Topic : 06/06 Big Weight Issues

Two and half years ago I weight in at 454 lbs. I since have lost 220 lbs. Yeah, I know how wonderful. But I have never been so depressed. I absolutely hate my life. I have no intentions of gaining the weight back don't get me wrong, but I have spent tons of money in therapy just to figure out how not to commit suicide. And I know I am not the only one I am currently in a support group and there are others who after weight loss are fighting the urge to commit suicide as well.

 

I have also had plastic surgery to remove some of the excess skin that doesn't help. It makes you look better on the outside, but its on the inside that counts.

 

I really wish that Dr. Phil or anyone would look into his the negative effects of weight loss. But I figure no one would be interested in knowing that there is a down size to lossing weight.

I just felt the need to reply. 

 

My name is Jennifer.  I am the Girl on the show that is set to be aired on Dec 1st.  Dr Phil surprised me with surgery to remove my skin.  Please believe me when I say, that i have experienced everything that you are now facing.  I wrote into Dr Phil in regards to the downside of Weight loss.  My marriage was a joke,  I hated to be unclothed, touched, hugged looked at you name it I had an issue.  Even though I reached close to goal I still covered up, I was disgusting without cloths.  I was  mortified by my body the more I lost the scarier it was for me.  My body continued to look horrible the more I lost.  I always wanted to be skinny, and now that I lost my weight,  my loss became my nightmare.  I looked nothing like I pictured I would look like at goal.  I thought I could wear a T shirt yes something as simple as a T shirt and feel good about me,  But my arms were hanging swinging all the time.  To some this would appear PETTY, but to me being obese clinicly obese my entire life and finally doing something that is good to the outside as to weight loss was nothing close to good.  I resembled a melting candle, I hated my decision to lose.  I was guilt ridden that if i just stayed fat than i wouldn't have left one problem to gain another.  Surgery is extrememly expensive and one thing I knew in this lifetime No matter what,  I couldn't possibly do.  So I reached out to Dr Phil before a pre weight loss show and basically told him if he was going to do another weight losss show DO A REAL ONE OR DON"T DO ONE AT ALL!!!!  No one ever talks about the down side of weight loss that it is not alwys happy, lifes great!!! PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFttttt!!!!!!!!!!!.  I was soooo sick of seeing people at goal on stage showing off and happy with a new wardrobe or car or Trip to show off their new body I wanted to throw up.  All that is mateialistic and rots and goes away But you still have to wake each day to your body, and anything  over a 120lb weight loss is not a pretty sight.  No One ever talked about THE EXCESS SKIN. what the Hll does one do about it ? when after all the struggle,  to finally do what the media blasts in our brain to do,  we accomplish but look worse than when we started???  I lost with the dream in my head that I would look great for the first time in my life.  Hilarious, it was a cruel joke I tried soo hard but in the end the joke was on me....  My life wasn't in danger to rsort to surgery but my mental life was.  So many people don't get that. I had  agross body at 300+lbs and a gross body at goal.  I wanted to gain my weight back because than at least I would be filled out my skin wouldn't hang ripple or slap together, and the public would understand why i was covered up at the beach, ( because I was fat) But I was coverd up thin and people didn't get it.  If I exposed the sight of my flesh, I would have left people with the same reaction as if I was fat.  EWWWWWWWWW gross look at that lady, she needs to cover up.... Thin and fat I hid in big cloths.  Losing weight is not all what the media says it is.  You exchange one battle for another.  I wanted answeres from Dr Phil for all of us, but he surprised me with the Dr's from Dr 90210!!!!!!!  I came to the conclusion that maybe even Dr Phil doesn't have anything concret to help us, its all a series,  a process, but he does state that we must be realists about the whole process good and bad.  My journey I had no Idea, I guess I was dilusional.. LOL... I had noone to educate me on the whole journey I did it all ALONE.  By myself no surgery no dieticians noone me myself and my dream to be better Healthier.  Because I KNOW not everyone can have surgery,  I know alone,,, I couldn't.  The media plugs in us to lose, finally we believe in ourselves enough to DO IT.  But we are faced once again with NOW WHAT???? 

I live by the MOTTO..... Don't live to regret the things you've done.... Live to regret the things you haven't done.... In other words Just do everything.  The worst thing may turn into your biggest blessing...

 

I wanted to reach out to Angelique on the show and tell her that She CAN be where I am Because i was once where she is.  Just believe........ In YOU.  Believe that in the next minute Your Dream comes true, because thats how fast life can change.  If it takes min by min hour to hour day by day  month by month Trust that in the next min everything can change.

 

I could lose the weight myself but I couldn't shed the skin myself.  Surgery is not the answer for everyone but it was the answer for me.  Now I make it my mission to help all who are just waiting to walk in my shoes and face thier weight loss journey with pride and the belief that not another day will  you accept.... that you are worth being happy whatever your happiness is to you.

 

Smile you are 60 seconds from a Dream come true....

Sincerely Jennifer....

I have to admire Dr Phil and all other TV personalities for helping individuals get on with a weight loss and fitness program.  While I never got to the morbidly obese stage in life, on a 5' frame I was an aging, weak, out of breath, size 14 moving onto 16 woman.  Almost two years ago (late Jan 2005) I decided to try a very simple, 20 minute workout plan and commited to stick with it for 3 months (interesting that at the same time I had also started reading Dr Phil'l "Self Matters").  I did stick with it and in May 2005 had to buy a new wardrobe (size 8).  The workout I was really enjoying had done amazing things for my mood, stress level and self esteem.  I then explored more challenging workouts and am still doing so.  In August 2005 I was a size 4 - fit, strong and more endurance than I had 20 years ago.  It's now almost Dec 2006, I workout 6 days a week - various workouts - love it.  Having had 4 babies, including twins (I have 2 kids who lived), I have the sagging tummy skin issue as well.  I am not complaining about it because I absolutely admire any you have taken on this challenge on a much greater scale and have serious health, mobility, appearance and esteem issues.  As you grow in this new life, I believe people will come into your individual lives to help you overcome everything.

 

My heart is with each of you - go for it!  DO as much as you can - make a 3 month commitment to yourself and stick with it.  See your doctor, go online, see a trainer, contact Dr Phil - do whatever it takes - you CAN change your life, your feelings, your outlook and, as a bonus, your looks.  Whether you're 40 or 240 pounds overweight, don't give up!  Life is just one day at a time, one decision at a time, one workout at a time, 20 minutes a day to start - that's all.  The rest of the changes will come and you'll be able to deal with them.

 

I wish you all the success and happiness in the world.  Thanks, again, Dr Phil, for motivating me and helping others to turn around their lives.

    Food always is pointed at as the "villian" of weighty people. Sorry guys, it 'aint always the case. The other factor pointed at is, weighty people are'nt good enough, or sexy or good people.

     Being the husband of a weighty person, hey, I like them weighty.

Jenna, batts and ww2 I would love to contact the three of you if possible to talk about your situations. I too am an overweight woman and suffering from a serious condition called Lymphodema that I developed as a result of a blood clot I had almost three years ago. I'm only 27 years old and as a result of my condition the leg I had my clot in has swollen with lymphatic fluid and is now 60+ pounds heavier than my right leg which has also started to swell. Is there a way we can send private messages over the board to each other without posting emails? I can post my emai addy if need be and my yahoo name. I look forward to hearing from the three of you!

  I WANT OR DO NOT LIKE MIRRORS MYSELF! I MYSELF NEED TO LOOSE ABOUT 165 MYSELF SINCE I HAVE ARTRTIS AND SOME OTHER ISSUES, BUT IT JUST ANI'T HAPPENING. ONCE YOU GAIN THE WEIGHT IT IS TO HARD TO GET IT OFF. I TELL MYSELF I NEED TO START EATING BETTER AND TAKING CARE OF MYSELF, BUT IT IS COSTLY TO EAT RIGHT. WE EAT WHAT WE CAN.  TO ALL THOSE OVER WEIGHT YOU ARE NOT ALONE, AND THIS IS THE BATTLE OF MOST ALL AMERICAN WOMEN. THOSE TRYING TO LOOSE AND ARE LOOSING KEEP GOING AND REACH YOUR GOAL! YOU WILL BE PROUD IN THE END!

  I LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND WANT TO DIE SOMETIMES. I DISCUSE MYSELF!

I think it is excellent that u lost so much weight  and had the courage , will power and stamina to do it. Fantastic and God bless u. One chapter in your life is now over, so the next chapter has just begun.  You will loose that excess weight and u will  look fantastic and u will feel good, happy, and emotionally as well as mentally you will be on the path to a happy, successful and finally a life u have been dreaming about.  Now as I am writing this to u my life came crashing down a few days ago.  I am 40 pounds overweight I know that is nothing compared to what u have lost but these extra 40 pounds ruined my life.  My husband has been on my back for years telling me to get rid of this extra weight.  Many times I tried, sometimes with success but then the weight would come back on.  after 16 years and three kids my husband had an affair and the woman is now pregnant.  Was the cause of his affair because I didn't try hard enough to loose this 40 pounds?  It is too late now I will have to deal with this for the rest of my life and if this is finally the incentive i have been looking for to really loose these 40 pounds it is tragic for me and for my torn family.

I am an obese.....

 

I am 46 years old batting with obesity since the age of 10. first diet at the age of 12 i was put on ww eating fish 5 nites a weak ... i was then 172 pounds and the goal was to be at 112.....my mom could not let me gain weight so she deprive me of food.... except that she did not change any family habits and the food in the house was very poor quality.....

 

So i have been going from diet to diet for 34 years now loosing thousans of pounds  but more importantly loosing my heart  and my mind..... so sick of this life of mine.....of course i have attain a goal weight  a lost of 115 pounds only to gain it back and more.....

 

In january of 2006 i decide to get help an i have had lapband surgery..... since then i have lost 80 pounds.... once again i taught i had found the magic stick how wrong i was....yes it is a tool for controlling the amount but not the quality of food .... so how good is it ..... everytime i reach my lowest point in my weigh in years i sabotage myself by gainning 10 pounds back.....i hate myself for doing it ....... when i am in control of my food  and thinner i feel like a million bucks..... and then i ruined it all......WHY.........i am so tired of life and myself......will the rest of my life be spent thinking of my image  and food..... if yes i don't see the point of me going on anymore..... my only  hope is to find psychologic help because i don't know  how to stop these taughts of suicide.....

 

Why is everybody and by that i mean goverment, industries  and society  is looking for a miracle pill to loose weight and not for the psychological aspect because from what i can read and ear it is all in the head.....

 

 

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