Official Weight Loss Support Group

[SIPNGAS]

OK..I'm joining....

I used to be really heavy...really heavy...

lost it all...now I'm creeping back up. I want to lose 30 pounds by next summer. Check that..I *will* lose 30 by next summer....

[DorytheYaris]

Okay so here is a little of my story:

I wasn't really a heavy kid. I was overweight but not obese.
When I got into high school I gained a bit of weight, I weighed around 175 throughout all 4 years, but I slowly gained more and more over the next 5 years after graduation. I met my fiance a month and a half after I graduated high school in 2002, and like I said I was around 175. Then I kept gaining. I let go I guess you could say. Around 2006, I realized I was out of control. I began trying different diets to lose the weight. I joined an all women's gym and went religiously. I would lose 10-15 lbs. but I could never successfully keep the weight off and it just got out of hand. By 2007, I had reached my heaviest at 247 lbs. I had a sleep study done and was diagnosed with Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea and I stopped breathing 15-20 times per hour in my sleep. I was in the pre-Diabetic stages and it was only a matter of time until I became a Type II Diabetic like my dad and maternal grandmom (I have Diabetes on both sides). I had severe migraines, back problems, fatigue, acid reflux and the list goes on. I was on 5 medications a day for my migraines on top of taking Excedrine Migraine twice a day when they didn't work. I was also on medication for depression.
I was referred to a Bariatric surgeon by my family doctor to research options into weight loss surgery since years of diet and exercise were not benefiting me long-term and the odds of my health improving were not in my favor.
I opted to get Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery. I had to do 3 months of health screening before surgery, testing everything from my heart, lungs and psychiatric background, as well as my goals, expectations and fears. The day I went into surgery on June 25, 2008 I weighed in at 243 lbs. I have lost over 5 feet in inches from head to toe. I no longer take any medications and I have no health problems at all. NONE.
I am a little over 14 months post-op and I now weigh 128-130 lbs. I went from a size 20/22 to a size 3 in juniors. My BMI went from 42 to 24. My ring size went from a 9 to a 6. I never felt better, ever. In my free time I do enjoy going to the weight loss support groups with my surgeon's practice to help answer questions from people who are in the same position I was in just a little over a year ago. This has been a very difficult journey in many ways but the support of those around me kept me going. It saved my life and it's helping me help others.
I am getting married on October 31, 2009 (Halloween night). My fiance used to weigh 320 lbs. and dropped to 180 lbs. with diet and exercise alone (before I met him). So both of us lost weight, but in two different ways, so we learn from one another greatly from it. I feel extremely fortunate to have my life, my health and the knowledge now, that I didn't have before.
I hope everyone can learn from one another on here!

Same jeans I am wearing in first pic

[1stToyota]

This time last year I was at my heaviest weight of 160lbs, lost 25lbs (actually got down to 132lbs but I've seemed to settle in at 135lbs) by not being anymore active than usual, just simply cut out one big meal a day and replaced it with a protein bar (Balance & GNC, mainly). My old 29" Lee jeans nearly fall off of me now.

[yaris-me]

That is incredible and you look terrific! Congratulations on your health.

Six years ago, I weighed 185. Now I weigh 158. I did go down to 143, but when the doctor said I was OK, I put some weight back. I need to go down to 143 again.

[LtNoogie]

Congratulations on being healthy but you were pretty before and after the weight loss. Those women who remain heavier than the norm also need to know that they have their own unique form of beauty.

[Nexus1155]

Congrats on your journey! it seems like a hard one indeed, I am glad you have the outlook that you do and realize the health benefits physically and psychologically, weight loss doesn't change who you are, but your perspective on life as a whole.

[KRAZGRL]

There's some great stories here!

I guess I'll dive into mine a little bit:
I've had a severe back injury for the past almost 4 years (October of '05). It's work comp... hence why it's taking FOREVER for my treatment. I have 2 torn discs in my lower back (L5-S1 and the L4-L5) and that's a partial reason why I got the Yaris. I went from a manual trans civic si to an auto yaris to make my commutes in southern Cali traffic a bit more tolerable (I no longer can make the commutes on my motorcycle due to the riding position). I've put on a few lbs that I'm not proud of and it's hard for me to be as active as I want to since everything I do is painful and/or I'm in pain for the following days. Right now I have a goal set (the bf and I have discussed engagement) and I refuse to try on wedding dresses in the size I currently am.

It's so hard since I can't do any major workouts like running since the impact my back takes is way too much. I used to LOVE turbo kick boxing, but that usually causes me to be stuck in bed the next day barely able to move. I use the recombinant bike for cardio, try to do as much walking as my back will allow and some weight training. It's just so hard to stay motivated when everything equals pain. *sigh* Dieting only goes so far since I have a fairly healthy diet as it is. I'm trying to get back to my 1300 calories/day + as much exercise as the back will allow which helped me drop some weight before a wedding I was a part of in June.

I will definitely check back to this thread for inspiration.

[Nexus1155]

Yes, having sufficient amount of protein to survive is easy on a vegetarian diet, I have like 5 vegetarian friends and 2 vegans, which is extremely difficuly IMHO to be a vegan, but rule of thumb is 1g of protein per lb of body weight, may be easy for some not for others and 1.5g per lb for those trying to gain more muscle.

I mean its all just based on opinions, i am honestly offended at the fact that they do this to animals. And I have seen it and on videos, if i thought about more into it and focused on it i am sure i would end up puking, but what am i suppose to do go buy a cow, raise it in my backyard in the middle of a tightly packed city, butcher it to get my meat and stock my freezer for whenever i need it. Or go to a farm somewhere that is over an hour away when i just want some 3 meat meatloaf or chicken breast naturally?

**side story i forgot, i went to do a computer job at a chicken pot pie manufacturing plant here in MA, just the smell, without even visually see it, i had to bail out of that place and got sick right out front, you could just smell the blood it was aweful***

And i congratulate you donating blood, it is a hard thing to do in general, but twice a week you are really helping out alot of people in need.

And no, i know a pretty vigilant vegitarian and when i use to eat meat around them they use to look at me like i was a pos, so don't worry hahah

[Yaris Hilton]

If you're a strict vegetarian, take supplemental B12. Pretty hard to get enough without eating animal foods.

[frownonfun]

yeah i don't know that i've ever been too concerned about the animal cruelty issue so i don't have much of an opinion on that but i do think the average meat eater tries to make vegetarianism seem deficient in some way. but it's really not. because first of all meat isn't the only thing with protein and also because proteins are made up of amino acids and so by eating combinations of foods that contain amino acids you are making protein. so yeah if you are considering going vegetarian don't buy into the meat eaters propaganda that you are gonna end up too weak to move or something.

having said that i'm not a vegetarian. lol. i was for about 4 years but i gave up being a full on vegetarian just because it became this thing that people wanted to help me overcome. like there was something wrong with me so i just went back to eating meat only not very often. maybe if i ever move out of the bible/beef belt i'll try going vegetarian again but for now it makes my life a lot easier to just do as the romans.

[Nexus1155]

I mean i know theres alot more pros and cons than these, but here are some main highlighted points

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/loun...nism-3908.html

I do not know why anyone would shy you away from your lifestyle frown, if you wanted to be a vegitarian then that is your personal choice, people probably look at it as a bad thing,, because there is a minority. Only a handful of people i know are vegitarians it's like 5% of people i know atleast, and this is just the way most of society is sadly...

and to KRAZGRL, I hope you get back on track with everything in your life, back problems are really severe and life altering. I am sadly starting to get some now, and my friend who already had 5 surgeries already 2 of them being really major, lost his g/f of years and his job and life to his back injury :(

[KRAZGRL]

Originally Posted by Nexus1155

and to KRAZGRL, I hope you get back on track with everything in your life, back problems are really severe and life altering. I am sadly starting to get some now, and my friend who already had 5 surgeries already 2 of them being really major, lost his g/f of years and his job and life to his back injury :(

I've had the fear of losing my bf since everything we do revolves around whether or not I can physically make it. I had to give up my Disneyland annual pass, not go to as many concerts, sporting events, and movies (and when I do, I take pain meds and I bring a back pillow to help me through it). It absolutely is life altering.

I'm thankful that my bf is very supportive and [I believe] wouldn't leave me for something I cannot help... His main concern is my well being and if/when I have children...how carrying a child to term will affect my back.

All the doctors think I'm too young for any major surgery (fusion/disc replacements) so right now I'm trying to find the least invasive measure that will help my pain and prevent future injury. If this wasn't work comp, I'm sure I would have had it squared away 3 years ago.

[2+2]

Not far from where I lived a couple of years ago there was a nice park with some workout thingys along side a walking track. You could do pullups, situps, pushups etc. There were probably 10 or 11 different exercises. Moderation and me don't usually fit in the same sentence but I did their little walking track and exercise machines in moderation for a summer and I'll tell you what. I felt good, really good. I felt stronger and had better flexibility and lost a few pounds. The only thing that didn't change was my sex life but at least I had more energy for pleasuring myself. lol (sorry, couldn't resist a bad joke)

The problem here in Michigan is winter. I've done the outside thing in Jan/Feb and I think I see a treadmill in my future.

[1stToyota]

All this talk about riding makes me want to go home and get on that $600.00 coat rack/Schwinn Recumbent Bike that I bought last year.

[jclo3313]

I'm back after eating way too much on the island. We were out there on Thursday-Sunday and ate nothing but way to amazing food. (dutch oven cooking) Now that is over with I can try to stat making some real progress.

[Giobatera]

It's nice to hear from other people. I also had the surgery done 2 years ago, and in deed was life changing for me too. Congrats and keep it up!

[DorytheYaris]

Originally Posted by Giobatera

It's nice to hear from other people. I also had the surgery done 2 years ago, and in deed was life changing for me too. Congrats and keep it up!

Awesome! It's great to hear from other people on YW who have gone through weight loss surgery. Congrats to you too!

[cali yaris]

You guys are inspiring. I STARTED TODAY.

granola/yogurt for breakfast.
chicken + salad lunch.
protein shake just now so I don't pass out. (LOL)
lots of water!