! I want to read it from the library first before I buy a copy. I have too many diet books that I buy, read and then never read again. But I think BFL will suit me from what I have read.
I am 30, live in Seattle with my boyfriend of 2 years and we are basically engaged to be engaged by the end of this year.
I found this website about 4 years ago from the OLD OLD WW Website, and love it. I am currently training with a trainer at my gym (Bally's) and we are weight training about 3x week, with 30 min cardio after weight training, and I try to get another 2 all-cardio days (love Spinning!).
I am 5 ft. 1 and currently weigh 132, would LOVE to get back down to my all time low (before marriage #1) of 115 but would be happy to just be below 130 again! My body fat is about 28%.
I need to get my body fat down. How do you ladies measure your body fat?
Jessica,
Does your gym offer bodyfat testing? Most gyms will test your bf% with calipers - my gym charges $10 to do it, but my old gym did it for free. These days, I go more by how my clothes fit.
Another newbie here and to strength training. I'm 40 (yes there's something to the whole midlife crisis thing!) and I've been married for 15 years. I teach special education. We have 3 children...a 13 year old ds and 2.5 year old twin girls. I have been gaining and losing (mostly gaining) since I graduated from high school.
I weighed 135 in high school and I thought that I was fat. I'm 5'6". My sister was always much smaller than me. She's 5' and always weighed less than 100 lbs. Whenever we argued, which was a lot, she always called me fat or said something about my weight. I'm not blaming her for my weight but I think that because of all the taunting, she did greatly shape my self-image. Throughout hs, I was a skating carhop at the Sonic and was in great shape. (although I didn't realize it at the time)
Shortly after graduation, I changed jobs to save money for college and I quickly began gaining weight. From then on, it's been a battle that I have lost. In college I weighed about 170 and for the most part, I was happy at that weight. I still looked good (I thought) and could wear clothing that I liked. Right after I graduated from college, I got married and gained about 30 more lbs. I started doing diet pills and starving and I quickly lost the 30 lbs....then I found out that I was pg.
I was thrilled to be pg and didn't care about anything else. I quit exercising and thought that I could eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted. The day ds was born, I weighed 253 lbs. Since then, I've never been below 200 lbs. I've dieted and gained over and over for the past 13 years. My highest weight ballooned at 275 lbs. That was about 6 years ago. I've still been gaining and losing for the past 6 years and now I'm at 217 lbs. I want to weigh below 200 lbs so badly that I can't stand it!
Another factor that I contribute to my weight problems are knit pants w/elastic waist! After ds was born, I wore nothing but knit pants w/elastic. They were cheap, comfortable, and I could gain and lose 50 lbs and still wear the same pants...seriously. Pathetic, isn't it?
I want to lose weight correctly and build muscle and strengthen my bones. Osteoperosis runs in my family and I've seen the damage that it can do. I know that strength training will greatly improve the quality of my life, for the rest of my life. I want to feel good and look good and I NEVER will wear pants w/an elastic waist again! lol
It's great to be a part of this board and I look forward to getting to know everyone and to learn everything that I can!
Hi, my name is Susan and I will be 44 in less than two weeks. I have a great husband. We had our 25th anniversary yesterday. Our children are 17, 20 and 22. And I'm a registered practical nurse.
I have never been much of a 'sport'. Field day was a nightmare for me. But I was pretty fortunate about weight. I remember being 118 lbs at about seventeen. I guess the weight just kind of crept on along the way. I remember being 132 pounds after my third pregnancy. I remember struggling with stupid fad diets to stay below 150. Then suddenly I was 162 pounds.
My signature probably tells more than anyone cares to know from there. All I did was walk and count calories.
Now, I'm kind of soft. I don't feel slender or toned. And I'm not sure I need to be any lighter, just smaller. Weights seem to be the thing.
Hi all! I am another newbie to lifting weights. When I first tried ... and er failed haha ... joining a gym it was two years ago - and that's when I got my first taste of weights and I LIKED it. I feel off the 'ol wagon and didn't get on again until late May of this year, when I realised that I had a one way ticket to morbid obesity and that I desperately wanted a refund!
I went back to the gym and made it quite clear that one ABSOLUTE MUST for my program was weights, weights, weights! My upper body was (and still is) in desperate need of some serious lifting. My legs are quite strong, but I also wanted them stronger. I also incorporated plenty of cardio into my routine.
I now exercise daily, and have recently been given a new program with my weights that I am loving. In my first three months of lifting, cardio and eating well I lost about 14 of the 16 pounds that I've lost, replaced 4.4 pounds of fat with 4.4 pounds of muscle, lost 6% of my body fat ... and the list goes on! I am a little unusual in that I do gain muscle rather quickly, but I'm not afraid of it, I love my little calorie-burning muscles, they are my friends!!
hi all! Thought I would introduce myself, even if this thread isn't particularly active.
I am 61, 5'1", and did quite well lifting weights and watching myself diet wise for about 2 years. I had gotten down from 183 to 150, and then I injured my back/knee. Went into a deep depression, stopped exercising in any form and started eating. Am back trying again now at 161 #s, and am determined to recover and keep going down to 135, my ultimate goal, and one I haven't seen in 20 years. Tho' I am short, my bone structure (or so I believe) is large, and I don't think I could safely go below that.
I just found out I am going to be a grandmother, and tho' I still am battling what looks to be chronic injuries, I am determined to have the strength to carry that baby and be heathy enough to help out my DD and SIL. I am really excited about discovering this website. I have been looking for a place where people talk about exercise and lifting without being completely fanatical about it. I have started power walking, and lifting again, and am anxious to start seeing results, but will be content to just see a little progress each week. Slow and steady will make me very happy.
Sorry, Artmaker, I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your title because it summed things up for me, too.
Back in the mid-1980's, I was a runner and did high-impact aerobics and step aerobics and was in great shape (even if I didn't have muscles then!). But married life and two pregnancies (gained 50 lbs each time - everything tasted good and I was never sick) and just plain old life got in the way. Along the way, depression, back injury (Artmaker, I may understand how you have felt), stressful job sitting in front of a computer all day, I used any excuse to swallow my unhappiness along with the food.
I've tried Nutri-System, WW, low-fat, low-carb, you name it, but without exercise, none of them did any lasting good.
Now, I have learned what works from the successful people here and am starting to apply that knowledge. I think I know what it takes to get the weight off and keep it off, and I believe that it will not be easy or fun, but will be worth it. I always thought that once I got the weight off, life would be simple, but I have learned from the Maintainers here that the struggle will be life-long. I have finally reached the point where I accept that and look forward to the challenge.
At 48 years old, I currently weigh 199 at 5'6'' and my goal is 145 with muscles, fitness and strength.
Welcome Susan and Susan! I couldn't agree more with both of you about the importance of exercise to long term weight loss success. It took me way too many years to figure that out for myself. Now I know that exercise was the key for me to lose the weight and is a necessity for me to keep it off for the rest of my life. We're glad you found us!
Hello! I am new to this forum, and this is my first message I am trying. I am married happily to a military man, and we have 2 boys age 8 and 12. Currently posted in Eastern Canada, we are hoping to head back west next year. My personal goal is to join the military by summer 2005. I have had this burning desire to join the military for 4 years now. Somehow, year after year passes by without me being able to get in shape. I am truly hoping I can make it this time, with the help and support of new friends I make here. I started at 215 lbs and my current weight is 201.5lbs. I am aiming for 150 lbs by end March or April, but more than the number on the scale is my ability to run 5km without huffing and puffing each step, and I want to gain strength to do REAL pushups! This is where weight training will come into play. I appreciate any and all the help I can get! Please help support me as I strive to make my dream come true.
Sincerely, Marie
I've been hanging around the Maintainers and LWL forums for a while, posting off and on (more "off" than "on"), but the only intro I ever posted was in a weekly thread back in May (I think). So here's my introduction:
I'm 27 years old, single, and working as a technical writer. I was always "solid" as a child, but quite athletic, up until high school. I gradually got chubbier in high school, maintained (for the most part) through my undergrad college years, then shot up 10-15 lbs/year as a grad student. I ended up leaving my school (for many reasons) without completing my doctorate in environmental engineering.
I always recognized that I was overweight, but I fooled myself into thinking it wasn't that bad - mainly because I didn't want to change my habits. I occasionally played with the idea of dieting and exercise, but I never really did it.
Then, mid-July 2003 (I don't know the exact date, but I might be able to track it down), something clicked. I was looking at physical requirements for joining the Army because my brother was considering it, and I thought I might be interested as well. I was a little taken aback by how much weight I'd have to lose before the Army would even accept me. Suddenly I had a goal - to get fit enough that, if I wanted to join the Army, I could. I started running (jogging and walking, really), joined Curves, and cut back on what I was eating.
I'm not sure that I truly thought I could do it, but I wanted to do something with the motivation while I had it. When I saw that it was actually working - I lost about 7 lbs in the first two weeks - I was confident that I really could lose weight. I added weightlifting somewhere along the way, and it was at that point that I started to look a lot better.
Since I started, there have been a few bumps in the road. During the Fall of 2003, I started having severe abdominal pain, and after a few trips to the ER, they finally discovered it was gallstones. I had my gall bladder removed on Christmas Eve. Other than that, the only problem has been consistency; some weeks/months I'm "into" fitness and eating healthy, but some I'm not. I'm still not at goal, but (like Ilene says ) I consider myself a maintainer in training.
Love to lift!!!!
Now I know that exercise was the key for me to lose the weight and is a necessity for me to keep it off for the rest of my life. We're glad you found us! 
