Success Stories - Overweight Since Childhood?

fourfiftythree

I am 24 and have never been a normal weight, that I can remember. Even as a very young child, probably 1st or 2nd grade, I was overweight. I am almost scared to lose weight... I'm afraid I just won't look right after being overweight for so long. Does that make any sense? It's like, venturing into the complete unknown, because I don't have any pictures or memories to reminiscence about and think "oh I wish I was back to that weight". This is all I have known my whole life. Does anyone who was an overweight child have a success story or photos they can share to keep me motivated?

BlestLiz

*Bump*

Interested too, seems everyone has those stories of wanting to get down to "high-school" weight, I was overweight then too. I think I bumped to 120 in the 4th grade and was never under that, top out at 5'2".

Sparlingo

*bump* - interested on behalf of my little brother, for whom this has been very true!

bsutherland3681

I have been overweight as long as I can remember. The only picture I have of me as a kid at a normal weight was when I was about 3 years old. I steadily gained weight throughout childhood and on through high school. When I got to college, I was about 300 lbs. In 2001, when I was a sophomore in college, I joined Weight Watchers, weighing in at 330 lbs. In 15 months I lost 147 lbs, reaching my goal weight of 184. However, I didn't maintain my healthy habits long and started to gain weight again. When I gave birth to my son in 2009, I weighed in at 301 lbs. Here is a picture of me when I started REALLY trying to lose weight back in Feb 2012. I am about 260 lbs in the before picture and in the after picture (taken just the other day) I am 192 lbs. I still have another 10 lbs to reach my "goal weight" but I think I will probably want to lose a little more than that to be happy with my body. Now that I have been through this weight loss thing a few times, I realize I DO NOT want to do this again. This time it is for good!

As far as your original statement about being worried about not "looking right" after you lose weight - I think that is probably a coping mechanism you are using to justify not losing weight. I don't mean that in a mean way. I think sometimes we try to justify why we resist change and I think that might be what is going on with you. I did it for a long time - "I'm too busy," "I'm not THAT big," etc. But this time something just clicked and I know now that being healthy and fit is way more important than the number on the scale. My suggestion to you is to figure out if losing weight is something you really want for YOU or is there some other reason you feel like you should lose weight. Because you have to really want this for yourself if you are going to be successful.

Best of luck to you!

Before (260 lbs):


After (192 lbs):

fourfiftythree

Thanks for sharing! Yes, this is something that I am definitely serious about doing and there is no other option. I just had a little girl last August and besides not wanting to be a fat mom, I do NOT want her to be an overweight kid like I was. It was sooooo hard growing up and I feel like I missed out on a lot. I just find the thought of such a dramatic change very scary! So you are right, its probably a coping mechanism. Thanks again!

Hatchling84

My whole life I have been overweight, GO AHEAD AND LOSE, it is definitely an experience you will not want to miss out on, I Started my journey @ 300lb + and now stand at 210lbs. The feeling I get once people recognize who I am and how I've changed cannot be described. Plus I feel so much better from a health stand point.

CollegiateGrief

If that's you in your profile picture, you don't look overweight at all. I see your ticker is set to lose 34 pounds. Slimming down a bit from already being close to healthy weight is much different than going from obese or morbidly obese to a normal weight.

If that is you, and you only need to lose 30 lbs, you will just look like a slimmer version of the way you look now.

pocketmole

Been a chubster ever since I was little. A lot of people my age want to look how they looked when they were 18, but when I was 18 I was over 200lbs (I'm 5'4").

And because I happen to have one - a photo of me as a kid. It's hard to divert your attention away from my older brother's impressive hairstyle, but I'm the blond gal.



Me now:



Best thing I ever did for myself and my only regret was that I didn't do it sooner.

chicanita91

Oh oh, I loove this topic I've been overweight too since probably 1st grade or even kindergarten.. While my parents let us kids eat whatever we want, I put on the pounds while my sister with the fast metabolism stayed forever skinny. I totally understand when you say that you're afraid to lose weight, as i'm losing weight and as the scale goes down to a number that I've never seen before, I get really nervous. I never weighed myself as a kid so seeing these numbers out of the 190's and 180's is very new. Its such a great feeling though, having the compliments and occasionally getting a glimpse of your loss. I personally can't really see the weight that i've loss in person, I'm guessing that my brain has seen the overweight me for so long, it takes some getting used to. I'll tell you though, this lifestyle is for the better and you are going to feel great and amazing once you lose the weight that you want, it's so freeing. So I wish you great luck and happy living here's my results as of last month

andreae13

I was born 9lbs 2 oz...and just got bigger so I know exactly what you mean! When I graduated high school I weighed 257lbs and then proceeded to gain almost 100lbs after I got married. I was always afraid of the same fears as you and because of this, I started seeing a therapist this time around. I owe so much of my success to both her and my trainer! I know I did all of the hard work but because I fixed the reasons why I was over eating, I know that I will NEVER go back and that is the most amazing feeling ever! Like most people, I just wish I would have started this earlier...but better late then never


My journey



Currently 185lbs - goal is 161lbs but because I have never been "normal" this is just a shot in the dark number

apittmanrn

Bump.

amandahousen

Thank you so much for these. I've been overweight my whole life and I clicked into this because I needed hope. I have some now. Thank you.

kr1stadee

I was always the fat kid. I had to wear stretchy pants (thankfully they were "in" lol) .. because jeans would dig and hurt

I thinned out around 13 when I grew, but then I started getting pudgy after that. I was 150 when I met my hubby at 17 years old (I'm 5'3) .. and my weight has gone up since then. I got all the way up to 220.

At the moment I'm 164 (however, I've been dealing with salmonella poisoning for the last 2 weeks and dropped 9 lbs that I'm sure I'll gain back)

I am aiming for 130-140. I have never been there so I have to get there to see what I look like. As well, muscles and measurements mean more to me than scale weight, so if I'm higher on the scale but smaller in clothes, that's fine by me!

vanessalillian82

I know what you mean! I've been overweight most of my life and I don't remember being any lighter. I'm nearly 6'2" though so apparently I "carry it well". Doesn't make my pants any looser, though. Doesn't stop the fat from making you sweat, or feeling things jiggle when you walk.

I think one of the reasons I have had trouble sticking with weight loss is like you - I don't know what it looks like, it's hard to have a goal without a picture in your head or a particular dress you can fit back into, and I'm almost a little scared of what it might look like (will everything just be saggy?). I get to a point where I haven't seen those numbers before and I back away and gain a little again. It's like a security blanket. So feel free to add me if you want - we can tell each other not to be scared of the unknown!

fourfiftythree

My whole life I have been overweight, GO AHEAD AND LOSE, it is definitely an experience you will not want to miss out on, I Started my journey @ 300lb + and now stand at 210lbs. The feeling I get once people recognize who I am and how I've changed cannot be described. Plus I feel so much better from a health stand point.

Thank you!!

If that's you in your profile picture, you don't look overweight at all. I see your ticker is set to lose 34 pounds. Slimming down a bit from already being close to healthy weight is much different than going from obese or morbidly obese to a normal weight.

If that is you, and you only need to lose 30 lbs, you will just look like a slimmer version of the way you look now.

Well thanks, but trust me, I have a way to go. I think I set my goal for 175. I'm not sure why... maybe because it is the number I have been using on my drivers' license all these years, heh. :ohwell: I can't remember the last time I was under 200. When I had my daughter in August I was 269! I carry my weight below the waist.

Been a chubster ever since I was little. A lot of people my age want to look how they looked when they were 18, but when I was 18 I was over 200lbs (I'm 5'4").

And because I happen to have one - a photo of me as a kid. It's hard to divert your attention away from my older brother's impressive hairstyle, but I'm the blond gal.

OH MY GOSH, that picture...reminds me so much of myself at that age. Thank you for the inspiration!

Oh oh, I loove this topic I've been overweight too since probably 1st grade or even kindergarten.. While my parents let us kids eat whatever we want, I put on the pounds while my sister with the fast metabolism stayed forever skinny. I totally understand when you say that you're afraid to lose weight, as i'm losing weight and as the scale goes down to a number that I've never seen before, I get really nervous. I never weighed myself as a kid so seeing these numbers out of the 190's and 180's is very new. Its such a great feeling though, having the compliments and occasionally getting a glimpse of your loss. I personally can't really see the weight that i've loss in person, I'm guessing that my brain has seen the overweight me for so long, it takes some getting used to. I'll tell you though, this lifestyle is for the better and you are going to feel great and amazing once you lose the weight that you want, it's so freeing. So I wish you great luck and happy living here's my results as of last month

I know! I have two sisters and a brother who are all twigs. I've always been like, really??? How is that possible? Thank you so much for sharing!

I was born 9lbs 2 oz...and just got bigger so I know exactly what you mean! When I graduated high school I weighed 257lbs and then proceeded to gain almost 100lbs after I got married. I was always afraid of the same fears as you and because of this, I started seeing a therapist this time around. I owe so much of my success to both her and my trainer! I know I did all of the hard work but because I fixed the reasons why I was over eating, I know that I will NEVER go back and that is the most amazing feeling ever! Like most people, I just wish I would have started this earlier...but better late then never

WOW... amazing transformation. Thank you for sharing. :flowerforyou:

I think one of the reasons I have had trouble sticking with weight loss is like you - I don't know what it looks like, it's hard to have a goal without a picture in your head or a particular dress you can fit back into, and I'm almost a little scared of what it might look like (will everything just be saggy?). I get to a point where I haven't seen those numbers before and I back away and gain a little again. It's like a security blanket. So feel free to add me if you want - we can tell each other not to be scared of the unknown!

This is... exactly how I feel! You said it so much better than I could have. Thank you!

colobon

I was always chubby so I felt fat my whole life, even when I was actually at a healthy weight. I want to say, do it to be healthy and have the energy to enjoy life without limitations! It's all about body image when you're younger, but I'm in my 40's now. I developed diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesteral. I take three different medications. Get healthy NOW so you can avoid these problems!!

Melliemd

I've been overweight since probably grade 3 or 4. I've 'dieted' several times and even had one extreme period of bulimia where I plunged down to 130 in grade 12 in the span of a couple weeks (and was unable to do much of anything, not the path to take ), but I gained it all back the last three years... And then some. Got up to 170, and finally decided to put a stop to it. But I feel very similar. I've been this way for so long and it's been EASY to stay this way for so long... Thankfully, MFP and having great friends to support me in this, I think I can make it. The acceptance of changing a lifestyle as opposed to using a quick-fix like an extreme diet or subjected yourself to torture like bulimia is the biggest thing.

If you're trepidatious about the weight itself, think of it as a way to improve your health and endurance as opposed to dropping fat.

Camerann306

Me either. You sound a lot like me when I first started this journey. While I have only lost 13 pounds it is making me feel so much more confident and motivated to be at a healthier weight. Since I haven't ever seen myself at a low weight it is going to be a surprise but I'm not going to let that stop me. There is almost a comfort that comes from being bigger, especially if that is all you have ever known but once you get past that your confidence will soar and your body/health will thank you and you will live longer and inspire others along the way.

taymarie8046

Great Post!! I've been overweight since I was about 10. My average high school weight was 230. My freshman year in college I got down to 190 but was short lived because my love for beer. I stupidly believed that if I ate and drank like my friends I would look the same eventually. Well guess what! While I was being a couch potato they were all at the gym. I shot up to the heaviest I've ever been 255.

So happy to be able to say I'm lighter than my high school weight, coming in at 220 and still have a long road ahead of me. Wish I knew how to post progress photos. i'll figure it out one day.

bwogilvie

I was overweight as a kid; I was in my early 20s when I first decided I needed to lose weight - or more precisely, that I needed to improve my fitness, since I couldn't jog a Chicago block without my lungs and legs burning. I knew what I didn't like about being fat, but I had no idea what a thin me would like. I discovered that it looked pretty good!

What worked in my 20s - being active and trying to eat healthily - stopped working in my 30s, though; over a decade I put on all the weight I had lost in a few years. I started MFP in January in order to take control of things. I've also learned that I'll need to be vigilant for the rest of my life if I want to keep the weight off--something I could have learned from my father, had I paid attention to how he lost weight in his 50s and kept it off.

Good luck on your journey; even if you're not sure what the destination will look like, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! And way to go for wanting to model a healthy way of living for your daughter. I think that with kids, you want to be wary of emphasizing weight too much, which can lead to an unhealthy obsession; instead, focus on eating well and staying active on a regular basis.

triciab79

My nickname was chubby growing up. Other than my current condition and about 2 years while I as a teen I have always been overweight. One day about 2yrs ago I found out I was pregnant and when I stepped on the scale (6wks along) it read 218.6 and I vowed to change. Obviously I had to weight until after baby to start losing weight but I was set on my goal. You can change a lifetime of bad habits if you want it badly enough.

Melliemd

My nickname was chubby growing up. Other than my current condition and about 2 years while I as a teen I have always been overweight. One day about 2yrs ago I found out I was pregnant and when I stepped on the scale (6wks along) it read 218.6 and I vowed to change. Obviously I had to weight until after baby to start losing weight but I was set on my goal. You can change a lifetime of bad habits if you want it badly enough.

You look amazing, wow!