Success stories in weight loss?

[Melalvai]

Who has success stories in taking the weight off, and keeping it off?

I'm not sure how much of a success I can claim. It wasn't a lot of weight, and haven't kept it off a long time (ask again in a couple years). But it is something.

-What was your main motivation in getting started? Did something in particular happen that gave you a push to finally do it?

I'd tried half-heartedly but since I was only about 30 pounds over ideal, just over the overweight BMI, I really didn't worry about it much. When I finally did lose weight, I wasn't actually trying to. What happened is, I was sort of freaked out by my hysterectomy at age 31, it seemed way too young to me, and I was determined that my life after hysterectomy would be just the same. In fact it isn't the same at all, I lead a much healthier lifestyle.

Before surgery I'd been biking because it was convenient, but I'd only bike when there wasn't another option. As soon as I felt able (slightly sooner than I was "cleared" for it) I was back on my bike and it became my preferred mode of transportation.

I got into a good lab just then, and was really excited about my research, so I was spending much longer hours in the lab. (This led to problems at home, which is another story. Sometimes our actions can have both positive and negative effects--weight loss, but marital issues, for example.) Being at work so late, I skipped a lot of suppers.

-What was your main means of losing weight - did you join a program at a gym, followed by a doctor, join Weight Watchers,etc.?

Unintentional, it just sort of happened.

-How did you determine your goal weight?

I didn't, but I think 130-135 pounds is ideal for my height, size and lifestyle.

-How long have you kept it off?

My surgery was in Oct 2005, I probably reached a stable weight summer 2006. So, almost 4 years. Sort of.
Actually I lost another 10 pounds the next summer (2007).
And another 5 when I went to Omaha and back (2009) for an all time low of 128.
But since I the Omaha trip, I've put back on 15. So I'm back where I was in summer 2006. My BMI is hovering just below 23, which is the overweight line for my height & weight. I'd like to get back down but not sure how to go about it. Still, I'm 20 pounds below where I was before I started cycling for transportation.

-Any tips for keeping it off?

Incorporating exercise into my lifestyle. When I started biking, it took me 20 minutes to get to work. If I drove and walked to the office, it was 15 minutes--only 5 minutes less. I make this trip twice a day. Investing only 10 minutes of my day into biking, I got 40 minutes of exercise.

I always take stairs now. Even when I'm going to the 5th or 7th floor.

When I do drive somewhere, I park in the far corner of the parking lot. This led to a funny story. Once when I did this, my husband griped that I was pushing my lifestyle on him. Our daughter (13 at the time) overheard him and said "You're married. That's what she is supposed to do."

I have an entirely different attitude about physical exertion now, and about distances. When I bought my first bike, it was so I wouldn't have to walk 20 minutes to school: I could bike 5 minutes. Later, in grad school, I started bringing my bike to campus to save myself the 20 minute trek across campus. Now, unless I'm in a hurry, I'll walk the 20 minutes. I'm eager to shovel the driveway and vacuum now, instead of dreading the physical labor.

But whether this is enough to keep it off, we'll see. I am concerned about the weight that has been creeping up, and not just because I'm at the outer limits of my expensive cold weather cycling wardrobe!