What if?
 

My OH said to me this morning that since I dropped the weight he has fallen in love with me all over again, which was kind of nice. It got me thinking though, what if I hadn't started this?

If I had done the usual 'New Year Diet' thing back in Jan and then gone back to my old ways, what would I weigh now after another 10 months of neglect? I would probably be in the 220 range, which at my height would make me morbidly obese. A size 22 (which I almost was!) or a 24 even? Even fatter and more uncomfortable with myself, more miserable than I was back then?

He might have got sick of me being fat and miserable, who knows? All I know is we are happier than we have ever been, because I am happier, fitter, slimmer (sexier!) and I have my confidence back.

Think about it if you are just starting out guys, think about the choice you have to make, and if you don't commit, what will another year do to you?

Thanks for sharing. I agree. We ask ourselves, how can I do this? But the question really is, how can I not? It is very daunting to start this whole process, but I can't imagine where I would be in a year. We tend to fall off the wagon, and then eat it. lol

A friend of mine said to me the other day "you've taken 20 years off". I look about my age, so what did I look like before? YIKES!!!

LMAO @ eating the wagon! On a serious note, I know now that I was eating myself into an early grave, and that thought horrifies me. I might even be dead by now! :eek:


I know exactly what I looked like *shudders*...you are doing fantastically well my friend, your advice, support and the example you set is invaluable to this site. Well done :)

You're not so bad yourself there honey...

See you at the finish line! :D I might even post one of those dreadful Christmas pics and an 'after' pic, shame I deleted them all..maybe some malicious family member has one! :D

great post! and the taken 20yrs off comment... I've had people that's seen my before and after pics saw that I could be my own son. My brother and I work together and I get asked all the time if he's my dad, it happened today. lol

Not too long ago we threw my brother a surprise 40th Birthday party. Quite a few of his co-workers came out for it, which was great, because most of the family members never had met his work buddies before. After the evening had progressed and much alcohol consumed, one of his best buds at work says to me "hey let's do this again in a few years when you turn 40". Okay I could have been honest and said "Dude, I'm his big sister, you missed that party already". But alas I did not, he left that party thinking I'm the baby sister.

lol that's funny... I thought you were a guy. Sorry, I had assumed your name was Al Meeker.

Nope. If I had been a guy my name never would have been Al, it would have been David.

Loving the stories. One of my colleagues took a year out this time last year to go travelling. I never mentioned the weight loss in our emails. I saw him yesterday for the first time in a year and he actually walked past me. the look on his face when he realised who I was was priceless! He just kept saying 'I can't believe the difference, you look fantastic' etc etc, which needless to say, was music to my ears :D

I have to ask almeeker, why David?

My husband has always been very fit. I never had any weight issues until after I had my son and my whole world changed. I didn't gain much during pregnancy, I just didn't lose it afterwards and then gained more. He has never made me feel fat or undesirable and I can't thank him enough for that. I have put enough shame on myself over the years. I am down 13 lbs since starting Sept. 1 and I already feel more confident. I have 32 lbs to go, and I can't wait to get there this time.
Last Christmas we met friends we hadn't seen for a long time. One brought his brother who I hadn't seen for even longer. As they were walking up to us I saw him look right at me and say "wow" to himself. I knew it was NOT a compliment. That was when I started thinking about my situation. It took until Sept. to really be ready to make the change!
I love this site, the tools and the forums!

Mona, well done on your 13lbs, you should be very proud!

Please don't get the wrong idea about what my OH said about falling in love with me again. He never nagged about my weight or loved me any less because of it, but I DID. It's more the fact that my confidence is back, I smile more, I FLIRT more and just generally feel better about myself. All of that has contributed to ME being a better partner to him and I think that's what he meant more than the 'sexy' part (though I am sure that is a factor, if I didn't feel sexy how could I BE sexy?)

Anyway, 32lbs is definitely do-able, good luck, let us know how you get on! :D

I saw a "what if" moment the other day.

I went to the park to run; we have a half-mile path that loops the soccer fields. It was the middle of the day and there weren't too many people there, but there was an older gentleman and someone who may have been his adult son. The older man was quite heavy; the son was not, and they were walking the path together at a slow and laborious pace. Often they had to stop and rest. The man was doing the best he could, but it was obvious that it was hard for him. They kept at it for quite a while and it truly brought tears to my eyes. I don't know if he had some sort of health issue and his doctor told him to exercise, or if he just decided it was time to get healthy, but the point is, he was doing it, no matter how hard. It was also wonderful to see his son or whoever being so patient.

They were very intent, and by the time they finished, I was on the other side, so I didn't get to do any more than give them a thumbs up and say "good job" when we crossed paths...but I'm really proud of both of them. I hope they keep it up.

You can always start. And, fortunately, you can always start again, if you have to.

You gotta love it when someone walks right past you, or has to do a double take.

When my mom was pregnant for me she and dad couldn't agree on a name, so they decided that if I was a boy my mom would get to name me and if I was a girl dad got the honors. Mom's choice was David Russell, and my dad had told my mother years and years before, that someday he wanted a little blond haired, blue eyed daughter named Amy. Some how or another dad usually gets what he wants.

I think it is so sweet of your husband to "fall in love" again. But the biggest question is, are you in love with yourself? And it looks to me as you are! Which is the #1 goal in weight loss. Loving yourself again! :)