Success after being overweight since childhood?

Lourdesong · January 2016

Overweight or obese always. I graduated from high school at around 280-ish. About a year later I dropped 120-ish pounds in 6 months on a stupid diet consisting of diet shakes and cans of soup. Put the weight back on once I started eating (and partying) "normally" again.
I had a little success years later with low-carb but not a lot, maybe 40 lbs lost over the course of a year, then put it back on as well.
Most of my dieting-life was crash dieting, though, even from childhood, trying to correct for very indulgent behavior with severe restriction of food which I couldn't stick to for very long and would binge and/or give up.

I'm 159 now, from 287 my highest known weight ever, using MFP for coming up on 2 years in May. The main differences between this time and all the times before is I feel like I actually understand weight loss and how to achieve it this time, and that it doesn't have to be some nightmarish torturous thing. Before I did a lot of winging it, not really understanding what I was doing or why. I always knew the reason I was overweight/obese was because I consumed too much, but I didn't really know how to correct for that, I always assumed losing weight isn't possible without going to extremes and suffering.

But knowing and doing are very different things, and I don't think I'm so special that a pregnancy or getting too comfortable after a couple years or whatever life event that might throw a wrench in my routine could make it where I lose focus and start to tolerate weight gain because I'd rather eat more than eat a little less. Who knows. But having some kind of fitness goal in sight even after reaching my weight loss goals is my strategy for keeping focus. And trying to maintain my ever-growing aversion over the last few years for denial and lying and excuses and victim-playing.

Elliewebber · January 2016

Hi

my story isn't quite as impressive as some of the others on here but I've struggled with my weight my whole life too. I've always weighed my age in stone since I was a bout 4 so when I weighed myself on my 16th birthday and realised I'd hit 16stone (216lb) I realised I had to do something. I started logging on here and quite quickly lost 4stone (around 6months) to get me to 168lb but life got in the way and I stopped logging for three years. Now I'm back aged 19 and luckily I had only put on around 25lb. Been back for a few months and I'm back down to 176lb and so happy with myself

20lb to go so the light at the end of the tunnel is visible !!!
Unfortunately I will always have to watch what I eat because I think being big from a child your brain and body is so used to it that it very quickly reverts back to wanting lots of food X

BreakthroughThisLifeTime · January 2016

THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING.....I NEEDED THIS INSPIRATION!!!!!!!!!! YOU ALL LOOK FANTASTIC.....KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

KatrinaLawrence · January 2016

Okay, so I don't know how old I am in the first photograph or how much I weighed, but I asked my mother and she told me I was 7 - 8 when I started putting on more weight than was healthy. The second photo is me in high school, again I don't know age or weight sorry. The third one is me at the beginning of this year, about 135kg. The last was taken Christmas day at around 80kg. I am only 21, but I have been obese for most of my life, and now I'm not.

Keep on keeping on guys, I know it's hard to change lifetime habits, but it's worth a try! Only 16 kg to goal weight. ^_^

camilledaisy · January 2016

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories! I've been overweight- actually obese all my life and at 43 had started to come to the conclusion that I couldn't change. After reading this thread I am feeling hopeful that with persistence and patience I can actually achive a healthy weight.

neldabg · January 2016

Hi! It's good to read about your decision to commit. I myself am down 60 lbs from my highest recorded weight, and I have been overweight all my life, hitting stage one obesity when I reached my mid-teens.
I realized that being overweight is what comes naturally to me. People mean well when they preach about instinctual eating, but just listening to my body isn't enough because it truly is difficult for me to know when to stop eating. Therefore, keeping a food diary and a portfolio of my progress in exercise is crucial to my success. I've learned to embrace the idea that there is no one correct way of eating and that as long as it doesn't harm/hinder me, a life of monitoring what I consume is perfectly fine and doable.
At the end of the day, you must do what works for you, but personally, I had to view health as one of the things I HAVE to do. I HAVE to shower, brush my teeth, go to school, etc. daily, and now, I've added exercise and hitting my macro goals into the mix. Seven months later, my healthy weight and lifestyle are just another part of my life now. Motivation will only take you so far; habit and commitment will carry you through for life.

BradenTraub · January 2016

Check out my success story. I've struggled with my weight since elementary school. Even as a young child (9/10/11 years old etc), I felt VERY strong embarrassment over my weight.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10315070/24-years-old-lost-120-lbs-and-never-been-happier/p1

Meganthedogmom · January 2016

I've been overweight/obese ever since I can remember. I can't recall a time I didn't at least have a belly. Overweight as a young child, and probably obese by 8 years old.

Both of my parents are obese. Nearly every picture I see in photo albums of myself as a child I have some kind of candy/soda/ice cream/food in my hand. I've gone on diets both as a kid, with my mom, and several times as a teenager and young adult. Nothing ever stuck until recent years.

My highest recorded weight was 251 (I'm 5'3"). I've lost 85 pounds and would like to lose 25 more. This is the smallest I have ever been my adult life and it feels great! Even as a teenager I was wearing a size 16 jeans (currently wearing a size 10/12)

airangel59 · January 2016

It's do-able..one day, one pound, one step at a time and stick with it. We didn't put all the weight on overnight so it's not just going to come off overnight.

Check out this forum for support with others going thru the same journey : http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3322-100-pounds-with-no-surgery

Success after being overweight since childhood?

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