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!

Dalmalama: have you tried looking at a David's Bridal?  I bought a formal gown there once and it was really nice.  they go to size 26, I believe.  They also have a huge selection and every color you can imagine.

OM-freakin-G, Guess who weighs 198.5? I broke under 200lbs! I'm like, ecstatic! I weigh myself at work, so I can't really yell and stuff like I want to, but I'm totally sitting in my office doing a happy dance right now! Yay! :-) Best feeling EVER! :-)

pink: david's bridal, duh! i completely forgot about them! i'll check it out this weekend. thanks!

allydan: SHUT UP!!! THAT'S SO AWESOME!!!! 198.5?!? SWEET!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!

allydan:  YOU FREAKING ROCK MY WORLD!!!!  that's sooo awesome!  look at all you hotties getting in under 200!  and in the middle of the day too!!  CONGRATS!

So many celebrations this week!!

Congratulations mladdy on your under 200, you to you too allydan on your under 200, that's an amazing!! Can't wait to follow, still have a while though.

Congratulation watchme on your size change, I'm holding in a similar place to you, I'm at around 240 but still am not comfortable in 22, I need to loose a little more, so still waering loose 24's.

congrats, allydan!  i'm so proud of you!!  close your office door and jump up and down a bit for me please!

congrats allydan! I'm jumping up and down for you right now!!!!!!!! That's so freakin exciting!

Dalmal: I have to agree--Davids Bridal has some nice stuff and maybe what you are looking for--it would be a good place to start???

Thanks for the support ladies!  Ya'll are awesome, and I totally would've never gotten here without you guys inspiring me and kicking me in the butt when I needed it!  Every other time I've tried to lose weight, I've given up after five pounds or so, but this time I'm officially 1/4 of the way to my goal weight!  Yay!  And to celebrate, know what I did after work?  I went to the gym and worked my butt off!  Only 60 more pounds to go!

Have a great night, ladies!

good job girlies.  yall are so good at sticking to your new lifestyles. i am trying the best i can, but its hard when you are poor. haha all the food in my casa since like thursday was ramen noodles, expired milk, cheerios bread, and sat we got some cheese and a jug of h2o. yep yep. thats partially the reason for my beer diet. times are touch but i am trying. i lost my job in august so  i cant afford my gym membership either. its ok i dont want yall to be concerned with me. i am going to start going to the park and running. i have got to get back in my running every day routine. i really miss it. so does my body. i played sports since i was like 10 so being lazy for more than a few months drives me nuts. my body starts to crave exercise. and i interviewed at starbucks  today. i am praying for that to come thru. got a second interview weds and the store opens in 10 days. i tihnk my odds are pretty good.

i admire you guys dropping inches and lbs. one day god willing i will be bragging along with yall. and as for yelling at you mom (sorry i am bad with names, but trying) its all good. i am sure there have been times when she got frustrated with you. and it seems that your relationship is good  enough that all will be forgiven and forgot.

i just ask that you girlies can keep my in your prayers (those of you that pray)for getting the job, like i do for all my girlies in the group.

and girlies... can you guys nudge me please and make sure that i go jog every day!!!!! i  am real good with making up excuses. i try to check in every day, so just a quick "Fallon did you go run today?" would be much appreciated. thanx

Well, beer isn't exactly cheap. So why don't you put that money towards veggies or something?
You said you're in university right? All universities have a gym available to students. Use it! You're paying for it in your uni fees.

agreed.  recommend using the gym at school and outdoor stuff.  also, buy some small weights (5 lbers) and use those with a good workout dvd on your computer (recommend dance aerobics). 

as for diet, most of what i eat is really inexpensive:  lots of egg whites (a dozen eggs is like $1.50) and quaker oats oatmeal (a big can is $3 and will last you a month) for breakfast (if you make this with skim milk, it adds some protein to your diet). for lunch, i often have good ol' pbj using carb lite bread (a loaf is $3 tops) with natural peanut butter spread  ($3 for a jar that will make you like 50 sandwiches) and sometimes jelly.  to fill up in between, i'll get fruit/veggies like ali recommended.  all in all the using above staples cost me about $40/month total -- certainly more affordable than beer. 

yes, it'd be great if you can also fit in fish 2x a week and more lean meats but there are ways to find inexpensive food that is high in protein, low in carbs and fat.  i do what i do for ease of convenience more than anything.

hey fallon, did you go running today? 

i know about the weight loss w no dough/job. i was jobless a couple months last year, so i couldn't do the gym either. i walked around my neighborhood for 2-3hours at a time, or used the tiny little machine i had at home, or just ran up and down the stairs. anything u can do helps! but really, i'll keep you in my thoughts, b/c not having a job sucks more than anything.

and i do know how hard it is to eat well when there's no money coming in. sometimes it's a question of food vs. lights. all i can say is try your best, buy frozen fruits/veg, canned tuna, lots of stuff that can go in the cupboard but that isn't filled w/ salt, BEANS, whatever you can do.

beer is only 3.25 a pitch and  by the time i finish the pitch i will have made a new bud to pay for me. besides i only had money 1 night. i went out other nights with my bud or family. and trust me my buds are ****. my best bud is like 6'4 skin and bones. he has no fat on him at all. he can eat more than anybody i know and drink twice as much. when i told him i was taking an apple in the bar for when i got the munchies he grabbed it and chunked down the street.  he says that i a m fine the way i am i just need to not sit on my ass all day. spending 3.25 or no money at all was a normal spring break day for me.

as of right now i have 1.23 cents to last me til mi madre gets paid next week. i dont like asking to borrow money from ppl cuz fight now i dont have a job so i cant pay them back, and my mom likes lowlifes and that ass brings his check home and gives her like $40 for whatever and he didnt work all last week, so no check on friday.

normally i eat cheerios 2.50 & milk 4.77 for breakfast a sandwich of some sort for lunch (lunch meat 2.50 or tuna .68 plus  bread 2.25) and for dinner whatevr my mama cooks.  plus snacks i spent 1.67 on 2 apples last time i went shopping and  a can of fruit is 1.10. i know it is all very cheap but when you have no money its hard. AND when i do manage to get money, it all goes in gas. 3.20 a gallon and  a 50 min drive round trip to school and back goes pretty fast. whenever i go out, my bud are like if you drive we will give you gas money and pay for your drinks.

for example: my fake baby  daddy just called and asked me to come pick him up so  that we can go to the bar cuz he got money. i say fake cuz i dont have kids nor do i ever want kids. he met me at the bar one night and has always called me baby mama since we met.  he said with his green eyes and my skin our babies will be beautiful.

Tweet, tweet, chicadees!  I've got some good news!  I now have 2 (count 'em... 1...2...) jobs!  I'll be part-time assistant managing at a chidrens' clothing store in the mall and holding down 10-15 on the side at Starbuck's (What a weird coincidence, Fallon!  I just know you're going to join me in the employee ranks. ).

Ok, enough about me; let's focus on yoooou!

danibelle- I had a hard time coming to terms with my mom being the same size as me when she lost a bunch of weight once (fad diet, so unfortunately for her it didn't stay that way).  I wanted to be super excited for her, and I was, but it really was surreal when she tried on my clothes and stuff like that.

hilwe85- You should return the favor for your dad!  Yeah, see how he likes his sleep being interrupted by a rant about how bad his farts smell or something!  Tell him he's not taking good care of his colon and what-not!!  Ha ha!  You just have to laugh it off sometimes and know that you are good enough, strong enough, and smart enough to make changes for yourself and NOT listen to your parents sometimes!

sonini- That's great that others are recognizing your efforts!  Keep impressing us all!

Suzanne- Hey, I'm sorry things aren't going exactly to your liking, but please remember that this is a process. There's no way for us to even see the changes that are happening inside our bodies as we focus on getting healthy.  Try thinking about all of those blood vessels getting cleansed, your lungs and heart getting stronger, bones building strength, skin and muscle rebuilding itself better.  None of these things would have been possible had you not made a change for the better!  The outside of your body and the number on the scale are just a small part of this whole journey, and they'll follow suit very soon; have faith!

Welcome sullivankristie!  Finding time to exercise when you've got a little explorer running around is tough sometimes (I know; I'm there with ya!).  What works best for me is strapping the little guy in the stroller and walking to a park or something.  That way you get your exercise, baby's exercise, and more exercise for you, all in one shot!

Ali- Thanks for the reminder to focus on the positives!  Stressing out only causes increased risk for belly fat anyway!!  I'm not sure I buy that garbage, but it's funny to talk about it anyway.  he he

yessica- I just recently cleaned out my closet too.  I had stuff sitting in there from my maternity days too (also 2 years ago).  I haven't worn the pants in a long time, but I was still wearing the tops up until I decided enough is enough!  That's a really good plan to eat vegetarian style for the better part of the day.  I may have to give that a try myself!  About the body slimmers, I was unable to put that corset thing on that I bought for my wedding.  It was so uncomfortable (bruises and all)!  The shorts I have are really nice though.  They aren't the type that have the criss cross material with no give, they're the spandexy-lycra things dalmalama mentioned.  I got them quite cheap at Target.  Just try stuff on before you buy!

dalmalama- I wish I had some fancy evening dress suggestions for you.  I sure am looking forward to pictures of you in the dress you do decide to go with!

watchme- I am so happy for you about dropping a size!  You are so right about plus size girls having to work harder for the next size down.  Boo!  But YEAAAAA for you!!!

thank you dalmalama.  no i did not go running cuz i was half way to school when  they called me for the job interview and had to turn around. and  yes spending my $3 on something healthy would have been more productive, but it was spring break!!! i didnt want to just sit here while everybody i knew was out having fun. besides i am still just starting, this only like my second week.  man you guys make me feel worse than i already do. as for the gym, i have to figure out how to get a student id and i have already decided that from now until i finish school i will make sure i sign up for a pe class of some sort.

fallon, i apologize for anyone making you feel bad; i'm sure what was said was only out of concern. and i'm sure we can all relate to wanting to enjoy school breaks, right everyone? right. and good luck with the interview!

Hmm...  That was interesting...  I couldn't see back to the posts after I clicked on the link that dalmalama posted.  Oh well, continuing right along (and probably out of order)...

watchme- Oh yeah, kickboxing would be really fun!  I wish I could take a class!

pinkcobra- The Y can wait another day.  You're going to get a workout babysitting those kiddos anyway!  Hope you're having fun!

Boots- Thanks for always adding words of encouragement!  You really are thoughful and motivating!

allydan- YOU ARE SO AWESOME!!!  I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!  WAY TO KISS THE 2'S GOODBYE!!!   I wish I would have celebrated the way that you did...  Instead I ate like I used to and am now retaining water (hopefully it's water anyway!!!).

safantasia- Thanks!  It really does help to share with people that can appreciate what we're accomplishing.  You'll ditch those 24's in no time!

Fallon- I will pray for you.  The way our lives get shooken up really seems unfair.  It sounds like you have a lot that you're dealing with right now.  I'm praying for peace and stability for you.  So did you go for your run today?  Oh yeah, and Ali and watchme might be on to something about a gym on campus!  Instead of buying 5 lb. weights though, you could make some by dumping out the expired milk and filling it with water!

 

Original Post by fallon8301:

thank you dalmalama. no i did not go running cuz i was half way to school when they called me for the job interview and had to turn around. and yes spending my $3 on something healthy would have been more productive, but it was spring break!!! i didnt want to just sit here while everybody i knew was out having fun. besides i am still just starting, this only like my second week. man you guys make me feel worse than i already do. as for the gym, i have to figure out how to get a student id and i have already decided that from now until i finish school i will make sure i sign up for a pe class of some sort.

What an awesome reason not to go running!  I hope they realize what a stunner you are and hire you right quick!  I'm sorry that you're feeling down, but it sounds like you've got good friends to dial your mood back up.  Just tell the dude not to chuck your healthy food again (and that he owes you about a buck for a nice sized apple!  ha ha).  The student ID is probably gonna cost you about $10 bucks, so maybe you need to stick to the great outdoors for a bit longer.  Don't worry; I see good things happening for you SOON!

mladdy: congrats on the 2- two- jobs!  you're going to be crazy busy now, which is great!

Hello my name is Niehma and this is my first time in a forum. I had nowhere else to turn. I'm 27 years old 325lbs. my goal is 170-180 that a lot of weight to loss ( I'm reminded daily ). I'm a single parent of 3 girls 8,4,4 (twins), I have two jobs, I go to school and I have no support what so ever. When i do get time to go to the gym i don't cause i have no one to work out with and that gets me depressed some times it feels hopeless. How can I get the motivation to work out by myself??? Its hard!