Living the Lifestyle (LTL) - Wednesday, 10/3/18

minimyzeme

We meet here to explore, share, celebrate, and (sometimes) agonize over how we do (or don't) incorporate weight loss guidelines into our daily lives. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet" is easily and often said, but sometimes not so simply put into practice.

This is a thread for everyone. If you're new to GoaD, or to weight loss, your questions and comments are always welcome. If you're maintaining, or a long-term loser, your thoughts on the topic may be just what someone else needs to hear. If you're reading this, join in the discussion!

Each weekday, a new topic is offered up for discussion. Thread starters for October below:

Monday imastar2 (Derrick)
Tuesday - whathapnd (Emmie)
Wednesday - minimyzeme (Kim)
Thursday - misterhub (Greg)
Friday - Jerdtrmndone (Jerry)

Today's Topic: If you weren't here...where would you be?

You can interpret "here" a little more broadly than GOAD specifically. If you weren't on this weight loss journey at this point in your life, where in your crystal ball would you be?

cakeman21k

Probably 6 feet under! I joined WW 1 week after having a heart attack that was in November of 2006 and I am still here!

gadgetgirlIL

Probably well on my way to following in my mother's footsteps of being progressively more disabled by the burden of carrying so many extra pounds. I certainly wouldn't be enjoying life very much.

I still remember how depressed I was feeling in June 2011 when I had regained ~40 pounds and my right knee was hurting so much that I was having difficulty with some of my job duties. I was about to turn 50 but I felt like I was 80. I just couldn't imagine living the rest of my life feeling that way. Thankfully WW at Work happened around that time and helped snap me out of my downward spiral.

Life still has challenges such as all the pressures I'm feeling at work, but they are a little bit easier to deal with in a normal sized body. And a normal sized body allows me to blow off some of the stress on weekends when I get out on my bike.

countcurt

minimyzeme wrote: »

Today's Topic: If you weren't here...where would you be?

If I weren't here I'd be there.


I'm not exactly sure where that is, but definitely a place of less self-respect, more anger and lower overall energy. It isn't weighing less that makes me feel this good (although I'm pretty dang happy about that). It's the success of accomplishing something so important to me. Even when the success isn't full (like when I've re-encountered bad habits or put on a few pounds), I feel so much more able to take command of the situation and manage it without feeling like a failure.

88olds

Well, worst case, the 285 lb me would almost surely be dead.

Then there was the pre WW 215-220 lb version. But by now that may be the 250 lb me. I was a gym regular at 215 lbs. I think my feet and/or knees would be shot.

So I think but for “here” things look bleak in that crystal ball. I’d be going around as a 250 lb fat guy. Probably back to a CPAP. Back pain. Kicking myself for never closing the WL deal. Probably beating myself up at some gym as much as I could stand. Which wouldn’t be much.

Jimb376mfp

In 2013 I weighed 376 and was three years into retirement but was not active physically. socially I went to dog park.

WW changed my Lifestyle and even though I have some medical isues I would be so worse off. My sister is obese, at age 77 she is not eligible for hip replacement due to weight, in a wheelchair and hospital bed. She was a RN and knew the risks but now pay the price. SAD

I too include myself the possibility that six feet under (or in a urn)

Jerdtrmndone

Probably not in this world. I weighed 298 lbs. back and knee pains. On our 25th anniversary I had chest pains that day thought I was having a heart attack. Thankfully it went a way and our party went well.
The next day I went to the doctors and found out it was an anxiety attack. My blood pressure was 220/110 lucky I am still here. so I lost 110lbs. and things were great until about 3yrs. ago gaining 60lbs. and back to the knee and back pains with my discs collapsing now and struggling to lose.

myallforjcbill

I would be dead from a heart attack or recovering from heart surgery, knee surgery or back surgery and living a sad life.

Al_Howard

Dead! 335# when the doctor said "you are diabetic". Scared me, and I got back with weight loss. After a computer upgrade made the program I was using obsolete, I re-joined WW (goal in 1979), and really got WITH the program. Having TOL on progran also is a great help (although her complaining that I'm costing her money, as she regained lifetime a couple of years ago).
Still need to lose at least 25#, but............I'm a lot better off than dead.

podkey

Hard to know but without an actual plan I would still be more than "pleasantly plump" ushering in the effff word actually. I did other schemes before WW but nothing really stuck.

imastar2

At 400.8 lbs and 63 years old severe OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) my days were surely numbered. Got on a bi/pap machine and weight started falling off. Took about 2 years to drop 100lbs then stayed around 300 lbs for a long time till I just a year ago took off and gained almost 50 back.

Story is I'm where I'm suppose to be. I really have no choice. Yes I could wonder off and try something else but I'm not ready or have the time to go off and try anything new. Just need to eat less and leave off the sweets which I'm getting better at.

SW 400.8
CW 342.2🙂
Next GW 300.0
Final GW 185.0

58.2 lbs Total Loss

minimyzeme

For my own self, I suspect I would have just crept upward to 300 pounds or more. I'm about 5'8" so the weight was really starting to be more noticeable (even though many people told me I used to wear it well--whatever that means). I don't know whether I'd had any major life traumas but I certainly would have set myself up for them with additional weight gain. Of course, there are no guarantees that just because we lose weight, we'll necessarily live a better life, but I'm quite certain I would have been closer to a trajectory that would have contributed to a major problem for me and my family. I'm glad I started when I did...