So what happened the last time you tried to lose weight?

Sassy922

My head was still "fat". When I looked in the mirror, I still saw the 230+ girl looking back at me vs the 155 lb girl that was standing there. I got very bitter and stopped caring.
This time around, I'm making damn sure I fix my head along with the process.

StrawberrySuzyQ

Two times before last was the first time I EVER actively tried to lose weight. I was married in 1995 and within a year put on probably close to 50 lbs. There were a LOT of stressful things going on during that first year of marriage which culminated in my mother-in-law dying two weeks after our one year anniversary.

I forget what year my parents came out and we went to PA to visit my grandmother. She commented that something was different about me and my dad said: "She's put on a lot of weight." I was heart-broken! I could not believe he said that and it totally crushed me. So I made a real effort to lose weight. I'm thinking that was in 1997 because in 1998 I made the effort to lose weight. I did the Atkins diet and lost quite a bit of weight but I really needed to put foods back into my diet. Needless to say, I gained weight back.

Fast forward to more years of stress (sister-in-law with MS, father-in-law with Alzheimer's, husband with depression and plenty of own weight gain). This time I went with Weight Watchers. My mom and sis-in-law had joined but they were 800+ miles away, so I had to have a long distance support system. I actually did VERY good on WW and, although I don't remember how much I lost, I was making headway.

Broke my ankle in Sept of 2008 and then car broke down in Nov of same year and I ended up walking 1 1/2 miles to the bus stop four days a week through most of the winter. Several times I had to walk that home, too. I had started to run at the track the beginning of April but my own father ended up in the hospital early June and then I HAD to return home because he was going to die. At that point, life stopped. Spent 6 weeks with family, returned home, spent two weeks packing and then moved 800+ miles to live with mom. Unfortunately, husband refused to support this decision and so not only was I dealing emotionally with the loss of my father, moving in with my mother, but then separated from husband who 9 months later said he was going to file for divorce. I kind of just went through the motions of living.

My sis-in-law wanted to lose weight and June or July of 2011 sent me an invite to join MFP. I didn't really put much effort into it until September but then I saw the weight just start to come off. Twenty-two days ago I started the JM 30 Day Shred and have lost another 2.5 lbs and when I get done I will check inches lost. I still have about 20 lbs that I want to lose, but if I can just trim and sleek my body the weight number won't be such a huge factor to me. I know I'll never get back to my pre-marriage weight, but I'm okay with that as long as I look and feel good about myself.

kdeaux1959

1. 1985. 25yo. Was in a stressful job but joined a gym and decided to do something about my weight... Dropped from 260 max measured weight down to 170 which is toward the middle of my IBW range at the time (now would be low end for medium frame). Did not do it the right way really... did large amounts of exercise daily and worked all muscle groups daily. Therefore, my overworking of muscle groups and severe calorie restriction (about 1200 calories with low protein) did not enable me to gain a lot of strength. After leaving that job and finishing my masters I was without a job for about 6 months living at home and eating... No way to continue gym membership -- moved 60 miles away with no income so I reverted to old ways.

2. 1991. 31 yo Was back up to about 250 or so. Life back on track. Steady job. Pastor of the Church I was a member of at the time was really into running so I got back on the the fitness trail. Pushed my walking into running and kept pushing that. Got up to like 7 miles one time but over extended (did too much too early) ... Hurt my knees... Got back down to 199 that time until I changed my eating habits again after a mission trip to Honduras. Met the person who was to become my wife and suddenly going out to eat was more important than eating healthy (well, still not healthy but at least light) and I regained.

3. 2004. 44 yo Over several years got up to near morbid obesity (near 320 - bmi=40). Felt horrible. Got a program online (trial version) that evaluated my eating habits and adjusted my eating. This time, my attempt was a bit more balanced but no exercise component to speak of (except I did walk the track some). I dropped from near 320 down to about 260 in a matter of about 6 months. The trial version ran out and I did not have resources at the time to purchase it. I changed my eating habits again (once the school year was over- teacher) thinking I was still eating healthy but was packing the calories back on. Ultimately, I fell back into the old habits and my weight loss reversed.

4. 2012. 52 YO -- Here we are again... I can look at the failures of the past and say what is the use or look and learn... What is consistent with the failed attempts of the past...
a. Exercise without knowledge - weight training on an alternating schedule rather than every muscle daily.
b. Allowing life's circumstances to guide my path - Great men change circumstances not get blown about by them
c. Nutrition - Reduced caloric intake is not enough... Meeting a sustainable goal is more important than just "dropping the weight" Adequate protein, in particular, is essential.
d. Find a sustainable source of information to be able to monitor any changes I have made
e. Just do it.

So, what is different this time? I started at 344.. I knew I had to do something. I have lost two friends recently due to weight issues .. one was 60 y-o. He started making changes about a month before he died. Unfortunately, it was just too late for him. Perhaps it was the same with the 65 y-o. Both I suspect lost weight at the end in an unhealthy manner with inadequate protein to sustain the heart.
a. Exercise --- Whole family joined the "YMCA" in January about a month in... From posts on this site, I discovered some of the things I had done wrong in my strength training before... Now, for the first time, although I am losing weight... I am also getting stronger... My wife notices it.. I notice it... I actually have been able to INCREASE WEIGHT RESISTANCE during this process because I am not starving myself (although I do have a calorie deficit)...
b. Circumstances --- Fitness is a priority. I must keep everything balanced and in perspective. Fitness is a primary goal and essential to all life processes. I can be as intelligent as Albert Einstein (well not really but I digress) but if I lack the physical fitness to make things happen, it is incomplete. We are a Spirit... We have a Soul ... We live in a body Spiritual-Intellectual-Physical all have important roles in our lives and all must be as fully developed as possible.
c. Nutrition --- Eat enough of nutritious foods. If your body is getting what it needs, it really can survive on less than what we have eaten before. Avoiding empty calories and making good choices on what to eat.. Want something sweet? That is fine... Choose a protein bar instead of candy... That way your body is getting something it needs (and is actually between 50 and 70 calories less than a candy bar). Most of the time we reach for candy or snack cake because it is fast, easy and quick energy.. but it does not last and does not provide nutrition.
d. MFP... It is free and with all the bad info out there, there is support and a lot of good info as well.
e. As Jesse Duplantis once preached " It's not a debate, it's a decision" Going back is NOT an option. I feel better than I have in years (including during weight loss attempts before). Going back to the way it was is not an issue.

Finally, I have come to realize that more important than BMI is Body Fat percentage. It is entirely possible to be healthier while technically "overweight" (BMI 27 or so) if one's lean body mass is higher than average. This explained a lot to my thinking process. That is why my goal weight is not technically within my BMI = 18-25 range...

I want to focus on being healthy and fit. Will adjust when I get to that goal? Probably... It is about being a lifestyle change ... not a diet or a weight loss. Who is the person that I am becoming? Lifestyle. So many say they are living a "lifestyle change" while in reality they are following a fad diet that is unsustainable... I once had a relative that said she was in a "Lifestyle change"... on a cabbage soup diet... Really, you are going to eat nothing but cabbage soup the rest of your life... Yeah... no, lifestyle change refers to something that is sustainable long term... That is my effort this time

I realize that this is a rather lengthy comment but I thought I'd sort of lay it out there for anybody willing to read this book... I found it therapeutic just sort of laying it out there and if it blesses somebody along the way, so much the better.

kymillion

I got "knocked up"

for the 6th time..


ugh

Wtf? 6 times is a lot -_-

I "plateaued" because of lack of exercise so I ended up lowering my BMR too much. I gave up and ended up gaining back around 30 pounds before deciding to lose weight again with Diet AND exercise.

* did lose the weight each time.. but then*

6 Gorgeous children that I am overjoyed with.


why yes , yes it is.... and apparently Birth control isn't my friend...(we tried EVERYTHING...but abstinence ).try keeping your husband at bay looking like I do.. ..

lol.

biggest weight 222 during pregnancy weight before 115.. I put on some serious weight.. The last two were meant to do me in..

but I intend on being more fit and in shape then I have ever been

just give me a minute.. ;P

jonesygetshealthy

-.- Godiva chocolate cheesecake happened...