Finally under 200 pounds...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's great OP! Hope your post inspire more people to take action. I saw several posts a while back which eventually gave me the drive to lose weight.

I'm curious, what made you decide to finally do something?

Op here- Thank you so much and I’m sorry everyone for all the typos! I was crying as I was typing because a year ago I never thought this would be possible.

I wish I could say a type 2 diabetes diagnosis (6 years ago) or my 205/148 blood pressure, stage 3 hypertension (3 years ago) inspired me to change. But even after those health issues, I kept on eating the food. What finally made me change was not fitting into an airplane seat. The seat belt still fit (thankfully) but I didn’t want to be in anyone’s space so I tried to make myself so much the entire flight. For 17 hours. I love to travel and finally I was too big to do what I loved the most. It took me a couple more trips with uncomfortable flights to make the changes I needed. I always say that travel saved me

I’m now off the blood pressure and diabetes medication. That happened last week at my annual physical- another huge milestone.

[Anonymous]

*i tried to make myself so small the entire flight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is terrific! Your hard work is showing! Keep adding those gorillas to your wall. I love that.

You just made me tear up again, thank you so much everyone.

I really hope someone will read my message and feel like they can do it, too. When I was 275 it just felt hopeless, I didn’t know how I’d ever lose all that weight. So I started with small goals. My first goal was 261 (5% of my body weight) because 247 (10%) just felt overwhelming.

Then there were other goals, like being able to go up stairs without feeling like I was going to pass out or need to stop halfway. Weight watchers taught me about non-scale victories which really kept me going because some weeks I didn’t lose weight and other weeks my weight went up. Little things like eating one piece of pie instead of 2 for thanksgiving- like the old days. Buying a belt for the first time in 10 years, because while the scale hadn’t moved that week my pants were falling down. Being able to shop in the regular department at Macy’s. Moving up from 1mph to 3pmh on my treadmill. I wrote all my non-scale victories on a big piece of paper and kept it on the fridge to remind me of the better choices I was making, to show me even if the scale didn’t move that week I was making progress. Something to look at when I was sad or lonely and missed my old friend, food. Food was this constant companion and it was so hard to give up that comfort, but I found other ways to comfort myself. I started reading more and I got a dog. I bought really beautiful dishes and tapas plates, so my healthy meal prepped food always looked so pretty and delicious. I stopped eating in front of the TV because it was so nice having a tapas spread of colourful plates on the dining room table for meals. Just little things like that, but over time they all added up to a new way of life and a new relationship with food.

Thanks so much for letting me share!

[Anonymous]

Great job, OP! You're so inspiring! I know you'll have many more successes to share soon, but please also share stories from your travels to inspire us on the travel forum!

[Anonymous]

Congrats, OP! This is super inspiring and very helpful!! I have 40(ish) to lose and I can't even seem to make the first step so thanks for posting!

[Anonymous]

Impressive!

[Anonymous]

Really great, OP! I have very similar stats but started at 275 and am at 230 today. Hope to follow some of your tips!

[Anonymous]

Congrats! Is there a WW app or similar that I can get for free to track points? I don't like the idea of paying for an app. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on reaching Onederland, Op! 76 pounds gone and down to a size 12 - that is absolutely wonderful! Well done!

[Anonymous]

Congratulations! Wishing you all the best as you continue your journey!

[Anonymous]

You are so inspiring, OP! I recently started making some small changes, and your post today was the motivation I needed to keep going, one step at a time.

[Anonymous]

Congrats on reaching ONEderland. Thanks for your tips. Best of luck to you as you continue this journey!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I am so happy for you, OP! You did it, and you ARE doing it!

[Anonymous]

LOOK AT YOU OP! HIGH FIVES ALL AROUND! The dedication and behavioral modifications are the best! Thanks for the encouragement.

[Anonymous]

Wow that is amazing!

I have some suggestions for weekends.

1. Weather permitting go do something that requires walking all day like going through all the museums downtown and choose a farther away metro stop or parking area so you have to keep walking. Drink lots of water. You'll avoid eating because the food around the mall is crappy and the lines are long. You won't feel like you are exercising but you'll get a lot of exercise in.

2. Yard work if you have a hard. You would be surprised how much exercise and time you can kill doing yard work.

3. Closet cleaning - embrace the weight loss to declutter. I tend to hold onto clothes that are too big but I put them all in sealed plastic containers in the attic or basement.