Motivation

Hi, my name is Suzanne and I am 23 years old. I weigh 258.3 pounds(yikes) and would really like to get down to between 140 and 150. I was wondering if there was anyone else out there in their 20's who has about that much they want to lose. We could work together and stay motivated to reach our goals!!! Also, if there is anyone in their 20's who has lost that much and wants to share their success story, I would love to hear it! Thanks!

Hi ladies!  

I hope everyone's having a great afternoon! 

dalmalama and watchmeshine, I wouldn't stress too much about those body fat things.  I took one and it told me that I have 140 lbs of lean muscle/everything else.  Which caused me to freak out until someone told me that as you lose weight, you'll actually lose some muscle mass.  It takes more muscle to haul around 200lbs+ of body than, say 140lbs.  So in the end the total lean will drop some too.  Plus, so long as you look hot, who cares if there's a whole lot of lean you underneath all the fat!  

BTW, dalma, that's awesome that we have the same birthday! I've never actually met anyone with my birthday before!  Coolness!  And good luck with the guy you're crushing on!  

Welcome alibuch! :-)

Suzanne, I know what you mean about favoritism on the job; it sucks and it's entirely unfair.  Grr.

watchmeshine, have you tried eating some veggies?  A huge salad usually helps fill me up without taking up too many calories.  And lots of water.  Also, is it that time of the month?  'Cuz I always want to eat EVERYTHING during TTOM.  No clue why, but it happens.   

Hi I'm carlen i am 29 years old when i started i was at 272lbs Jan 7th of this year and i am currently at 253lbs!  I had three babies in three years and did not lose any wieght between those pregnancies so i gained over 90 lbs. My goal  is 180lbs by my 30th birthday in September I am 5'9. So far so good I run 2 -3 miles 4 times a week and i do resistance training involving my kiddos in a wagon... i pull them double handed at 112lbs combined wieght, going up a BIG hill  for about 30 minutes on the days I don't run. My true ideal wieght is around 150lbs but i haven't wieghed that since i was 18 yrs old. It is good to see all of you who are in a similar boat as i am.

okay, i'm back.

hi, mommycarlen! welcome!

allydan, i've never met anyone born on 4/6 either, but my bro's b-day is 6 days after mine, and one of my cousin's is 4 days after mine. btw, i don't really wanna lose any muscle mass. i'd be totally cool if i had that much lean tissue on me. it means i get to eat more than the average woman! plus, it'd also mean i have less weight to lose, and i'd look ripped once i got down there. here's hoping! plus plus, i'm fairly sure i've gained 20 lbs o' muscle while i've lost a big chunk of fat. i love that!

Welcome mommycarlen3!

Dalmalama, that's so nuts!  My cousin's birthday is a day before ours!  April was a popular month, I guess!  Anyway, as far as the losing muscle mass goes, I definitely want to lose some in my legs.  I have these stocky, muscle-y athlete legs, and big muscle-y butt (underneath all the fat!), and they've always been that way, even when I was younger.  My upper body looks small in comparison, and I want to be much more hourglass than my natural pear shape.  So I'm trying to get into running (as I hear long distance running is the BEST thing for slimming down legs) and lots of toning.  All the same, losing some muscle in my legs and butt wouldn't disappoint me at all! That's why I freaked out about the body fat thing in the beginning; I didn't want to lose weight and still have this ginormous booty! Good point about being closer to my goal, though!  That would be totally sweet!  The eating more isn't a bad motivation either... :-)

so i have a confession to make.  i'm on a bit of a timeline here.  and i'm nervous i won't meet it.  i don't even know what "the" goal is to be by then.  just a weight where i am happy with myself and don't feel like a cow basically and feel confident enough to approach a guy.  anyway, there is this conference the last week of june and then i'm going to nyc after it.  and there's a guy.  it's kind of complicated but it's a bit of a south asian ppl set up.  i'm super nervous.  and since i've dropped nearly 20 lbs since the first of the year, i'm feeling like okay i am going to meet this guy who doesn't really know what i look like... what i look like is such a moving concept anyway.  we talked to me quite a bit for a while then i got busy then he got busy but we keep in touch once/week....  i don't know.  i feel like my concept of "normal" weight is so different.  i think a size 14 is normal not fat.  my size 2 friends will shoot themselves if they make it up to a 6 in life though.  ya know?  his sisters are size 6, size 12 and size 14 and he thinks they're all beautiful. anyway, just thinking out loud here... i will be LUCKY to be at a size 18 by the time we meet given that i'm at 270 lbs.

that's not wierd, watchme, i've heard of that before. hell, i wish i had someone to set me up with a guy. and i think we all have time-sensitive goals. it gives us something to look forward to. for me, i wanna be out of the 200s by new year's eve. so far i'm on the right track.

thanks dalmalama. i'd like to be out of the 200s by new year's as well.  i'd like to be a size 14 by then actually.  this guy is pretty incredible though... only "down fall" in my opinion is that HE is TOO thin.  165 lbs and 5'10" :)  i wish he would get a LITTLE bit more meat on him hehe

i'm trying to figure out what size I'd be at 230 lbs and 5'3.5".... i'm at 270 lbs right now and wearing a 22/24.  i'm thinking a 16/18?

if you're built anything like me, that sounds about right.

hi ladies hope you don't mind if i join you! edit: forgot to add age! i am 19, but i will be 20 in 2 weeks! I just recently got married in September and i just started this today, i've been putting off going on a diet for a while and its time to START! I went to the doctor about a week ago and am up to 225 lbs, that is the biggest i've ever been, and it scared me! My mother is a big woman, and my dad was big until he was diagnosed with diabetes(not because of his weight). My DH (dearhusband) and I are TTC(trying to conceive) and I think that losing weight will help us in this process! This site says I neeed to be about 132, but I would be happy at 150 or so! I currently "comfortably" wear a size 18, but can wear 16 in some dresses.... i have a huge butt (LOL) and HUGE boobs...... so finding things that fit both are hard! I would love to be in a size 12-14 jeans, I love my curves, just hate the flab! Congrats to all you ladies that have lost the weight!

alibutch -  hahaha that's funny about the ninety pound Korean girls, I know how you feel!! There where a lot of Asian people at my highschool and once one of my friends (the bastard) told me " you have really chinky eyes, I would have thought you where Korean but theyre all tiny  and you.........." At that point I think he saw the daggers in my eyes because he didn't even finish his sentence.

 

Hi,

 

Just passing through, but I read yessicazctcs post and I can't believe that! What a horrible thing to say to someone! You're gorgeous too!

 

what a jerk.

Yeah it sucks. I mean... I knew when I moved here to Korea that I was going to stick out but I didn't realize EVERYONE was so tiny. When I see a heavy Korean girl I get so excited. haha

Hi alibuch! Welcome to our group! I am 23 too. What made you decide to move to South Korea? Military? Anyhow, I feel bad for you being flanked by 90 lb girls! If it makes you feel any better, I am 2.5 of them!

Watchmeshine: I hardly eat good fats, but I know I should. I love peanut butter, but I tend to indulge if I eat it so I try to stay away a little. I have totally had days where I am hungry all day. Like you just never feel full so you end up eating way many calories. I had a day like that a couple of weeks ago, and had 2200 cals! Boo! Oh, and don't worry about meeting this guy. If he thinks you are interesting, and he thinks his sisters are all beautiful, I am sure he will be interested enough based on your personalities to care about you even before you reach your goal weight!

Framesize: I think it's all crazy. First of all, there isn't a one of us to has absolutely no fat on their wrist. We are not just skin a bone there, so how could they tell if we are large frame etc? According to the test, I am medium frame, but I have always had skinny wrist. HOWever, they did get bigger as I gained weight, so if I gained in my wrist, that means we all have. I would think we would have a better estimate of our frame size once we were down to about 30% body fat, so don't get discouraged girls if it says you are large framed! You may not be!

dalmalama: Aw it's cute that you have been casually asking about him. I was always the date-asker-outer for my friends because I am the boldest. I wish I was closer! I would totally be like "So, what do you think of my friend dalmy...." :) If you can take a picture on the don't cry for me argentina balcony, my mom will definitely love you forever. Forever! Oh, and I am trying t0 be 190 by October 20th, so I can reach my 140 goal by May of next year.

mommycarlen3: Welcome to our group! I am so impressed with your almost 20 lbs lost! Good thinking incorporating your kids in your resistance training!

xwalkxbyfaith- welcome to our crew! Congratulations on your recent marriage! I am sure you will reach your goals!

yessi: What a butt head that guy was!

We are going bowling tonight. A huge crew of like 17 of us. I hope we can get more than one lane or we will be there F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Anyway, in exciting news, I bought a pair of pants in december from old navy, in size 20, because the 18's were too small on my thighs. Well the pants fit fine when I got them, but as of today (I have them on) I can easily take them off without unbuttoning or unzipping them, and they aren't stretchy! Yay!

that's awesome suzanne! don't you just love progress?

went to the gym last night and burned 1000 cals on the elliptical... i'm gonna look like a different person come this summer, hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!  took an extra 10 mins out of my day this morning to cut up some fresh strawberries (need to eat them before they go bad!) and mixed them in with blueberries and 2 whole grain kashi waffles.... put in just a tsp of maple syrup and mainly ate them with the blueberries and wala!!!  fabulous fabulous breakfast!  half the berries are still sitting in my tupperware though (i eat at my desk) so i'm munching on them periodically throughout the morning... much better than my munching on nuts.  YUM!  going to do the smoothie thing tonight/tomorrow.

have like 2-3 meals out in the next few days with friends...  thai places and bar and grills.  ideas?  eating out is the time i go "off track."

thanks for your guys' tips about yesterday's food hunger.... no time of the month issue, think i just wasn't eating as much fiber as usual.  that usually fills me up.  i definitely am bad about eating veggies though... have started cooking 'em pakistani style which makes them sooo much tastier but i hate making salads.  isn't that awful?  i can honestly say that... i hate making salads!  ahhh!   i eat them at our firm lunches though once in a while... with no dressing or my own dressing :)

Clothing Inventory.

SO, I took inventory of my clothes and I easily have about 80 tops ranging in size from 16-24 or 1X-2X.  Some of them are WAY too big and I hardly wore them (cuz I could never find them!!!) and some of them are still too small.  I'm really frustrated.  I feel bad not having worn some stuff that is already too big and I feel weird having stuff that is too small mixed in with what DOES fit.  I'm also wearing the same things that DO fit again and again out of sheer laziness of fixing my closet.  I just have TOO many clothes!!!  My mom and sister dress similarly and are less than me but have given me some of their clothes that are too big on them so I seem to be a repository of clothes.  There are clothes EVERYWHERE. 

Plus, I have Pakistani clothes too, dresses that are only for formal occasions, tons of pajamas, tons of work out clothes, etc.  I feel like my place is just filled with clothes... the living room, the entry foyer, the bathroom, the bedroom, the closet... everywhere.  *sigh*

Thanks for the advice Suzanne.... "religious" guys are pretty shallow in my culture though... because they don't do a lot of dating beforehand and things get serious FAST a lot is based on family background (money and education) and looks.  i know he thinks i'm funny and he asked my best friend (who he has hung out with a few times in ny) if i'm as personable in person as I am on the phone/IM.... but, I'm afraid I will be so handicapped by my lack of confidence that when I'm face-to-face with him I will not say a weird -- or worse, be socially awkward and say something completely crazy.  (for all you Gilmore Girls fans, fecal matter on mints type conversation.)

hey watchme, you are burning some serious cals! i aim for 500 cals burned at a time, and that kicks my butt. i can't imagine how it feels to do 1k.

waffles: love 'em! fortunately i came across sugar-free syrup at the supermarket recently. a 1/4 cup is only 20 calories! it tastes like syrup to me (i don't like a sweet syrup), and i tend to go light on the syrup anyway, but the calorie savings is huge.

salads: i haven't really been able to eat a salad since i got terrible food poisoning from one late last year. i'm not ready to go back there yet. besides, who says you have to eat salads?

clothes: 80 tops? that's crazy! i kinda have a pet peeve when it comes to mountains of clothes. my mom has some issues, and she has clothes bursting from every corner of her house. she has so many, she hasn't been able to wear everything for at least 5 years. she forgets what she owns, until i steal it and wear it, then she'll remember she bought it. and it's stuff she can't fit! stuff she knew was too small for her when she bought it. as for me, all my clothes fit in 6 drawers and 1/2 a tiny closet. i have to have it that way, for my own sanity. shoes, however, are another story.

and just don't think about how awkward you perceive yourself to be once the two of you are face to face. just tell yourself i'm beautiful, awesome, and i'm gonna rock his world. even if you think it's a lie, say it to yourself. keep doing it enough and you'll begin to believe it. then you'll loosen up, be yourself, and he'll worship you!

as for food when going out, i have no advice, and i'll try to not monopolize the thread today! :)

edit: sorry, but i had to put this. many years ago, i knew this guy (god, i'm getting sick of them!) and we were good friends. the entire time we knew each other i was significantly overweight. one day somewhere in there i said something about not liking my butt or how i was too fat or something, and he gave me a look that said, what are you doing? he said he couldn't believe i was saying that b/c he didn't know me to have any body issues. he didn't know i criticized myself 27 hours a day, b/c i kept it to myself and was just a regular, sane friend around him. he told me it was really disconcerting to find out i felt that way b/c he thought i was the most confident woman he'd ever met. my point? he won't know you're faking it.

hey there! my kids are napping and my laundry is almost done so i just wanted to drop a line and say hey! you guys crack me up!! i like reading your conversations whenever i get the chance to come into the forums. its fun for me to see friends chat....Anyways, thanks for the kudos ennazus520, i needed the encouragement. I know I'm doing pretty good and staying right at 1700 cals a day --but I was feeling pretty annoyed with myself in spite of my progress. I hate being on my period this happened last month too, in spite of my wieghtloss I was feeling down on myself, I even went and remeasured myself to prove to me that I'm doing a good job (my measurements were a huge reassurance) and I found myself STILL dissappointed. But Today is a better day!!

MY husband has noticed too  which made me smile *giggle*...I know I'm doing great, I just need to hang in there till my period passes so I can stop being annoyed with myself. Periods SUCK!!!!

Welcome to all the new members!!

Carlen: Periods definitely suck!!!!  I have about 4 days till I start my PMS bloat and I'm just freaking thrilled about that.  I generally only gain about 3-4 pounds with it but pretty much a whole pant size as well!!!  Sigh.  It's a happy day when the pounds disappear overnight!

Clothes:  I did an inventory not to long ago but I had no where near 80 tops!  You should open a little boutique, watchme!!!  I would definitely try to get rid of some of them...you'll feel so much better when your closet isn't jam packed and you can actually see what you have.  I know I do.

Jessica: that is horrible that someone said that to you!  What an ass.

Suzanne: Congrats on the loose fitting pants!!!!!  That's always the best feeling.