Weight Loss Questionnaire

• Gender: Male
• Age: 43

• Starting weight:436
• Current weight:393
• Goal weight: 250

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) lose I want to live past 50


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?) always the big guy


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? no


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) no


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) no


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration?


• Why do you want to look that way?


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…)


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over?


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online)


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)


• What motivates you?


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?


• What is your biggest worry?


• What have you learnt on your journey so far?


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?

• Gender: Female
• Age: 43

• Starting weight: 185
• Current weight: 153
• Goal weight: 140

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)
I want to lose weight to get thinner, to look better naked, and to feel better about myself.


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?)
I used to be a normal weight until I hit about 11 years old. Before that I was a very active tomboy. When I was 11 we moved and I became a couch potato and the pounds just kept packing on. My entire family is heavy and my mother loves to bake, and we always followed the Paula Dean type southern cooking style (lots of butter and other fats).


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder?
No, just lazy.


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) No


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) Yes, I want to be able to wear a really pretty outfit and look like the models do in the magazines (I know it isn't real, but that is what I want).


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? Jennifer Garner, she is thin, but not skinny, she has a nice muscle tone.


• Why do you want to look that way? I have always thought muscles on women were hot, and I want to be hot like that.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) Mainly cutting down my drinking of alcohol, watching my calorie intake and exercising. I never really used to exercise with any regularity, and now I do.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? My belly is a big problem for me, but I am trying to lose all over.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) I have been very slow about it, but I want it to become a habit so it will stay off.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) My best friend and my daughte support me in the whole weightloss adventure.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) Not so much dieting, but the cutting back on my drinking has changed how some people treat me.


• What motivates you? I usually have an outfit or a pair of jeans that are too small that I use to motivate me.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) I get upset at myself, but I just start again the next day.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) It is getting very close, but I just don't see it happening. I hope it will but Ifind it hard to believe I have come this far , let alone making it all the way.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? I will be shocked, and probably make myself a new goal (getting more muscle, something like that).


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? Just keep on keeping on.


• What is your biggest worry? that I won't look like I want when I reach my goal.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? That I can do this, I never would have thought Icould get down to a size 8, but here I am, getting ready to be a full time size 6.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? There are too many.

• Gender: female
• Age: 25

• Starting weight: 204.5 lbs
• Current weight: 191.5 lbs
• Goal weight: 135

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? Dammit this is shallow, but I want to be thin and sexy! I want to be able to wear a better range of clothes and look good in them. And I think I'd also like to be stronger and have better endurance.


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?)

I've always been bigger, like in the 90th percentile on the growth charts. But I never really felt like I was fat or that I needed to do anything about it until I was in college. I think that's due to a number of factors. Both my parents are obese and I still always looked smaller in comparison. I also carry my weight REALLY well. Like really well. Like I could convince myself to be in denial, like oh I don't look THAT fat... Like I ask people to guess my weight and they consistently estimate 40 lbs lower than it really is. Except then you put my up next to my naturally skinny, 110 lbs, younger sister (9 year age difference, so she only became comparable once I went off to college). Ever since high school the weight has creeped up and I told myself if I ever hit 200 lbs it was time to get serious. I was 204.5 after the holidays this year.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder?
No, but I am confident I could easily develop one without very much effort if I wanted to.

• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered)
No


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)
Yes, definitely. The ideals for women is to have a stick thing, boyish figure. And by boyish I mean totally flat-chested with no curves. A lot of fashion is designed with this "silhouette" in mind and those clothes just look like total **** on me. I've managed to find some things I look good in, but it kind of goes like this: If I try on a top and it looks good on me, I am obligated to then buy it because there are so few things that do. I am also seriously pissed that the size of my breasts artificially inflates my shirt size.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration?
Don't have one. Mostly because I am not convinced that my body, with all its current curves, could ever look like the media ideal. I actually have no idea what I would look like skinny, but it seems healthier to me to not pick something that may be unattainable so as not to be disappointed by reality.


• Why do you want to look that way? Because sexy, that's why.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…)
I am focusing on calorie restriction (1200-1550/day - always more than 1200, but less than 1550). For each week that I stick to the diet all 7 days (no cheating allowed!) I reward myself by allowing myself to buy anything I want with a $30 and it cannot be food. (Used to be a $60 limit but I ran out of money, lol.) I have yet to consistently work in exercise, but I'm considering starting the 30DS. I don't want to overwhelm myself by doing too much at once so I add things in in gradual steps, letting myself get used to the new routine before adding the next thing.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over?
At this point I want to change all over, but in particular I don't like my belly or my legs in general, and I'm starting to dislike my upper arms.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)
I guess I'm currently frustrated because I fell off for a time and I haven't seen any movement in the past week, though I know very well the reason why. Though I am semi-motivated at the moment because I did just complete a whole week back on the diet.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online)
Yes. Almost everyone supports me, or at least lets me get on with it. The most unsupportive comments I get are basically telling me not to put myself down by calling myself fat, which I think is rather mild. Some people can get quite nasty I hear.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)
I don't think I've lost enough weight or made enough of a change to have noticed anything, but I am very interested to see if it does make a difference.


• What motivates you?
Success stories. I like reading about the people who were 300+ pounds and managed to drop it all off and are super hot now.
Oh you know what else? Watching Epic Meal Time, only its a very negative sort of motivation. I look at that calorie counter at the bottom and I become so disgusted that if I watch it while I'm eating I will instantly lose my appetite. I do tend to avoid watching it.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
Annoyed with myself, but I have a group of friend online that all decided to go into this together and we all frequently fall off the wagon and that makes me feel better about it, and it's also motivating to see them admit that and then get back on it.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)
It seems impossibly far. I've never reach it before so it's all uncharted territory. Trying to look at it like it's an adventure. One of the interim goals is very close, though, and is currently frustrating me. It seems possible and impossible at the same time.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?
Well I hope I will be satisfied with myself and happy about it.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?
Re-evaluate and set new goals.


• What is your biggest worry?
That I won't make it. That I will become unmotivated, fall off the wagon, and quit and not see it through just like every other thing ever. It doesn't make much of a difference if you never finish a video game or a crafting project, but some things are higher stakes than that and it's just annoyingly frustrating that I can never seem to finish anything. I have no self discipline srsly.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far?
I've learned the best time of day to weigh myself for the lowest weight possible (immediately after work when I'm starving to death). I don't think I'm far enough along to have learned anything pithy.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?
I don't have one that's relevant. Hm.

I'm doing graphic design at university and my current project is titled "A journey of 1cm" so naturally I'm doing weight loss. I need to gather some first hand research so I've put together a questionnaire I would like as many people to answer as possible.

All questions are optional but please try to answer as many as possible. If you do not want to give an answer, or a question is irrelevant, please put N/A as the answer instead of leaving the question blank.

Note: Some questions are quite personal, however all questionnaires will be kept anonymous. If you do not want other people to see your answers feel free to message them to me instead of replying on here.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 51 (52 in May)
Height: 5' 9"


• Starting weight: 259
• Current weight: 212
• Goal weight: 170

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) I want to lose weight to be healthy, live longer, feel better, and look better.


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?) I have pretty much struggled with my weight all through adulthood. My parents instilled unhealthy eating habits in me (a lot of fried food, treats and sweets for rewards, etc.) I have gained and lost in my late 20's, mid 30's, and now I am working on it again in my early 50's. My parents both passed away in 2006, and I think I really got out of control after that. I stopped caring and was very depressed for a while. I am an only child, and I was suddenly "alone." I put on a lot of weight trying to console myself. I hope this is the last time I lose, and I am trying to do it the right way so that it stays off this time.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? I truly believe I am a food addict! It is easy for me to sit down and eat an entire large pizza myself and still want more! I really have to concentrate on cutting off the food supply and using portion control and exercise. I have been a "mindless eater" and now I really have to think about everything I eat.


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) (No - but see above!)


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) The media always highlights good looks and beauty. If someone gains weight, the media is all over them. I think the media puts those thoughts and ideas out there, and we all can't help but react to them. Thin is good and fat is bad! Thin is rewarded, and fat is shunned. Beautiful and famous people are in commercials. Hair and make-up commercials feature gorgeous women.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? I honestly can't think of anyone I want to model myself after. Every "body" is different. I want to be happy in my body - and my "inspiration" is photos of my own body in 1998 (when I was last 170 pounds).


• Why do you want to look that way? I felt good about myself and my body at that time, so I want to reclaim it.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) Generally eating less and moving more! Using MFP for motivation and camaraderie. I do cardio an hour a day, and I will be adding in some weight training soon.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? My "fat" is pretty evenly distributed, but my stomach and hips hold the most fat and bother me the most.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) My first 47 pounds came off pretty much between May of 2012 and December of 2012. The next 42 pounds are pretty stubborn. I am happy and positive about the 47 pounds that I truly believe are now gone for good, and I am motivated to get the other 42 off - although it is going to be a slower and longer process.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) My husband and my friends are great support.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) I think it has. My view of how I am treated by "strangers" is better - I am not the invisible fat person as much as I was before. My friends and family are now more supportive of me and helping me with food - like making healthy dinners when they invite me over, etc.


• What motivates you? Before and after photos, pictures of myself when I was 170 in 1998, MFP friends, and my husband.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) I feel AWFUL and very UPSET. The sad part is I know I am going to feel awful and upset before I do it, but I do it anyway - I can't stop myself. I have learned to cope with that feeling and just get re-motivated to do better tomorrow.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) It is still very far away, and I am looking forward to that day. I am not sure how long it is going to take me to get there, but I WILL GET THERE! Eventually!


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? I will feel proud of myself!


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? I know I will feel proud . . . there is no way I won't be proud.


• What is your biggest worry? That I will never be truly happy or feel fulfilled in my life.


• What have you learned on your journey so far? That I am in it for the long haul. That there is no "quick fix." That it is hard work that takes dedication. That time will pass whether I am doing something about my weight or not. That I am not alone and that millions of people are out there having the same problems and issues that I am.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? Every day I tell myself that I must learn to eat to live and not live to eat!


Good luck in your study!

• Gender: Female
• Age: 29

• Starting weight: 160
• Current weight:135
• Goal weight: 120

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose weight? To look better, to be healthy, and to be a good role model for my son


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?) I was a naturally skinny kid to the point that I got accused of being annorexic by my larger classmates (one even reported me to the principle in jr high). I could eat anything I wanted up until I was about 17, then the bad eating habits and lack of activity caused me to get up to 133 lbs my senior year (not really big but bigger than I had wanted to be). Before I could get motivated enough to change my ways, I went to college without a car and had to walk every where, so I lost all my excess weight and then some and got down to 105. After I moved in with my boyfriend (now husband) 2 years later I started walking less and driving more, and I was still eating as bad as I did when I was a kid, and over the years I ballooned up to about 165 at my heaviest. Then I went to china for a summer, where I had to walk more and didn't have access to the same crappy food we have here, and I lost about 10 lbs. I came back, got pregnant, had my baby, lost my baby weight plus a few pounds, then gained it all back. Tried to change on my own a few times but always failed. I finally tried a weightloss clinic, was put on phentermine for a month and a half, was able to kick my soda addiction and learned to control my sweets and fast food cravings. I lost 20 lbs and went from 38% bf to 36% from mid October 2012 to January 1st, 2013. Then I started focusing more on fitness and have since lost 5 lbs and went from 36% bf to 29% bf.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? no


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? no


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? very much so. women are expected to either be stick thin or fit, and if you choose the fit road it still has to be on the skinny side. If you're the tiniest bit bulky you are considered to manly

• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? No one specific, just the women in the fitness magazines


• Why do you want to look that way? I've never been athletic. I was the nerdy kid that got picked on all the time and was a bit of a cry baby when I was little. I have this need to be tough and those women look tough. In my head to look that tough you have to be pretty darn tough


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) I eat 1450 net calories, which is just slightly higher than my bmr. I try to eat less carbs (not exactly, but less) and approximately 94 grams of protein (= lean body mass). I do take some supplements from Max Muscle (emerge, whey protein, cleanse and lean, quadra cuts nights, multivitamen, and fish oil) but that's because it's a requirement for the body transformation challenge I'm participating in. Monday-Thursday I got to the gym and do 40 minutes on the elliptical (increasing my speed a little every day), then I do 15-30 minutes on the weight machines lifting heavy. Fridays I go for a 30-60 minute walk with my mom and son. Saturdays I sometimes participate in 2 hours of fencing, and starting this sunday I will be meeting with a friend for an hour of whatever workout we feel like doing at the time.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? I really only pack on weight in my stomach and my chin. Over the past 6 months I have lost 8 inches from my waist but only 2 from my hips, and even less from other areas


• How do you feel about your weight loss? mostly positive but sometimes I find myself thinking its not enough and it's not fast enough, but that might be in part because of the competition


• Have you got people who support you? It didn't feel like it at first because it ends up that people were afraid to say anything and didn't want me to feel like they were fixating on my weight. Since I told them how important it is to me they have been very vocal about their support, especially my husband


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? not my friends and family but I am a business accounting major and the 18-21 year olds who come from afluent families have started to treat me better, unless they see me in my work clothes (I'm a custodian at the university) then its as if I don't exist


• What motivates you? my son, results, a need to be tougher than I've ever been before, music, super heros (strange, I know), competing with younger skinnier girls for work


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? a little upset but I don't usually hold on to negative emotions for long. I'm more of an it is what it is kind of person and I move on


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? When I first started losing weight my goal was 130 lbs and I'm only 5 lbs away from that now. For the Max Muscle competition my nutritionist wants me to aim for 15% bf, which should be around the 110 lbs mark, but that would just be for long enough to take a picture, after that my maintanece weight would be around 120 and 18-20% bf which seems way more obtainable than the 110 lbs


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? proud but maybe a little lost what to do after that


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? I plan on focusing more on fitness goals, that way I will still have something to work towards that will help to maitain the changes I have made


• What is your biggest worry? That I'll fall into old habits


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? that I'm strong and capable of more than I had ever thought


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? no matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch

• Gender: Female
• Age: 50

• Starting weight: 297
• Current weight: 282
• Goal weight: 180

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose weight? (Please state which)
Energy level and to stay healthy

• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?) Puberty ... but up until the age of 30 was very active so the weight stayed around 210 ... blew out both knees in volleyball and softball. After surgery was told no bending knees past 45 degrees and to stop abusing them or I would need them replaced and I was too young to have that surgery.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? only if it is a disorder to not see yourself as fat, looking in the mirror everyday I don't see it but show me a picture and I was shocked.


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered)
No

• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)
no

• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration?
my best friend --- she managed to lose 90 pounds has kept it off for 6 years and is HOT

• Why do you want to look that way? healthy weight with a toned body - who doesn't want that


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) I log my food everyday (for over 300 days now), as long as it is not freezing out I walk every morning before work. 3-4 days a week I stationary bike for 30-60 minutes and 2-3 days a week I lift weights


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over?
all over

• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)
motivated


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online)
I have some great friends here in MFP that are very supportive and two ladies in RL who support me in this endeavor.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)
not really - I am still me.


• What motivates you? Life and being able to go longer today than yesterday. It is all a numbers game in your head, somedays I win somedays I don't


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
no specific feeling ... this is my life there is no falling of the wagon, everyday is just a series of decisions I just hope I make good ones

• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)
I don't really have a set of feelings about my goal, I think by focusing on today not the future I will get where I want to be.

• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?
no clue ... maybe ready to set a new one

• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?
n/a

• What is your biggest worry? retirement - lol


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? every day is a new day, you can't change yesterday and tomorrow is to far away to worry about. take care of today and the rest will take care of itself


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Yoda

• Gender: female
• Age: 22

• Starting weight: 209
• Current weight: 194
• Goal weight: 150-140

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? i want to lose for my health, and vanity reasons.


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?)
yes, i was thin once from barely eating in highschool and gained all my weight since. before that i was always bigger and always loved food. i unconsciously lost weight in highschool from just not realizing i wasn't eating.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder?
i have a junk food/fast food addiction


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered)
no, i just binge a lot.


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)
yes. i don't feel beautiful unless i'm skinny. i haven't felt beautiful since highschool.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration?
jennifer lawrence or jessica alba


• Why do you want to look that way?
they're beautiful


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…)
counting calories, getting more active.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over?
my whole body


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)
i love losing the weight. sometimes i don't feel like it's fast enough though.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online)
my whole family supports me, so does my best friend.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)
not really.


• What motivates you?
thinking about what i could be instead of what i am.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
i get really mad at myself. i get even more strict with myself


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)
it sometimes feels really impossible. but i know if i keep at it, eventually one day i might be there.

• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?
i'll feel amazing. more confident.

• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?
keep working on myself

• What is your biggest worry?
failing

• What have you learnt on your journey so far?
don't give up, and don't think about how far you have to go.

• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?
don't think of how far you have to go, think of how far you've come.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 43

• Starting weight: 252
• Current weight: 137.2
• Goal weight: 132

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) To be healthy and not have the medical problems that my mother has. Also to feel good about myself and to be able to keep up with my very active Husband.


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?) I have been overweight since my pre-teen years. I think my problem began with lack of parental guidance on nutrition and portion control (both my parents worked so a lot of time spent unsupervised around food). Once I gained the weight it became an emotional/comfort thing for me to eat. As in... the kids at school teased me about being fat, I would go home and eat, and this would be repeated day after day.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? Not an eating disorder, but definitely a compulsion to eat. I still fight the urges to eat when I'm emotional or not hungry. Just have a need to eat....


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) No


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) No


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? I've never really used a single individual as my inspiration. I just wanted to see what the healthy "me" would look like.


• Why do you want to look that way? N/A


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) Started Weight Watchers in April 2004, took 6 years to 100 pounds (lost 80, gained 30 back, struggled with that for two or three years before losing again). It was a matter of learning to eat healthy while still enjoying the occasional indulgence. Making changes in my lifestyle that I could live with forever. And then slowly incorporating activity into my day and gradually increasing the activity.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? Would like to lose my "bat wings" on my arms and the saggy skin on my stomach, but after losing a 100+ pounds, that may not happen without surgery.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) I feel awesome! And I am continually inspired and motivated by thos around me (friends, other WW member, people on MFP, etc).


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) In real life. First it was my WW leader, then the other members, then friends, and my husband.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) People who didn't know me prior to losing the weight think I've always been healthy and athletic... and for some reason that always surprises me. I just expect people to see my former self when they look at me.


• What motivates you? Honestly... Fear. I am afraid to gain the weight back and lose the incredible life I have now. I am overall, a happier, healthy, active person.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) It's always upsetting when I fall of the wagon, but I take pride in the fact that I pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back on board.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) I think a part of me never believed I would get the weight off. I had been overweight/obese/morbidly obese for so long, that I just didn't think it was achievable. Thank goodness those around me help to keep me on track!


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? Technically I have reached goal with WW. And I have to say, it was very under-whelming. It was at that moment that I realized you are never really done with your weight loss. To maintain, you have to continue with what you have been doing. For me, that meant I would have to continue to track every bite, exercise, and continue with my WW.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? I thought I would be "done" when I got to goal, so I spent several months gaining and losing weight because I didn't want to continue tracking, exercising and all the other stuff I had done to get to goal. But once I got over my "tantrum" I was able to move on and continue with maintaining my weight loss.


• What is your biggest worry? Gaining the weight back.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? So much that I can't even list it. But the most important things I've learned is that I am worth it and I can do some much more than I ever thought possible.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? This is a lifestyle change, not a diet.

• Gender: F
• Age: 56

• Starting weight: 245
• Current weight: 189
• Goal weight: 145

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) My blood pressure went way up, I was having some chest pains and a lot of aches, knees, etc.


• Tell me a bit about your past… (Were you always unhappy with your weight? Did it begin in childhood? Did a specific event trigger unnatural eating habits?) No, I have had to watch it since I was 16, though. I sprained my ankle very badly a few years ago, and spent way too much time in the drive-up for a couple of months, lol. Then it just never got taken off and I added to it.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? No, just careless, had terrible eating habits and unaware/ignoring the horrible reality of the SAD.


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) No


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) No


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? I do. It's just hiding under the fat right now


• Why do you want to look that way? I am really more concerned about being stronger and having more energy than how I look. I do have some clothes I'd like to fit into again. I have no idea why the fashion industry thinks that big women want to wear such large florals and so many sparkles!!! Scary.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) Low carb diet, mostly organic vegetables, natural meat. I do still indulge in coffee with cream. I also work out several times a week. I usually take two yoga classes, and walk on the treadmill two other days. Lately I have been experimenting with the elliptical, the rowing machine, and lifting some light free weights.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? All over, but I have the belly of a stressed out middle aged male executive......without the income or the expense account!


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) Happy. Of course I wish it would happen more quickly at times, but overall I am satisfied with how it's all going.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) Not really other than verbally. I still have to explain and re-explain to family and friends that I need to eat a certain way.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) My mom and dad and kids make encouraging comments about my appearance. Otherwise no.


• What motivates you? I was pretty scared when my blood pressure was up in the 160/120 range. But I have gotten to where I really enjoy going to the gym : 0 Who knew? I have loved yoga for a long time and am hoping to get into more of that. I also like how I feel better when I don't eat nasty food


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) To be honest, I don't fall off much. It tends to happen in social situations and at times I feel annoyed with that. Once it happens, it happens, and I just get back on track. Occasionally I allow myself a treat and figure that I will either just work out extra, or accept the delay in exchange for the goody. For me, it actually helps to let myself off the leash once in a while. It's interesting that sometimes the cookie or whatever it was doesn't taste quite as good as I remember!!!


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) I think I will be there in a year. But I also think that it's not a goal that can be reached and then discarded. I am going to have to keep these eating and workout habits for the rest of my life if I want to feel my best.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? Pleased, but again, not that much is going to change, other than I may add a few carbs here and there. I do miss fruit!


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? I will.


• What is your biggest worry? No worries, really. My blood pressure is back down in normal range. The more I exercise the more freedom of motion I gain, so it's all good.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? A LOT, really! I have learned how to do the machines at the gym, how to lift a bit, how to eat properly, etc. I have learned that SAD causes many many conditions and illnesses and that many of the afflictions of older people are experienced by Americans more than people in other countries! I could write a chapter on what I have learned, but mostly I have learned to treat my body like a friend instead of a cheap used car.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?
Edited by ZozoMonster on Tue 04/02/13 07:59 AM A favorite 'Wherever you go...there you are" Buckaroo Banzai

Gender: Female
• Age: 30

• Starting weight: 212
• Current weight: 179
• Goal weight: 165

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) To look and feel my best.

You are hilarious! Egg-cellent Smithers!!! LOL

and i love suck it up so you dont have to suck it in! STOLEN! Thanks!



• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? Only of wanting to eat too much.


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? No, I think I'm pretty sexy just need the body to follow the mind.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? Dita Von Teese


• Why do you want to look that way? She has curves and isn't ultra skinny, but looks healthy.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) Work more, eat less.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? My hips don't lie.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) Very motivated


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) My lovely FL


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) Yes, I don't get quite so many stares when I eat.


• What motivates you? Before and after pictures of extreme weightloss. If they can do it, I can too.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) Like eating a cookie. I do, then go workout.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) It's so close I can taste it.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? Excellent smithers.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? Get back on the wagon.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? Food is energy, not the devil.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? I tell myself when reluctant to go to the gym "Suck it up so you no longer have to suck it in"