Welcome and big congrats to you!

Good Luck on the balance of your weight loss journey.....then its on to maintenance...cuz this is for life!!

I lost over 100lbs. My starting weight was actually 341 pounds. Lost about 160lbs in a year and a half. Have maintained that for the most part. I had gained about 17 pounds back over the last year and decided to do atkins to get it off and to actually get to my original goal weight But still my total weight loss in the last 4 years is 150 pounds even!

DCHound, I also belong to that "took 150 pounds off 2 prior times and put it back" club, unfortunately.
but not this time!
Congrats to you!
Kerbear, you're doing great too! Congrats on 4 years of maintaining 150 pounds!

Wow, I love this thread. Such wonderful inspiring stories here! I have not joined this group yet, only down 85 pounds. But I sincerely hope to get there sometime in the not too distant future.

Then on to the second hundred, It sounds so daunting, but I do see there are some folks in this thread who have done it, so I have the examples that show it can be done!

Merpeg.............only down 85 pounds! I think that is fantastic since january what is your secret! I started Feb 2 and have lost 32 and thought I was doing good that is more than double and then some. What is your secret?
I remember you joined this group around the time I did!
Gloria

Oh gosh, not 85 pounds since January! I'd be singing and dancing up a storm at that sort of loss. The 85 pounds is since I first began the journey in *2006* - but for the first three years I was sort of half-hearted about it, lost only slowly, cheated a lot, bounced up and down.

January is when I decided to "get serious" but I was already down 60 pounds at that point. And I have lost an additional 25 since the beginning of the year, so you are actually *ahead* of me for 2009!

But I decided to put my starting weight on my ticker rather than my January weight, as it gives me a psychological boost to see *all* the pounds I have lost.

Debbie that is awesome thanks for clearing that up. I was wondering if I was really losing slow. I am working hard to do the leg lifts, drink more water, and stay as lc as I can.
Like you have said, this is an awesome group of people who openly help, share what they have done and I am learing with each post I read.
Gloria

Well, I stalled out at 99# lost on Valentine's Day, but I keep losing sizes. I've gone from a size 22 to a size 18 since then, with no pounds lost on the scale (weird, huh) but I'm staying 100% on plan and I'm confident the scale will catch up eventually...

Contratulations...I loved reading this thread...gives me hope

Good...thats why I started it ....because when I started out, it was those who did it before me that gave me hope to keep at it too.

I have been LCing since 2003...I have not gained any of the weight back..well other than a few lbs over the winter which I take right back off in the spring...I started this WOL at 275 ish. I am still holding at about 157-160 hoping to get to goal someday... I gave myself time to get used to keeping the 160 mark for a couple of years because the maintenance is the toughest part. Sure I can LC and loose but keeping it off and living life well that is another story. I did it though...I kept it off and trust me it has not been an easy journey....I really had organize myself though and making sure that I was not going to gain it all back. First thing was got rid of everything that was too big on me..funny but that was tough to do. Those clothes although were huge on me gave me comfort and was difficult to give away..but I did.
I kept only clothes that fit..and I mean fit..no room for gaining..LOL...as soon as those clothes were hard to get on..I knew I had to get serious and I did and in a couple of weeks all was good...I do not think I would ever gain all the weight back again. If there is something off the eating plan and I really want it...I have it..then right back on the WOL. I will not live always wanting and never having..I am lucky that I can do that without binging and getting out of control.
I really admire a lot of people on here and have read many journals and seen all their struggles...they are all truly inspirational to me ...this site is an amazing site with really courgeous people with real struggles!!! Good luck everyone on becoming the best you can be!!!!

Congrats! and thanks for sharing your story!!

Marchstart

Loved reading your post!! I have 2 stacks of clothes that are too big and I was not sure what to do with them......if I keep them am I giving myself permission to regain.......I really do not want too!! But......if I give them away what then? I think I will donate them........I want to continue to lose weight to my goal and would love for once in my life to have 1 size or 1 closet full of clothes that I love and fit me!!

My hope is that by the Christmas season that I will find me 30 to 40 pounds lighter I am focusing my goals on this WOE and have knowingly only 1 time ate off plan. I have had more carbs on some days than others but stick to plan other than not getting enough water in.....I have added more fat the cocunut oil and bought whipping cream for cream...........so glad to have read this post and that Kathleen thought to bump it!!
Thanks all who have written!!!!!!!!!!

There is a local place near me called the "Human Needs Food Pantry" that gives out free food to local families in need. They have recently begun doing the same thing with clothes now too. Their entire second floor it set up like a clothing store and the families they support are allowed to come and just take clothes for free.

So they are always looking for gently-used clothes, and in their appeals they are *always* saying that their most important need is for women's plus-sized clothes. (I guess that does say something sad about the nutritional state of the poor).

At any rate a few weeks ago I stopped over there and brought them four huge plastic bags filled with ALL the old size 3X and 4X clothes of mine and a great many of the 2X clothes also. I thought they were going to fall on my neck and kiss me. Although now I wish I had kept the very largest pair of pants as a reference to see how far I have come (which might help encourage me when I think about how far I still have to go).

That's a great program. I know what you mean Debbie--I kept one pair of pants myself for future comparison. They are on the shelf above my closet whenever I need a little motivation. Perhaps you could go to Goodwill and buy a cheap pair of pants in 4X that could serve as your reminder? You've done a great job so far.

Gloria, definitely donate the clothes. I can tell you that I donated 8 bags of clothes to Goodwill a few weeks ago in addition to sending some clothes to a board member and a couple of old roommates. It felt so good to get them out of the house--it felt like turning over a new leaf.

--Melissa