Diario de lilypad1647, 28 ago. 12

Lily you should be proud! People that don't struggle with their weight have no idea how hard even losing a single pound is. It's interesting how many overweight people have a "thin" past - I think a lot of us do. I was tiny in high school. I was a plump kid through middle school and then through a few diets and exercise battles I got down pretty small. I started steadily gaining after high school but was still pretty medium sized until my mid 20's. That's when the battle really began. That's when I hit obesity, 220 pounds and a BMI of 38. This recent diet is just 8 months off of that, and I am only at the halfway point. I think I have gotten happier with my body. I still have some specific complaints. Mainly I would like a waist! I wear a size 10 now but I still have a 32 inch waist, and it bothers me terribly. It's my own issue. I also have stretch marks all over my body from gaining and losing weight. I'm lucky I'm so pale because they don't show very much. My arms look like cottage cheese where they used to have more fat in them. I could go on and on. At any rate, if you've been overweight and particularly yo yo dieting like I have my whole life, and you're not in your 20's, you are going to have some scars and you are not going to look like Brazilian Butt Lift. But that's okay. You don't have to. But just because you're not going to look perfect doesn't mean it's okay not to try. And that's what you're doing, one day at a time, and no one can ask any more from you. And if you're going to be nice to yourself instead of a perfectionist, you'll realize that you can't ask more of yourself, either. 

thanks :) I have to realise I will never be where I was before kids, but if I can even get under 200 lbs I'll be thrilled.  

Lilypad - I was also looking at pictures this week and I was pretty skinny up until I had my kids. I started putting on weight in my 20's and did dieting on and off, but the real motivation for me was my knee problems earlier this year. I am thankful that I was able to lose that extra weight and now have better health. This is a lifestyle change for me and I am dedicated to get even healthier and stay fit now. I want to be around for a long time, and be healthy enough to play with my grandkids some day!! 

you know I've been looking at all wrong...while loving what my body looks like is important, my health should be my main reason. 

I can totally relate. I've always been heavier than other people, but I've looked at past pictures and wished I had worried less about my weight back then and enjoyed life more. Being unhappy with what I looked like was always a part of me. Makes me wonder how it started. I guess we all tend to compare ourselves with others and find ourselves lacking. We should all be happy with the people God made us to me. It's a lesson I'm still trying to learn. Strange thing is--those people that we all wish we were probably are as unhappy with themselves as we are with ourselves. Crazy, isn't it?  

I find myself wishing I had enjoyed my skinny self too...like wearing a bikini or nice clothes ect. 

I seen a picture of myself when I was 20 years old and I looked really good but, like you, at the time I thought I was so fat. I think all of the dieting, and I went on some pretty extreme ones, are what contributed to my huge weight problem. Trying to force myself down to a small size I was never meant to be messed up my metabolism and everytime I lost some weight I would gain it back with some extra. Now I'm just focusing on getting healthier and have accepted the fact that I will be saggy and wrinkly when I lose this weight but I will be one healthy saggy wrinkly old lady.