A Fit Spot.com

I'm not the only one who has learned the right way to eat. I have many friends that have lost weight the healthy way. I get so many e-mails from people online telling me that it is wonderful what I am doing but they have to get the weight loss surgery because they are too heavy or they don't have the will-power or they can't exercise. This page will have done it's job if I could just convince one of those people that anyone, no matter how much weight they have to lose can do it the natural way.

We aren't actors or models just normal people and their struggles to become healthy. Whether you have 5 pounds or 500 pounds to lose the same methods hold true. Please check out my friends and then check out my "Weight Loss" Section if you haven't done so already.

Charles - A true success story. Charles has lost 352.6 pounds, an additional 52.6 pounds since the interview. He was a great inspiration when I first started losing weight. I have been conversing with him on the MFD forums and he truly is a great man. I would consider him a friend. If you think you have too much to lose without having the surgery think again and read this wonderful interview. Please read his full interview here.

Shakti - has been on her journey for over 2 1/2 years. She lost weight, maintained for 5 months and then got pregnant. She tracked her food for her whole pregnancy and now it's been a year since she had her son and is only 2 pounds away from her pre pregnancy weight. It's been a long hard year for her. She has done a lot for her friends with recipes and support.  Since July she started her own small business of milling organic grains and beans. She teaches cooking classes and has been a source of inspiration for everyone. Please visit her website at: lovejoyharvest.com

Staci - All of my life i have been on the "heavier" side. I heard comments like "Such a shame, Such a pretty face" as though i had a disease. I was always very active, softball, swim team, tap, modeling, playing as a kid. I knew i was bigger than my friends, usually ate less than them too, but never realized then that it would follow me into adolescence. As I got older, I had boyfriends, great friends, who loved me for me. I went to all of the high school dances.

I re-met ( I knew him as I was growing up) my husband just before my 21st birthday at my highest weight (232 lbs). So we began to "date" and I began to lose weight. I wasn't going to lose the weight for anyone but me. I quickly shed 30 lbs the wrong way (not eating enough, too much exercise). I got sick and the second I ate anything normal I gained weight fast. We married during this time, and i quickly rose to 220 lbs. He said he loved me for me, but my health was becoming an issue. He had to take me to the hospital in the middle of the night, I thought I was having  a heart attack. I knew something had to be done, but never thought I could do it. But, I did.

One day it just all made sense...fewer calories in, more calories out. I started walking, eating healthier and smaller and earlier. All of a sudden there went 5 lbs...and again another 5...I then knew i couldn't just wake up one morning and be 120 lbs..(heck i may never be) but it clicked. I didn't get here over night, it is one day at a time. I have since lost 70 lbs and hope to lose about 20 more. I never thought I could, or would be able to lose weight and keep it off. I am able to eat what i want...a little cheesecake here, a little pasta there...etc. This is my lifestyle not a diet. I have clearer skin (thanks h20), more confidence, and i really feel like I am alive again. I am only 25, but it is never too late!

Aracelis - is 26 years old and has been heavy all her life, it didn't bother her when she was young but once she started getting older she realized she had to do something. She tried many different diets, Atkins, Weight Watchers, several pills and even considered getting a gastric bypass. Her weight got even worse when she had her first child, she weighed 250 pounds after giving birth.

Four months ago she had her second child and she weighed even more at 260 pounds. She was very depressed after giving birth, it was either be depressed or lose the weight.  Since then she has been on the NutriSystem program. This program has helped her lose 46 pounds and she is very happy with the way her journey is progressing. She even joined a gym and she goes at least 2 - 3 times a week. She is looking to lose another 60 pounds putting her goal weight at 150 pounds.

Rocky - is another very inspirational person and is very helpful in forums. He has lost 40 pounds in 12 months and is back to wearing his Marine uniform that he hasn't worn since he was 18, which believe it or not was 25 years ago.

He loves to workout at the gym with free weights, go for a run, ride his bike or his ski machine.  He lifts weights four days a week and does some sort of cardio five days a week.

Ask him why he goes by Rocky? He'll proudly respond "Rocky Balboa of course!"

April - In  December 21, 2005 and at 429 pounds she went to a gastric surgeon to discuss having a bypass. But she decided to give the natural way one more shot. She realized it comes down to just three things: EXERCISE, PORTION CONTROL, and CALORIE INTAKE. She believes if you learn to do these 3 things and have your mind set to do it, you certainly will succeed!! 

She has cut out all fried foods, soda of any kind, and only drinks water. She also takes a multi vitamin everyday. She has become more active.... taking hikes, trails, and walking. She believes walking is the best thing you could do for yourself and walks about 20 - 30 minutes a day. She is now 305 pounds.

Charlie B - Growing up, I was always the skinny kid... the bottomless pit who could and would eat and eat and eat.  Through my mid-teens, some people would meanly say that I looked "anorexic", which was a great exaggeration.  But, I guess I became connected with a personal image of me being thin.  When I started gaining weight in my later teens, it was difficult for me to recognize.  In my late teens, I may have gotten up to a more fatty, curvy size, but I still wasn't obese.  I was still confident.  I lost about 10 pounds in my early 20s for a year or so, and then the weight started creeping up again.  by the time I was in my mid-20's, I was suddenly, medically obese ... carrying at least 30 extra pounds on me and having a high body fat percentage.  I still thought of myself as small, even though I knew I was fat.  It's a strange contradiction, but I'm sure some of you reading this know what i mean...

In my late twenties, I fueled myself to do something about it.  I was in a failed "test" marriage, and I needed to take control of my life, and my weight.  I joined Weight Watchers (WW) (back when they did the "exchange" program, very similar to the diabetic exchanges), and over the course of 8 months of so, lost 45 pounds of weight.  Mostly, I walked for exercise (an hour almost daily) and occasionally rode a bike, and started lifting weights towards the end.  It was a revelation, and I was finally really comfortable in my skin again.  Then i moved to NYC, and my life changed again.  I was in a very unhealthy relationship, I worked too hard, I got lazy, I ate too much.  Not badly (except it was almost all restaurants, so worse than i thought), but really just too much.  I regained all the weight and then some, putting on 10-15 pounds a year, with some years less because I might have managed to take off 5-10 pounds here and there for a couple of months.  There was no real weight-loss effort or "diet" in that time, just an awareness that I needed to do better, and sometimes did so, but usually not.

Food has always been a comfort to me, and been something I enjoy.  I am sure that I've fallen into emotional eating many times, and for a full spectrum of emotions -- although I don't think it's been a problem to the same degree of struggle/addiction as it is for many people.  But I can remember any number of times where I might, for example, buy a pound of cashews in bulk and eat them all (or most) in a single sitting.

I "discovered" My Food Diary (MFD) by a google search in Fall 2005.  I wish I had joined then and there, but I guess I wasn't ready yet.  I was getting married and had a lot of stuff going on at work and I was still making excuses and I guess, in reality, I wasn't really feeling strong and ready to face it yet.  Plus, I had another 10-15 pounds to gain (in 6 months!).  On Fat Tuesday, 2006 -- I joined MFD.  and started logging my food.  I logged my food years ago with WW, but not in the same way.  The exchanges didn't make me nearly as aware of what I was eating.  With MFD, I suddenly had an AHA with the calorie.  I learned that a calorie is a calorie, but NOT all calories are created equal.  I have a stronger handle on portion control.  I have better learned and understood and taken to heart the value of exercise.

I still have a way to go on my "journey" -- but I am finally in a "during" phase where I am comfortable in my own skin, am feeling attractive, and feeling OK.  I have lost weight thus far pretty steadily and quickly too .... starting with about 2 pounds per week, and slowing down to 1+ after I had dropped more than 30 pounds.  I don't know what my final weight will be, or even body fat percentage.  I am now more focused on fitness goals.  I was told as a kid that my legs weren't formed properly for running.  However, I'm learning to run, and I'm loving it, and I'm not getting injured.  I've been running for 5 weeks now, and I ran almost 3 miles today.  I'm planning on running in a 5K this Thanksgiving, and in a half of a half marathon in January.  I want to participate in a duathlon in the spring sometime.  I still need to add in weight-training, and I want to try yoga again too.  Along with some hiking and other things, I think that my body will get to a pretty optimum weight by the spring.

The "before" pictures are taken at an upward climb of my weight from about 185-202 from summer 2005-January 2006.  I started MFD in March 2006 at 202 pounds ... 25 pounds more than my starting weight with WW in 1997.  I am now at 157 pounds (as seen in the last photo), and thinking that I'm likely to lose another 15 all in total.  I am 5'5" and have a medium to small frame.  Height-weight charts tell me that my maximum target should be 138, but that seems like it might be too light for me -- after all, I want to have a good amount of muscle!

I finally feel like I've made an actual lifestyle change.  I've found a physical activity that I don't have to FORCE myself to do, but that I enjoy doing... which will ultimately be the keystone to this lifestyle change.  I don't eat like I'm on a diet.  I eat less 95% of the time, so I can lose weight -- but I still eat pretty much what I desire.  there is a good amount of discipline, but there is almost no deprivation.

I'll continue to send updates to this site!  go find the motivation to start and keep working at it, even when its hard.
-charlie_b

Justin - Being overweight was a very painful experience for me, and it colored everything about my life as I was growing up. At 21, I look back and realize how much I missed out on as teenager, how much fun, how many relationships – all because of the insecurity and the limitations of being overweight.   

I needed to change, not just because of the personal pain, but also because I knew how much I was putting my health in danger. I knew that if I didn’t do something I could dramatically shorten my life, but I was discouraged and depressed. As my depression grew, so did my stomach.  

At one point I considered surgery, but I couldn’t go through with it, knowing how dangerous and risky it is. I have a good friend whose brother actually died undergoing the surgery, which motivated this friend to lose weight the natural way.  

With no help and no expectations I decided to give myself a new start. I finally realized my willpower was stronger than I knew. My low expectations at first kept me from taking “before” pictures, and I regret that now. I look at this picture and feel like I’m seeing a different person – someone I feel sorry for. This picture amazes me every time I see it.  

I hope my story can help inspire people.  When you lose weight the natural way, you realize you really aren’t lazy.  Taking control over your weight this way gives you the feeling that that do much more in life.  There’s no substitute for knowing you have that kind of power.  

Anyway I went from 320lbs to 225lbs in 6 months -- all just by eating smaller meal servings, no sweets, and lots of exercise. I had no special plan or special foods just lots of motivation to change. I am still struggling, and I have gained back 25lbs after a year, but I’m still proud of how I look and feel.  My motivation is back now, and I’m ready to improve again.  

My ultimate goal is to get between 200 and 215. I’m even considering becoming a personal trainer. I think that career direction might fit me, because focusing on helping others would keep me honest with my own lifestyle, and I think my own story could really help others, too.  

As much as I regret having been overweight, I actually believe being heavy can make people more compassionate and tolerant. Those of us who experience the kind of pain that being heavy can bring are less quick to judge others.  When you lose your weight and you're looking great you’ll feel great, too.  You’ll know how far you’ve come.  I wish for everyone to have a chance at that feeling.

If you would like to be featured on this page please send an e-mail to success.stories@GerrysLife.com. It would be an honor and a pleasure to add all of my friends no matter how much weight you have lost or how far into your journey you happen to be.