Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I'm 34 and have kind of obsessed about my weight since middle school. I'm VERY insecure about my body. I am only 5'3 and my heaviest was 169lbs. I joined a gym last summer and went consistently (did classes). I also sort of did ww points at home (I had the info from the 3 times I had joined lol). I got down about 10 pounds and then got pregnant with my 2nd LO. I had a very difficult pregnancy and gained little weight. DD is now 3 weeks old and I am down to 155 pounds without doing any work. I feel good and can't wait to get back to the gym and start WW again. DH is going to do it with me so I am very confident we will be successful. I'm just really looking forward to feeling healthy and confident. I have about 3 more weeks until I get clearance to start working out.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

My name is Liz and I am 32 years old. I live in Levittown with my husband and 2 year old son. I am currently doing ww and working out at NYSC. I have always been heavy but about a year before my wedding DH and I both lost a lot of weight. Then, right before we got married we bought a house and I couldn't afford gym membership anymore. I am not really an active person and I eat horribly. Right after we got married, I got preggo (this all happened in a 6 month time span!). I gained everything and more that I lost. I have been trying to exercise more but I have a crazy schedule b/c I work two jobs and am always exhausted. DH is back to losing weight too after gaining it again and has lost 50 lbs since January. I am feeling not so great about myself and am embarressed to be next to him even (even though he never makes me feel like that) I really wish I could be as disciplined as a lot of you ladies on here b/c a lot of you are super inspiring :)

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi! I'm Amy and I am a 28-year-old teacher. I grew up with no real weight problems, but I noticed my metabolism slowing down around 25/26. I used to work in the city and I kept my weight down by walking everywhere, but since moving to Long Island, I lead a pretty inactive lifestyle.

Since my wedding I have gained about 10 lbs. This past year the stress of the crabby job market for teachers and TTC has driven me to just eat crap. I think I have just been feeling sorry for myself. But after going shopping for spring clothes and not being able to fit into things that I like, I think it is time for a change.

Right now I am following the Self Magazine Drop 10 program and planning on going running 3-4 days a week. I also plan on maybe taking a yoga class once a week. My husband and I are going vacation at the end of June and I would love to be able to fit into a sexy bikini!

Looking forward to sharing my progress with everyone!

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I'm Linda. Late 30's, hail from LI but now call NJ my home. Always in phenomenal shape unitil I had 3 kids in 13 months (a singleton then twins(. Let my body go to hell. Joined ww, lost 45 pounds so far. Got 10-12 more to go. never was a runner until recently.

i run 3 to 4 miles 5 days a week

Message edited 4/22/2011 4:05:24 PM.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi Im Jeanette, 33 and live in E Northport. Im new to these boards I was on the pregnancy boards and now have a beautiful 3 1/2 month old. Im back down to my pre pregnancy weight but I needed to lose weight before I got pregnant and my body looks completely different now . Im trying to work out again but working ft and having a baby is hard but Im hoping this board will motivate me to do it ever spare moment I have. My goal is to lose 40 lbs. Im running a 4 mile race in Central Park on Mothers Day and hope I can do it ... look forward to talking with you all!

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi, I'm Michele and I'm 39 y/o - yikes, I am the oldest person on here!! I am a mom of 2 toddlers, DS (2.5 years) and DD (18 months). And we have one DC, who is angel watching over us. My DS is a twin. Unfortunately, his twin brother passed away shortly after I delivered. It was devastating to us.

I've never had a weight issue and have been into working out since high school. I was a runner back in the day, but didn't run for several years in my twenties. I got back into it when I turned 30. In addition to shorter races, I ran a few half marathons and did my first full marathon, NYC, in 2006. It was one of my biggest accomplishments in life. Since I had 2 pregnancies pretty much back-to-back, I didn't race a lot in 2008-2009. For the first time in my life, I went on a real diet and joined ww in Jan 2010 to get off the last few stubborn pounds from pregnancy #2. I lost what I needed to get to pre-pregnancy weight, plus an additional 10 lbs (still in healthy weight range).

In 2010, I did a few shorter races, along with 2 half marathons. At the Diva Half this past Oct, I set a PR of 1:53. I was so excited since I had always wanted to do a sub-2 half. I am getting itch to run NYC full this year. Back in 2007, 2 of my friends and I did the 9 NYRR races to get guaranteed entry for 2008. Since I had just had a baby in the summer of 2008, and gave birth around the time of the marathon in 2009, I had to defer both years. Last year, I simply did not have the time to train and deferred yet again. Now this year I am thinking about it, but am concerned about finding time to train (it is a lot!!) and the impact on my body.

That is my novel!!

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

My name is Samantha. I am 34 and I live on City Island in the Bronx with my DH. I am a graduate student working on my PhD in Neuroscience.
I have always been interested in Nutrition and fitness. I try very hard to eat a clean diet. I do not follow a strict diet plan I just track my intake and try to vary it based on my activity level and fitness goal. I usually eat what ever I want but as my best friend often points out I really do not enjoy "BAD" foods. I have struggled with the opposite battle of many women on this board...I have spent the majority of my life trying to gain weight...It can be equally as challenging to maintain a healthy weight when you are too thin. As a child I hated that I was always told I was too skinny by family and friends. Since returning to school at 29 I have had less time to focus on fitness. I use to love to run but due to a chronic knee problem I can not longer run without pain. In the warm weather I cycle. My current fitness plan includes weight training, pilates and zumba. I try to work out 3-4 times a week but lately I am lucky if I get in 2 workouts a week. My fitness goals are to tone and build some lean muscle.
I really enjoy chatting with everyone on this board. Thanks Colleen for posting this thread so we can all get to know each other a little better.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I'm Beth. I'm 36, have two adorable girls who are almost 6 and almost 2, an equally wonderful, but stubborn Israeli husband, and a job I absolutely adore (civil rights attorney in education). We live in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, though I was born and raised on LI (Great Neck).

I was raised in a fairly unhealthy household; my parents were NEVER active and had the WORST eating habits, which I know contributed to my father's death, as he battled with juvenile diabetes nearly his whole life. Honestly, I'm surprised I never had an eating disorder, because my mother told me all my life that I was fat, put me on a diet as young as 8 years old, and made me feel horrible about my appearance. Needless to say, I WAS a chubby kid, and struggled with my weight all my life.

When I was in my mid 20's my my father's condition worsened, and he went on dialysis, which is when I realized exactly how important it was to stay healthy, so that's when I started running. I LOOOOOOOVED it and did it for a few years, lightly. But, then I met DH, got married and had my first kid, and it all went out the window.

But, then I got pregnant with Yaya, and my father passed away from complications with his diabetes, and that's when I made a true commitment to myself to ALWAYS make my health my priority, not just for me, but mostly, for my DH and girls.

So, after Yaya was born, I started eating healthier, and I started exercising lightly, walking about 2-3 miles a day. Then, in October, I felt like I hit a plateau, so I started running again.

A few weeks after that, someone tried to attack me on my run outside, which was rather traumatizing, but I kept at it, joined a gym and never looked back. Now I run about 10 miles a week, and on my off days, I use the elliptical or walk on the treadmill on an incline. I ran my first 5k last weekend, and now I'm starting to train for a 10k

My ultimate goal is to increase my speed and endurance, and to run a marathon in a year or so. I love having this board and all the wonderful ideas, and incredible support from all the lovely ladies on here!

Message edited 4/23/2011 7:44:15 AM.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I'm Danielle and I'm 24 years old. I just suffered a pregnancy loss at 21 weeks and although I'm anxious to get pregnant again, we have decided to wait a full three months before we try again. Currently I am 175 pounds. I would like to lose the 15 pounds I put on during 21 weeks of pregnancy and then the additional 10-15 I gained while trying to get pregnant. I feel like I looked my best at anywhere between 145 and 150, I'm only 5'2, but it was very porportioned to my huge chest and wide hips.

I am married and work about 45 hours a week in a doctors office as a supervisor.

I am planning on joining weight watchers sometime next week. I have been a weight watcher for many years now, sometimes successful, sometimes not. I plan to just start eating healthy with lots of delicious summertime fruits and veggies!

My biggest downfall is eating. What I mean by that is finding time to eat regularily. I don't normally eat breakfast, when I do it is a bagel. I eat lunch anywhere between 12 and 1, and the next time I eat anything is when I get home from work at 6, where I am starving and feel like eating my entire house! I would like to work on eating more regularily and consistently. My DH works even later then me and doesn't get home until 8 or 9 and we like to eat together. It's just a mess!

I am a runner and I have run a half marathon last year. Ideally, I would like to do the Entemann's run in October, but I'm unsure if I will be pregnant by then again. I am definitely going to do the summer run series (which I love) and the dirty sock run in August (i love my free socks), but we will see about the 1/2.

I will be posting on here more often, especially as soon as I get the clearance to start exercising more aggressively.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

my name is Tara. I'm 28 years old. I work for an accounting firm. i really love working out. i lost a lot of weight for my wedding in 2009. i've been gaining a lot of weight since then. i'm trying to get back on the right track. i really love this board. i love reading people's success stories. i tried to workout 3-4 times a week. i love zumba, spin, and i'm recently trying kettlebell. i also enjoy running and would love to do a 5k in the future. i just want to feel good again. when i lost the weight for the wedding, i felt on top of world. i want that feeling again plus i want to be healthy and look good.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Let's see, I'll be 35 next month and have always been considered very thin (size0) until I was about 31 when I went up to a size 4. (yeah, not the most horrible thing ever.)

I smoked for a long time, but still worked out consistently from my mid-teens when I took a weight training class for gym. I avoided cardio bc ofy smoking habit. In my mid twenties i had a rockin bod and was totally confident and loved showing off at the beach etc.

I got pregnant when I was 31, gave birth at 32 and lost the weight fairly fast. Then I took a year off from work to be a sahm and the weight crept up on me. I wasn't working out, was only mildly active, joined a gym, didn't go. I was unmotivated. when I went back to work I realized NONE of my old clothes fit. I squeezed into them. The worst was when I ran into an old friend and he asked me when I was expecting. I was bloated and middle heavy. I had muffin top x 1000. At this time I was also having big troubles at home and taking the 1st steps to divorce. I called several personal trainers and made it a gift to myself. It was the best gift ever. (my marriage has since been "saved" and I wonder if it has anything to do w my new lifestyle which changed my attitude a lot.)

I see her 2x a week, but I workout 3-4x alone. I started yoga-something new for me. I love it! And running-- something else that I had never been into. It gave me such feelings of freedom and happiness. My body has changed 100% and I'm now between a size 2 & 4 but more importantly, I feel fantastic. I'm going to run my 1st 10k in June and I'm scared, but excited too.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi everyone - great post Colleen!
I'm Lori, 34 years old. I'm married & have a 18 mth old boy.

I was always thin in HS & College. I got laid off & decided to change my life & move to LI - with that came a weight gain. 20lbs. From there I met my DH & with him I'd pack on a lot more. Another 30-40lbs! We spent a lot of time going to restaurants & stayed in quite a bit. I've since had my baby & lost all that weight - now I'm trying to get rid of the rest of the weight I've been carrying around all these years.

I'm currently doing the new WW program & losing at a snails pace, but still hanging with it. I follow a few WL blogs that have great recipes & support.

My goals at this time is to remove the "borderline" type 2 diabetic label from my charts. To do that I need to lose this damn weight now & for good. Being there for my family is important to me - more than food.

For fitness I did the c25k program. Ran my first 5k in March & have two more scheduled for May & June.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I'm Beth, 31 years old. Moved to Forest HIlls in September. In 2003 I lost 30 lbs, which I"ve basically kept off for 7 years. I started at 178 and went down to 148. I went as low as 140 for a few years, but it recently crept up during my dissertation work and I"ve kept these extra 8 lbs on for about a year now.

I'm trying to get these 8 lbs off, and an additional 20 lbs on top of that to get my final goal if 120 (I'm 5'2"). I recently started running again and since I lost all my endurance I decided to do couch 2 5k for a second time. I'm on week 7.

I like to eat healthy, with lots of whole grains, lean protein, and veggies. I also like to feel strong. So my goal is to not only be at 120, but to also be very muscular. I was really muscular when I got married, and I think I was the happiest with my body that way. I'm trying to go to the gym 4-5 days a week.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I'm Marci. Dh, dd and I live in the city. I'm turning 31 in about an hour. I was always a skinny, active kid but with horrible eating habits. My family did not eat healthy and my mother's cooking was terrible so as I got older, I ate more take-out and cooked for myself, but not exactly healthy so I basically started gaining weight the spring of my senior year of high school when my team sports were done and I've gone up and down a lot since then (down my second year in law school, then up, then down again at my wedding, then up, then on the way back down before getting pregnant, then up, then down after having the baby, and then up and then some) and never as low as I'd like to be, but at weights at which I felt good. I'm basically at my at my heaviest weight right now and 15-20 lbs more than 3 weeks after giving birth. It kills me that I have gained so much weight, most since going back to work. I have had a very hard time motivating myself to cook and work out while being a FTWM and truth be told, I could really lose 40-50 lbs at this point though I'd be pretty thrilled with 30 - though they are all daunting figures to me and I'm a horribly impatient person. I need to plan better and do better and truth be told, spend less time on FB and LIF and blogs I like to read, etc. but I'm exhausted most of the time and drained and I need "me" time to decompress from the day and that becomes an excuse. It really is hard to keep it up and I have a real problem with balance - I tend to go from one extreme to the other. Not quite sure what my plan is for now, but one of the things I get from my LIF habit is inspiration from many of you so hopefully it'll trigger me to figure out how to get myself on track!

Message edited 4/25/2011 11:03:01 PM.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi! I'm Jenn and I'm 34 years old and we live in Merrick. I use to be thin when I was younger and I was an athlete. All of that changed when I got hurt and lost my scholarship and then my grandma got very sick and eventually passed away. From that point on I slowly started gaining weight year after year. Right before my wedding I had lost 25 pounds but soon after I gained it all back and a whole lot more. Over the years I had 2 kids and did not gain a lot during either pregnancy. But found myself struggling to eat healthy and take care of myself. So again weight kept piling on. I finally hit a point where I said enough is enough. I joined WW in October 2009 and have been a member since. Over the last 18 months I have lost just over 80 pounds! I am back to working out and being active by going to the gym 6-7 days a week. I am currently training for my first 5K at the end of May. I am a full time working mom and I have finally found a balance in my life between me, my kids, my husband and everything else that life throws at you!

I feel so amazing knowing what I have accomplished. I now have about 14 pounds to go to hit my goal, which I plan to hit by July 4th. I've learned to eat healthy and have a great lifestyle. To me this is not a diet but it is my new way of living and I will NEVER go back to how I was treating myself before. I think that just about covers it for me!!

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I am 38 years old and DH & I have 2 little girls; a 2 year old and a 4.5 year old. We live in W. Suffolk.

I have always struggled with my weight and I have done a bagillion diets over the years. Every time I have done Weight Watchers I have been successful. I do have a difficult time sticking with "diets" though and I've never been able to adopt the "lifestyle change" approach. Like most people, I love to eat and drink & I have a hard time controlling that. I got down to goal weight about a year ago but have since put back on 20 lbs. I recently rejoined Weight Watchers and I hope to lose that weight again & do better with keeping the weight off.

I do NOT love to workout but I do get out & exercise at least 4 days a week. I run between 3-5 miles a day and if it rains I do a cardio DVD instead, like Insanity, P90X or Jillian if I am rushed for time. I do have a training partner so that keeps me going even though sometimes I don't want to.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Posted by babybird2010

Hi Im Jeanette, 33 and live in E Northport. Im new to these boards I was on the pregnancy boards and now have a beautiful 3 1/2 month old. Im back down to my pre pregnancy weight but I needed to lose weight before I got pregnant and my body looks completely different now . Im trying to work out again but working ft and having a baby is hard but Im hoping this board will motivate me to do it ever spare moment I have. My goal is to lose 40 lbs. Im running a 4 mile race in Central Park on Mothers Day and hope I can do it ... look forward to talking with you all!

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hello ladies my name is Rosemarie and I am 34 and live in Seford with DH. Growing up I was always very thin I was also a gymnast for years. Even in my early 20's i was able to eat what I wanted and I was a big junk food eater I love love McDonald's. Well in my mid 20's I gained about 30 lbs and then never fully lost it. I lost about 20 of it and met DH. While we were dating I managed to keep off the 20 but after we got married I gained another 20 lbs! Finally I got fed up with myself and joined World Gym and WW. I started working out mostly classes and the elliptical then came across the Couch to 5K program and decided to give it a try and now a year and a half later I have already run 4 half marathons and am about to do another one this Sunday. I am an avid runner now and I love it. I never thought I would but it has become such a passion. Also I lost a total of 54 lbs and have kept it off for 18 months! My biggest accomplishment though is that I quit smoking on March 16, 2009!!! I have never felt healthier in my life! I feel this board has helped me tremendously and I want to thank you all for your support! Congratulations to everyone and keep up the good work!

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

I've been lurking on this board for a while

I'm Sarah, 30. I am almost 3 weeks pp and I am SO ready to get back to a more active lifestyle. During my pregnancy, I wasn't able to work out because of horrendous morning sickness and some unexplained bleeding before 20w. My dr wasn't enthusiastic about me running with the bleeding, so I stopped...but I really missed it.

Before getting pregnant, I ran lots of 5ks, a few 10ks and the LI Half Marathon. I have my drs approval to start running again once I feel up to it...so I'm going to start Couch to 5k again in a week or so. I'm also trying to remind myself about WW before I join again this summer. (I became a lifetime member in 2007 after losing 50lbs, then followed it again in 2009 to lose my baby weight from LO#1).

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi! I'm Kim, 26 and have been lurking on D&F for a while now. Growing up I could eat whatever I wanted and nothing EVER changed. Now, I feel like all that did was make it harder for me to resist the bad food! I'm 5'9 and not overweight. My issues are: 1)that I love food and 2) that I'm lazy and not as motivated as I should be.
My ultimate goal is to lose 15 pounds and live a healthier lifestyle/tone up. Its hard for me to stick with it (diet and gym). I'm currently doing cardio at the gym 2-3 times per week and just recently got into Zumba 2 times a week. I'm hoping to see the results by summer, and to fit into my pants from 2 years ago without feeling "too tight". My motivation is looking at my honeymoon pictures and to look the same OR better this summer! haha

P.S. I like reading everyones posts and the more I check this forum, the more inclined I am to stick with it! Thanks all

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi ladies!

I'm 7 months pregnant now but can't wait to join you again this summer!

I'm 5 ft 2 and have always been concerned about my weight- at my heaviest I was probably about 125 - at my thinnest about 108.

After my second baby I started running 3-4 times a week (about 4 miles) and did Cow Harbor and LOVED it. I got back to about 115 and am now pregnant with my third baby.

My goal is to start my running again- I feel good, sleep better and I am happiest when I can run regularly- also, would love to reach 115 again in a reasonable amount of time after the baby is born- but I know it will take time.

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Ok, I am definitely the oldest

I'm Lisa, 43, and live in Commack. I won't go into my whole crazy childhood, but my weight has always fluctuated...

After I got married, I gained about 50 pounds while dealing with infertility. After 8 years of trying to conceive, we realized it wasn't going to happen, and that we were done. I decided to take back control of my life.

I started doing Atkins, and since I have a gluten sensitivity anyway, this worked great for me. Over the course of 2 years I lost about 60 pounds. The problem is, I wasn't consistent with exercise. So I was left with a saggy mess

So, now I am dealing with that. I have an elliptical that I use a few times a week, I started going to zumba, and now I am into my third week of the couch to 5k program which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

In just 2.5 weeks I see a HUGE difference in my body! My waist is now defines, I am totally leaning out, and I lost 3 pounds that I wasn't even trying to lose! And, I never thought I would be able to run! My goal is to be able to run a 5k by the end of the summer

Re: D&F Board: Who are YOU?

Hi Im Kimmie or Kim or Kimberly you choose I just turned 29 and was married on March. Ive always struggled with my weight since I was in elementary school. I didnt realze how heavy I was until middle school. In HS with being on track I lost LOTS of weight and was at my skinnest at 130lbs. After I graduated from HS and with a bunch of horrible relationships I gained almost 100lbs. In 2007 I decided that I wanted a new body and started WW for the first time. I lost a total of 70lbs in like 8 months and thought Hey I can do this on my own and ventured away from WW. I would go back and forth a few times but finally went back in the beinging of Jan. With all the wedding planning and moving I havent lost as much as Ive wanted to in the last 5 months. I just fell off the wagon again but I plan this week to start tracking and being responsible for what I want to eat because I would love to lose 30lbs before the fall.