DIS Ladies Only Meet 2006 Weight Loss Challenge - Starts March 28

[mommaU4]

First, Trish, I so happy to hear about your recovery-amazing!
All of you ladies have wonderful stories, Id like to congradulate you all for joining the challenge.

As you all know one has to ready to step up and lose weight.
Unfortunely for me, it hasn't hit me to do it.

So when I meet you all you'll see a person who is about 40 pounds oerweight.

Who knows? Maybe when I hear about the success you all will have,
that might push me!

I sometimes wonder if I am ready too. I say it all the time. "I gotta lose weight." At night I'll be so disgusted with myself for over eating that day and so determined that tomorrow will be the day it all changes. Well, nothing ever does. I've even thought about that surgery, but I am a big chicken. I couldn't go through with it.

For me, food is my drug of choice. It is addicting. I would almost rather be an alcoholic. That may raise a few eyebrows but I don't care. You don't have to drink. You don't have to walk into a bar. I have to eat to live. I have to grocery shop and prepare food for a family of 6. It's like being an alcoholic and working in a bar. It's nuts. No one who was trying to quit drinking would do that to themselves. It's like torture. But as a food addict I still have to surround myself with it.

And some might say well, just don't buy junk. It doesn't matter. I can and will binge on anything. Over-eating is over-eating no matter what it's on. It's all a compulsive behaviour. I went to OA meetings when I lived in CA and they helped for awhile. But the urge to binge was stronger than their support and I was embarrassed to go knowing I was still bingeing. So I stopped going. I wish there was one around here but there's not and I don't have a car anyways so to get there would be almost impossible.

That's why I am so happy with this. I think we can all support each other. So far it seems everyone has been brutally honest with their problems and challenges and that's the first step.

So I guess I'm just trying to say that if you want to do this we will all be there for you. Heck, if someone needs more support than here online I will give you my home number and you can call me whenever. I have no problem doing that. We ca do this one step at a time.

 

[mommaU4]

I am competing in the sense that I am trying to lose weight too but I don't plan on giving myself a prize. If I lose the largest amount of weight, believe me, I will be happy with just that and I am going to say that I bet most, if not all, the ladies would feel the same way. The prizes were just for fun and a little extra incentive. I came in second at my old office and it was fun to win a little something.

Well, you are so nice for starting this whole thing and overseeing it. I think I will have to pick up something pretty for you as a thank-you. (not a box of chocolates though I promise)

 

[MUFFYCAT]

For me, food is my drug of choice. It is addicting. I would almost rather be an alcoholic. That may raise a few eyebrows but I don't care. You don't have to drink. You don't have to walk into a bar. I have to eat to live. I have to grocery shop and prepare food for a family of 6. It's like being an alcoholic and working in a bar. It's nuts. No one who was trying to quit drinking would do that to themselves. It's like torture. But as a food addict I still have to surround myself with it.

And some might say well, just don't buy junk. It doesn't matter. I can and will binge on anything. Over-eating is over-eating no matter what it's on. It's all a compulsive behaviour. I went to OA meetings when I lived in CA and they helped for awhile. But the urge to binge was stronger than their support and I was embarrassed to go knowing I was still bingeing. So I stopped going. I wish there was one around here but there's not and I don't have a car anyways so to get there would be almost impossible.


So I guess I'm just trying to say that if you want to do this we will all be there for you. Heck, if someone needs more support than here online I will give you my home number and you can call me whenever. I have no problem doing that. We ca do this one step at a time.

I know what you mean saying food is like a drug. I also went to few OA meetings when I was about 20.

My DH says I always look the happiest when I'm eating.

 

[AdventurerKat]

Yes. Food is the drug of choice around here too.

Here is another silly motivation for me. I LOVE Halloween. And every year I tell myself I am going to finally be able to wear a cute costume like I want to, rather than what I can find or have made to fit me and still look decent. Last year, I didn't even bother being at or dressing up for Halloween at the Adventurers Club because I was just so fed up with myself. That made me really sad.

So I am hoping that this year, I will at least lose enough to go as something I really WANT to go as. And maybe if I lose alot of weight, (and get a great push up bra!), I can go as the "red head" from Pirates of the Caribbean -instead of the one they are trying to auction off .

 

[k_hase]

My story is different and not as extreme I guess.

I gained weight in college, I too was very thin and tall and blonde, I'd been a fairly competive swimmer in HS so was quite muscular and worked out several hours a day. 40 pounds came on pretty fast when I went to college. I drank way too much, I ate at all hours, I didn't have the food obsession that I have now, I didn't even think about food, I just ate it. The first 20 came off pretty quickly, I really just needed to move around more. I didn't change my eating habits but I started running. Running worked for me because its free. All I needed were the right shoes and I already knew how to do it. I didn't swim because I'd have to pay for the pool access.

Fast forward. That extra 20-30 stayed around. I didn't work out, I'm sure i was as soft and squishy as a girl could be, but in your 20s you can pull that off easier I think. I went thru fits and starts but never really committed to working out or dieting. In 95 I started working at a health club part time (why? I never worked out!) and met a lifeguard there that was a marathon runner. The way he talked about it intrigued me so much. I still didn't work out. I ate egg salad almost everyday for lunch and gained a bit again. I was also a lifeguard at the club sometimes, and one day caught a glimpse of myself in my guard suit. How did I never see it before? I hated it.

So I started working out. I'd never used any kind of weights or machines but the trainer should me how and I began it run again. Mostly on the treadmill, for 30 minutes at a time. I lost about 10 pounds. But what really changed was the shape of my body. I remember my mother coming to visit me, she hadn't seen me in 6 months or so, and her first comment was how different my shape was. I had muscles. Not weird big man muscles, but muscles enough that my body was looking different, and pretty good too.

I began to entertain the idea of running a marathon. Keep in mind I hadn't run any race at all ever. And the furthest I'd gone was 5 miles one day when I just wanted to see if I could. I ran regularly, but not very much each day. I didn't know how to train, I just had this bug in my butt about it. Then I met DH. I moved back to NY to be with him. I joined a gym there and kept running. I was still holding steady at 20 pounds over my goal, but I wasn't unhappy. We ate ice cream and cheeseburgers and chicken wings. I ran more. And more.

Eventually I did train for a marathon. I used a plan I found online. I ran lots of miles, I ate my face off. I didn't lose any weight. It was like eating was a reward for the run. I ran in what they call the Athena/Clydesdale class. Most races don't specify this, but some do and its what they call the larger runners. Embarrassing! I finished my first marathon, poorly, but done. I immediately decided to run another.

While all this was going on my DH (who wasn't my DH yet) was having trouble deciding if he really wanted to be with me. Basically he was being a big ***. I started to run more and eat more and gain weight. The amount of food I consumed is horrifying to think of. I hated myself for it. I hated the food and ate it anyway. I was out of control and I slid down a very slipperly slope towards bulimia. I denied this. That's a teenage thing isnt' it? And I'm in good shape despite the extra fat I carry, I mean I can run 26 miles, slowly but I can do it. So this isnt' a problem. Well, yeah, its a problem. What I've learned since then is that when I can't control things (my DH, moving, my job) I slip into that control freak mode and eat and purge.

Eventually DH comes around, we get married, I'm still walking around with 20 pounds I don't want, still running, getting over the eating thing. I had lots of runner friends now too, they were all thinner and faster than me but completely accepted me too. I wanted to be them. Fast. I read an article that actually gave a formula for how many minutes your race times gain and/or lose based on the extra weigth you carry.

That did it. I suppose we all need the spark. Once I had concrete proof that losing X amount would make my Y faster then I jumped in with both feet. I read a lot about nutrition. I trained harder. I used food as fuel not as comfort. At least not as often. I ate a lot, the training required it, but I was losing about two pounds a month. I know that's not very inspiring, but I couldn't run my milage and cut calories drastically.

Then I suffered a stress fracture. No running for 10 weeks and minimal running for several weeks after that. Oh no. Welcome back purge, welcome back anxiety, come on in lbs. I decided to swim. The dr recommended it because it was really the one thing I could do with my broken foot. I swam. My body changed again. I had those shoulders back, my arms looked better. I even lost a little weight. Wow. I started to use the website fitday.com to track my eating. I learned alot about what makes me feel good and have energy.

Fast forward to today. I work very hard at treating food as my fuel, although I allow myself to get pleasure and comfort too. Sometimes too much, but I know that one day is just one day. I still struggle with binging, especially late at night, alone, with my worries. I've held steady at my new weight for over year. I am now a Boston qualified runner, ranked locally in most races, and won my age group for the winter race series (6 races of varing length throughout the winter, its brutal!). I do trail running, I work at a running store to keep me in line. I have to say that I still battle some mental monsters about this, and I weigh myself way too much, but I know that I'm in a better place.

What worked for me? Well, working out is no longer just something I fit in. Its in my schedule, other plans must work around it. That was the most helpful thing I think. Once I started to see the workout as much a part of my day as lunch and going to the bank and washing my hair it became easier to do. I literally write it in my day planner, usually planning for the whole week. If there are meetings late then I go in the morning, if I can only do it at lunch, then I do. But its a scheduled appointment, not extra.

Really learning about food helped too. fitday.com was eye opening. I measure my portions now, I try to eat more things that are large for their calorie content and limit things that are too small for the calorie impact. For example, those damn Lean Cuisines. They are so tiny!! It hardly worth it. For the same 250 calories I can have a mixing bowl of arugula and mixed greens with a sprinkle of almonds, dried cranberries, 4oz of chicken and some feta cheese (1/8 of cup!) with a non fat dressing. It takes longer to eat and is more visually filling. I also subscribed to Cooking Light and its changed how I cook. I was amazed to learn that I can have really really tasty food that was light.

I've learned that muscles are great things to have. People comment on them, and they burn lots of energy just to stay alive. I've learned that size is just a number created by the fashion industry and that what ever size you are isn't the thing, its if you feel good. People hate when I say that because my size is small, but its true. The way I feel now, in shape and eating better is so much more satisfying than any size number I can wear.

I have my demons, they rear their ugly heads in times of stress. Cookies sometimes feel like the answer, but now I feel like I can treat today as today and be better tomorrow.

 

[macraven]

 

[jedi_librarian]

Hi, everyone

I'm so glad to read everyone's stories.

I just wanted to be here for support for everyone. I was in your boat 2 years ago, and about 60 pounds and have kept it off for over a year now. But I want to share my story, too:

I was always a skinny one - I'm only 5' tall, and in high school I weighed 90 pounds. The doctors were so concerned they were giving me products like "Weight-on" and telling me to eat more!! I was on the soccer team and was active, but I've always know the real problem was that I was in a terrible relationship my whole senior year.And I had real self esteem issues. I hated being that skinny. I didn't look healthy at all. I wanted curves and to look good in clothes, but instead I looked like a stick.

So, when I started college, I was dating a nice guy. I was happy, but not exercising. I didn't join any athletic teams and no more Physical Ed. everyday like in High School. I started gaining. Not much. But I was going from a size 0 (very unhealthy), to, like a size 8.

Anyway, fast forward a few years, I met my husband my last year of college, and I was still "skinny" at a size 8 (I didn't really weigh myself so I don't know how much I weighed). By the time we got married, I was about a 10/12. A few years into our marriage, I went back to school for my Masters degree, and I was working a full time job, a part time and going to school at night. I would come home at 11 pm to eat dinner, eat Doritos and drink soda between jobs and school. My weight got out of control and the year I finished my degree I had nearly doubled my weight from high school - I was a size 16 and 177 lbs! And I'm only 5' tall.

I never thought of dieting - I knew it wasn't for me. I'd work out, but they were "wimpy" workouts. I heard coworkers talk about Weight Watchers and was semi interested, but didn't really understand it. Plus, the thought of going to meetings - I was burned out from 2 jobs and school that I just wanted to be able to go home after work. I knew I'd never commit myself to meetings.

Then I started thinking about my health. Diabetes runs in my family on my Dad's side. My Grandma died of a stroke and had many complications due to her diabetes. Also, I knew that when I was ready to start a family, I'd surely gain even more weight. It started bothering me. Sure, how I looked bothered me (I've always had self esteem issues) but my future health bothered me even more. So in Jan 2004, I signed up for a free trial of Weight Watchers online. I knew I'd prefer it over goig to meetings and since many of my coworkers were on it, I had the support system right there.

I absolutely loved WW (and still do). I couldn't believe the results I was getting and I loved loved loved that I could still eat my favorite foods (except I had to give up regular soda - but I LOVE my Diet Pepsi now!) I refused to go down to Skim milk, so I drink 1% (same points!). Anyway, what made me feel the greatest were the compliments. I'm one that always needs positive reinforcement, so it helped me so much. I loved having to buy new clothes (though it was tough on my wallet). I started to feel healthier. The one thing that bothered me was that my own DH seemed to never notice my weight loss. He said that he sees me everyday, so he can't tell. (Yeah, well, my coworkers see me everyday, too!) My Mom noticed when she put her arms around me once and said "Oh my! You feel skinnier!).

It took me about a year and I reached my goal. WW had my goal weight at 100 pounds, and I though "NO way - that's too skinny" so I changed it to 120. Right now, I hover 120. Give or take every week. I still weigh myself weekly, I still pay my montly dues for WW, but I don't even log in anymore. It's my safety net. DH notices my weight loss more and more. He said it didn't matter to him how much I weighed. But when we look at old pics, he notices. He just says "WOW". To this day, I have a really tough time even looking at my old pictures. But that's something else I have to deal with.

And the best part of all this? I feel healthy, and I've inspired at least 3 people I know to lose weight - one being my Mom. She's always struggled with her weight and is now doing WW. The other 2 people are coworkers who were inspired by my weight loss. That just makes me feel really good.

If you want to see before and after pics:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=414766&page=2&pp=15

 

[AdventurerKat]

I don't think at the point of the trip that the chocolate would matter anyway. Its not like everyone won't be eating and drink their way through the "world".

 

[macraven]

 

[agotta]

OK, first of all, you are all amazing. I loved reading your stories and am so glad to have such a wonderful support group.

I was kinda hesitant about posting my story. From the looks of me, I probably don't look like I have much to lose. Not that I am the skinniest kid on the block, but not exactly...well you know.

I guess my biggest thing is not how I look, but I think others think about how I look this way. I feel lazy and embarrassed that I haven't taken better care of my body.

I only have about 20 lbs to lose, but my bigger challenge is getting fit. I hate being exhausted after climbing a couple flights of stairs. I have gained all this weight since being married to dh and as I am reaching major crossroads, it's time to do something about it.

I love to eat and I love to cook. DH makes jokes that he brings home chocolate to "take the edge off". I have a whole bag of hershey's kissables in my bedroom right now.

I am glad to be doing this with all of you and am really determined to stick to it.

 

[k_hase]

macraven, thanks for your post. I'm sure you know as well as I do that the purge is about way more than the diet. I've been at my desired weight for a year and I've had relaspses within that year, usually when I'm feeling bad/out of control/or worried. I try to remember its not about winning and losing and what I actually weigh, its about how I feel. Right now I feel healthy, and a purge makes me feel unhealthy. I am fortunate that I've never done severe damage, but I've certainly been warned and I worry about that alot too.

I'm hoping that this board can be a place where we can all feel like we are doing something good for ourselves and not competing to be some ideal that shouldn't even be the ideal.

 

[Trish5768]

I'm hoping that this board can be a place where we can all feel like we are doing something good for ourselves and not competing to be some ideal that shouldn't even be the ideal.

Well said. I totally agree.

 

[AdventurerKat]

That's exactly why I don't want anyone to feel any pressure for losing. You have to do it for yourself first, but getting support helps if that's what you want to do.

I have done WW too and I did well on it. That's why I am thinking of trying it again. I was doing it up until the point we made the decision to move down here and then things with my parents went completely crazy and I just felt so stressed from that moment up until just recently when I feel, a year later, things are starting to settle down. The weight I did lose when we got to Florida was simply due to the fact that I was getting outside down here and doing something.

I thank you for sharing your stories on how you were able to get the job done ladies. And any support and encouragement you can give those of us struggling is very appreciated. The pics were great. That was one thing I used to enjoy the most about WW, looking at the before and afters and thinking wow, if she can do it, so can I. I believe it too. I have a goal, and I have new friends to help me along the way.

On March 28, you can just PM me your weight. You don't have to post it here, and I won't tell anyone. I think Beth was a brave woman for doing so, but I know I am not that brave.

 

[sahbushka]

Hi Ladies,
Here is my story-
I have ALWAYS been the fat girl. Even when I was thin, I was the fat girl in my head. I had a serious weight issue growing up, and even though I tried to get it under control numerous times by diet, excersize, herbalife, and ww, the only time I ever got down to a healthy weight was with WW. I lost 93 lbs in one year. I was living in CA and my dh was going to seminary. Well, he decided to quit seminary. I just wasn't able to deal with this mentally so I dealt with it by eating. I agree with the quantity overeating, not necessarily on junk food. If it's in the house I will eat it. Anyway, I gained about 40 lbs back and then booked a cruise with my mom and grandma. I decided I didn't want to be heavy for the cruise so I started ww again. I lost a couple lbs and then the weight just stopped coming off. That had never happened to me before, but it didn't take me long to figure out the cause...I was pregnant with my first child. Well, I was very excited about that and I celebrated, by eating, everything. I gained 100 lbs with my pregnancy. Since then I have lost about 50, but I am still about 90 lbs from where I want to be. I started doing a modified ww on my own a couple weeks ago and have lost some weight. I currently weigh 238 lbs. I would love to be under 200 by our trip, and think it is possible as I am only 27 so still can lose it fairly easily, though I notice it's harder with the baby. I also usually get people who think I am not that large when they see my photo, but that is because I am very disproportionate. My upper body is pretty small, even my arms are relatively thin, but my butt and thighs are housing all my fat so I look like a giant pear! I am even wearing a light green right now, so I really look like that fruit! So that's my story.l I know we can do this, we are strong amazing women who have a great thing to look forward to...being a disney with a bunch of other amazing women. I tell you one thing, I don't want to be dragging behind everyone else because I weigh so much that my legs hurt from carrying all that weight all around WDW! We Can do this! We WILL do this!
Sarah

 

[AdventurerKat]

We Can do this! We WILL do this!
Sarah

That's the spirit Sarah! Welcome.

 

[mommaU4]

On March 28, you can just PM me your weight. You don't have to post it here, and I won't tell anyone. I think Beth was a brave woman for doing so, but I know I am not that brave.

HA. Brave?? Uh, no. Psychotic maybe. Brave would be getting the nerve to wear shorts in public again. But my weight is just a number. I will still be the same nutty self no matter what I weigh.
And it's good for me to shout it from the roof tops!!! 285!!! That's MY number. Remember it, because soon it will be going down.....270, 250, 225, 200, 190, 175, until my goal of 150 is reached. Might take me 2 years to do it but it's going down.

 

[Princess Michelle]

.

 

[zippeedee]

I am just in awe of the courage and honesty of this group.
I am really shy and private about this stuff (not that you can't tell just by looking at me that I have a serious problem). I haven't been skinny since I started first grade. My Mom has been taunting me about me weight since I was 7. The shame and embarrassment just drove me further into myself and my food obsession. It has hurt every part of my life.
I recently finished thyroid cancer treatments and gained so much weight while hypothyroid for treatments. I couldn't stand myself. The good news is that since I lost my job (rumor has it the woman who replaced my boss when he retired doesn't like fat people) I'm not "chained" to a desk and I'm much more active. My thyroid replacement is at a really high level to prevent recurrence of the cancer, and that seems to be helping too. I've lost 23 pounds since my highest weight last October.
I have good intentions but am my own worst enemy, especially when I'm home alone at night, with the chocolate and chips calling my name. You have all touched my heart with your stories. I bought a scale the other day, but it said I weighed under 200 (not since college!) so I need to return it and try again. I won't take that as a sign not to even try!
Thank you all for inspiring me. First you got me to post a picture, now this. Getting braver every day!

 

[AdventurerKat]

Thank you all for inspiring me. First you got me to post a picture, now this. Getting braver every day!

Welcome and thank you for sharing your story. I know for someone who is shy that had to be very diffifult but you did it and I know just getting it out there has to feel good. I truly believe that we are all in this together now and are going to help one another.

There is something I haven't shared with you all yet that I just wanted to say. I moved down here to Florida last March. And while I love the weather, I have been very lonely and felt really disconnected. Honestly, its hard to make new friends when you are 36 and working in a very small office. I also have two small children so I don't get out much. Anyway, I haven't made a single new friend in Sarasota since I moved here. But these past couple of weeks, I have to say, that the sadness I have felt with all my friends being in Seattle and not making any new ones has dissipated. And I know why. I feel like I have made about 20 or so new friends all at once (the active posters on the threads, although I hope to make friends of the whole group by the time we leave Orlando). I have been a part of these boards since 2001 and I haven't felt the friendship and support that I have going on within the main trip thread and this one since I started DISing.

So I just want to tell you all that I am really grateful first to Beth to starting this whole thing, and second of all to all of you for joining in and joining in this weightloss quest too because its really made me feel a part of something with friends which is something I haven't had for a good year now, save the two visits I have had from friends in Seattle (and one coming up too!) I have been lucky enough to meet one DISer and she was great. I look forward to meeting all of you in September.

And I will stop with all the mushy stuff now or I might cry (or make some of you ladies sick, lol.)

 

[Trish5768]

Welcome and thank you for sharing your story. I know for someone who is shy that had to be very diffifult but you did it and I know just getting it out there has to feel good. I truly believe that we are all in this together now and are going to help one another.

There is something I haven't shared with you all yet that I just wanted to say. I moved down here to Florida last March. And while I love the weather, I have been very lonely and felt really disconnected. Honestly, its hard to make new friends when you are 36 and working in a very small office. I also have two small children so I don't get out much. Anyway, I haven't made a single new friend in Sarasota since I moved here. But these past couple of weeks, I have to say, that the sadness I have felt with all my friends being in Seattle and not making any new ones has dissipated. And I know why. I feel like I have made about 20 or so new friends all at once (the active posters on the threads, although I hope to make friends of the whole group by the time we leave Orlando). I have been a part of these boards since 2001 and I haven't felt the friendship and support that I have going on within the main trip thread and this one since I started DISing.

So I just want to tell you all that I am really grateful first to Beth to starting this whole thing, and second of all to all of you for joining in and joining in this weightloss quest too because its really made me feel a part of something with friends which is something I haven't had for a good year now, save the two visits I have had from friends in Seattle (and one coming up too!) I have been lucky enough to meet one DISer and she was great. I look forward to meeting all of you in September.

And I will stop with all the mushy stuff now or I might cry (or make some of you ladies sick, lol.)

Wow! What a great post.