Welcome to the new over 100 to lose club!

Howdy guys and gals!  I'm taking over this club, not because i think i have all the answers (i so know i don't) but because i'm super pumped up right now and motivated to help those people out there who have a lot of weight to lose.  we need a place that's more than a "can i join" place.. we need a place to talk about issues related to being this overweight.. 

Who here needs to lose over 100 pounds? Who needs to lose over 150 pounds? Or more?

I did! I did! And yes.. i did!

A small amount of background on me for those of you who don't know: i am a binge eater. I have had a problem with emotional eating, hidden eating, over eating, eating with a hang nail, eating because i have split ends.. you name it i stuffed my emotions down with the greasiest, nastiest food i could find!

Why did i do that (you might ask)? Because of many many different reasons.. frankly i think it was because this is how i was taught from a young age, this is how we handle stress and emotions. I learned that it's not proper to talk about your feelings.. or god forbid, express your emotions! You have to shove them down with a piece of cake and a smile!

Anyway.. onto the reason for this post.

If you are out there and need to lose a lot of weight.. just like i've got to.. i think we need to have a place where we can discuss these issues with each other and try and work through them together. Because, let's face it, people who are morbidly obese (yes.. i hate that word too) have uniquely different issues to work through and deal with than the average person.

Losing weight, for people who have this much to lose, have to deal with so much more than the formulas to figure out how much to eat.. and exercising. It's more complex than that. We have to deal with years and years of poor eating habits that have to be unlearned, we have to deal with the emotional torment of just being this size, we have to deal with the harsh looks and comments from strangers or from loved ones, we have to deal with our emotions for the first time in our life because we aren't shoving them down our throats anymore..

this is the hardest thing ANYONE has to deal with.. but, from my experience, things are different for us bigguns. :)

also, for those of you who don't know me very well.. (because i've kinda been in hiding and not posting much and there are so many new people out there) i started out in january weighing 324 pounds. I now weigh 232.5.. i have lost 91.5 pounds so far. I am not telling you guys this to get kudos.. i got those yesterday. I'm telling you guys this because i want anyone out there who is struggling with knowing they have, what seems to be, an insurmountable amount of weight to lose, that there is hope.. it IS possible.. you CAN do it.. but it's hard.. and you will hurt.. i know this because i've been there.. i've done it.. and i'm still dealing with it.

so.. come on in and share your stories.. i want to hear them and i want us to support each other until we are all at our goal weight!

okay, so since this is new, I have to ask again (sorry for being so repetitive)  ...

at my highest I was 276 (now 220) so does that count? Cause I SHOULD weigh 150 or so?

*should not be left to her own devices all day long*

of course.. i think and feel that if you have/had around 100 to lose when you started.. or at your highest.. then you belong here..

i have less than 100 to lose now.. but i still feel like i belong here more than in any other group.. because i'm still dealing with the issues concerning being so heavy!  :) 

*dances like a mad crazy fool*

*goes back to edit her pathetic-ness*

I just realized, like 5 minutes ago, that in 21lbs I'll see a 100lb mark on my scale (199 but still!) and it's been like three months and I've already done like..26ish.

and I here tell you've done it without bingeing:) To me, who has been known to binge) that is as impressive as your 90lb weight loss!

ohhh.. won't it be nice to be under 200??  i can't wait.. :)  it's gonna be awesome.. only 33 pounds for me.. *sigh*  :)

yeah.. no binges.. :)

I want to join!! I have been reading here for over a month, but this is only my 3rd time posting.

I still have over 100  to lose. I started at 270 on June 21st and I am down 21 lbs as of today.

I have always been overweight. Sometimes I would think that I needed to do something about it, but most of the time I just didn't care. My husband and I joined the Y in January with pretty good intentions, but I babysit weird hours and it is just hard to get there. I have one child from 9 am until around 6 pm and the other from 3 pm until midnight. No time to go unless I want to take the child with me and I feel bad putting the kids I babysit for in daycare at the Y.

Anyway, I finally made the decision to change on June 21st and so far it has been great. It is hard work. I have days where I feel like I am starving and I just want to eat everything I see, but mostly I am doing well with this. I am so glad that I found this website because it has helped me so much.

I keep a paper journal with all the foods I eat and I log all of my activities. I am trying to stick between 1500 and 1700 calories a day and I think I have managed that well.  I sat here one day a few weeks ago and looked at the calories in the foods I ate before and it honestly turned my stomach. I must have been eating 5000 calories a day on average before. Sickening.

I burn more calories now than I ever have in my life. I DVR Denise Austin and workout with her daily, play lots of Mario Mix DDR and swim tons. When summer is over I will have to find something to take the place of the pool.

I can honestly say that this 21 lbs is the first weight I have ever lost in my life. I might can say that I have been overweight all of my life but I couldn't say that I struggled with my weight, because I never even tried to lose it. I didn't yoyo. I just gained.

I decided to do this for lots of reasons. Of course, I want to be healthy. I want my blood pressure to be normal and all the other health related things. The #1 biggest reason though was because I want to be able to really play with my nephews without being too big or too tired to do what they want.

ooo, yes...I think I was 12 the last time I remember being 1anything. I dunno when I moved up into the 2's, I was too afraid to look!

so are we going to have meetings and weigh-ins or things like that? challenges and such?

welcome Angie :)

I too, did not yo-yo, just gained and didn't care. I decided to lose weight to be healthier (blood pressure and blood sugar)

Congrats on the 21lbs! woo hoo! *raises can* here's to 21 more..and then 21 more :)

i'm thinking for now.. we do a get to know you.. share our stories. challenges can come later.. :)  i don't like contests to lose weight because people lose at different rates.. you can't regulate that.. but i think more than anything we should support each other and the newbies who come along.. because when i started i have to tell you guys.. i thought i was starting an impossible journey.. and it's so nice to hear successes and share our struggles.. :)   i'm thinking every day or every other day i'll post something new.. with inspirational stories and maybe some information.. :) 

welcome here gaidinsgirl!  :)  good for you starting now!  :) 

I've seen that 'tag' some of the girls are doing... I thought I'd like to do something like that if someone else were at my size and weight...just more of an extra little push to get me moving and put down those durn Sun Chips..but you're right, people do lose at different rates. I also think that some people might be tempted to do unhealthy things just to win.

When I started here, a mere 4 months ago I was shocked to see so many other people here just like me! At first I didn't want to say 'boo' cause it seemed like I was the fat girl at the party with more than 10-20lbs to lose but I quickly learned otherwise. Still shy though and it's only the last few days I've been a mad mad posting machine :)

I'm going to join (makes a face at obby) because I DID have to lose 106 pounds :) I only need to lose 68 now, but it's a big 68!!

And anyways, it might help to have a guy's voice in this :)

yeah.. i think it's great that there are all types of people here.. when i first started.. i thought EVERYONE was just trying to lose a little bit.. but then i realized that i was the only one being vocal about how much i had to lose.. that there were many other people out there who needed to lose this much too.. but they were too shy to post.. heh.. i never was.. i threw myself onto the forums and never looked back.. and i want to coax out the others to help them out too

and yeah.. i just have a problem with contests.. and you hit the nail right on the head as to why.. if you lose at different rates then people will try and be unhealthy to speed it up.. :)  like me.. i lose faster than the average person because my dr. is keeping my thyroid meds a bit high for the metabolism boost.. i don't think it would be fair of me to challenge someone who isn't getting that medically approved help.. and there are so many other factors involved in losing weight that it just doesn' tmake sense (to me) to do that.. but maybe we can do contests like who can make the best improvement with exercise for the week.. i  like those!  :)

hk- please read post #2... i said that anyone who had around 100 to lose or more can join!  not where we are at now!  :) 

works for me!

btw..I peeked in your journal..you RAN?! I ran! On purpose! I love it even though it's like 30 second jog, 2 minute walk, 30 second jog, 3 minute walk... some day I'll be counting in miles instead of seconds!

I did see, ob. :) I'm just being difficult. :)

I can't speak for anyone else here, but i've learned ALOT in the last three months about how to do this healthily and I'd love to share with anyone who will hear me out :)

YAY hk!  share away.. that's why we're here!  that's the purpose of this post!  ;)  and quit being difficult!  :)

garnett- yup i ran.. i would say it was a bit under 1/2 a mile.. and i had to stop about 3 times to catch my breath.. but in my defense.. it was HOT out there.. i had a wicked headache when i got back (walked for the rest of an hour. so i worked out for an hour today!  w00t)

Alright, so alot of y'all wonder what it takes to lose weight. It's not as difficult as it seems, at first. It is doable.

The first thing you need to make is a committment. You NEED to be able to commit to doing this. 100 lbs. is ALOT of weight. It took you a great long time to get that overweight and it will take a great long time to get it off.

Committ yourself not just to weight loss, but to overall health. The facts are, committing yourself to health, fitness, etc. not only gives you a chance for a little bit more freedom in what you eat, but also a new set of positive goals to work for.
It's great to step on the scale and realize you've lost 10 lbs., but it's also great to be able to be capable of jogging for extended period of times, of being able to bike up a mountain. Your life can be fuller and more complete if you're willing to look at the big picture of health!

And that's important, because my next suggestion is to lock you scale up. Put it away! The scale is a harsh mistress and often lies to you. It tells you your weight goes up, when you ate well, that your weight goes up when you worked hard, etc.
Toss it into the shed and only bring it out once a week or so to keep yourself sure you're doing the right thing. Concentrate on FITNESS. Concentrate on trying to have more good eating days!

The next step is simple... pick one thing to work on, just one, and work on it for 21 days. One obvious suggestion would be bringing the number of calories in line. Try to do that long enough that it becomes a habit, second-nature. :)

Start there, and you will be off to a good start on losing your 100 lbs.! :D

I'll join! 

Last July I weighed 307 lbs.  By January, I was down to 287.  From January through June, I only lost another 7 lbs.  But in the last few weeks, I have gotten below 280 and with continued effort and working the plan and with the support of my fellow 'bigguns', I know we can do this.  And obs is someone I remind myself of when I don't feel like exercising. (And Salome too.)  If they can do it, I can do it.

I have been very obese (I say very instead of morbidly)  for the last 17 years and my knees and ankles are much the worse for it.  In the past I have injured myself sooooo many times because I'd go on a diet and exercise plan - all excited and enthusiastic - only to overdo it on the exercise, hurt myself, and then be unable to exercise until knee or ankle heals. By which time, my enthusiasm waned.

BUT!  I joined this site because I didn't want to let anything get in the way of better health.  I didn't want to let my knees and ankles be an excuse to stay fat. No way! 

So I am still learning how to do the exercise thing in a way that burns fat yet preserves my joint health as much as possible.

I remember several months ago when I hadn't posted on here much at all, obs was my only friend.  And when I asked for suggestions about exercises that don't put weight on the ankle, she told me - if nothing else, I could sit dance.

*sit dances in office swivel chair*

I'm dancin' obs!  Let this be a dance!

ahh!!  i forgot about the sit dancing days!  ;)  love it.. i still sit dance when i'm feeling restless.. :) 

any exercise is good exercise.. :)  moving is better than stagnent.. :) 

and hk.. i'm with you.. losing weight, really isn't that hard.. to me it's more important to get past our own insecurities and issues to be able to do the weight loss part!  :) 

and i LOVE the throw away the scales thing.. omg. i did that a long time ago.. i still weigh.. but that's just to see a bit of progress.. but i'm not dependant on it.. and i don't have a scale in my home.. it's not worth it..

what is worth it is feeling this much better!  i don't remember a time where i felt this healthy!  and by heatly i mean physically AND emotionally.. i'm learning to love myself.. and boy.. i think that's harder than figuring out how many calories i need.. my doctor and his nutritionist took care of that part.. hehe.. only I can take care of my emotional self.. :)

*grabs scale*

No HK! NO! I cannot lock up my scale! I'm an obsessive weigh-er but I don't freak about about fluctuations. My obsessiveness helped me to understand my body and I can predict if it's going to a lil up or a lil down :)

But yeah, the whole..being able to move without falling on my face, that's a great side effect of getting healthier. I remember when I started I was walking on a boardwalk and I'd have to stop and stretch out my back cause it was KILLING me, now I'm walking trails, up and down hills with no troubles!

Welcome nomoreexcuses! pleased to meet you :)

I buttdance all the time ;) But that's because I'm a cubicle monkey chained to his chair and sometimes you just gotta dance ;)