We welcome you to...

GretchenReine

ONEderland la la la la la la la la la la la (hear the Welcome you to Munchkin land song in your head?). This is my theme song! Not Munchkin Land (I'm 5'9") but ONEderland. A place I never thought I'd get. I set it as a goal...but I've set lots of goals in my life...I don't typically get to them. I've thought having a weight with a 1 in front of it would be the neatest thing ever. You know, when you're a kid, you don't pay attention to scales. You don't weigh yourself except at the doctor's office and one a year in PE. You don't pay attention to either of those numbers unless someone says something about it. The only time I remember that number as a kid was in middle school. It was the week of the wonderful physical fitness testing and it started off with the gym teacher in her polyester shorts getting measurements. There was the dreaded curtain with the scale behind it. I went back and got on the scale and came back out. My friends were all standing there and Shawn (inquisitive little *kitten*) asked how much I weighed. With a deer in the headlights look I told him to guess. His guess...150. I thought about the number on the scale...the number that did NOT start with a 1 and told him that he was pretty awesome at this weight-guessing game. I never admitted that I was over 200. That was the first time I lied about my weight. That was middle school. The rest of my life was spent up and down and up and down going as high as almost 400. I had gastric bypass at that point (2003) and over a year and a half made it as low as 250. I fell off the workout wagon and the weight crept back on. My highest after that was around 310-315 and I'd yo-yo diet and bounce back and forth between 280 and 310. My starting weight in September, 2011 was 305.2. Obviously...ONEderland was a long way a way. It was unreachable. But what the heck...I set it as a goal. Everyone told me I could do it. Clearly they didn't really know me that well!!! Around 11 months later, I hit the 100 pound lost mark. Ok, so I never expected to lose 100 pounds using this site...but...here was my ticker saying 100 pounds lost! This put ONEderland less than 6 pounds away. I pushed and pushed...and here I am. I weigh under 200 pounds. I don't know how to explain how it feels. I weigh my middle school weight. I am overwhelmed. I am excited. I am thrilled. And...I am scared to death! I don't want to see that number ever again. I wrote a blog about it yesterday and it really says it all. I hope that everyone that's struggling realizes that you can do this. The support here on MFP is unmatched anywhere else. I joined in 2009 and it didn't work back then for me. I used it all of the way this time making friends, doing challenges, reading the forums. I can't wait to see where else this adventure takes me! Here's my blog for anyone that's interested! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/gkeith1971

chocl8girl

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :drinker:

FishingMachine

I have lost 26 pounds over the last 14 months ! I am stronger, lighter, faster and able to compete at world class levels. ! Yes !

brendacooks

It is a really REALLY amazing story and so inspiring.Thank you for sharing your journey with us - it does make us all want to keep on going!

GretchenReine

Thanks so much! Sometimes I wish it wasn't so much work but I probably wouldn't appreciate it as much as I do now!

gerripho

That is onederful for you! Thanks so much for sharing your story. :flowerforyou:

Monicapierce

AMAZING!!!!

Onaughmae

Woohoo for you! You inspire me...I need 16 more to go to join you there! :flowerforyou: