What is your story?
Find a Conversation
What is your story?
| Tue, 06-29-2004 - 11:01am |
I know that several of you have talked about how you got to this point, but I have forgotten and was thinking about my own weight gain journey.

Shawna
Pages
When I was 20 I met my hubby.We started dating and when I turned 21 found out I was pregnant.Boy was that bad!I was eating for two now....yay!(thats how I looked at it anyways,lol)By the time I gave birth I had gained just shy of 60lbs.Going back to work 4 weeks after my son was born didn't give me much time to get back into some sort of better eating habit.I worked long hours and most breakfasts and lunches were fast food.I found myself in a size 18 at some point.
At 30,I was desperate to lose some weight.I began dieting and exercising...went to see my Doctor and discussed an eating plan(was also scolded for not using a solid form of birthcontrol.Hey,8 years and nothing...I felt pretty solid in the method we used).A few weeks into my new healthy ways,I found out I was pregnant.This pregnancy was different though.I watched what I ate and very rarely ate anything unhealthy.I was on alot of bedrest...so exercise was out,but I only gained 25lbs.An emergency c-section delayed my exercise plans and then being a stay at home mommy made it way to easy to browse the fridge.
I learned the benefits of breastfeeding =) Lost all the pregnancy weight so fast,it was great!That is,until my son was about 10 months old and nursing less.I gained it all back and then some.Ended up in a size 22/24(thereabout,I never did go shopping for jeans).
Last September my DH started losing lots of weight and I was a bit peeved.So I began to work really hard at it and came here for support.I felt really bad because it turned out my DH developed diabetes and I was mad at him for something he couldn't control =/ I've gotten back into my 18 jeans and even have gotten them loose fitting now and then.I go from working really hard at the weightloss to almost feeling overwhelmed and giving up,but I know someday everything will come into place and I'll keep a healthier lifestyle.I wont give up so easily because I want to torment the people in my life for as long as I possibly can~grins evily~
I've been fighting this battle since I was about 6. Thought I'd "found the answer" several times. But either hadn't or only managed to sustain a portion of a healthy approach. No light bulbs yet, but with open eyes/ears, I hope to find one or two here.
Appreciatively ... Maya
Anyway...here's my story.....
I've been heavy all my life. As a small child my mother had to make my clothes because they didn't make "chubby" sizes back then. I wasn't huge for my age, but definitely bigger than kids my age. I was on every diet known back then. All through school I had 1 advantage, height. I was always taller than the other kids and my weight distributed well. By high school I was still large, maybe 30lbs heavier than some of my friends. In my junior year of high school I started slimming down by exercising every night and playing on the girls softball team. I went down in our basement and danced, did jumping jacks, anything I could to get my heart rate up. I watched what I ate and lost about 20lbs. I looked good. Then...I quit and I gained it back.
I got married in 1988, by then I weighed 260. My DH loves me the way I am and the weight never bothered him. To him, I didn't look that bad, (height on my side still!). Married life, oh what it does to a person. I gained steadily for the next 7 years. Then, I got pregnant. Gained 50+lbs with him. After that, I decided to try Phen-Fen - lost the pregnancy weight and was able to maintain my weight for 2 1/2 years, til I found out I was pregnant again, by complete surprise. So....up again I go. Gaining again, minimum of 50+lbs.
I saw pictures of myself after my daughter was born and couldn't believe I looked that bad. For all this time I was telling myself I looked okay. Well, I didn't. My face was puffy I had what looked like a prego belly and my daughter then was 5 months old! It still took my a while before I started dieting. A co-worker talked with me and we started doing it together. Now, 48 lbs gone, I feel so much better, I look 100% better even though I have a long way to go. My face isn't so puffy anymore and my double chin isn't so double anymore :)
I just got to a point where I hated the way I looked and when that happens, it's time to make a change. Sorry this is so long, just wanted to share.
hippolytes
You woke up all by yourself eh?
Hi Hippolytes! Long time no hear from on the board! And I agree with Hippolytes, your hair color, Shawna, is becoming.
forte
What a great post!
I was lucky, though. I had a lot of friends, and my family was great. I was picked on by a few kids in school, but not by everyone. For the most part I was pretty well liked except for the few who liked to torment me. I remember once, I can't remember if it was the third or fourth grade, this girl told me that I needed a bra and a girdle. And one time my friend's father yelled at me to get off her bike because he said I was too heavy and I'd break it.
Even though I was overweight, I wasn't obese. I was maybe 20 or so pounds overweight in high school. As a matter of fact, when I look at my high school pictures now, I can't believe that I thought I was fat! It wasn't until I graduated and got my first desk job that I really started packing on the pounds. Sitting at a desk all day really slowed my activity level down a lot. I didn't change the way I was eating (if anything, I was probably eating more) so the weight just piled on.
I never really had any self esteem issues that contributed to my weight gain. Like I said before, I've been pretty lucky to have a lot of friends and be pretty well liked. The only thing that might seem like low self esteem would be that I'm shy. People have to approach me, not the other way around. I don't know if it's because of my weight or not. I guess I'll find out when I lose it and see if I have more confidence in that area.
I've also been very lucky to have met a man who loves me no matter what my size. He's been so encouraging and supportive. He calls me "slim" now, even though I'm nowhere near being slim. He's always told me that he thinks I'm a beautiful woman. He's been concerned about my health, but other than that, he's never said anything to me about my weight. I guess love is blind lol!
I never really had a light bulb moment. I've always known that I needed to lose A LOT of weight. It was just a matter of getting myself to do it and stick with it. I guess a "mini" light bulb moment for me was in January when my dh said he wanted to go to Hawaii. I really wanted to go, too, but I knew that I needed to at least get SOME of the weight off. Since I only had less than 5 months, I knew I wouldn't be at goal, but I knew that I at least wanted to feel better about myself when I went. So I went online and found this board. You guys have been a godsend. It's great to know that I have a place to go where other people understand what I'm going through. We went to Hawaii in May and had a great time. I didn't even worry about my weight (well maybe a little when I put on a bathing suit for the first time in about 15 years!). So that's where I am now. I hope I didn't bore you too much with my story.
~~Linda
~~Linda
Let me say Congrats to you you have found the motivation to get healthy!
I am 44 years old and somewhat depreesed at times about being this heavy but at other times just resolved to be this large. As a child I was alway heavy more heavey than my father thought I should be. i was mortified to go to school and wear the clothes I had to wear to cover my big body.Never could wear the cute little colthes all the COOL kids wore. Then I met my hubby to be and BOOM I shed 30# and really did look nice
Pages