Updated: OMG!! I DID IT!! 32 months/ 301 lbs. Lost!! Part 2

32 months ago I started a journey that led me down a path I never thought possible. Wednesday I hit my biggest milestone to date. I broke the 300 lbs. lost mark!!! I have been so blessed to have come so far. I have more to do with Skin surgeries and Knee replacements but every ounce of Pain, Sweat, and Tears was worth it to be where I am today... Now my future is truly unwritten and I plan on making the most of the second half of my life.....

Updated: I just wanted to do a part 2 and answer a few questions that were asked in the previous thread. But first thank you for all the kind responses it means a lot to me knowing that I can touch so many people with my story. I joined MFP late in my journey, I had done a lot of the things that I do here but joined here to work on my self-confidence and my fear of social phobia. When you get to wear I was trapped in a 560 lb. body, barely able to walk from room to room and had not really left the house in about 2 years. I had built up major anxiety towards being around people and/or being out in public. I have worked hard at overcoming these fears. Being part of these forums, answering questions and supporting my friends on here was/is a big step forward for me. In the beginning I couldn’t support my weight for very long so I had to do aquatic therapy for the first 1 ½ years and I lost around 175 lbs. before I was fitted with braces, put on pain meds, and knee injections to be able to do exercise outside of the water. I now split time between both, the elliptical is my best friend lol… I lost all this weight on my own, weight loss surgery was Not an option for me (no offense to those that have) I just knew if I could not fix what was broken in my head then getting the weight off let alone then keeping it off would be impossible. So a lifestyle change was in order and a lot of hard work and dedication has been my battle cry. I had one really bad knee (injured in 2002) but the weight is what destroyed them both. I have worked with my Ortho Dr. from day one. Bilateral MRI’s showed Grade 3 Osteoarthritis both knee’s, Torn Meniscus both knee’s, and a torn ACL in my Left knee. We knew going into this it was all about getting the weight off and hopefully making it to the end and then doing the Knee replacements. I am actually meeting him Tuesday, we schedule this appt. 3 months ago hoping I would hit my goal of 300 lbs. lost by this appt. which I did a week ahead of the appt. So we are right on course with our agenda. I met with a skin surgeon 2 months ago and he wanted me to get down to 260 pounds. He said I can expect to lose close to 30lbs. in the removal surgery. I don’t have an end goal weight. When your 560 lbs. it now becomes a look in the mirror feel to it at this stage. If I do lose close to 30 lbs. in the removal then my current weight drops to around 230 lbs. I would be quite happy at that weight but we will just see. I set my new goal for 250 lbs. so we’ll see how I look there. I am planning on skin surgery in May and my knee’s done after I heal from the skin surgeries which I think will push the knee’s to the fall….. Finally I was asked how I keep my head in the game. And the easiest way to answer this is take it one day at a time. In the beginning it was very hard to fathom having to losing 300 lbs. so my therapist told me I need to break it down into what I can control. So I felt if I can just concentrate on the now then it didn’t look so unattainable. So each day I wake up and I put all the focus on what I can do today to make it as successful as I possibly can and when I lay my head on the pillow at night I know there was nothing more I could have done. When you hit rock bottom (where I was in May of 2009) I literally had a life or death struggle and when I finally choose to live, I had nowhere to go but up, I stopped saying no to everything and started saying yes. From there doors started opening up for me and I made the most of each and every day I had. Baby steps but steps all the same, you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other…. I wish you all the best on your journey’s and remember to always put yourself first, if you don’t take care of yourself you can’t be there for the ones you love……..


May 2009 @ 560 lbs. and Feb 2012 @ 259 lbs.