Success after being overweight since a kid?
 

I've been looking through the success stories and noticed that most of them are people that were skinny at one point but gained a lot of weight when they went to college, got pregnant, got injured or started working a sedentary job.

I've been overweight since I was a kid. I'm now 25. Has anyone here had success losing a lot of weight (over 50 pounds) after being overweight ever since childhood?

I have been overweight since High School and just continued to go up as I grew into adulthood. Started LCing with no prep Dec 2002 and lost about 30 lbs but met a new girl who hated the diet and fell off the wagon. Gained it all back by Dec 2003. Read Atkins this Dec and have followed the rules since Jan 2 2004. Dropped 70 lbs so far. I'm at my lowest weight in nine years. This plan works great.

Hey! So glad u posted this, i feel the same way! I was BORN a big baby and then just got bigger as my parents gave me loads of whole fat milk to make me "healthy". I was always overweight as i grew up-- never normal weight. Check my stats-- dropped over 65 lb :) its definitely possible--nothing to do with genes or any bs like that! i'm 20, btw.

Awesome..thanks for the replies. I guess one of the things thats gnaws at my resolve is the idea that I've been overweight since a kid and always will be. Knowing that other people have been able to overcome this will help me out a lot!

Yep
 

I was the fat kid from age 10 onward. I lost 60lbs on the original Atkins when I was 19. It was a life changing event. Over the past several decades I have slowly regained 50lbs, but am back in the battle! I think it's easier to lose weight when you're younger, the real trick is to learn how to maintain the loss as your life gets more complicated while you get older with more responsibilities. Good luck.

I was thin [underweight] until about age 10. Then, I started putting fat on. I didn't really become overweight until about age 13. I was watching my old home movies and the difference between ages 12 and 13 is interesting. I was not overweight at 12, but had developed a slight belly by 13. By 14, I reached 190 pounds. That was when I went on my first LF Diet. After 6 months, and just before I turned 15, I was down to 168 pounds. Starving for Red Meat, I gave in and ordered a 16 oz. Ribeye [I hadn't had any Red Meat in 6 months.] Figuring I'd blown it, I also went with French Fries and a Coke [I'd also given up Cola, which is probably the main reason I lost weight, not giving up Red Meat.] I was not able to get back on track after that. In the following 2 years I literally balooned from 168 to 290 pounds, including another LF Diet which lasted 2 months [and I lost about 10 pounds or so.]

At 17, I went off to College. In my first semester I got down to 270 pounds. I had been eating mostly Ground Beef, Subway Sandwiches, and Cola. But, that got too expensive fast. So, by my second semester I was eating mostly Pasta, Rice, Cereal, Bread, and Bananas. I tried including Potatoes, but they were too much of a hassle to cook. I'd eat out once a week or two, which is the only time I'd have Meat or "Vegetables" [which were mostly Potatoes.]

After my second year I was back at 290 pounds, which is actually pretty good considering it was only 1/6 of what I gained in the 2 years prior. After my Uncle died [from Hypertension/Diabetes] I gained another 30-40 pounds, and got up to 320-330 pounds. At that point I went LC. I've now lost about 122-132 pounds [38-40% of my Body Weight] and am back down almost to the weight I was at 14. I'd like to lose maybe another 14-23 pounds which would make for a total weight loss of 136-155 pounds [43-47% of my Body Weight.]

I was never a skinny kid (well maybe when I was 3). In high school I moved out with roomates, and pretty much just ate school lunches whiel walking 3-4 miles to school every day. Even then my lowest weight was about 145. I felt great and thought I was thin then.

After my first child and divorce I got up over 200. Through low fat I got down to 138, a new record for me. Becoming lazy and pregnant shot that back up to 178.

Through LC I got down to 131. I am now back up to 140, but working to lose again. I have every belife I can get down even lower, since I have done it before.

I do notice that people who start out skinny can maybe get lower and have an easier time doing it. They are also more comfortable lower, and don't have as much worry about extra skin and so on (not all skinny people, I know many have multiple problems).

I've been obese - not just overweight - since about 1st grade. I figured it was my lot in life and never tried to lose weight until my stint with WW from 12/02 - 12/03.

I am now at the peripheral of a healthy weight and it feels amazing... amazing and strange. I am looking forward to goal. :D

Hi

I packed on my pounds shortly after reaching puberty at age 9. I wasn't obese, but definitely 10-20 lbs overweight (around 140 lbs) until Univ. Once I left University in '95, I gained steadily (going down sometimes on diets or while travelling) until I reached 169.5 in January 2003. OOPS!

Now I am at my lowest weight since... well, since I was probably thirteen (grade 7).

You can do it!

Mary

I have been fat since a baby. And I can tell you it will be a struggle for me to keep it off, but determained to do it

yes, ive been extremely overweight since i was about 6 years old. I lost over 200 pounds, and it has completely changed my life. I feel like a completely different person, and i love every minute of it.

How about Fred Pescatore, the former medical director of Atkins clinic? He grew up obese, found low-carb and has been thin for decades now. He writes about it in his book Thin For Good and in his book on how to feed children. He has a new book coming out in May.

You've all had such good success, especially moonwalker! That's an amazing accomplishment.

I've been this way for so long that I can't imagine being any other way. I can't wait to see how things change when I reach my goal.

I have always been overweight and it is hard for me to imagine ever being "normal". I've never been able to lose weight. I'm not a success story yet but I'm getting there! I haven't been this size since the early 1980's (I'm 42). I even weigh less than what it says on my drivers license! My losses have been slow but since nothing else has worked before, I'm encouraged.

I'm really glad you posted this. I've been fat my whole life and often wondered if it was easier for those who were thin at one point.

My sister and I restarted Atkins together in Jan. Even though she has a lot less to lose than me, she's about 10 lbs ahead of me in weight loss. Of course, she was a little skinny kid, thin through high school and college and didn't gain weight until fertility treatment, pregnancy, etc. When she diets, her old metabolism seems to help her.