Overweight since childhood... then what?

Hi guys,

I'm just starting on this whole weight loss thing. i'm 23 and i've been overweight since i was about 10 years old.  i am currently 252lbs and want to lose about 120lb!!!

My question is: has anyone else been in the same boat.. overweight since childhood and then finally managed to slim down to a normal size?  What is it like?  I've been carrying this excess weight around for so long i dont really know how it effects me in terms of how i feel in my own body... do you feel lighter? is there more of a spring in your step? energy? ... was it weird seeing your body emerge from underneath so much weight?  was it the shape you expected? 

I would LOVE some feedback... to motivate me and let me know its possible!

Well I didn't become overweight until I was about 14.

I went from 235 to 160. Yes, you eventually realize you can walk quicker and exert yourself more without feeling as tired.

It was definitely awkward to see myself shrink in size. I didn't even realize the full extent of my weight loss until one morning when I had just woken up and reached for my shoulder and realized it was ridiculously thinner than it used to be.

But I have to say, losing a ton of weight didn't really change who I am. I'm still the same person I was before I lost the weight. What changed is my eating pattern and my long term health.

Hi singing_girl--I have a more checkered history. I am 55, 5'5" and have been intermittently overweight since 10--I have lost and regained (mostly gained, and mostly gained more than I lost).

I got up to 260 at the highest when I was in my 30s, down to 180s, back up to 240, down to 180s and last year up to 227.

This time, I'm trying to do it for keeps. I am down to 183 again, and am trying to reduce to healthy weight. This is a great site for logging food and activity and picking up tips.

And yes, it is wierd. I can go from feeling heavy and gross to lighter than air (attitude makes such a difference) in a heartbeat. I still feel fatter than I am, and sometimes startle myself when I unexpectedly catch sight of my reflection. I recently saw a picture of myself and was surprised at how much thinner I looked.

It always takes a while for my mental image to catch up to reality (it worked the same way when I was gaining weight--I would be surprised at how fat I had become). I think this is one reason why a lot of people, myself included, need to take measurements periodically to remind ourselves of our progress.

Good luck on your jouney, and feel free to email me if you want to talk about anything.

It's so weird! Trust me. You see yourself differently, you look completely different. You walk different, you sit different. But its all weird in a good way :)

And it's manageable. You're going to change your life now and your future later. Reflect on your past and go "heck no i'm  not going down that road again". How exciting is all this? 

Wow guys thanks for the replies so far. 

Didoslament: i know what you mean about brain taking a while to catch up.  I dont mentally feel as big as i am, but when i see photos i am always horrified and think.. my god, i dont ACTUALLY look like that do i?!?!

Star: walk and sit different.. now thats exciting!  and reflecting on the past is definitely a great motivator. 

In fact today, i was drinking a non-fat milk mocha (i havent had coffee for several weeks and the cafe i go to has the BEST coffee in the world!) and i was thinking about the fact that i had to log about 280 cal for it (going off the starbucks guide even though its not a starbucks mocha) and i thought.. hell, this tastes the same.. but im just not enjoying it because i couldl be drinking water or diet soda and not using up any calories at all... so i drank half of it and the rest sat on my desk until it went cold and then i threw it out.  Little things huh...

I'd love to hear more peoples answers too :)

 I can't speak from experience through childhood. But, I think it would just make you more of who you already are. Just like money. Money doesn't make people bad or good. It just makes them more off what they already are inside. So in your cause losing weight and becoming healthy would do just that. Make you more of what you already are. More energy. More confidence. More strength. ect ect. It would just increase qualities.

Just a thought. 

Hi singing girl!

Okay, so I'm a little late here, but I just had to reply.

I was overweight for my entire life, or at least for as long as I can remember.  I am 5'3" and I was 267 pounds when I started my lifestyle change, now I'm at 153.  Yes, it's been weird seeing myself go through all these changes, but it's mostly a good kind of weird; the kind that makes you smile.

I get regular exercise - both cardio and strength training - so yes my body shape has changed, but definitely for the better, and it's been fun to finally be able to buy "sexy" jeans and tops rather than plus-sized "tents."  I also have much more energy than I used to - exercise has helped me lose weight, which makes it easier and more fun to exercise, which helps me to get in shape and want to keep exercising...so it's a win-win situation.  I don't necessarily feel "lighter," but I do feel very strong.  I can feel muscles working and moving in ways that I never did before.  I can walk, run, ride a bike, run up a flight of stairs (or two)...all stuff I could never do before without feeling as though I was near death.

For me, though, the hardest thing to get through was actually the emotional aspect of losing a lot of weight, more so than the physical things.  Personally, I was a BIG TIME emotional & stress eater.  Stuffing my face with food was how I dealt with life.  I learned that I had to completely change my relationship with food, which meant that for the first time ever I was dealing with things without my "food barrier," and that was really hard at first.  But like everything else, it gets easier with time.  Now I don't eat for those reasons anymore, I have found other, more healthy ways of dealing.

Anyway...my point is that it is TOTALLY possible to lose the weight no matter how long you've been carrying it around; for me, it was 32 years.  I did it by following this site's guidelines - portion control, nutrionally balanced food, and regular exercise - and IT WORKS.  It's not going to be fast, they don't offer any miracles here, but if you work at it and believe in yourself and believe you can do it, you will lose the weight slowly and steadily.  Remember, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, and you can do it!

Good luck!

I was always overweight as a kid, until I started university (age 18). I took control and finally decided to lose weight, instead of complaining about it all the time. It was the BEST THING I've ever done. I wrote about it in my profile and posted pictures, if you wanna look :) 

Losing weight made me so much more confident and made me more social... just happier in general. It's so good to go into a regular sized clothing store and not have to wear the biggest size! Plus I'm way healthier and eat more good foods than ever.

I can't express how worth it weight loss has been. You need to be motivated and stick to it... you didn't gain weight overnight and you won't lose it in a week either. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded.

One  summer when I was a kid my knees acted up. Which meant I was less active. That started a trend. I'd gain a little weight. So I'd be less active. So I'd gain a little weight. Eventually carrying all the weight meant sore back,knees etc.

 

Last summer I got serious.  I feel better. I do things I couldn't before. 

wow i love hearing all these stories. i just love the fact that there are other people out there who have been overweight since they were kids but have managed to totally turn that around. thanks for your replies cellophane and justlaura.  Every story i read just makes me feel more and more that it IS possible. :D