Anonymous Chubbsters! Die-Hard Dieters! Surgery Survivors! Formerly Fat-sters! Currently Cushiony! Lonely Lardos! Middling Mid-weights! Happily Husky!
And anyone and everyone with an interest in the process of losing weight!
My name is Katie, and I am currently a morbidly obese woman in a middle-weight body. I’m the kind of woman who has tried every fad diet out there without success. I’m the kind of woman who blames my weight on my non-existent thyroid problems, my blood sugar issues, my (controllable) metabolic syndrome…
I am the Queen of Excuses.
I have been thin and beautiful, fat and depressed, curvy and insecure. I’ve spent more of my life hating my body than loving it. I’ve decided to take control once and for all… only to fail miserably time and again.
Happily for me, one day not so long ago, I made a decision that has changed my life. On June 3rd, 2008, I traveled to Brno, Czech Republic and allowed a skilled surgeon to remove 80% of my stomach for the sake of losing my lard. I originally lost 120 lbs, which was amazing. But then I went and got divorced, remarried and had four amazing kids.
Some may say that I took the “easy” way out. Let me be the first to tell you that this process is not easy.
Dieting is not easy.
Exercising is not easy.
Changing your entire attitude to food is not easy.
Surgery is no picnic either!
But I’m not here to convince you. Those of you who judge with narrowed eyes have formed opinions which will not be changed by my experience. I will tell you that you really should just leave now. There will be nothing for you here.
The rest of you will fall into categories:
The Skeptic
You are either fat, but convinced that you can lose the weight the good old fashioned way (more power to you – I hope you succeed!), or you are without weight problems and utterly convinced that I should have just eaten less and exercised more, and I would have been able to achieve the same results.
The Desperate
You are overweight, have tried every fad, every trick, every pill and every gym, and you have nothing left to try except for surgery. Hello, my friend! You are not alone! And though you may be desperate, you are not at all pathetic.
The Enthusiastic
You have your weight troubles, but THIS time it’s going to be different. You might have failed before, but damn it, THIS time is YOUR time! No matter what, you’re going to lose the weight and keep a big smile on your face as you do so. Even if it takes weeks! Even if it takes months! Even… even if it takes years… or decades. But that is negative thinking! It surely will not take years! You’ve got it cracked this time! You’re going to lose it by eating exactly 1200 calories per day of lean chicken or fish and steamed vegetables. No desserts! And plenty of water! And you’re going to work out for at LEAST two hours every day!
The Curious
You may or may not be big, but you are definitely interested in the changes one goes through when they lose weight. You’re the kind of person who likes to watch makeover shows and marvel at the change. You like the payoff. You love rooting for the underdog, and you want to see them through every step, even if you don’t get anything out of it.
The Hater
You put “fat chicks” into a search engine so you could have new territory to leave derogatory comments. You love sites that put up before/after pictures so you can tell the people how ugly you still think they are. You let yourself be disgusted by “normal-sized” women so that you can complain about the majority of the population with immunity. You might be fit and trim or you might be 300 lbs, but you get your jollies from berating those around you.
Whatever category you fall into (and believe me, there are many many more!), I welcome you to this site. I hope you find something of value here, even if it’s just an opportunity to feel superior to me.