What's Your Story?
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I used to be pretty active and therefore was pretty fit. Then my husband got sick and couldn't work anymore. I suddenly had to work 80 hours a week to support us. Goodbye active!me, hello exhausted!me. This went on for several years. Then he died, and for 2 years I didn't care about anything. I spent the first year eating literally nothing but TV dinners and ramen. The second year I tried to do better but I was still in pretty deep grief. By the time I felt able to face the world again (about this time last year) I was bigger than I'd ever been in my life and still pretty much living on fast food, candy, coffee, fruit, and bread, still exhausted, and in a whole lot of pain. People, including my doctor, would say, "Exercise, your pain will get better and you'll lose weight." Would have been great if the length of the driveway hadn't felt like a marathon. Some days I couldn't even walk down the porch steps, and let the dogs go off leash (I know, awful). Standing for 5 minutes, my feet would go numb; after 10 minutes the pain was like knives in every joint in my body. I would swing between beating myself up for being lazy and being full of rage that people just didn't get it.
Then two things happened: The first was that I told the doctor the way I felt could not possibly be normal and pretty much demanded a full battery of tests. Labs came back and I was diagnosed with malabsorption, malnutrition, and metabolic syndrome. The second thing was that I read an article that said you couldn't outrun your fork. That made sense to me and a switch flipped. I got all the supplements the doctor wanted me to take and after some research, consideration, and pretty serious self-examination, I decided to do LCHF. The results have been pretty amazing, and I'm only a little over a month in and still tweaking the system to make it sustainable. I don't hurt so much! I can take walks now! I can do yoga! My brain works right! I'm not hungry! Oh, yeah, and I'm losing weight. Somewhere the focus got off losing weight and onto being healthy and fit, and I'm okay with that (as gratifying as it is to see pounds and inches come off).
What's helped me other than epiphanies and LCHF is sitting down and figuring out my goals, and then setting mini-goals to set up a pattern of success. Instead of being like, ugh, I've only lost 10 pounds, I'm like HAY I LOST 10 POUNDS FIRST MINIGOAL REACHED WOOOOOOO! Also reading these boards has helped me refine and focus my thoughts on health and fitness in general as far as what I'm willing to do, what I hate, what broscience and woo I can ignore, and what arguments are pointless and frustrating; it's helped me develop a philosophy of my own about this area of life. Oh, and delicious, delicious recipes and food suggestions.
I have my bad days, but overall I'm pretty happy with the way things are going for me right now.0 -
msalicia116 wrote: »@Queenmunchy I really wish I could have been able to reel it in at the 10 lb mark. I know a lot of people have said that, but it's true. That's why I think it's silly when someone makes a negative comment toward someone who "just wants to lose 10 lbs". Good on them for handling it before it became a bigger issue, no pun intended.
Thank you for saying this. I've gotten negative comments about trying to lose 10 lbs.
One was even a message saying, if you think you need to lose weight maybe you should see a shrink.
I don't understand why someone would think that their goal is more important than my goal.
Mind you, losing 10 lbs in no way would make me underweight.
There just seems to be certain people that view it as frivolous.
But when you think about it, if you come on MFP with a goal to lose 100 lbs, and you were down to the last 10 lbs, would you want someone to scoff at you? I mean, why work so hard and then finish at 90%. Why not go all the way?
Everybody that gains weight does it 10 lbs at a time....like, ok, I won't go over 180...ok, ok I won't go over 190. That's it, I won't go over 200.
10 lbs at a time...
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For me, I can't remember a time when I wasn't overweight. I was a fat kid, my parents are obese and never could get a handle on good eating habits, plus they never really got me into any extracurricular activities, so I grew up being very lazy/inactive and eating out of boredom and because food is delicious. We didn't have much money, either, which I guess is why I didn't play sports or anything. I never knew anything different than being fat. 20-something years of being fat and I finally had enough. I wanted badly enough to know what it's like not to be obese, so I changed my life.5
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I was always a "muscly" kid. I weighed more than people thought, mostly because of muscle because I was not fat. I have always been self conscious about my size because all of my friends seemed to be thinner than me, but it never stopped me. As a young child I participated in swimming because my asthma prevented much running. Then started baseball. I started playing badminton when I was 13. I was introduced to soccer when I was 14 and gave up baseball to play soccer when playing both got too busy. In high school I played badminton, soccer and field hockey as well as lifesaving competitions and continued swimming. When I was 16 (and likely between 150-160lb at 5'6") I was told by my doctor that I should lose weight and aim for 145lb to be at a normal BMI (first of all, that is the low end of my BMI, second of all it is not physically possible for me to be that weight and be healthy - I am a size 8 at 155lb). Thank goodness I had a smart mother who knew better than to let me believe that junk! I made it through university with only gaining about 30lb, continued working as a lifeguard and swimming almost 6 days a week. I was still pretty happy, but once I got a job and sat at a desk more, I realized I needed to get back to being more active. It worked, I moved to a new province, made friends, started playing soccer again and just generally was happier. I lost 30lb, met my boyfriend, and kept it off.....for a year. Slow spiral started with a trip home, my friends wedding, finding out I was moving again, breaking up with my boyfriend who didn't want long distance, actually moving halfway across the country, had repeated injuries that sidelined me, realized I was not happy at my place of work, had a hard time finding a place where I fit in, became depressed.....and food was my friend. Four years and 100lb later I am trying to make myself happy again. It is slow and I stumble a lot, but I will do this for me. Sorry that was long winded.1
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@VintageFeline I am rooting for you! You got this! Trying silks is also on my list. I bet you would be AMAZING at it!1
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I developed bulimia in adolescents. I was never overweight but I was built larger than most of my friends. I wanted to be a size 2 and was determined to get there, a 5 was as close as I ever got.
I stopped purging when I became pregnant because I knew it was bad for my baby but I kept binging. I gained almost 90lb during my pregnancy. And I also started getting sick around the same time. When my son was a toddler I was diagnosed with hashimoto and endometreosis and he was diagnosed with autism. I was overwhelmed and depressed so I fell back into bulimia. I didn't lose weight because my binges were so large and my health got so bad I wasn't able to parent the way I wanted to.
At 30 I got professional help including counseling, a nutritionist, metabolic testing, and started getting healthy. It took me 2 years but I hit my healthy weight and felt amazing. I was so proud of myself for doing it the right way and felt stronger (physically and emotionally) than ever before. I maintained for 3 years and was even a substitute teacher for a local Insanity class.
A year ago I moved in with my boyfriend and changed jobs so I'm sitting more. I gained back 30lbs. Now I'm struggling to get my auto immune and hormonal issues under control again and get back on track. I'm currently 20lbs away from goal and have not fallen back into past bad behavior despite frustration over slow weight loss.0 -
Not tragic perhaps, but frustrating.... First though, i have to express my irritation with the idea of 'ideal' weight for height tables. I am 5'6", and the information i have always seen says i should be about 125-132 lbs. At that weight, i look seriously ill, with bones sticking out front and back and no curves. I am thin looking at 145 lbs. At 165 i am looking a bit luscious, and properly fill a B cup. Now, though, i am 250 and overflowing a D cup, and with too many 'X's on my clothing labels. I am desperate to shed many pounds, but any would be in the right direction.
But, if i had known then what i know now, i may have been in a different place right now. See if this sounds familiar to any of you ladies out there... this is my timeline... When i was 16 my gp expressed surprise at the excessive body hair i had ( I am a caucasian almost blond), I was sent to an endocrinologist to test for hormone levels at 18, plus ultrasounds of my uterus and ovaries to determine the cause of excruciating, but infrequent cycles, and sent again at 21, 23, and 25. At 25 i was told i would likely never get pregnant, and if i did i would likely never carry a baby to term. Any guesses? It's a commonly known condition now, but not 30 yrs ago... right - PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome. Great! a slow metabolism and tendency to gain unrelated to consumption or activity. I didn't get this diagnosis until very recently, when my naturopath confirmed that all symptoms point to PCOS, except now that i am nearing 50 and pre-menopausal, the syndrome tends to morph into 'metabolic syndrome'. At 21 yrs, it took me a year to lose 25 lbs, working out hard several times a week, eating 'small', and walking everywhere i needed to go. At that age, it should be easy to drop pounds! At my age now, nearly everything is a struggle and it isn't about intake or exercise. My tracking counter suggests i should be 20 pounds down by the end of the summer if i keep on like this... which it has told me for the past several months with no shift for me. I walk 4+ km several times a week, i am trying to stick to low carb, better proteins, plenty of water and rest. No pop, very little alcohol, i cook for my family from real food..... not sure what else i can be doing to deal with this! So now, i not only feel like i am dealing with the invisibility that seems to come with aging, but also with the disregard that comes with too much weight. Nothing better than going into a clothing store and being ignored or worse, a lingerie store! Because, girl! i tell you if there is one thing i do have now, that i didn't have when i was an A cup 28 yr old is the need for a good bra!
But, there is one thing i hope anyone reading will take some comfort from...despite the PCOS my doctor never confirmed, despite all the symptoms pointing to it, i have had three healthy full term babies, and no miscarriages or unusual difficulties with pregnancy. And, until my first pregnancy at 26 i was never more than 160lbs, after my third at 34 is when most of the excess became fixed... i don't quite know what to do now--my job and family take a lot of my time and energy,and it is hard to fit in the walks i do manage, and very easy to let them slide....1 -
I experienced an extreme amount of sexual and emotional abuse from the time I was tiny. That's as concise as I can make that. By the time I was 10 I was anorexic and shifted into bulimia by the time I was in my early teens. Fast forward MANY years of gaining and losing small amounts of weight. I was fairly active so managed to stay fit until I started having kids. I managed to lose weight from being pregnant with my first two babies but after the 3rd my body whacked out. Hormones changed, PCOS kicked in, etc. Lots of testing later it was discovered that I had a damaged pituitary from the abuse, low thyroid (that I now know I've had since I was 15), I was gaining weight, etc. A severe leg and ankle injury and subsequent surgery packed on another 40#'s when I turned 40. So at 46, here I sit with 65#'s left to lose (and that puts me well above what any doctor's chart says I "should" weigh but I know I never will). I've spent the last six months in intense counseling getting past fears of being raped if I lose weight and all of the emotional garbage that goes with abuse. It is just now that my "why" is solid and healthy but losing is still very difficult. Between a permanently damaged pituitary that does not like to kick out hormones and peri-menopausal age (again, hormones), I'm having to fight harder then I ever have. I do everything as naturally as I can, but in the end, I still find it's CICO. I have to do some unconventional things to make that a bit more effective for me, but it still comes down to CICO. Somehow, God in His grace has given me the strength and ability to persevere. I have 3 great teenagers, a good husband, and life is good. After my childhood, that is nothing short of a miracle.0
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So sad for all the tragic experiences people have had, and even just the frustration. I hope everyone here gets a happily ever after, or at least a happily for a while. Wish I could say something better to actually make that happen but apparently being Pollyanna is the best I can do. Good luck to you all.0
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I've was slender and very active most of my life.
In 2009, I moved to Australia and almost immediately developed DVT which side-lined me for a year. Warfarin is no fun. Turns out I have a genetic predisposition to clotting. Yay. I gained a bit of weight and nudged just up and over into the overweight range.
2011, I lost weight bringing me back down within my normal BMI range.
2012, my husband and I put everything into storage and toured the world for 8 months. There's a lot of good food out there! Despite the fact that we took our bicycles with us and rode quite a bit of the way, we also ate a lot. I slid back into the overweight range again.
December-January 2012, my husband and I stopped in Canada for a month to spend the Christmas season with my family. We joined a gym and lost weight over Christmas, despite eating all kinds of yummy Christmas cooking. Back down into my normal BMI range ... just.
February 2013, we started taking steps to integrate back into the world of working, things were a bit unsettled, there were several moves. Not paying attention to food intake. Back into the overweight range.
December 2014, I started paying attention and exercising more ... and lost some weight over Christmas. Seems like Christmas is a good time to lose weight for me!
January 2015, two unrelated cancer scares and subsequent urgent surgeries. Great way to start the year! Shot up into the overweight range ... my highest weight yet! I learned later, that I probably retained some water from the surgeries. One is all clear, the other is still a bit of an issue.
February 2015, joined MFP ... and over the next 8 months I lost 25 kg (55 lbs) bringing me right down to the lower half my BMI range and a weight I haven't seen since 2004. Also my high school weight.
I've been maintaining since just before last Christmas. 1 -
@VintageFeline I am rooting for you! You got this! Trying silks is also on my list. I bet you would be AMAZING at it!
Thank you! I'm hoping silks would be somewhat natural for me given bars (and floor) were my best pieces of equipment but I'm not the powerful little monkey I was when I was 12! We'll see.0 -
I love this thread! I love that we humans can have some insanely horrible things happen to us and can still find a way to crack a joke!
Everyone be kind to themselves!0 -
My story was I was in a relationship for 2.5 years treated my gf like a new born baby helped her in every aspect of her life when she didn't have job I consolded her when her dad had cancer I was with her and helped her.when she was unemployed I applied to more that 500+ companies wrote her resumes and got her job. One day I felt I was losing her cuz I felt she was avoiding me when I asked y is it. She said u doubt on my fedility I don't want such a person in my life and broke up. For a long time was in a depression I came out of it started working out became mentally strong after 7 months I found out she was cheating with me and she was having physical relationship with her collegue And that guy had no interest of settling with her.
But who cares now I'm better than her I know who I am now. Always trust ur instincts. Rock on
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I'll give the edited version of my story. 2013 I weighed about 180. My husband is military and was set to go to Afghanistan for 9 months. I'm an emotional eater so I decided I was either going to get fat or get fit during that deployment. I selected get fit. I started running 3 days a week, going to the gym 5 days a week. In 6 months I lost 30 lbs, my arms had definition (something that never happened before), I could run 3 miles (never able to do it before). He got beck February of 2014, we found out I was pregnant March of 2014, then I miscarried April of 2014. I delt with it by eating quickly gained the 30 lbs back. Finally got over my self pity, started losing weight, lost 10 lbs by August of 2014, September of 2014 found out I was pregnant again, immediately stopped all exercise. Had my baby boy May of 2015. Via emergency c-section. A week later my incision opened due to an unknown allergic reaction, took 6 months to heal. I work 10.5 hour days I'm exhausted most days, husband deployed 2 weeks after our sons birth, I turned to fast food and junk food. It's been over a year and I just got my this is enough point.1
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I have been abused and bullied throughout my life. I was a thin kid and remained so till 20. I put on 20 kgs at 21 because I quit gymming which I got addicted to to deal with all the pain and trauma. I went from a fit 53 to 78 in 2009 and almost 90 kgs in 2015. People who laugh at fat people dont realise how they got that way...
PS: OP you're a very beautiful person inside out ☺0
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