Weight Loss Questionnaire

• Gender: Female
• Age: 31

• Starting weight: 178
• Current weight: 128
• Goal weight: 120

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) More energy for my kids, look good in clothes, getting married.


• 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 unhappy with my weight began after my first child, depression, divorce, etc


• 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 but I abused weight loss pills over 10 years ago


• 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? Jillian Michaels


• Why do you want to look that way? I don't necessarily want to look like her just be fit like her


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) Running, circuit training, portion control, counting calories, had a tummy tuck and breast reduction 3 years ago


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


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


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) Yes both online and real life


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) Family thinks I am losing too much weight (realistically I am in a healthy weight range) People are nicer to me, get more looks from guys (sick)


• What motivates you? my kids, pissing off my ex-husband


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


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


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? Satisfied, comfortable, accomplished


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? I feel that way now, I took a month off to see how well I could maintain, I know I will be just fine


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


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? Time, it takes time and lots of patience, determination, dedication


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? It's not about perfect. It's about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that's where transformation happens, That's how change occurs....Jillian Michaels

• Gender: F
• Age: 28

• Starting weight: 170
• Current weight: 168
• Goal weight: 130

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)

I did lose weight and get down to my goal, but forgot about maintenance. I want to lose weight because I feel better at a healthy weight, I can run faster, and I look better. I'm getting married in October and running my 7th half marathon in November. I'd like to reach my goal by September.

• 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 never cared about my weight and was just completely ignorant about nutrition, calories, and fitness for most of my life. I grew up in the the south east United States. I was never really over weight, though never really thin either, when I was growing up. I lost a little weight my freshman year in college, then gained a bunch after that. I reached 193 pounds about a year after college. It wasn't really a special event... I just realized I was really unhappy with many things about my life. I decided to be happy and made a bunch of changes, one of which included losing weight. I got to 128 pounds, regained about 15 pretty quickly, maintained for a couple of years, then slowly gained until I was at 170 again.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder?

No I don't think so

• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered)


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)

Maybe I used to, but I'm pretty independent so mostly I just want to be the best version of myself and don't try to imitate anyone else

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

Not to sound conceded, but I have to be my own inspiration... I want to be the best version of myself

• Why do you want to look that way?

As far as I know, this is the only human body I will ever get to inhabit. I want to make the best of it and see what it is capable of.

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

I'm basically just obsessively logging in MFP and exercising to burn enough calories so that I can eat more than the 1200 calories MFP suggests. My TDEE is currently 1875, so I aim to net 1125 calories per day by eating 1500 calories and burning 375 calories.

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

I'd like to firm up my arms and tummy, but as you (hopefully) know, you can't spot reduce. I'm trying to tone while losing so eventually when the layers of fat around my muscles are reduced I will have some definition

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

I feel pretty positive and motivated most of the time. Sometimes I'll slip and will just not care. I am happy with myself and my body, but I know I could/should lose 40 pounds.

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

Yes, my MFP friends are very supportive and my best friends and fiance are supportive as well. Sometimes my fiance just forgets I'm doing this and will try to offer my sweets, but he's still supportive

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

When I lost weight before, I did receive a lot of compliments. Honestly it made me feel bad sometimes because I wondered how bad I must have looked before I lost the weight. Now I really don't care what anyone thinks because I'm doing it for myself.

• What motivates you?

Trying on wedding dresses is pretty motivating. Wanting to wear some of my skinny clothes again so I don't have to go buy new clothes is pretty motivating. Wanting to set a half marathon PR is motivating.

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

Sometimes I honestly just forget. I'll eat something without even thinking about it then later be like "oops, I should log that." I'm also very busy with working two jobs, helping my BFF with her wedding, and planning my own wedding, so I'll be too tired to care. It's easier to order pizza than to make a salad when you work late and are tired.

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

I don't know. I'm pretty determined. I actually know I will get there. I just need to stay determined and motivated enough to do it a little quicker. I'm losing less than a pound a week at the moment and I'd like to lose closer to 2 pounds per week. It seems sort of far away and difficult, but definitely possible.

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

I'll feel excited, but nervous about potentially regaining. I will probably struggle with my weight for the rest of my life. Accepting that makes easier to focus on the fact that reaching my goal isn't the end of the journey. It's the beginning of maintenance, which will be just as challenging as losing the weight in the first place. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet or a phase I'm going through.

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

There's no other way to feel, otherwise I'll gain the weight back

• What is your biggest worry?

Regaining the weight after I've worked so hard to lose it

• What have you learnt on your journey so far?

Losing weight is less than half the battle. Maintenance is a lifelong journey.

• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?

"There will be a day when you can no longer do this. Today is not that day."

"It is a shame for a [woman] to grow old without ever seeing the strength and beauty of which [her] body is capable." - Socrates

• Gender: Female
• Age: 31

• Starting weight: 221
• Current weight: 182
• Goal weight: 135-140

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) Feel healthy, hopefully solve some fertility issues and like the way I look.


• 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 never very big growing up, very active in sports and with friends, about the time that I became old enough to drink I had a lot of stress with my parents and then was sidelined with back problems that resulted in 3 years of pain before having back surgery. In those three years I was in too much pain to be active, so enjoyed my University time and early 20's eating badly and partying too much. It took a good 5-6 years after the surgery to be able to be active and workout, so now I am getting back on track.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? I have had some issues with Bulimia


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) Mostly recovered, have a problem now and then.


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) Nope - some people are just either blessed with genetics, have a lot of money and time to work out and eat healthy or are more dedicated than the rest of us.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? Me, I know that I will not look like anyone else and I just strive to have the best body that I can for my shape


• Why do you want to look that way? see previous answer


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) - Working out and eating basically the same diet, just with portion control and the "bad" items in moderation.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? At this point there is fat to loose from all areas of my body


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) Great, down almost 40lbs, have hit a plateau recently and am focusing on my loss so far to motivate me to pick up the pace


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) The people on here have been great and honestly I get tons of support from family, friends, even our neighbours that see me out running.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) No change


• What motivates you? The progress I have made, my cousin/best friend and the slim hope that this will help with the fertility issues and we will be blessed with a child (can't cling to that or I would be destroyed if that didn't happen)


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) A bit annoyed with myself, but always look at each day as a new day.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) Still far away, but I am about halfway there so it seems possible, maybe not in the time frame that I had originally hoped.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? Proud and hopefully healthy, a little less tired would be nice


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? Pretty sure I will feel proud, so have not really thought about this.


• What is your biggest worry? This weight loss won't help to get me pregnant and that I will get injured and not be able to keep running.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? Reminded of how strong my body can be and how strong I am mentally.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? "Be Miserable. Or Motivate yourself. What ever has to be done, it's always your choice"

Gender: Female
• Age: 57

• Starting weight: 261
• Current weight: 202.7
• Goal weight: 175

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? Multiple reasons to lose weight--starting with: I don't want to have to take a bunch of medications to control Type II diabetes. Strong family history of osteoarthritis, which was passed down to me, and I grew tired of having my hips and knees ache constantly. I was also tired of getting short of breath if I climbed more than 1 short flight of stairs.


• 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?) As a child, I was normal weight. When I was in 6th grade, I was taller and weighed more than all my classmates, which led me to believe I was "fat" Adolescence also brought life changes which caused me to eat more, when I felt that was all I could control. I lost quite a bit of weight at 23 through eating healthier and exercising--but lost my motivation after age 25. Settled into marriage and cooking--my husband and I both love to eat! Didn't watch the scales until I weighed 240, but wasn't successful sticking to a "diet". My absolute highest was 295 I believe; when I was 39.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? Does "sneak eating" qualify as a disorder? Yes, I buried my feelings under food also!


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) In the past, see above.


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? I used to feel that way, but am past all that now!


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? One of my inspirations is Tina Turner--dang that woman looks great for her age! Also myself at 23--I have a couple pictures of that which make me smile!


• Why do you want to look that way? I've hidden under layers of clothes for long enough! I want to show off my body and feel proud of it again.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) I am trying to exercise, although this winter has been very hard on that aspect. I cannot follow any specific diet--just say the word and I head toward the refrigerator! Faithful logging of my foods, taking responsibility for what I put in my mouth, and purely being stubborn is what is working for me. I only take regular multi vitamins and my glucosamine/chondroitin supplements.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? I am trying to change all over. I have loose skin under my arms, on my lower abdomen, and my upper thighs that I want to firm up.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) I am very positive about my weight loss and fully acknowledge the effort required to get to where I am today.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) My husband is my biggest supporter, he says I am his motivation and I say he is mine! He's on MFP also. Online friends here at MFP are wonderful supporters. It's nice to have even little things acknowledged!


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) I have people saying they don't think I need to lost any more weight (haha to them). At first, having my weight loss recognized and praised scared me-I didn't want to be noticed. It almost drove me back into poor eating habits. I've overcome that scary stuff (mostly) now.


• What motivates you? My husband, my family.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
I allow myself a cheat day a week. Some weeks it's not much of a cheat! Other weeks--it's like WOW, where did all those calories come from?

• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) I am getting so close I can taste victory!


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? It's an arbitrary goal--I may revise it once I get there.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? As I said, it's an arbitrary goal, just my initial stopping point! I will probably want to go down at least 20 more pounds once I get there. I'll just set another goal!


• What is your biggest worry? That my loose skin won't go away! EWWW!


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? I have learned just how many calories I was consuming in a day and am surprised that I didn't weight more than I did. Now when I look at some of the treats I used to eat regularly, I realize that they didn't taste as good as I thought. I will have maybe 1/4-1/2 of some treat instead of the whole thing. The initial couple of bites are yummy, and it sates my "sugar monster"


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? I found this one on MFP and have it on my fridge and my wall at work: :bigsmile: Don't wait until you've reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 58

• Starting weight: 210
• Current weight: 162
• Goal weight: 150

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) I want to lose weight to be healthy and control my diabetes.


• 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 heavy since I was 10 years old...started out slowly. I always had low self esteem. But I was never obese until adulthood and, then, not till after I had my kids. I have been up and down in weight most of my adult life.

• 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) Not as much now as I did when I was younger. When you get older and face mortality, you tend to just want to be healthy and not skinny.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? Marilyn Monroe...she was perfect.


• Why do you want to look that way? She was a size 14..probably about a size 10 today. I would satisfied to be that size.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) I eat low carb because I have diabetes. I try to eat as little refined sugar as possible. I eat more fresh fruit now, although, again, I have to watch the carbs. I exercise much more than I ever did...bicycling, power walking and swimming in season. I do a little weight training but its minimal.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? Mostly my belly....I never had one till I got older. I always lost weight in my waist first but now it looks like it will be the last place I will lose it. My hips, too....right now they are very lumpy and the skin is saggy. Don't know if that improve or not now.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) VERY positive. I had my doubts that I could actually do this, Its the longest amount of time I have been on a successful weight loss program. And the more I lose, the more motivated I am.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) My MFPeeps are here for me. My b/f is also very supportive....he likes what he is seeing. The rest of my family are encouraging but its not the same as supportive involvement.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) I would say not. I am still the same person on the inside, as far as my friend and family go. And I haven't noticed any difference from strangers, although I may in the future.


• What motivates you? Answered that above....my weight loss. The more I lose, the more I want to keep losing. But its also clothes. I LOVE being able to shop in a regular misses or even juniors department in the store and know I will find attractive clothes that will fit and look good on me. I also want to influence my kids...they both need to lose weight. And I have a new granddaughter...I want to healthy for her.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) Depressed....but I suffer from chronic depression (take meds for it). But it passes and I get sympathetic words from my friends here. It doesn't last long.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) I feel very sure I will reach it. But I have felt that way from the first day I started (with a few bumps along the way). I am really looking forward to spending the rest of my life light and active.


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


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? I can't see that happening, but in any event, I wont go back. My life depends on it now.


• What is your biggest worry? That my skin will sag so much that I will look awful in summer clothes and bathing suits.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? That losing weight is something anyone can do as long as you are ready to do it. If you aren't, don't bother because you will only frustrate yourself and its better to just wait till its the right time. And you will know when its the right time. Also, I used to think that keeping track of your food wasn't necessary....well, for me, its been a major reason for my weight loss. Seeing what you eat on paper goes a long way.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? "Never go out of your WEIGH to please anyone but yourself."

Bump for later. Cool, though; I'll get back to it.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 34

• Starting weight: 250 lb
• Current weight: 238 lb
• Goal weight: 174 lb

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)

Mainly health, but also to look better and set a good example for when I have children.

• 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?)

Was skinny through childhood, except for age 9 when I think I just hit a weird phase. After university, started gaining weight for a variety of reasons, including mental health, medications, and a relationship with someone who reinforced my bad habits. I always had a weird relationship with food and body image, though, thanks to my mother.

• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder?

Yes.

• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered)

Yes.

• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)

I try to ignore it, but it's always there.

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

Myself around age 19-20, but more muscular.

• Why do you want to look that way?

Because I know it's achievable and I know how to build muscle now.

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

Counting calories - trying to stick to TDEE-20%, and doing more exercise - walking, hula-hooping, body-weight circuit training, and will be getting into punching a heavy bag when we get it hung up in the basement.

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

I've been told that "spot correction" is not possible, so I'm trying to change overall. Though if I could magically get rid of my double chin, that'd be #1 on the list.

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

Positive about my loss so far and motivated to keep going.

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

Yes, my husband. We are working together to get healthy. Also, the MFP community as well as a different online community where we weigh in once a week and talk about stuff.

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

I'm not sure since there's not much change in me yet. People are generally excited when I tell them what my husband and I are working on.

• What motivates you?

The progress I've made and the way I feel, as well as my long-term motivation of wanting to set a good example for future children.

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

I feel a little down and maybe confused, but I get over it quickly because I know that it's normal.

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

It's pretty far, but I feel like I can do it. 1 pound at a time.

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

From what I've read from other people, it will probably take some time for my brain to catch up. But I think once I realize what I've done, I'll feel a great sense of accomplishment and I hope a general sense of lightness.

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

I'll keep working on my body composition, maybe try and work on muscle definition.

• What is your biggest worry?

That I'll come back into contact with my mother and she'll sabotage all my hard work. A small part of why I want to lose weight is to spite her. That sounds bad, but I don't care, it's honest.

• What have you learnt on your journey so far?

That I'm not on a diet. Not to stress. That maintaining muscle is of the utmost importance so I look good when I slim down.

• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?

"Progress not perfection"

• Gender: Female
• Age: 33

• Starting weight: 340
• Current weight: 234
• Goal weight: 160

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)
Health and to be more active


• 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 always overweight but didn't start hating my body (and myself) until I was about 12/13

• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder?
Not really. Prior to changing my life through better nutrition and exercise I would say I did. I used food as a mindless filler, to fill some sort of void that always wanted more.


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered)
Yes, I binge ate.


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)
Yes, to not be fat. It's just not acceptable to be a fat woman. Period.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration?
Gina Carano. I love her muscles and the fact that she can choke a guy out with her thighs. Woof!


• Why do you want to look that way?
Muscles, strength, beauty. I love that she is not the norm, I love that she is strong and athletic.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…)
I've adopted an entirely different way of relating to food. It is fuel. Excercise is no longer to lose weight, it's to challenge my body. I drink a gallon of water. I eat non-processed healthy foods. I am mindful of everything I eat. I log everything I eat. I see a personal trainer 3x a week. I've had a sport physiical.. I see a nutritionist. I read about health. I take multiple supplements to attain nutrition goals and make my body healthier.


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


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)
I feel ****ing awesome about my weight loss!


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online)
My boyfriend is my biggest supporter. MFP friends are super supportive too and I really enjoy seeing them cheer me on. I've done better since joining MFP.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)
There are some women in my office that are really *****y towards me. Family is proud.


• What motivates you?
The scale. Cute clothes.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
I've only had 2 cheat days in 2 months. I feel terrible and guilty and it's extremely motivating to get back on track. I don't punish myself, mostly I just get cranky.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)
My goal is so much closer but it feels like i'll never get there. I am excited to reach my goal weight but I fear that I still won't be happy.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?
I would think proud and happy.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?
Search for things to make me feel happy.


• What is your biggest worry?
Failure or injuring myself and having to stop exercising.

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: 32

• Starting weight: 190 (highest weight)
• Current weight: 148
• Goal weight: ~140 (not totally sure, depends more on how I look and feel).

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) Originally it was to look better and feel more confident, but now it is just as much about health and fitness and being in good shape when I'm old so I can still enjoy life.


• 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 pretty thin up until my mid-20's even though my diet was atrocious. Then over 3 years I gained 50 pounds, partially due to a medication I was on, and partially due swicthing from an active to sedentary job without changing my eating habits. Probably just a slowing down of my metabolism as well.


• 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) Somewhat. It can be hard to feel confident in your appearance after looking at pictures of actresses and models even though rationally I know they have hair and makeup people, good lighting and photoshop working for them and I'd probably look pretty fierce too with all that.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? There isn't a particular person. I found a picture of a woman lifting weight who has a similar body shape to me (busty and muscular legs, evenly proportioned) and I taped that up on my wall as inspiration. She looks healthy, fit and strong, not skinny.


• Why do you want to look that way? Because it looks good and healthy. It looks like she can do anything she wants, like strap on a backpack and go hiking for days!


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) I cut way back on "bad for me" foods and drinks, drink a lot of water and try to eat more fruits and vegetables. For activity I increased to about 3x or more per week doing running, long walks, hikes, ypga and strength training.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? At this point I just have some stubborn bits in the midsection and upper thighs. I'm pretty happy with everything else now that I've lost 42 pounds.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) I feel very proud of how much I've accomplished. it's been a slow process (2+ years) but it's been maintainable. Sometimes I get frustrated with how slow the last bit is coming off, but I know I'll get there.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) Yes, both real life friends, and people from MFP and Tumblr.


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) Yes. People talk about my weight and body a lot more now, especially people at work who have noticed the changes. It'sa bit weird that people are paying that much attention to my body, even in a positive way. Also, men are friendlier. Some people have showed signs of being jealous, others have been inspired to start making changes themselves because of my loss, and that makes me feel awesome.


• What motivates you? My own progress motivates me. I went from only being able to run for about a minute to running a 5k in about 30 minutes. Fitting back into my old skinny clothes. Seeing others' before and afters. Reading fitness blogs and forums.


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) Sometimes physically gross depending on what I've eaten. I don't tend to feel too guilty I just get myself back on track quickly.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) I feel like it is pretty close, but I also feel like it will be a lifelong project - not to keep losing weight, but to stay fit and keep improving my fitness/strength/flexibility.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? Pretty damn good.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? Keep working until I feel totally confident in a bikini.


• What is your biggest worry? I don't really have any worries about it. I've been steadily losing for over two years with no yo-yoing. Now that I know I can do it, and know I'm committed to maintaining or improving, and I'm pretty happy with my body, there is nothing to worry about!


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? That living a healthier lifestyle really does give you more energy and make you feel better. That I love running even though I always thought I'd hate it. That I have more self control than I ever gave myself credit for. That I can set and achieve goals and stick to something long term. that other people's reactions to my weight loss are varied and interesting.


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

• Gender: F
• Age: 19
• Starting weight: 115kg or 253lbs
• Current weight: 97.5kg or 214lbs
• Goal weight: 60kg or 132lbs

Reasons:
My Husband
My Health
Children

Past:
I was skinny as a rake as a child, when I hit puberty (which unfortunately also came in perfect timing with my mum being diagnosed with a sister disease of MS) I comfort ate, and due to travelling back and forth from the hospital daily for upto 2 months at a time when my mum was re-admitted, we ate a LOT of junk food, which ultimately led to me being 80kg at age 12, my mother and aunt tried a bunch of diets to help me lose weight (Soup, lite n' easy, celebrity slim etc.) Nothing ever worked, because we would still eat crap, I left school at 13 due to bullying, and ended up going into a massive depression until I was 17, when I met my husband online, at this point I was drinking 1.2litre bottles of soda daily, sometimes could drink a bottle of vodka in a day, I actually recently worked out on mfp what I was consuming calorie wise at least twice a week, and it came out to over 6000 calories (wow right?!)

Disorder:
I wouldn't consider myself as having a disorder of any kind, but I am able to purge without a second thought if I'm feeling upset about what I ate, currently trying to stop this as much as possible, I also noticed when I finally gave up the crappy food, I can happily eat around 600 calories a day, so for me it's been all about finding the "balance" as it seems like I can either completely go nuts with food, or not at all.

• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way?
Not at all.

inspiration:
Definitely Marilyn Monroe, a lot of people think she's a modern size 16 or something absurd like that, she wasn't she was absolutely tiny, and had an abnormally small waist, which created the illusion of having fuller hips and a larger bust. She had the perfect body in my opinion.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…)
Biggest thing was cutting out the crappy food, which I did with surprisingly easy, Stopped drinking any soda whatsoever (except when I'm sick and it's a glass of dry ginger ale) I bought an exercise bike and try and get half an hour in 5 days a week, if not that I'll do some gardening or walking.

Problem Areas:
I want to change the whole body, but my paranoid area is definitely my arms, I'm extremely paranoid about them and worried they'll still be bingo wings when I've lost the weight.

• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)
Mostly positive, I've been down a few times when I haven't lost much or all in a week, but I get over it fast when I look at my weight loss pics and see how much difference there is

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

• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)
Well not much, I feel like people don't look at me in public anymore, my friends have noticed the weight loss and praised me for making a change

• What motivates you?
Living.

• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
I haven't truly felt like I've fallen off the wagon in the last 5 months.

• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)
Almost halfway there, at first I was super excited because the weight melted off for the first three months, but has now slowed to about 3 kg a month, It doesn't seem impossible but I'm bummed as originally I should have been to goal weight in July, but now looking at October.

• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?
I'm not sure, this is the first (and hopefully only time I'll ever have to do this) so I'll get back to you on that lol. But my biggest fear is I will look in the mirror and still see the fat girl.

• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?
Well I guess that's when I go to a counseller haha.

• What is your biggest worry?
If I stopped losing weight completely.

• What have you learnt on your journey so far?
That while 1200 calories a day worked really well for the first 15kg I stalled and had to go upto 1700cals to start losing again.

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

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: 24

• Starting weight: 342
• Current weight: (not sure)
• Goal weight: 272

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) I want to lose weight to get healthy and look great!


• 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?) Definately begun at childhood, my grandparents raised me for a while and pretty much gave me whatever I wanted. I wouldn't say I've been unhappy about my weight but I haven't neccessarily been happy either. I pretty much felt as though I was just as beautiful as a not so overweight person.


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? I guess I could be classified as having a disorder considering I am obesed


• 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) I don't feel pressured but I do think that the media is good motivation.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? Antione "Toya" Wright


• Why do you want to look that way? So my wardrobe can be as big as hers


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…) I am drinking Only Water, giving exercise some of my time, & Cutting out the Junk Food!


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? Thighs, Arms, and a lil bottom gut


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) Definately motivated more than I ever been, hence me responded to this questionnaire


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) Not yet, Only Me & God


• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) Check back with me, my journey is only beginning :happy:


• What motivates you? Me, Getting healthy, & fashion hehe...:laugh:


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) I haven't reached that point yet but I'm sure that I am going to keep giving it my all!


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) Right now Im motivated, I really want to challenge myself to do this


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


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? Be "The Little Engine that Could"


• What is your biggest worry? Not having enough patience with my body.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? Transforming my mind will make all the difference.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? "I Think I Can, I Think I Can, O Yes I Can!" :happy:

• Gender: Female
• Age: 53

• Starting weight: 232
• Current weight: 193
• Goal weight: 160

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which) To look better, be healthier


• 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 thin teen, had my child young-never got rid of baby weight and just continued to gain


• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? I binge eat


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) nothing that was ever defined


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate) It is very hard to look at any type of media and not feel bad about yourself. No matter what you look at the people are skinny and beautiful.


• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? Can't say that I really have one


• 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…) I am counting calories, being more aware of what I am eating and taking a supplement called ACE


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? Waist and legs - I need to whittle the waist down and tone my leggs


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) kind o so-so, even though I have lost about 37lbs, I don't see that when I look in the mirro


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) The people on MFP are my support


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


• What motivates you? we are taking a trip this fall and I don't want to go to the beach looking like a whale


• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset) I am upset with myself for not having more control


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) Not sure it is obtainable


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? I can't answer that, I don't know what the future holds


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? Look at the reasons I am not happy with what I thought I wanted


• What is your biggest worry? That I won't make it to my goal, yet again


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? You can eat whatever you want but you have to use moderation and you have to get up off the couch


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? Can't say that I have one.

Gender: F
• Age: 24

• Starting weight: 185
• Current weight: 160
• Goal weight: 150

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)
unhappy with my body. i want a flat stomach

• 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 didn't have to worry about weight or watching what i ate in high school when i played sports year round. when i went to college i stopped working out and ate more and gained. i made a half-hearted attempt at weight loss for three years and then finally go in gear


• 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)
yes. everything is photoshopped. we're searching for bodies that are literally unattainable. and no matter what, in the media's eyes, it's always better to be too skinny than too fat.

• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration?
don't really think i have one


• 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…)
eating at a calorie deficit and working out about 6 days/week

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

• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated)
i feel a lot better about myself now. i'm trying to lose 10 more pounds and some days i feel really depressed that i can't seem to shake them. i've been stalled at weight loss since november.

• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online)
yes, friends on here and my husband

• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public)
i don't think so, besides family members telling me that i'm really skinny

• What motivates you?
fitness goals like running and cycling, and a flat stomach.

• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
usually i feel pretty depressed for awhile and then get back to it.

• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible)
i just want to get there. i'm so close and i just want to reach it.

• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal?
probably still unhappy with my body.

• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next?
if i don't and am actually happy with myself that'd be great. i hope to possibly do a bulk/cut cycle at some point to try to get my BF% feel.

• What is your biggest worry?
developing an ED

• What have you learnt on your journey so far?
don't buy in to the fad diets. nothing replaces hard work.

• What is your favourite (relevant) quote?
nothing tastes as good as HAPPY feels

• Gender: F
• Age: 23

• Starting weight: 260lbs
• Current weight: 207lbs
• Goal weight: 135lbs

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)

I want to lose weight so I can be healthy again.

• 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?)

The answer to this is in my blog. It's my first blog post.


• 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)

Nope.

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

My old self. Pictures in blog.

• Why do you want to look that way?

Because I was healthy and felt good about myself. I loved the way I looked.

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

This is also in my blog. 2nd and 3rd posts.

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

Trying to change all over.

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

Great.

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

My husband.

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

Nope.

• What motivates you?

Pictures of how I used to look. My son, because I want him to grow up knowing how to eat healthy.

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

motivated to do better

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

It's still pretty far off, but I'm sure I can get there.

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

Excited.

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

I don't know. I'll evaluate this if and when the time comes.

• What have you learnt on your journey so far?

That you shouldn't let people tell you what you can and can't achieve.

• Gender: Female
• Age: 36

• Starting weight: 227
• Current weight: 188
• Goal weight: 135-150 unsure. I want to be a healthy body fat %

• What are your reasons for wanting to lose/gain weight? (Please state which)
I am losing weight because I don't like the way I look or feel.


• 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 chubby as a toddler and I have broad shoulders, wide set hips so I am generally bigger looking than other girls even at a low weight. In grade school (age 8-9) I learned I was "fat" from the boys in my class and my parents made some remarks about how much I ate at meals. I am not sure in hindsight if I was over sensitive to comments abut eating. My 9th birthday my family took me out to a hibachi restaurant and as it was my birthday I was encouraged to order whatever I wanted. I ate my dinner until I was stuffed and then ate the cupcake presented to me with the birthday song. I felt too full... I excused myself to the restroom as I was sweaty and felt just bad. I splashed my face with water and went to a stall to sit down and undo my tights to relieve the pressure on my stomach. I went to burp and it tasted a bit like vomit...this gave me an idea. I stood, flipped the seat up and with hardly any effort I tossed my cupcake and hibachi and felt so much better. Looking back, I wasn't even fat at age 8 or 9. Kids can be so cruel. I had started throwing up ..never forcing it or putting anything down my throat, mind you, but just eating a little too much or too fast or something that just didn't agree with me. I was proud of my new weightloss discovery but never told anyone what I was doing. I looked great. My father even said to my mother he was glad I lost the baby weight as he was going to have t talk to me about how heavy I was getting.They seemed pretty proud, I got new clothes too! In addition to the barfing I tried to stay active and exercised almost every day , bike rides, swimming etc I hadn't never been an inactive kid to begin with. This was how I existed through to elementary school. I started dieting at 11 Nutri points was first , then some weird eat 3 slices of dense bread instead of your meals diet my mother's friend lost weight on, slimfast started when I was 13 and then I joined my first gym. So crash diets, impressive binges, regular barfing and some cardio is how I continued through to my 20's. I had learned about eating disorders but as I wasn't bony I knew I didn't have anorexia and because I would never gag myself to vomit I knew I didn't have bulimia. By high school I had worked out all the foods that would make me ill and so I would eat those pretty often and if my weight started to creep up I would take up some new fad diet and be back to my fighting weight in no time 115-135. In my late 20s getting back to 125 had become impossible I started needing antacids at least 2x a week. My new low weight was 140 I was okay with 140 and would buy clothes for that size. Age 30 150 was my floor I couldn't get below it no matter how hard I tried. Age 31 I started needing antacids 1-4 times a day and stopped eating things that would make me ill because it started to really hurt to be sick I started getting a new birth control shot and would get the craziest cravings. Age 32 diagnosed with Gerd or Acid Reflux and prescribed a daily medication my floor weight was 170. I quit smoking to alleviate some of the reflux symptoms and finally ended up weighing 200-220. For a while I was mad that my new medication made it nearly impossible to fall back on my barfing habit because I really hated that I was fat. I joined a gym and started kickboxing 3 days a week. I was only able to get down to 190 with tons of work! I had even taken up trying to run and done a juice fast but nothing was budging. Age 36 I did some soul searching. I questioned some beliefs, revisited my weight issues realized what I had put my body through and that it might not be able to bounce back. I stopped the birth control injections because the cravings were too much and for a while I just waited and listened to my body. I tried to feel full and hungry again, I had lost the ability to process these feelings and I started my road to recovery.

• Would you consider yourself as having an eating disorder? I am okay for now, but I have to be careful.


• Have you ever had an eating disorder in the past? (If you are now recovered) I am recovering. I have urges to take drastic shortcuts in my weight loss but I am trying to see the disorder as what it is.


• Do you feel pressure from the media to look a certain way? (If so please elaborate)
I don't know. Sometimes I will be watching a show and see a woman who looks really fit and or has great hair or perfectly applied make up or a sunkissed tan and think to myself if I would just put in the effort I could achieve that.

• Who has your ideal body/Who is your body inspiration? I have had my ideal body. Age 21-26 I had no idea at the time but I looked great. Love the photos from that time period. I wish I loved that time period and my body more when I was in it.


• Why do you want to look that way? I want to look that way because it is esthetically pleasing. I want my husband to introduce me with pride. I want people to treat me nicely as the did when I was thinner. I want to stop being invisible. I want to stop making a first impression of sloppy and lazy.


• What are you doing to change your weight? Please give as much info as possible (Specific diet/workout plan/taking supplements/surgery…)
I am planning ahead my meals each day and packing a breakfast and lunch for work. I am using MFP as a calorie counter and outlet for weight rants and food talk. I found a group here doing In Place of A Roadmap and they focus on the math of calorie counting and fitness taking into account your BMR, TDEE and other factors to get a truly personalized guide to what it takes for you to lose weight. This appeals to me because I don't want a severely restricted calorie amount, I can't sustain that and I want to increase my physical fitness which requires..eating and exercise at reasonable levels. My best friend and I are keeping journals and every day we get a star for each of the following 1)not going over on calories 2) drinking 8 or more glasses of water 3) completing our exercises 4) not drinking alcohol. 50 stars collected wins a prize of a day without restrictions, but we still have to log the foods we eat on this earned "cheat day". Also we set up some rules and demerits to keep us on track. For instance I have no control when it comes to potato chips or corn chips or whatever pringles are. I am not sure whan I will reintroduce this :food" into my diet but for now eating chips is a demerit. 3 demerits within a 30 day period wipes out all accumulated stars.


• Do you have ‘problem areas’ (please specify) or are you trying to change all over? I am happy with my loss in all areas. I am sure there will be a time when everything is looking better except my stomach which seems to be a big stumbling for women losing 50lbs or more. I want to think I am prepared but I will cross that bridge when I get there.


• How do you feel about your weight loss/gain? (Positive/negative/motivated) I feel very good about my progress to date.


• Have you got people who support you? (In real life/Online) Absolutely! I couldn't do this without my best friend! My husband has seen a few too many of my health kicks/diets to get fully on board but he is coming around and I have found amazing support and friendships on MFP.

• Has dieting changed how people see/treat you now? (Friends/family/public) No. I keep to myself mostly and I am not telling people outside my very closest that I am watching my calories or exercising.

• What motivates you?
Pride, Love, Happiness.

• If/when you ‘fall off the wagon’ how do you feel? (Like giving up/motivated to do better/like punishing yourself/upset)
In the past I have been thrown completely off by a bad day or even a slice of pie. I can't diet anymore. I have made a change for the rest of my life. I can't avoid Thanksgiving and pie feasibly until I die so I have made room for splurges and failures and I have a new friend on MFP who actually created a spreadsheet that allows you t see you calories and exercise laid out for the month and it has helped me t see that the peaks and valleys tend to even out as long as I keep my eye on long term goals. This has made it easier to not panic or throw in the towel if one day adds up too high.


• How do you feel about reaching your goal? (Is it close/far away/does it seem impossible) I feel like I have already met my goal. I want to shed some more weight but I know that with a positive mindset and dedication I will get there without a doubt. It seems far away at times (like when trying on swimsuits) but other times it seems very near. It feels entirely possible and that matters most.


• How do you think you will feel when you reach your goal? The same only lighter. I will have to continue exercising regularly and eating with nutrition in mind as well as preplanning to avoid pitfalls for life.


• What if you don’t feel that way? What will you do next? If getting into healthy body fat % range does not make me feel more attractive and healthy then I will have to take personal stock of what is most important to me and work towards attaining that.


• What is your biggest worry? That I will find and take a quick easy route to weight loss and or start to obsess over weight and ruin all the healthy groundwork I have laid.


• What have you learnt on your journey so far? That I can live without potato chips and that going out to dinner is fun and easy while counting calories if you plan ahead and just relax.


• What is your favourite (relevant) quote? "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."