After living in obesity for more than 30 yrs, I finally found success and have lost 115 lbs.(so far)

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vilmaes
vilmaes Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'll soon be 55 years old and have fought obesity my entire adult life. My highest weight was 306 lbs. and I hovered at 300 lbs. for more than 12 years until in late 2012 I embarked on a weight-loss journey for the millionth time. Although I had no hopes whatsoever of succeeding, particularly because of my age and after more than 30 years of failure, I did succeed like never before. Originally I started with Weight Watchers and lost 40 lbs., but after that failed me, I went onto MyFitnessPal.com in November 2014 at the urging of my trainer. Since then, I've lost 75 lbs. - in less than a year. So many people marvelled at my transformation that they told me I needed to start a blog about my journey, which is what I did. If you're interested in learning about my journey, you can read the details on my blog: http://blossomingvilma.blogspot.com/

Maybe something I've learned (finally) can help someone else succeed, too. Good luck no matter what path you decide to take!

Replies

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    Great job for sure.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    I think I read absolutely everything on your blog. Congratulations on all the hard work that paid off, and I'm very happy you found your Flavinia!
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
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    An excellent achievement. I don't want to derail you or undermine you but you need to think about this. Are you dependent on your trainer. Are you able to sustain your momentum wihtout a trainer. And are you planning to keep up the intensive exercise for the rest of your life.

    The thing is, what i learnt from all my failed weightloss experiences - and i did lose all the weight i wanted to only to put it all back on again, is that weightloss is fundamentally about diet and you can lose almost all your weight without exercise. And you can sustain weightloss iwhtout exericse so long as you are not at a very low weight.

    What happens to people who rely on exercise for weightloss is that that when, for whatever reason, they stop their intensive exercise programs, they keep on eating the same amount BECAUSE they still have that appetite. And this is what brings people's success to a halt.

    The thing is yes your appetite continues but only for a litele while and you may indeed put some wieght back on but you do not have to throw all achievement away. You can learn to maintain a low weight or keep losing without doing tons of exercise. I am proof.

    that said, scientists these days are also saying very similar things.

    So i'm just saying this now because the future is unpredictable and I wouldn't want you to end up at square one again when for some reason you have to stop exerciseing and or you no longer have a personal trainer.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Well done! I have though to agree with a previous poster, after reading your blog, that you need to ease into a routine which (a) does not depend on your trainer and (b) you can live with for the rest of your life. Your current lifestyle depends heavily on exercise, has serious food restrictions and depends a lot on your trainer. As you get closer to your final goals, you need to learn how to do this on your own, and without feeling you are restricting yourself or pushing yourself to do things you do not like.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Congratulations! That is quite an accomplishment and you should be very proud!

    You should post something in the Success Stories section, too, so that those looking for proof that people can do this will be able to see it.

    Losing 115 pounds after 30 years is impressive. Congrats again!
  • vilmaes
    vilmaes Posts: 13 Member
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    I want to comment on a few replies I've gotten regarding my original post:

    a) A couple of people felt I'm "dependent" on my trainer, Flaminia. My journey has been fraught with learning experiences from Flaminia as well as every person I know/meet. If you read my blog, you'll know that I lost weight on my own before meeting her and that she merely provided the nudge I needed to continue succeeding. For the time being, I'm having fun with it but I know some day she'll leave. Yet I know that she's provided the foundation I needed to continue on my own regardless of whether she's in my life or not.

    b) Someone also commented that my present diet has "serious food restrictions." I don't know what they mean by "serious" considering I eat anything I want, with moderation. Besides, for someone to lose weight (particularly when they need to lose 130-150 lbs. like I did), there's no choice but to restrict our diets.

    c) And lastly, a comment was made that I'm relying too much on exercise. I had to laugh out loud at this comment considering I spent my entire life as a sedentary person and miserable because I couldn't do much physically. I don't like exercising - never have, but I love the results. I don't see exercise as a mode to lose weight, I see it as a mode to improve my strength, my endurance, to develop muscle definition so it limits my sagging skin after losing so much weight, and to improve my energy. Most importantly, exercise makes me feel terrific! Assuming I am, in fact, relying too much on exercise, so what? Where's the harm? I rather rely on exercise too much than on food which was my demise for decades.

    As I said in my blog, I've learned in my old age that there's always someone to tell you that what you're doing is not good enough or downright wrong - even as you're succeeding doing whatever it is you're doing. What I'm doing is working for me and that's all that matters to me.
  • cmoni2
    cmoni2 Posts: 18 Member
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    Dear Vilma, thanks so much for posting such an inspirational personal journey. It's not easy to post something so personal and be subjected to other's judgement. Your story is very real and quite motivating, I appreciate that you took the time to share with others what was your individual experience in this extremely difficult endeavor. We will not all follow the same path, but do hope to achieve positive results with the help of others who go before us and are willing to share their personal struggles and triumphs. Congratulations on your well-earned results and much continued success to you with all of your life goals and objectives! Monica
  • justrollme
    justrollme Posts: 802 Member
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    I'm a major fan of Vilma's blog, love love love it! And I especially appreciate the dedication (and several epiphanies) it has taken to reach and keep on reaching goal after goal. You're wonderful, Vilma!
  • IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt
    IdLikeToLoseItLoseIt Posts: 695 Member
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    What a wonderful success story! Thank you for sharing, your hard work and achievements are an inspiration to those of us trying to lose weight.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Your blog looks great -- I'm really excited to read the rest of it (I've just dipped in so far).

    Congratulations on your accomplishments!
  • judymata
    judymata Posts: 42 Member
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    Amazing! Thank you for sharing your journey!
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
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    Caitwn wrote: »
    I'm moved and inspired by your story, and am enjoying wandering around your blog. Thank you.

    I am at a bit of a loss as to the folks commenting on your relationship with your trainer. You are still on this journey, and need and deserve all the support you can find. I do think sometimes that people who haven't actually struggled with behavior patterns that fell into the realm of addiction probably don't understand what some of us need to get free.

    In my own process of getting free of a different addiction, my relationships with the people who were most instrumental in helping me probably looked "too dependent" when viewed through the lens of someone who has never been utterly lost in that hopeless darkness. I just know I am deeply and eternally grateful for those 'dependent' relationships. I desperately needed them in the early years of recovery, and I was very lucky to be able to lean hard on others' strength until I found my own. I don't need to lean that hard on anyone now, thank goodness, but the fact that I could do so when I needed it saved my life.

    You don't need to explain a thing, and I am glad Fla is in your life.

    As for noting that your current life "depends heavily on exercise"...uh. What?

    Data analysis conducted on thousands of participants in the National Weight Control Registry indicates that those who are most successful in maintaining their weight loss over time exercise at least 30 minutes a day, and most exercise closer to an hour a day. The findings are so compelling that the recommendation for daily minimum amount of exercise (currently 30 minutes) may ultimately change to recommending more exercise as a result.

    So thank goodness you've learned to appreciate exercise and have learned how to incorporate it in your daily life.

    Blessings to you, continued success, and may the rest of your journey bring you much happiness.

    Excellent comment. If all of us could easily figure out how to lose and maintain weight without a strong relationship with a professional, there'd be no obesity, right? I'm currently working very closely with a nutritionist and she's helping me understand how to eat healthy without starving myself. I understand what she's talking about but without her putting ideas down on paper and telling me specific things to do, I'd be at a loss.

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