Soooo. I'm Michelle. I'm 23 and I just moved from NJ to Vermont.

I'm a graphic designer/artist

I've been overweight and/or obese my entire life and I am disgusted by it so I am trying to change. I wasn't so bad but the past 2 years I gained a LOT of weight. I'm really short, only 5'3" and I weighted 237 pounds But now, I am down to 210 and still working really hard.

My goal weight is 130 and my ultimate goal is to wear a bikini because I've never been small enough to do that.

Sorry this was so short. LOL

Hello!!! I'm Karen and I'm 41 and 10.5/12th....from Winnipeg, MB, Canada...what is my story. Well, I've been overweight (obese) all my life - except for a few years here and there that is. During my 20's I went to the gym, but was was still always overweight - could never seem to lose the big belly. After a failed engagement I decided to lose the weight and went to Weight Watchers - which was great, lost about 45 lbs - but still had the belly urgh - and met someone and got "comfortable." which led to a 60lb weight gain. When that relationship ended 7 years later I found myself nearing my 40's (thank god no health problems) and decided I really needed to do something about this once and for all! So I joined a gym (loved it), and followed WW on my own this time. And I lost all the weight in about a year and a half. Met someone new which was a turbulant relationship which I had ended last summer and found myself up 15 lbs. But I met someone else (still with) and went out a lot, started missing the gym, started not watching what I ate and found myself stepping on the scale this morning weighing in at 184.6. My top weight was 201 lbs, but I am also short at 5'4"....Anyone see a pattern here LOL...So this time I'm trying something new. Getting back to the gym 5x a week, NO EXCUSES!!! I mean I watch The Biggest Loser eating ice cream and I'm wondering why I look this way???? Time to take control again, time to keep in control. The something new is this website and tracking calories instead of Points. Learning to love my body at any size - and my belly/flat butt - and get back to my goal weight of 140 (which I still had a belly at - now if I could just move that belly fat to my breasts I will be one happy camper!!! )

Well that's my story...

Congratulations to all on their weight loss, I know it is not easy and you all will be my inspiration that I can do this!!

Yay Apples! I can tell already that you are an amazing group of women and I am so excited to get to know you. Thank you for starting such an awesome introduction thread Kelly.

I posted a little bit about myself earlier, but since everyone is sharing their stories here I want add mine as well.

Let's see..... I'm Becca and I'll be 40 in December. I haven't always struggled with my weight, though I've rarely been happy with it, if that makes sense?

I was a competitive swimmer in high school logging many miles a week and with the body to go with it. After I went to college I stopped swimming and took up drinking as well as managing my own eating plan for the first time ever instead of eating whatever my mom cooked. My parents are both heavy. Their parents are/were all heavy. We love food. So now that I was choosing my own foods for the first time, I was just eating what I liked.... oreos and coke for breakfast anyone? Thankfully I did a lot of walking and that helped combat the horrid choices. I think I was around a size 8-10 all through college though I thought I was fat, partly due to my tummy and lack of waist definition. I never had the body I wished I had.

After college I went to law school. Wash, rinse and repeat the habits that I set in college and add on a few more pounds. When I graduated I was a solid 10 and wearing 12s for fat jeans. No idea what I weighed at this point because, obviously, it wasn't important to me.

I got engaged right out of law school, bought a scale, and tried Atkins to lose a few pounds for the wedding. I lost a few, but was oh so sick the entire time since my Atkins choices were things like bacon and cheese. Because I owned a scale by then I can tell you that I weighed 147 when we got married. Which was when the trouble truly started to set in. The hubby and I gained weight together. I would eat when he was eating whether I was hungry or not. We'd often split whatever it was despite the fact that I'm 5'6" and he is 6'1". Plus I got a high stress job in a law firm where someone was always having a birthday or a dish of candy and I was always sharing whatever it was. Lunches out? Count me in! Drinks after work? Yes please!

And then I got pregnant which was of course a reason to indulge my every whim food-wise. Three months after our son was born I weighed 187 and was utterly disgusted with myself. I joined WW and was successful. I got my weight down to 153 in about 6 months, made it to the holidays and promptly got pregnant again. And gained all the weight back. Rejoined weight watchers but didn't commit. Then two more pregnancies. By the I delivered my fourth baby in six years I weighed almost exactly 200 pounds. Unfortunately, while I was going through all these pregnancies my husband was turning himself into an alcoholic and his alcoholism was raging by the time I'd had the fourth baby. I dealt with the worry and stress of that by eating all sorts of comforting foods. Hold that pattern for just over three years, add a little more weight to me.

About a year ago he stopped drinking to save our marriage. Cold turkey, never once complained. I am beyond impressed with his self control and fortitude. I never thought he could do it. And I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for things to get ugly again, for him to fall off the wagon. But he hasn't. And two months ago he showed me how loose his jeans are. He has lost a lot of weight by not drinking all those calories anymore.

And that was it for me. If he can stop drinking, I can lose weight. Our marriage is well, our children are happy, I feel like I can focus on me now. I don't need to be everything to everyone in order to keep my world from crashing down. So I found MFP. And I bought a treadmill and started C25K. My starting weight was 207, my heaviest ever pregnant or not, but I'll never see that number again. And when I manage to be a size 10 or a size 8 apple, I think I'll be able to do a much better job of loving the body I'm in. I'll never love being an apple, but its who I am and I think I can be ok with that.

Holy long post! Sorry about that, I guess I'm feeling share-y, too. This is the first time I've written it all out and I'm glad that I did.

@Kelly ****like**** I'm glad we're in it together, too!

(fluttering my eyelashes at Nikki) I have girl crushes on all of you already!

My name is Amy and I'm a 5'4" 34yo SAHM with 3 kids (8, 6, and 3). My mom was an apple and her mom was an apple too.

Let's see...I was not overweight until after I started having kids. I was a healthy weight in high school but had a belly then and I know I wanted to lose weight. I didn't gain all that much while pregnant with my kids---I gained more AFTER they were born than during pregnancy. I lost some weight after my 2nd child and got down to about 145. Then I had our third and after she was born I got up to 180. I started losing last May and lost 45lbs by mid-December.

I've been stuck in the plateau from hell since December. Well, if I'm truly honest it's probably more complacency rather than a plateau. I've been slacking with being diligent about tracking calories and eating more than I should. I started P90X two months ago and I've been eating so much and it's sort of an out of control eating almost. I've been maintaining between 135 and 140, usually 137-138.

I want to get down to maintain between 125 and 130.

I also run a fair amount--last week I completed my 300th mile for the year so far. I want to do at least 1000 for 2012. I've been averaging 25 miles per week. I'm going to do a 10k in a month and my first half marathon (hopefully!) in August, the day before I turn 35. While I've been eating so much during these past few months I've made really good progress with my running. I can run my first mile in 7 minutes or a little more. When I run 5-6 miles I can usually average an 8 minute mile. I ran 10 miles recently in 87 minutes and I was pretty proud of that. I can only run like that when I eat a ton though but of course I can't lose these last ten pounds while I'm eating a ton.

I do an occasional Jillian Michaels dvd too. I have a bunch of her dvds--30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, No More Trouble Zones, Killer Buns and Thighs, 6 Week 6 Pack, Extreme Shed and Shred.

I'm pretty happy with my body except for my belly area. I still look pregnant. My stomach is WRECKED in so many ways. My kids were huge at birth and my stomach got ginormous with each one. It's covered in stretch marks and I have this terrible c-section overhang of skin that will never go away without surgery. Still working on chipping away at the belly fat but that skin isn't going anywhere.

Hmmm, what else? I also like to garden---but wow have I been slacking with that lately. Besides running, my other hobbies include baseball and reading.

To those of you you mentioned husbands that were alcoholics/used to drink a lot...unfortunately I can relate to that too. My husband has cut back but it's still an issue for me. I'm trying to be patient and he IS making strides...but has a way to go still. He's lost 25lbs since cutting back and I'm hoping that this weight loss helps him to cut back even more.

Well, that's my book!!

eta: I think I'm going to finish this first 90 day round of P90X and then drop my calories back more to try to lose the last 10lbs.

*waves* Hi Brenda! Welcome!

@Amy, I glossed over how truly horrific it was during the worst of my husband's hard drinking time and I want you to know that I relate to what you are going through now and how difficult it is. If you ever need someone to vent to, a shoulder to lean on, or just want to talk with someone who has been there and won't judge either one of you, I'm here. I love that you are a runner and so far ahead of me on this journey. 45 pounds is no small thing! Be proud! And be proud that you are maintaining rather than gaining. I have faith that if you buckle back under and do what you know you need to, you will get where you want to be.

@Kelly, Becca, Amy: My husband is a recovered alcoholic (is that the way to say it?), when we met 8 years ago he drank...A LOT. Then, about a year or so after we met, he and his twin brother had a really, really bad night and it gave them a wake-up call as to how their drinking was putting them on a downward spiral, and how it wasn't just the drinking, it was the fact that they couldn't just have a drink, one always lead to more than one should consume...anyway, they both quit cold turkey, and neither has had a relapse since. We all realize it is a possibility any day, but so far so good. All of you are very strong to be dealing with it, and if I can be of any help please let me know =-).

So, I am Stephanie (Steph for short), I am 32 years old. Been married to my best friend, Brian, for 14 years on the 12th. We have three beautiful kids; Brittany (13), Jordan (11), and Conner (7). We are from Wilmington, NC., currently living in Hope Mills, NC (outside of Fayetteville, NC), but will be back in Wilmington this summer.

I have always been that short/petite person, never had a weight issue, until I got pregnant with my third child. With each child, I gained a healthy amount of weight, and post pregnancy, I was always only a few pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight...until my third child. I went from a healthy 128lbs to 152lbs with him....I went in for my 6 week post appointment and was 146lbs! I was 2 months shy of turning 25 (whereas with my first two, I was 18 and 20 when I had them)...needless to say I was shocked (considering he was 7.4lbs when he was born) that I was so closer to my pregnancy weight, rather than my pre-pregnancy weight like with my other two. From then my weight just took a life of its own.

Between 2007-2008 I went back to work part-time for about 9 months, and I lost 27lbs during that time (165lbs-138lbs), just by working. But once I quit, the weight came back on as quickly as it left. I will say, my 6 month looking belly looked exactly the same whether I was 138lbs or 175lbs (as I was in Feb).

I am at my heaviest now (well I was in February)...175lbs (currently floating between 172-174).....and I am sick of it. I am 32 years old now, and the 30lbs that I have gained in the past 4 years is unacceptable to me.

I am currently in a size 12 jeans and an XL shirt; I want to be able to wear nice tops, without having to worry about my big belly. All my extra weight is in my waist and above; I still have nice looking legs (although I would like my thighs to be smaller)...but because I am so short (5'3) there is no where for the extra 50lbs to go, so its stored mainly in my stomach.

February 15th I started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred...I completed that March 23rd. No pounds lost, but I did manage to lose 6 inches overall (neck, waist, bust, hips). I started Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 on March 26th, and am currently doing that, although I did slack off this past week with Level 2 (AKA: Week 2). Today was measurement day since we are halfway done, and I have lost 2½ inches off my waist and 4 lbs since starting Ripped in 30. So I am hoping to continue with working out and keeping up with the drive to get my waist smaller, since I am concentrating more on that, than the scale.

Hi ladies. I'm 25, 5'9.25"-5'10" and 200-203 lbs. This time last year I was about 184 pounds. I started a full-time graduate program last year and stopped my only form of regular exercise (waiting tables) which I credit with helping the weight gain.

So, someone already mentioned it, but though I've had skinny periods in my life (notably, when I met my husband) and chunkie periods, I've never been happy with my body and always thought I could afford to weigh 10 pounds less, even when I weighed 140 pounds (which made my large frame look skeletal). It's this damn apple shape!

I've also got a short torso and a lot of back fat, which I *loathe* - pears gain weight on their hips/saddlebags, but I gain weight on my back and belly. How the hell? The only way I can think to eradicate the back fat is to decrease my body fat percentage. So I need to start doing that.

I've been eating like crap lately because its the last month of the semester, finals are quickly approaching, and when that happens I usually just try to maintain my weight rather than actively lose weight because I don't want to bother with any extra work, if I can help it.

However, tomorrow (maybe even today, it depends on my schedule) I plan to start the 30 Day Shred again. My goal is to lose about 30 pounds more (I've already lost 12 on MFP) but mostly just focus on strength training and a little bit of cardio and EATING HEALTHY AGAIN.

I can't think of what else, but I'm glad we have this group!

Hello Ladies!!! I'm Andrea, 25, 5'5" from the Portland Metro area (born and raised in Southern California, about an hour north of San Diego and 45 minutes east of Disneyland). Starting weight was 232, heaviest ever. Decided enough was enough when I saw a picture of myself last year at a softball game I was playing in. Went on Medifast and actually stuck to it for over a month (surprised even myself) and lost 17 pounds, shrunk my stomach and learned how to not only pay attention to what I was eating but also how to think about it first AND I learned portion control for the first time ever. Been watching my calories and working out as much as possible since September and in total I have lost 40 pounds! This is a record for me. About 5 years ago, I lost 20 pounds in about 2 months. But I wasn't eating healthy (ate fast food for lunch and that was it all day) and working out every night. Got to 202 and couldn't get any farther, then gained it all back plus some over the years. I have been the "chunky" one of my friends for as far back as I can remember and now they are jealous of me! :happy: Besides the want of being healthy and feeling better about myself, I also wanted to get healthier to start having children. I told my husband "I want to be cute pregnant, not fat pregnant." I am so happy that he has seen me at my heaviest and is honestly happy with me as a person and is supportive in any direction that I go with this journey. :blushing: My goal weight is around 170 and I would be happy with that, toned of course. But if I feel I could keep going, 160 or even 150 would make me ecstatic!

Now a little about the rest of my life: I am a warranty manager at my local RV dealership. I get authorizations on service work that needs to be done. I started out as the receptionist, went to sales for a week, then went to warranty. I am definately a people person but sales just wasn't for me. I married my hubby on September 19th, 2010 and we just bought our first house last week. We have an awesomely cute Sheltie named Toby and I hope to get him a friend in the next couple months. I enjoy sunshine (rare in the Portland area most of the year) since I come from So Cal and I miss the real beach terribly. I have my BS in Criminal Justice Administration and my goal is to be a Crime Scene Investigator. The requirements are different up here than in CA so I will need to get a science degree, probably Biology, to be a CSI. I am also considering getting my masters in Nursing at Portland State to be a Forensic Nurse. Money and time is the contributing factor in this decision. :ohwell:

I look forward to "meeting" you all. Add me if you wish.

Good Morning Apples,

My name is Jayme, I'm a 33 year old mother (5'8)of 3 kiddos. I have always known I was an apple (thanks mom), and I'm always reading articles on how to work out for your shape, etc. I stummbled on a thread for before/after pics for apple shape and found this group. I'm really excited to hear from other women who are dealing with the same issues. I love the jeans thread. I thought it was just my funky shape that made it hard to find a pair of jeans that fit right. I am going to check out the ones suggested

A little background...I've always been heavy, even as a child. After I had my last baby I hit 290 lbs., and I was miserable. I joined WW with my best friend and we both peeled off the pounds. After a year of hard work I was able to get within 10 lbs of my goal weight and began to get comfortable. This is when the yo-yoing started. Over the past 3 years I have gone from 205 to 169, it needs to stop. There is no magic number for me, I just want to be happy with my body. I've been using MFP since last summer and have lost 24 lbs., I run quite a bit, and watch what I eat. But the weight is coming off very slowly, which is good but I think it has to do with the yo-yoing I have been doing the last few years.

Anyway, thanks for creating this group. I'm excited to get to know you all
Jayme

Hmm… where to start…

Well, I'm Sara (AKA Sari), I just turned 30 in April and I'm 4'9'' and 152 lbs. I guess it's pretty safe to say that I'm apple shaped because my measurements are 41-42-43 haha. More like keg shaped but anyway it's so nice to see there is a community for people like me and that not everyone has an itty bitty waist and va-va-voom hips and boobs (a la Jessica Rabbit).

Ahem…so I was not as noticeably apple shaped for most for eighth through eleventh grade when at the same height I am today, I had maintained a svelte size 4 figure at 95 lbs. However, I began to develop a nasty habit of stress eating in my final years of high school (that would plague me to this day.) and at my Senior Ball at age 18 and 4'9'' I was 109 lbs. Still in the healthy range right? Until 114?

Well I my Freshman year of college the following fall I was weighed down with a heavy courseload and the other students were mean to me because it was a private Catholic school and I was "out there" in how I dressed and acted, and so I went back to the stress eating and gained a whopping thirty pounds between late August and Halloween! So tipping the scales at nearly 140 lbs. at a mere 4'9'' going from a size 9 to a size 16 in a matter of a couple of months, I had become obese even before Thanksgiving and the big Holiday Eat-A-Thon was to ensue!

Desperate to lose weight, I began to cut out meat from my diet and ate more salads. I walked more, and by the spring of my sophomore year got down to 125 lbs. But I was still higher than I wanted to be; still overweight. In fact, back in my freshman year of high school when I was 95 lbs. I had had a nightmare that I binged on bacon and shot up to 125 lbs. That was it. I had enough. I asked my doctor for Adderrall (sp) and by the fall of my junior year in college had gotten down to 115-110ish. I was a size 5. But I was manic. I was impulsive. And it was in this impulsive mania that I vandalized university property (I transferred to a public university in my sophomore year) and with the stipulation that my oh-so-handy father repair the damaged property I was not fined, mercifully. Well, needless to say that was goodbye Adderall and hello regain of all my lost weight haha.

I maintained 120-125ish until January 2008 when I ballooned up to 140, 1 pound higher but that much more intolerable than my highest weight in the fall of 2000. When I had to go to an formal event in what basically amounted to sweatpants and a babydoll top I knew something had to give. I had been vegetarian for a year at that point, but was addicted to cheese. I vowed to go vegan, and with the switch-off from Risperdal (a medication I was taking at the time) to Invega (supposed to make you gain less weight than Risperdal) I was well on my way to a weight of 109 by summer of 2009. My high school graduation weight! Yay! However, my joy was to be short-lived. For my vegan diet was poorly planned, and instead of salads, I ate french fries, bread, popsicles, and cheeseless pizza (albeit with veggies) most of the time. My health plummeted, while my weight skyrocketed.

I gained 40 lbs. as a "vegan" haha. And I continued to gain from stess/night eating until my weight reached 157 at 4'9''. That is when I pleaded with my baby brother three years my junior who lost 35 lbs. in 10 months for help. He opened me up into the world of MFP and I'm so glad he did. Before I would eat something without weighing or measuring or counting calories, trying to eat "intuitively" Nuh-uh. Nah. Can't do it. I will OVER-do it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

But I know that about myself. I didn't back when I was making myself sick with the Adderrall and crazy diets trying to cheat reality. The secret to weight loss, I believe, is balance, in nutrients, in exercise, and finding balance in your life which means: taking time to smell the roses and carving out private alone time to de-stress or do something you enjoy, even if it's a little silly haha :P

Well anyway just my little story I know I'm not perfect with everything and I don't always practice what I preach but anyhow I m a work in progress and I don't aim for perfection just to do a little better each day. So there's my little affirmation, every day I do a little better, every day getting better and better, yes I know I am, I'll get there, eventually, one way or another, I know I can do it!

x sari