my wedding is in july 07 and i am desperate to lost 45-50 lbs...right now i weigh 180.  i have gained 20lbs in the past year or so but still when i was 160 i wanted to lose weight, now im engaged and its a whole other ball game.  i have ovarian cysts that are extremely painful and uncomfortable so its hard to get up and go to the gym.  i do need to have better eating habits too, any advice from anyone i would really appreciate and congrats to everyone that is doing soo good.  alot of you are doing weight watchers, how does that work for you? is it exspensive?? do you have to do it for life??? anyways i think that this will help me get even more inspired by talking with all of you....thanks again and wish you all the best and hope to hear from you all.....

I'm really not sure how much I want to lose I haven't really looked into and figured out what would be healthy yet.... But anyway I'm 5'4" and currently 192 pounds. I got really motivated a month ago when we set the wedding date and about the same time the scale hit the 200 mark and I realized it was really time to stop letting it go up. 

My problem is I don't have much of the support... (My FH is one of those people that almost never gain any weight even though he lives on pizza and junk food and never works out ever) He doesn't see why I don't want to eat all the junk foodand gets really upset with me when I don't want pizza cause he can't get it just for himself etc.

The drinks I'm fine about cuas ethe only soda they have here (at FH's house) is coke and I can't stand it so I just drink bottled water all the time. OH and excercise is fine too I'm doing a 2 mile walking tape in the morning and pilates at night at least 4 days a week and at least 1 of them the other 3 (days where FH is home in the morning are harder its so much harder to work out when you can see the person laying around so comfynext to you.) 

Kim

Hi Ladies!

So here is my story:  I am 25, 214 lbs & 5'8" tall, and I just got married (7/22/06)!  DH proposed December '05 and I swore up and down that I was going to lose weight before our wedding.  Well, things were especially stressful during our engagement, and needless to say, I never found the time/motivation to get healthy.  I should mention that I have been pleasantly plump since my teenage years so I guess I don't really know what I am missing.   (Looking back, I was a size 12 and looked pretty good...hindesight is 20/20, huh?).

By the time May rolled around, I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to be losing any weight, but I didn't quit thinking about it.  I found out at my alterations appointment that my dress would have been very difficult to take in because of the beading, so I guess in the end it was a good thing in a way.

I have some self esteem issues, so there were times when I would wonder if I would look pretty on my wedding day.  I was pretty down about it for a while.  My Hubby was really sweet.  He kept telling me that he loves me and that I am beautiful just the way I am, so that helped a lot.

So, here are my wedding pics, if anyone care to see them.  (I have them posted in another forum, too.)
www.visualempathy.com/colbyandjulia

So Flash forward to today.  I DID feel beautiful on my wedding day.  It was wonderful in every way and more than I ever hoped for. 

Since we got back from our honeymoon, I have been addicted to this message board.  It is more fun than ever to see all the brides-to-be get all excited about wedding planning and their dresses and hair and all...also it is nice to see other newly-wed's pictures and hear their stories.  This is a great little community we have here.

I was just sitting here perusing the various forums, and it occurred to me that I have been subconsciously avoiding the Fitness & Health section.  So I opened the forum and I saw this thread.  I read all of your posts, and I think this is the place for me! 

I really want to start getting in shape, mostly so I feel better/look better, but also so that I can set a good example for my new step daughter.  I can see that she has weight issues, and I totally sympathize with her.  She lives with her mom, who is very thin, and I think it may be hard for her to relate to her daughter's situation.  I don't want to go on a diet, I am ready to make some life changes for my new family!!! 

So, anyways...I know I have gone on and on, I tend to do that.  I just want to say I am looking forward to participating in the support and continued inspiration that this thread is offering.

Thank you KellyLynn for the initial inspiration and thank you to all of you ladies for sharing your stories with the rest of us. 

I'll be checking in soon when I have a plan of action!

I am so glad that other people are posting about their weight issues. I just keep gaining and gaining and am just sick of it. IT all started with depo I gained 80 lbs in two years and just keep gaining huge amounts every year. I get my sugar and thyroid tested every year and really think it is my eating habits. I know that eating once or twice a day is not healthy and I have tried to eat more in a day and just felt sick instead. I was always heavyset and always felt like I was the "fat friend". I was recently looking through my high school yearbook and realized that I was actually thinner than some of the girls I thought were sticks. I was a size 12 back then. I am 5'3" and weigh 252 (I just went back to weight watchers on Sunday). I don't want to weigh anything near that for my wedding let alone for the rest of my life. I always swore I would never weigh over 200 and look at me now. I hate the way I look and my FH is very supportive but he just doesn't get it. I love weight watchers and do great when I stick to the program but I too like to see immediate results and normally drop the program after a few months. I lost about 15 lbs last time which I know is great but it just isn't enough. I have a gym membership and have had it for years but have not been there in two years. My exercise buddy stopped going and about a month later I stopped as well. I still have the membership and really want to go but I can't seem to do it on my own. What does everyone else do? I really need help with this.

storm...its sooo hard to stay motivated, I know. i have started and stopped so many times Ive lost count. Im 5'7 and around 265 right now or so.... losing slowly, but not nearly fast enough to make a dent for the wedding in 2 months. ITS SO HARD. I also was a size 10 or 12 back in high school and college.... now Im somewhere between an 18 and 22, depending on the clothing. Ill just be happy if I can stop buying XL in everything... and Im panicking about what my dress will look like, or what I will look like IN IT. (its being made by a seamstress, so I havent yet seen it.) I just gotta have faith. What does everyone do, you asked? Well I TRY To motivate myself to go to the Gym.... Ive been doing well so far, but i also have nights where Im just lazy and dont go for no reason. I try to eat healthy, its tough when the man in your life doesnt NEED to do this like you do. He is supportive sure...but yeah, hes a guy and its not the same for them. We can all be here for each other though, and try to motivate each other too. I know you can do it! Really, you can.
Kelley Lynn:)

I'm so glad that I found this thread!  Hooray for everyone banding together and cheering each other on.  I'll be here cheering everyone on and sharing my triumphs and tragedies as I work on lowering my dress size and improving my health too. 

The sz22 girl that's aiming for 16!

~K.

I get EXACTYL the same way Rena. I have been going to the Gym almost daily for the past coupel of months, and yeah..i see a TINY change, and I do feel a lot healthier, but jeesh...I would like it to SHOW more. People at work are sayng "you look like youve lost weight" which is nice.... but I cant tell yet. I want my clothes that didnt fit to FIT! lol. It just takes a really loooong time, and it can get sooo frustrating and annoying. Thats why things like this help to keep motivated....

So first off, thanks to everyone for joining this Post or Room or Thread of whatever the hell you call it lol. Rena, Meg, Nova, JJK, Summer,storm, capital,Kate.... im prob missing someone but all of you, thanks.

Let me be the first one to list some GREAT foods that Ive been eating that are really yummy and not fattening....

OK me and fiance are addicted to this dessert, its THAT good. And its unbelievably easy to make. Buy a large can of crushed pineapple. Buy a box of DuncanHines FatFree Angel Food cake. Mix them together in a bowl and stir. Dont add anything, no water etc... just the pineapple right out of can and the dry cakemix. Bake at about 350 for 25-30 min depending on your oven. Its done when it doesnt shake in the middle. Put in fridge to let cool, and serve with fresh strawberries and ReddiWhip. SO GOOD!!!

When I have chocolate attacks, I eat a small amount of dark chocolate since thats supposed to be better for you. I also buy these really good health/protein bars that I eat half of after workouts... they are called SteelBar and the peanut butter flavor is my favorite. They sell them at my Gym but also at healthfood stores. If I get hungry at night..I have a banana or a small salad. Believe me, Id rather have chips or icecream, but this works much better. Also, for everyone struggling with giving up soda.. I feel your pain. I have found something that works for me... I have a 90/10 rule with everything, which means 90% of the time I eat healthy and work out. The other 10% of the time, I dont worry so much... so I save my 10% for special occasions like holidays, parties, BBQs etc. As long as you dont totally overdue it on those days, AND you get right back on track the next day, its the best way to go. I dont know about you, but i dont want to live my whole life NEVER eating soda or pasta or candy or things i love EVER AGAIN. I just cant do that. Its stupid and unrealistic lol. And Im just not that disciplined. But you can realyl lose weight if you can be disciplined enough to follow the 90/10 rule. I do this especially with soda, cuz if I could, Id drink diet coke EVERYDAY like 5x a day. But its really bad for you.... so what I have been doing is not buying it, and only drinking it in rstaurants. Since I dont go out to eat too often, this seems to work and It makes me look forward to my soda when Im going out to eat.

I know this was long, but I wanted to start the ball rolling with specific help on things like food suggestions etc. Hope it helps .... everyone else, if something specific is working for you or you havea good healthy recipe please share!!

My biggest pitfalls are when my guy (who can eat like a horse and never gain an ounce) stops at a fast food place! I've started taking the money that I would be spending on junk food like this and adding it to the wedding fund!
This way every time I resist a cheeseburger value meal and eat healthy instead I'm banking money for all those little details for my reception. Very, very inspiring! Considering I was eating junk 2-3 times a week and my wedding is still quite a ways away the possibilities this opens could be huge :D

~Kate