Any Success Stories for Women about 300 Pounds??

I started at 315 in May 2012. I was down 100 lbs by Christmas. I lost the first 100 with mainly diet. I started exercising in the gym on a regular basis in Jan/Feb and began running around April.

Log everything you eat. You can lose weight without exercise, but if I could redo it, I would have worked out with more frequency in the beginning.

Edit: I'm 5'4

About 8 years ago, when I was 35, I had gastric bypass surgery. I weighed 345 at the time and had been dieting since about 1981 so figured it really wasn't working for me! I know wls isn't for everyone, so I'm not promoting it. But just wanted to let you know that, in a variety of ways, it can be done. NOW, maintaining it, well gurl, that's just a whole other story! (I'm 182 lbs this week.) Add me if you like!

Best of luck either way!

PS - I was 5'4" when I started, but gained an inch as I lost weight! Cool, huh? Helped in the old BMI department!

I'm a shortie, but I was over 300 lbs when I was ~finally~ diagnosed with PCOS in 2009, which I've had since my teens but it was overlooked. I was put on yasmin, and nothing changed for 6 months, and then the weight started slowly coming off. I stopped birth control last year when my insurance stopped covering yasmin and I had terrible side effects, including major water weight gain with ocella.

I had lost 77 pounds while on yasmin and the addition of metforim, which started in 2011 . But, without the birth control pills, my weight started to go up again. I wasn't logging or keeping track of what I ate either, which I KNOW was a real problem, not just the coming off the pill. Although, the hormone changes definitely add to it.

I was started on spironolactone to help with PCOS symptoms in November 2012 and my weight kept creeping up, up, up with spiro and high levels of job anxiety, watching my co-workers getting pink slipped all the time is not fun, and am I next? There's a reason why it's called 'comfort food' and I eat it when I'm stressed. I had gained back 35 of those lost pounds, and now I'm here!

And so far so good, so even if you're starting at a high weight, even if you're having work stress and hormonal issues, this can be done. With light exercise (10-30 minute sessions) as I get used to it again, I feel better and less stressed. I am hoping to hit my goal weight in a couple years.

The tools at MFP are great, and there are so many successful people here who already did it! ^_^

I started a little over a year ago at 320 lbs, and today weigh 195. I am also 5'8". My main advice is just that you really have to want it bad enough. For me it was about being healthy, not thin. I started eating healthy foods and moving my body. That's what it really comes down to. If you want it bad enough, you will make it happen. You CAN do this!!

I am 5'6". Started at 290 lbs, have lost 70 lbs in 8 months.

In 2008 I was well over 300 pounds. I don't know how much over because I refused to get on a scale. Over the next three years I gradually lost weight until last spring I was at 227. This is when I joined MFP and, in the last four months I've lost more than 40 pounds. I have about 50 more to go.

My tips? 1. Be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up for any slips you make. 2. Be patient. Time is going to pass whether or not you lose weight. 3. Find what works for you. For me, this means finding ways to still eat the foods I love best in healthier ways. For example, I don't want to eat white pasta, but I didn't like the taste of whole wheat pasta either so now I put my spaghetti sauce on sauted zucchini slices. I don't eat foods that are healthy but which I hate. I don't eat yogurt. I do eat sardines. 4. Find an exercise or more than one that you like and can and will do.

Good luck! Believe you can lose weight and then do what you know you need to do to succeed.

Interesting how many people here have PCOS. I have it too. I am 297 lbs and it's a fight to lose every single pound. My weight is constantly up/down. It was definitely inspiring to read some of the stories in this thread!

I'm 5'8" or so and I was over 300 when I started. I've probably lost a lot slower than most, but it was never a race for me. I started off by walking and just increased gradually over time. Later, I added biking, hiking, running intervals, circuit, strength, etc. I just keep finding new/different things to add or try and do a little bit of everything to keep it fresh. And I log every day even if I have a bad day where I go way over. I just start new tomorrow.

I am 38, 5'6+, and started my journey a little over a year ago at 321 lbs. I am now about ready to break through my 100 lbs lost goal. I still will have about 60 lbs to lose to be at my ultimate goal, 49% of my body weight (down 165 lbs). I would be happy to answer any questions you have. Feel free to inbox me!

I started at 314, and am down to 248 ... sort of. I lost pretty steadily to 253, and then have really struggled to take any weight off since May of this year. I am not sure what is going on --- I am sticking to my calories reasonably well, have added exercise, etc. My next step is to get a BodyMedia Fit so that I can figure out how many calories I'm really burning --- I am not sure if I'm not eating enough, or if I'm eating too much, or if there is something else going on. But I am sticking to it one day at a time, and constantly telling myself not to get discouraged.

Here is what has worked for me:

1. Log everything. Everything --- even little bites here and there, or samples from Costco, or whatever.
2. Get a scale. I weigh most things to try to get as accurate a measurement as possible.
3. I don't deprive myself of anything that I really want. I just eat less of it. Whereas I used to just take a big bag of chips and eat them mindlessly, now I measure out a serving and eat that. If I want more, I repeat. And I log the calories, and fit them in to my daily allotment. Same with ice cream, candy, etc. I still do have treats --- I do not do deprivation well, and it will not work for me. I also have a couple relatively low calorie but filling meals I have developed that I work in to days when I've eaten extra treats, so that I can still make my calorie goal and not be starving (grape nuts mixed with greek yogurt is my favorite).
4. Exercise if you can, even if it is just a little bit at a time. I started out walking --- started with a goal of doing it twice a week, and then worked up to four times a week. Then I mixed in the exercise bike. I have also (very intermittently) done things like the 100 sit ups/100 push ups apps. I don't have a ton of extra time (very demanding job, and I'm a mom), but I fit it in where I can. No excuses -- if I didn't do it, it's because I chose to do something else instead.
5. Don't beat yourself up. If you have a bad day, move on. I went on a cruise earlier this summer and ate pretty much whatever I wanted, though I did try to control the portions, limit myself to two courses at dinner rather than 5, etc. When I came back, I hadn't gained, and I even lost a few pounds (finally) shortly after I got back.
6. Don't get discouraged. This is for the long haul. Just stick with it. It took people literally months to notice that I lost weight. And months and months before I needed new clothes. I still wear some of the same clothes that I wore before (though I fit in to a lot of smaller stuff now, too). Just keep going, every day.
7. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. Whenever anyone says that I'm on a diet, I correct them. This is not temporary for me, it is a permanent change to my lifestyle. I want to be healthier and more active as I get older, and that's the reason I'm changing the path that I was on.
8. Know that you're worth it. It's a lot of effort, and requires a lot of stamina. I think things changed for me when I realized that I have the willpower --- I'm one of the most stubborn people I know --- I just needed to apply that willpower in the direction of making my lifestyle better and healthier. Once I realized that, it's really all math (which MFP does for you!)
9. Get rid of your old clothes along the way. Not all of them, maybe, but on the whole I have been ditching stuff. I don't ever want to go back to needing those clothes. I shop at thrift shops for smaller stuff, and also get some stuff on sale. It hasn't been too bad cost-wise.
10. Set smaller goals. "I need to lose 140 pounds" is overwhelming. "I need to lose 15 pounds to get below 300," (my first goal) is less so. My next "real" goal is to get to my halfway point (only a few pounds to go), and then after that to get out of the "obese" BMI range. I've had others along the way, also.

MFP is a great tool. But it's just that. The rest has to come from you. But you're worth it. Best of luck to all on your journeys.