overweight as a child... revised (pics)

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amberw610
amberw610 Posts: 8 Member
in Success Stories
So although i don't have a quick success story to share with you all, i hope I am able to encourage some of you anyway. I was an overweight child my whole life. In the 6th grade i weighed 165lbs and was under direct order by my doctor to lose the weight. As you will see in the pictures i have thinned out a little through middle school, gained it back in high school, and have been struggling to keep it off ever since. I was in the Air Force for 8 years and was such a yoyo dieter. Although the military did not keep me fit they put me through alot of classes about nutrition. But the funny thing about knowledge is that you have to use it. Finally before my 30th birthday in 2011 i decided that i needed to make a change to keep the weight off for good. I am now 30lbs down from 185lbs to 155lbs. I am 5'7" tall for those who are curious. I have kept the weight off for almost a year now.


oldchildphoto.jpg between 8 and 9 years old...


blurryhighschoolpic.jpg Highschool photo

me now at 31 years old
newjeans.jpg
GREENGLASSESFEB412.jpg
jacandmesues.jpg
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Replies

  • LiteBrite007
    LiteBrite007 Posts: 294 Member
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    Wow great job and I must say YOU WERE SUCH AN ADORABLE LITTLE KID!!!
  • katejenkins1
    katejenkins1 Posts: 210 Member
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    You look great! Awesome job!
  • jroja021
    jroja021 Posts: 74 Member
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    Congrats on the weight loss!!!
  • WhiteCoc0
    WhiteCoc0 Posts: 192 Member
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    Great job! You look amazing!!!
  • lincolnpalmer
    lincolnpalmer Posts: 28 Member
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    I often notice obese children and wonder how they become that way. There is so much said anymore about video games, poor diets, blah, blah...

    Why do you think you were overweight as a child? Mostly genetics or can you pinpoint a familial or personal lifestyle that contributed?

    I think the tough part of childhood obesity isn't the physical aspect, but the emotional. So hard on self esteem of young children.

    Whatever the reasons, you look great now! Keep up the good work. It's always inspiring to see that kind of change. I'm sure you've had some emotional victories along the way as well as physical!
  • wmako
    wmako Posts: 36 Member
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    You look great! Thanks for the inspiration.
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    WOW.

    You really had the deck stacked against you but you have totally overcome it! Congratulations!!!

    Such an inspiration!!! :drinker:
  • amberw610
    amberw610 Posts: 8 Member
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    Thank you all for your kinds responses.

    Well in the early 80's they didn't have nutrition labels on everything. I don't think at that time too many people, unless in the health field, knew all that much about calories and fats. Well at least people from my small town didn't. So all i can say is that it must have been my diet and huge appetite. :) And yes most of my family is overweight, but also very active.
    As far as being active, you name it i did it as a kid. Softball, basketball, tap, water ballet, water skiing, snow skiing and even bmx racing. I was an extremely active kid. But, I could put back a #1 at taco bell by myself and still had room for cinnamon twist...
    The only thing i can say about childhood obesity is that people are mean. Not just kids being mean to kids, but adults being mean to kids. It really plays a tole on ones self esteem. And hopefully you are strong enough to pull out of it and make a good life for yourself.
    I now have a very supportive fiance who tries and support a healthier lifestyle for me. She bought me a treadmill, elliptical and weights so we have our own little workout room in our house.
    Best of luck to everyone else on their weight loss journey. :happy:
  • min_lyn
    min_lyn Posts: 68 Member
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    I agree with what you are saying about people being mean. Peoples' judgmental attitudes toward obese children does not make them WANT to lose weight. I think it only makes it worse because it affects their self esteem even more. At least that's how it was for me. I honestly think it must start in the home. It doesn't matter what anyone else says, it the family is not modeling healthy eating the children will not eat healthy. Plain and simple.

    We must be around the same age because I have a picture of me that looks almost exactly like yours with the stonewashed jeans and tight rolled pants. I'm 34. Makes me think of middle-school. I was an overweight child myself and that was probably the hardest time for me.
  • lpekny
    lpekny Posts: 63 Member
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    You look great!! That kid picture of you could be me!! in 6th grade, I weighed around 165 as well. I wore a size 18, and going clothing shopping was an ordeal. I got picked on in school and had no friends. In the Summer between 6th and 7th grade. I went on a diet with my mom and excersised alot. When I went back to school for 7th grade I was a lot slimmer, but my self esteem was still horrible and I still struggle with it today. Thanks for sharing your pictures and story!!
  • amberw610
    amberw610 Posts: 8 Member
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    I agree that it does start in the home as well. You really need to provide your kids a good balanced diet. My fiance and i have totally different styles of eating, however, she has been thin pretty much her whole life. But she was introduced to many different styles of food early on as a child so does not feel the need to eat all the junk food that i crave. Her cravings are for things like sushi and Pho... My cravings are for ice cream and chips. :tongue:
  • lincolnpalmer
    lincolnpalmer Posts: 28 Member
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    Thank you all for your kinds responses.

    Well in the early 80's they didn't have nutrition labels on everything. I don't think at that time too many people, unless in the health field, knew all that much about calories and fats. Well at least people from my small town didn't. So all i can say is that it must have been my diet and huge appetite. :) And yes most of my family is overweight, but also very active.
    As far as being active, you name it i did it as a kid. Softball, basketball, tap, water ballet, water skiing, snow skiing and even bmx racing. I was an extremely active kid. But, I could put back a #1 at taco bell by myself and still had room for cinnamon twist...
    The only thing i can say about childhood obesity is that people are mean. Not just kids being mean to kids, but adults being mean to kids. It really plays a tole on ones self esteem. And hopefully you are strong enough to pull out of it and make a good life for yourself.
    I now have a very supportive fiance who tries and support a healthier lifestyle for me. She bought me a treadmill, elliptical and weights so we have our own little workout room in our house.
    Best of luck to everyone else on their weight loss journey. :happy:

    Thanks for the candid response. I'm sure it's taken a long time to come to the conclusions you have, but those lessons are valuable not only to you but many others that may cross your path.

    Priority number one, I think, is to allow children to feel loved. Only when they feel accepted for who they are can we then begin to teach them effectively.

    Thanks again! Refreshing to learn something from a post now and then instead of wading through endless bickering about meaningless nutritional topics!
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
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    what great progress! inspiring! i was a chubby kid too!
  • gogojodee
    gogojodee Posts: 1,261 Member
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    You look great! I was an overweight child and I yoyo'd for so many years, and now I'm at my ALL TIME HIGH, and - I can overcome this!

    Thanks for posting and congrats on keeping it off for a year! :]
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
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    That's awesome, I love happy stories! Good for you, you look great!
  • ctalimenti
    ctalimenti Posts: 865 Member
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    Great story! You look awesome! How did you eat as a child?
  • elcieloesazul
    elcieloesazul Posts: 448 Member
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    You look fantastic! :flowerforyou:
  • amberw610
    amberw610 Posts: 8 Member
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    Great story! You look awesome! How did you eat as a child?

    Well i am half Mexican and grew up eating home made flour tortillas, beans, rice and tons of it. (it is by far my favorite kind of food) And then my dad loved to fry food. So then i had my friend chicken and pork chops. :) Every vegetable i ever ate was saturated in margarine and every salad i ate was loaded with ranch dressing. It was not until High School when i started taking nutritional classes that i learned about calories and consumption, but not until the military that i learned about portion control. But my weight has always fluctuated especially in the military. But i think i am on the right track now. I never deny myself any certain type of food that i want. I either use portion control or i work out to burn the extra calories consumed. And although i am not as small as i could be, i am smaller than i have ever been and i think my body is comfortable at this size. :wink:
  • UpToTheChallenge
    UpToTheChallenge Posts: 247
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    you look great!! Congratulations girl!
  • dalmiechick45
    dalmiechick45 Posts: 164 Member
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    great job girl! I was heavy as pre-teen then teenage years... lost it all at 19 when I got a job LOL--- have gone up a little here and there but kept it off and 40 lbs under my heaviest for 17 years

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