1987- I had a small weight problem starting in high school. I slowly climbed from a size 12 as a freshman, to a size 18 by the time I graduated. I think I weighed around 180 lbs.
Weight- 180
1988- I moved out of the house and immediately started gaining weight. I gained 50 lbs in one year. I weighed 230 at the end of 1988
Weight- 230 (Gained 50 lbs)
1989- I started trying different diets. I tried Richard Simmons Deal-A-Meal for about 4 months. I lost 22 lbs. I weighed 208. But as soon as I went off of it, I started gaining the weight back.
Weight- 233 (Lost 22lbs, Gained back 25 lbs)
1990- I bought a horse and started horseback riding daily. This helped me from gaining enormous amounts of weight, but I didn�t lose anything either. I then tried Nutrisystem, where they provide all the food you eat. Before I started, I never used salad dressing, but they insisted, and to this day I blame them for me using salad dressing now! I stayed on that diet as long as I could afford too--3 months. I lost 27 lbs, but once I went off, it all came back on. By the end of 1990 I weighed about 260.
Weight- 260 (Lost 27lbs, Gained back 27lbs)
1991- I tried Richard Simmons again, also incorporating the aerobic tapes, but I could only do them for about 30 minutes. I lost 9 lbs over a 4 month period, but I did lose a lot of inches. I continued this program on and off for about a year.
Weight- 251 (Lost 9lbs)
1992- My sister in law encouraged me to try Weight Watchers with her. We went together, she paid my way since I couldn�t afford it. I attended the meetings and followed the program for over 3 months, I lost 11 lbs. I weighed 240 when we stopped going.
Weight- 240 (Lost 11 lbs)
1993- My weight had ballooned to 260 and I was desperate. I had problems walking down the stairs in the morning because my feet hurt so much. I enrolled in the Optifast Liquid Diet program at Riverside Hospital. I stayed on that program for 3 months and lost 60 lbs. Part of the program was working out 3 times per week, which I did faithfully. Towards the end of the diet I started having dizzy spells and the Dr. recommended that I quit. I did, and promptly regained all the weight (60 lbs) plus an additional 15 lbs, so then I weighed a whopping 275.
Weight-275 (Lost 60 lbs, Regained 75lbs)
1994- My mother was a chef at a distinctive Eating Disorder Hospital in Naples, Fla. She encouraged me to go. They offered several scholarships, and I was awarded one. I flew down to Florida and spent a month at the hospital. We exercised everyday and were fed small meals. I was diagnosed with an eating disorder called Overeating Disorder. I came into the hospital weighing 275lbs, and left weighing 255. A total loss of 20 lbs. But I remained on the eating program for over 5 months a managed to lose 25 more lbs, for a total of 55 lbs lost. I felt great!!!
Weight- 220 (Lost 55lbs)
1995- I became pregnant with my first child, and stopped the diet.
1996- After my son�s birth I weighed 290 lbs! The highest I�ve ever been. I went into a deep depression.
Weight- 290 (Regained 70 lbs)
1997- My husband, knowing how depressed I was, brought home some Dexatrim, and I tried that for a couple of months. It made me feel very strange and I discontinued that. I didn�t lose any weight with Dexatrim.
Weight- 290
1998- I became pregnant with baby #2. After her birth I weighed 294. I started on Calorad once I was done nursing BUT�
Weight- 294
1999- Immediately became pregnant with baby #3. After his birth I weighed 313.
Weight- 313
2000- I went on the Atkins diet with full gusto and lost, over the course of a year, 68lbs. When I was done I weighed 248. I felt great!! But the stress of single parenthood to 3 small children took it�s toll I began to regain the weight. I tried Merida, but didn�t like the way it made me feel (lightheaded, dizzy, short of breath and I felt like my heart rate was too high). I didn�t lose any weight on it during the month I was on it.
Weight- 248 (Lost 68lbs, Regained 3 lbs)
2001- Desperate as my weight was coming back so quickly I tried Atkins again and did manage to lose 17 lbs, only to gain it back immediately. I tried Meridia again for a month, but I got the same results. (felt weird) I was hypnotized in September of this year. I�ve since GAINED weight. I now weight 303.
Weight- 303 (Lost 17lbs, Regained 55 lbs)
I have spent 40 months (3.3 years) of my adult life �dieting�, which includes, but is not limited to- starving myself, restricting certain foods, liquid diets, and pills.