Always get a 2nd opinion.
Up 1.3 this week? Nope. Went back to weigh myself, and I’m actually down 0.5, to 233.1. Like I was an unscrupulous accountant, which result do you think I’m going to write down on my progress sheet, hmm?
Well, my weight is up to 171.5 this morning but we went out to dinner last night and while I did not finish my entree, I did eat quite a large meal so I’m sure that’s the problem. I have to learn to eat less though I guess not finishing the entree or appetizer is a start.
I’ve got a gig tonight so there’ll be no huge dinner and lots of activity so that should shape things back up.
I’d like to join if I can.
When I got married last June I weighed about 215 lbs (I am 5’ 2’’.) When I went back to school I was moving around so much and walking all around campus that I dropped down to 165 lbs, which if I can subtract correctly means I have lost 50 lbs. I wouldn’t believe it myself if I didn’t have to buy a new pair of jeans every 3 weeks… I’m down from a size 16 to a size 8.
In my experience with this, things kind of snowballed. Once I lost a little weight I began to feel more able to move around, which made me lose more weight, which made me move around more, etc. For me it’s not about counting calories or jogging 5 miles a day. It’s more of, ‘‘Sure, I’ll take the stairs to the 5th floor today,’’ and ‘‘Why of course I’ll go for a walk with you!’’ whereas I used to avoid moving whenever possible. Those little things really DO add up.
I was discussing this with my Aunt the other day and she said, ‘‘Sometime when you’re at the store, I want you to go pick up a 50 lb bag of rock salt or birdseed or something and think to yourself, I used to be carrying this around with me every day.’’ Imagine how much extra effort it takes when you’re carrying all that around… I mean if someone walked up to you and said, ‘‘Hey, want to go for a run with me? Oh, by the way, you have to carry this 50 lb. bag while you’re at it,’’ you’d probably tell them to stick their 50 lb bag where the sun don’t shine. But when overweight people move around, that is essentially what they are doing… they are committing to something that’s a lot more uncomfortable than it is for the average person. So I think everyone here deserves to be commended for continuing to expend that extra effort.
According to the BMI index my target goal should be something like 125 lbs, so I guess that’s what I’m working toward. I don’t know how realistic that is, though… I am a DDD with big hips, and even losing 50 lbs nothing has changed that! I just know I like how my body feels when I am dealing with less weight… it feels stronger and more able. The other day I had to run to catch a bus, and was shocked at not being winded once I got there.
I probably won’t see a scale for another three months, or even have time to focus on weight loss while I’m in Mexico this summer, but I believe I will lose weight naturally because I want to go walking and hiking and work hard volunteering and not be afraid to continue pushing myself physically. That’s the point of losing the weight in the first place… to liberate your body so it can do more things.
Good luck to everyone! And congratulations Ginger on such a monumental weight loss… that is incredible and you must feel great!
Excellent point, but I have a couple of comments.
For one, I’d rather carry aorund 50 pounds of rock salt stuffed into a body suit than in a bag. There’s a difference between live weight and dead weight.
For two, if you mostly achieved your weight loss through muscle gain, then you have all that more muscle to lift those 50 pounds in the first place. 
Hello olivesmarch4th. Welcome to the club! Good luck losing!
Hey, thanks!
In the last few days I’ve been thinking about this. I think that 170 was my initial goal, but I had the caveat that I’d stop when I was happy with my body. I thought that at 170 I’d be in a size 12 - but the extra skin I have has prevented that. I don’t know when I’ll be happy, but I’m right now aiming for 162. If recent performance is any indication of results, it’ll take me another six months to get there.
See that’s the interesting thing. If you’d told me, ‘‘Hey, you’re gonna lose 50 lbs!’’ I would be excited and imagine myself looking and feeling great… but when I look in the mirror, I don’t see any difference between the smaller me and the old me. I still often feel fat… at least once a day. The other day I went shopping for clothes and left in tears because nothing fit the way it was supposed to. I’m told that it’s very common for people who lose so much weight not to grasp how different they really do look, and layer onto that a little good old fashioned social pressure to be thin and the result is feeling really surprisingly bad considering all the health changes that have been made.
What I’m trying to say Ginger, is that you (and me, for that matter) deserve to celebrate the progress we have made. I often try to imagine myself with a perfectly flat stomach, the best body I could be, and what I usually realize is that I wouldn’t be satisfied that way, either. Or I’ll imagine myself into the body of a celebrity and immediately see myself picking out all the flaws in ‘‘my’’ new body. For me, that dissatisfaction has to do with setting unrealistically high standards in all areas of my life, not just body image. But at this rate I wouldn’t like what I saw at 125 lbs either… there would always be something to feel dissatisfied with.
Perhaps a good goal for both of us would be to see ourselves as beautiful no matter what. Just a suggestion…
I don’t need to be told to feel happy about myself and my accomplishment so far, I really really am, honestly. I’m just unhappy about what it’s brought about. My torso looks like I’m wearing a bathing suit made for someone who weighs four hundred pounds. My hips are droopy, I have what appears to be a second set of breasts. It’s all skin and it’s very frustrating. Believe me, I do know how much I’ve lost, but it’s still very annoying. I don’t know that anyone can fully grasp what I’m talking about unless they see it, but I’m sure as hell not going to show a picture of my naked belly. It’s gross.
Well, after four weeks without a meeting or weigh-in, we went in to pay the piper.
I gained 1 1/2 pounds. I’ll let supervenusfreak deliver his news…
Believe me when I say I can fully grasp what you’re talking about! I’m just not at all sure you’re going to be any happier with the excess skin when you’ve lost another 10-15lbs. You may come to a point when you either have to accept the excess skin, or do something surgical about it. (Wanna go to Brazil with me in a couple of years?) 
I lost 5.2 lbs… 
My 46 inch jeans actually fit around my waist now.
The difference in our ages, and the length of time we’ve been overweight, AND the fact that I just had a pregnancy which affected it a lot means that there is still a chance that it will shrink some on its own. When I was at my lowest weight pre-pregnancy (about 15 lbs more than I am now), I did not have the skin issues I have now. And no, I can’t go spend a month in Brazil. If I could, I would have already.
OK, I haven’t weighed myself since before I left for France at the beginning of the money. I’m happy to say that I hit a milestone and broke the 230 threshold. I am now 228. I confess I had hoped for more because I’ve been working hard, but I was expecting about this amount.
Friday we went to a place for lunch where we all traditionally get beer. I got a diet soda and took a lot of ribbing from the guys. I may be overly suspicious but when the waitress showed up with a wheat beer that the bartender poured by “mistake” and said we could have it “on the house” I wondered if one of the guys hadn’t asked her to bring me one. None-the-less I let is sit (actually I had a taste because I wondered how the wheat beer there was. It is a microbrewery and they make their own.)
I’m up to 30 minutes a day of exercise. I skipped Friday night because I had a blow-out with my boss and was in a foul mood. But other than that I have been faithful.
July may be a tough month. I am going to be in France for almost the entire month. Business trips are always tough on me because - despite being the head geek and *not *in sales - one of my functions is to entertain the clients. So there will be many nights out.
200 lbs seems like a long way away… 
I remember having a very lengthy and interesting discussion on another message board (one that was dedicated to weight loss) about how long it takes for a person’s metal image to catch up with their physical appearance. Most people who lose a significant amount of weight find that it takes quite a bit of time at their goal weight to “see” themselves mentally at the new size. It’ll happen, it just takes time.
Khadaji you’ve only failed if you quit. Life interferes and intervenes and messes up our plans. Now’s the time for you to be committed and creative so that you can face the challenges of being out of your daily routine. The trip to France doesn’t have to derail or even impede your progress. This may be a time for you to focus on quantity rather than quality. When you’re in a situation with limited food choices limit your portion sizes instead. 200 lbs will be there when you get there.
Khadaji, I know you’re a big manly man, but you might want this advice from French Women Don’t Get Fat: when you have to entertain, first leave the bread basket alone, secondly pretend to sip your wine so that your glass never has to be refilled, third, order a dessert and eat two or three bites. Apparently when Mireille Guiliano does this, nobody notices. It’s worth a try.
I am still maintaining my weight at 170. This week was a total nutritional blowout, though–I baked a chocolate cake for a party early in the week and only got it finished (with the help of friends) last night. I’ve had at least one slice a day, and don’t feel particularly good. Back to oatmeal this morning, and a salad and veggie burger for lunch. Thank goodness!
Really? I was in a pissed off mood Friday as well. I exercised extra hard that night. When I was doing my kicking and punching, I just pictured the faces of everyone who pissed me off during the week.
When I was finished, I was sweaty and somewhat less pissed.
Down another 1.5 this week, making a total of 43.4. Another 1.6, and I will have matched my effort of 8 years ago. (In weight lost, not in lowest weight.)
Yesterday I got into a conversation with some women at work, who were discussing their own efforts. I was deemed the biggest loser! (Is that a good thing?)
tdn, in this case, being a big ol’ loser is definitely a good thing! WTG!
For those keeping track, I believe that’s 5.0 pounds in three weeks. That’s what I get for bustin’ a move old school, yo.
Hi, I’m RoniaBorkason, and I think that this could help (please?). I’m at my lifetime high right now, 270, and I just signed up with my health plan (Kaiser Permanente) for an online weight loss guide/program. I have never lost weight on purpose before. I did lose 25 lbs when I went carless for 10 months, three years ago, but my work schedule right now won’t let me do that again. I’m 5’8", a size 22/24, hourglass shaped.
I got married a year ago, and our weight rules we settled on were that we weren’t allowed to get too big around to hug, hands touching, and he couldn’t weigh less than me (He’s 6’7", 312). He’s started losing, and my tummy has started to hang over itself for the first time ever. I have to do something.
My plan is to start walking in the evenings, after it gets cool, but before it gets dark, maybe by myself, maybe with Hubs, and stop eating so much junk. Not completely give it up, but some. My goal is 200 lbs., I’d like by December, but am planning on one year from now. I weighed 180 when I graduated high school, 9 years ago, and I don’t think I’ll see that again, but 200 will be a size 14, much smaller and healthier than I am now, but curvy enough for aesthetics and for my husband.
I’ve read the thread, and I’d like to participate, are there rules or traditions to follow? Yay for all y’all who are progressing!