Looking for Inspiration--Anbody Lost 50 Pounds or More??

Hi All,

I'm in this for the duration.  I started at 284, and am down to 245.  39 pounds have taken a hike, but I'm a loooong way to go to my goal of 150.  So . . . .

I know that a lot of you are--or were--in the same boat, and I'd just like to hear a little from anyone who has lost 50 pounds or more.

How did you do it?  Are you near your final goal weight?  Did you hit many plateaus (I'm on one now)?  What is the biggest change in your life that has come with losing weight?  What has been your "best" weight loss moment?  Your most "frustrating"?

I'm just looking for a bit of inspiration and motivation, if you're willing to tell your story! 

Thanks!  :D

I lost 55 lbs. Most of that was before I joined this site, though. It happened when I joined the gym and started running. The running really helped for me.

you guys are amazing!!  keep those stories coming!  I'm feeling motivated, and I'm sure others will be, too . . . :D!! 

I lost 125 about 14 years ago.  I was doing 45 minutes of step aerobics daily and eating 1200 calories a day.

After that, I kept it off until 2001 where I had my child.  Actually what happened was I had one pregnancy where I tried to quit smoking and gained 25 lbs in one month.  I had a miscarriage, and then I was pregnant 2 weeks later.  I only gained 25 lbs during that whole pregnancy.  After my son was born, I was breastfeeding.  Everyone said the lbs would come right off.  I was under a great deal of stress, and I just had trouble making milk.  I was hungrier during breast feeding than I ever was pregnant.  I gained 20 breastfeeding.

Then, I was steadily losing until I started teaching.  I had lost about 35 lbs wthin 1 year of having my son.  I was so busy with a baby, single parenting, a new job, teaching, journalism advisor, etc.  I ate school lunches everyday.  Have you seen the school lunches lately?  yikes.  It started with french fries and cheese sauce, but I soon graduated to french fries w/cheese sauce and a burger.  I got so tired, I just told myself, I just didn't care how fat I was.

I gained back the 35 lbs.  Then about a year-and-a-half ago, I decided I did care.  I've lost 60 lbs in the last year-and-a-half.  I wasn't counting calories.  I have this method of eating that was kinda' working slowly.  I don't eat meat, fried foods, corn, potatoes, refined breads or pastas, sugar, or processed foods.

Then I saw myself naked in the mirror from behind, and I blew a gasket.  Something clicked.  I had to lose the rest.

I started, once again, counting calories, and I went and bought Kathy Smith's step aerobics, which is what I did back in 1992.

This was in April.  In May, I found this site, and I logged in.  Since April I've lost 20 lbs.  Since May, I've lost I think it says 6 lbs.  (It's been up and down since May because I was resisting myself).

I need to lose about 40 more lbs to be at my ideal weight.  I need to lose 18 lbs to be where I was before I had my son.  I've never been at my ideal weight.

Things that inspire me: 

I climbed a mountain yesterday.  I used to couldn't walk down the hall with breathing hard.

I can cross my legs all the way. 

My green towel fits all the way around me and doesn't gap open.

I'm not the fattest person in the room.

My BMI is not obese.  It's moderately overweight.

My stomache doesn't touch the steering wheel when I drive anymore.

I can actually buy the cute bathing suits, and not the ones with big, blue flowers (the grandma ones).

One of the best feelings I ever had was when I walked down the street men would ask me out or just walk up to me and say, "you're pretty."  It happened all the time, and it just blew my mind.  I was always the smart one.

Climbing the mountains is a great feeling.

Wearing a bikini in public is a great feeling.

Wearing my sister's clothes.

Walking into TJ Maxx and not having to go to the plus size racks.  The clothes are so much cuter for thinner people.

My friend saying, "Your skin looks great, are you eating a lot of fruit?"

One time I was running with a friend.  She is thin (probably has had a bout with anorexia--used to be a model, used to run track in college).  She said, "let's sprint to that light pole."  So we did.  I kept up with her, stride for stride.  I was running so fast, my leg were stretching out so far, it was like I had this momentum.  I felt like a deer.  I felt like I was flying.  I felt like if I hit a pebble, I would crash into the tree!

Frustrations:

Problems are still there when you lose weight.  Weight is how you deal with issues many times.  It's a symptom of issues.  It's usually not the issue itself.

I lose weight, I still have the same problems.

I get tired and want to quit sometimes, but I think I've figured out recently that it's because I'm too hard on myself.  I've got to be kinder to myself if I make mistakes.

I get really frustrated when people tell me how to lose weight.  These people are thinner, eating McDonald's and they start going into this expert advice about how I can lose weight.  They have no idea that I've lost weight.  I tell them I'm counting calories, and they want to tell me, "oh I can tell you how to lose weight.  Don't eat potatoes."  or "call weight watchers or jenny craig."  or "just exercise.  That's all you gotta do."  or many many others.  This is probably the thing that frustrates me the most.  I know how to lose weight.  It's simple math.  Calories in-calories out.  But, everyone is like this snake doctor voodoo weight loss guru, and they all know how to lose weight.  They've usually been thin their entire life, and could eat 10 pizzas and not gain weight.  But, some day, oh yes, some day, they will hit middle age, and their metabolism will change, and god, help them, they're gonna take their own advice, and I will be standing there..."ahahahahah" to laugh and laugh and laugh!

Muahahahaha! *waits with you for nutritional karma to hit them*

I started my journey in late July/early August last year, so just about a year for me now.  I didn't find this website until pretty recently though.  I have lost over 135 pounds since I started at a whopping 290+ pounds.  My personal high was around 310 pounds.  Today, I weigh 160 pounds.

Nobody really noticed I was losing any weight at all until after the first 50 dropped, then it was comments all the time.  I still have near complete strangers ask me how I've done it (the clerks at the gas station, the hairdressers at the local shop, my kids even field questions from their friends, their friend's parents, etc.).  I've even had people ask me if I had surgery (I did not).

So, since you asked, I'll tell you how I did it!  Honestly, through a lot of trial and error finding what worked for me.  The first 20 pounds I lost via way of the Atkins diet.  Well, that landed me in the hospital having my gall bladder removed and the doctors recommended that I try a lower fat diet.  So, that's what I did.  I started sort of mentally counting calories throughout the day and just basically watched how much fat, sugar and salt I was eating.  I drank lots of water.  But I did allow myself treats occasionally.  Cookie here and there, you know!  I'd just adjust how much I ate the rest of the day when I did, or work out a little bit longer at lunch time.  I started eating breakfast every day.  I'm a creature of habit, so it's almost always oatmeal!

Then shortly before Thanksgiving, I quit eating meat.  This decision wasn't really related to my health or lifestyle change, but more about ethical, moral and environmental considerations.  That's another story though.

A little bit before Christmas, I incorporated working out into my routine.  At first, I could only do 20 minutes at about 3 miles per hour on the treadmill.  After a time, I started the elliptical machine as well, just 5 or 10 minutes at a time along with my walk.  As my endurance started to build, I pushed myself a little bit further each day by increasing the resistance on the elliptical or pushing myself to go just a little bit longer than the previous day.  After a time, I was doing 40 minutes a day at level 8 resistance on the machine.  I was working into a pretty good sweat and burning around 600 calories per workout - 5 days a week (M-F) while watching what I ate.

Then a couple months ago, I decided that I needed to begin weight training as well to build up muscles other than just my legs, so I got one of the muscle boys at work (I work in a prison, lots of beefy guards!) to show me the ropes on some of the weight machines in our gym.  And I started reducing the amount of time I was on the elliptical each day.. down to 32 minutes now with about 20 minutes of weights/ab work added in.

I'm still not where I want to be and have about 25 pounds to go to my goal weight, although most people tell me I don't look like I weigh 160 pounds.  I'm 5'7" and I guess I carry it well. 

The entire process has been about learning about myself, what works and what doesn't.  I've watched my body change and with it, my attitude.  I no longer crave the kind of foods I used to just LOVE.  I'm happier with a great big veggie filled salad than a greasy pizza and I enjoy my food much more than I used to.  My resting heart rate has gone from a horrible 100 to a fantastic 66 and I can outrun my 18 year old daughter.  Hehe, she hates that!  In fact, I can now wear her clothes!!  (size 10 here, woo!)  She hates that, too.

Anyway, that's pretty much my story.  I'm not done yet, but you CAN do it... mind over refridgerator, I say!