80 pounds lost! After a setback, it's good to remind myself of the progress I've made!

notakumquat
notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
in Success Stories
I've been struggling lately with feeling like a failure. I've re-gained about 20 pounds from my lowest weight, which puts me 30 from my goal weight. I've struggled with motivation and consistent eating and exercise. I've just gotten back into it within the past few days, and came across this picture while I was searching for motivation for myself and wanted to share!

5'5"
SW: 260
CW: 176.6
GW: 150

I was morbidly obese for most of my life, and was very much in denial. At my highest weight, I met the qualifications for morbid obesity, and also for weight loss surgery.

Here are some of the things that have changed for the better since I lost the weight:
  • When I bend down to tie my shoes, I don't have to hold my breath.
  • I can climb a flight (or 3 or 4) of stairs without being so out of breath that I need to stop and sit before I can have a conversation.
  • I can walk short distances (from the couch to the bed) after sitting for a while without my heart racing.
  • I don't have to worry about not being able to fit in chairs in places like the movies, auditoriums, planes, restaurants, and those plastic deck chairs with the arms.
  • I can sit cross-legged comfortably for the first time in memory.
  • I can find clothes more easily (not much, though, since now I have the opposite problem; I wear a small in shirts and a 32 in pants, and those sizes are more difficult to find in thrift stores, which is where I do most of my shopping).
  • I no longer look like a potato in the face and have a visible neck!
  • I no longer feel like I'm choking or being smothered when I lay on my back at night.
  • When I do lay on my back and put my hands on my stomach, I've gone from my fingers barely touching to my hands completely overlapping.
  • I regularly have people call me small!
  • I also regularly have people who are amazed that I weigh around 180 and that I still have 30 pounds that I would like to lose.
  • I'm no longer described as a "larger/bigger guy" when someone is describing me objectively to someone who hasn't met me.
  • Even though I haven't been working out as much as I would like lately, I am now able to see my underlying musculature when I "flex."
  • My fingers no longer look like sausages.
  • I have so much more energy.
  • I've significantly decreased my risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes (which runs in my family).
  • My shirts don't "gape" like they used to at the stomach when I sit. (This is starting to happen again, which is what really drove home that I'd gained some weight back.)
  • My friends and family are proud of me for losing the weight and (mostly) keeping it off for the past 2 years. When I occasionally post an old picture, they are amazed and say that they barely remember me like that.
  • I had to adjust my hat smaller (apparently, I had a decent amount of fat on my head)!
There are so many more, but those the ones that come to mind and the ones that were the most impactful.

So, pictures! Three comparison collages, then two befores followed by two afters. :) I'm always looking for new friends, so feel free to add me if you want!

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Replies

  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
    What a great job you've done. Congrats!
  • Jackie_Paper
    Jackie_Paper Posts: 183 Member
    Would add you based on ownership of CAT BOWTIE!!! great success, and digital motivational cheers to stay on track!
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    Thanks to you both! Jackie_Paper, the cat bow tie is my absolute favorite and is a huge success where I work (Western Carolina University) since our mascot is a Catamount! :)
  • DetroitDarin
    DetroitDarin Posts: 955 Member
    OMG I am SO proud of you - and you don't even know me. GREAT work!!!! Thank you for sharing.
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
    you're killing it! and I was going through your list nodding my head in recognition.
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    DetroitDarin wrote: »
    OMG I am SO proud of you - and you don't even know me. GREAT work!!!! Thank you for sharing.

    Thanks so much!! :)
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    akf2000 wrote: »
    you're killing it! and I was going through your list nodding my head in recognition.

    Thanks! Reading the lists of changes/differences from others helps keep me motivated, so I figured I'd include my own! :)
  • Scorpio8402
    Scorpio8402 Posts: 554 Member
    Congratulations and great job!! You look amazing!
  • tltmom
    tltmom Posts: 37 Member
    You are so inspirational! I've had the same struggle lately myself. I appreciate your honesty. Best wishes to you for continued success!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    Be proud... i say this with humor .. now you're just working on "vanity"weight. :)
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
    when we are on track is awesome, but what is most impressive is when we fall off this crazy wagon and actually get back on! Good for you!
  • gunchic15
    gunchic15 Posts: 1 Member
    Great job!!! That's so awesome and you look so happy too. I can totally relate to that list and just helps me put it into perspective too, I'm on a 1400 calorie and high protein diet ND belviq, doing six months of medical and nutritionAL weight loss program prior to electing to have the sleeve. Did you have wls to assist in the loss?? Thanks. Keep up the good work and don't feel like a failure, it's life and a lifestyle so there are forwards and backwards and now you realize you will set yourself up to go forwards again. xoxo
  • llbrixon
    llbrixon Posts: 964 Member
    You are doing so good! Keep up the awesome work! You look great!
  • juliegilburd
    juliegilburd Posts: 145 Member
    You are doing great! You can and will overcome this setback, no problem!
  • elleelle03
    elleelle03 Posts: 63 Member
    you look great! you are an inspiration! Don't give up, you can do this
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    gunchic15 wrote: »
    Great job!!! That's so awesome and you look so happy too. I can totally relate to that list and just helps me put it into perspective too, I'm on a 1400 calorie and high protein diet ND belviq, doing six months of medical and nutritionAL weight loss program prior to electing to have the sleeve. Did you have wls to assist in the loss?? Thanks. Keep up the good work and don't feel like a failure, it's life and a lifestyle so there are forwards and backwards and now you realize you will set yourself up to go forwards again. xoxo

    I did not have WLS, but I seriously considered it. I lost 30 pounds just from removing dairy from my diet once I found out I was allergic. The rest was mostly due to the fact that I was pain-free for the first time in my adult life (my dairy allergy manifested in fibromyalgia-type symptoms including chronic debilitating pain, stiffness, and chronic fatigue) and was less depressed and had more energy than I knew what to do with. That said, I would never call it easy, but I know I was lucky.

    Good luck in your efforts, and you've got this!!
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    Scorpio8402 wrote: »
    Congratulations and great job!! You look amazing!

    Thanks! :)
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    tltmom wrote: »
    You are so inspirational! I've had the same struggle lately myself. I appreciate your honesty. Best wishes to you for continued success!

    Thanks so much! Being honest keeps me accountable, and keeps me from slipping too far down the rabbit-hole of binge eating! :)
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    elisa123gal wrote: »
    Be proud... i say this with humor .. now you're just working on "vanity"weight. :)

    Thanks so much! I suppose it is technically vanity weight at this point; I hadn't thought of it that way, but I like it! :)
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    amfmmama wrote: »
    when we are on track is awesome, but what is most impressive is when we fall off this crazy wagon and actually get back on! Good for you!

    Agreed! Thanks! :)
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    llbrixon wrote: »
    You are doing so good! Keep up the awesome work! You look great!

    Thanks!
    juliegilburd wrote: »
    You are doing great! You can and will overcome this setback, no problem!

    Thanks so much!
    elleelle03 wrote: »
    you look great! you are an inspiration! Don't give up, you can do this

    Aw, thanks! :)
  • ElvenToad
    ElvenToad Posts: 644 Member
    Boy oh boy do we have a lot in common! You must feel amazing and you look phenomenal congrats!!!
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    ElvenToad wrote: »
    Boy oh boy do we have a lot in common! You must feel amazing and you look phenomenal congrats!!!

    I do feel great! I can barely remember how I felt before, but it really truly feels like a dream now. :) Thanks!
  • sisxena
    sisxena Posts: 47 Member
    Awesome,
    I can totally relate to the list of changes.
    I am 5'3" and was morbidly obese too.
    I still have a long way to go, but just by loosing the 66 pounds I lost makes a HUGE difference in my day to day.
    Keep up the good job, You look great!!!!!!!!!!!
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    sisxena wrote: »
    Awesome,
    I can totally relate to the list of changes.
    I am 5'3" and was morbidly obese too.
    I still have a long way to go, but just by loosing the 66 pounds I lost makes a HUGE difference in my day to day.
    Keep up the good job, You look great!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thanks, and congratulations on your own loss!!!! :)
  • smkondy
    smkondy Posts: 583 Member
    Fantastic results!! You look great!!
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    smkondy wrote: »
    Fantastic results!! You look great!!

    Thanks so much! :)
  • FitRoberta
    FitRoberta Posts: 73 Member
    Congratulations! You look great!
  • trsttg
    trsttg Posts: 21 Member
    You look so happy!

    What were your symptoms that led you to discover the dairy allergy? Just curious.
  • notakumquat
    notakumquat Posts: 29 Member
    FitRoberta wrote: »
    Congratulations! You look great!

    Thanks so much!
    trsttg wrote: »
    You look so happy!

    What were your symptoms that led you to discover the dairy allergy? Just curious.

    I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, but none of the meds even touched the pain. I also had unexplained inflammation (the rheumatologist told me "sometimes people just have inflammation and we don't know why") that was helped with anti-inflammatories. Steroids made the pain go away completely (in a larger dose to accommodate my weight as the standard dose is based on an adult that weighs 150), but no doctor wanted to prescribe them on a semi-permanent or permanent basis due to the brain damage that can result. My rheumatologist had pretty much given up and so had I. I was walking with a cane at that point and was at a 7 on the pain scale (1-10 with 10 being the worst) on most days, with spikes up to a 9. I could barely function, and even my desk job was too much for me and I was looking into the process to claim disability.

    I randomly came across an article of someone who had a dairy allergy that manifested in Fibromyalgia-type symptoms, so I decided "why not?" and made a plan to cut out all dairy for 2 weeks and see how I felt. I had nothing to lose. TWO DAYS later, my pain was completely gone. It was absolutely magical. I was so emotional and, honestly, angry at that point, since I had lived 30 years of my life in incredible amounts of pain because of something so simple.

    To this day, I still have leftover cognitive issues, due to the fact that I literally poisoned myself for 30 years of my life. I'll regularly forget things, especially words, and occasionally how to do something that I've been doing my entire life. One time my brain shut down and I forgot how to sit down. I stood in my office, just looking at my chair, trying to figure out how to get from a standing position into a sitting one. I think I stood there for a solid 2 minutes until it cleared. I don't notice it most days, since I'm so used to it, but it's further proof of how serious the issue actually was.

    That said, I consider myself incredibly lucky that I figured it out on my own. If I hadn't come across that random article on the internet, I would still be in the same boat I was before and my life would be completely different.

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