Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

[mark38]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Amazing!!! What great inspiration, and I wish you continued success.

[Sarina D]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Amazing!!! What great inspiration, and I wish you continued success.

Well thank you Mark!!!

A big congratulations to you in what you have accomplished with your weight loss, you've done an amazing job...well done...most impressive!!!

Keep it up, it's paying off big time!!!

All the best to you,
Sarina
------------------
Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 178 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

[yellowsun_5t5]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

You are a serious inspiration! Congratulations on the great success!

[jmommy123]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

all i can say is OMG! Wow you are gorgeous. I'm so very encouraged by your pics. Thanks for posting!!!!

[Sarina D]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Opps...double post

[Sarina D]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Hi Sarina, Well actually everything was fine UNTIL Thursday, I stepped on the scale and I was up 1#. And it stayed there on Friday, too. I know, this is normal, but after being cheat free, you hate to see the scale go up when you have been 100% legal. I hope Saturday will be better.
I couldn't sleep so I checked the boards for a few minutes and I am going back for a few more hours of sleep! thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
~Mary

Hi Mary,

I tried to send the following response to the pm question you initially sent me but for some reason I am receiving a message that says your account will not allow pm's. So I decided to post my answer to your question here in hopes you receive it.

--------------------
Hi Mary,

I hope this PM finds you doing well, how are things going for you?

Well, I have thought long and hard about your question regarding advice for success....and....I keep coming up with exactly the first thought I had when I read your question initially.

My most important piece of advice is:

Don't EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, give up. It's that simple. Once we give up, it's all downhill from there. There will be PLENTY and I mean PLENTY of valleys and tough times throughout our weight loss journey for us to get through and climb out from and it's is crucial to never, ever, ever, ever give up or give in to these trouble areas along the way.

I once listened to an interview from a man that described being lost at sea for a number of days (physically clinging to a piece of debris in the water) and miraculously he survived being stuck out in the ocean...they asked him how on earth he managed to last as long as he did....I remember his response as clearly as if I heard it today...he said, "Giving up and drowning would have been the easy way out.....fighting for my life and clinging to the hope of making it out alive was the difficult part and I chose to live...I chose life." I have always myself been a fighter and I could relate very much to his answer...and I applied the same philosophy to my weight loss journey....giving up due to rough times along the way would have been easy.....I choose to fight and get through those tough times. My husband said to me a long time ago, "When you find yourself going through a trial, hard times, despair or a sad situation...remember, it's not a question on IF you're going to get through that trial but rather HOW you're going to get through it." I have kept that piece of wisdom very close to me throughout the years...it is something I say to myself time upon time when I'm facing adversity...and I have said this to myself more times than I care to remember going through this weight loss journey....if keeps me on track.

Okay, so I have to say...there are two additional pieces of advice I have to add to the one above.

2nd, believe in yourself and know you're worth every fight along this weight loss journey....this is critical. Know you can accomplish and achieve weight loss success....don't settle for 2nd best and give up.

3rd....What I'm about to describe was and is a big one for me......and I'm sure I'm not the only one that has felt this way.

When I first started out in my weight loss journey, I really didn't think starting out in this weight loss journey that I would actually be able to lose weight let alone the amount I have so far.....I had tried countless times before and never succeeded.....this time couldn't have been any different....(that was in my mind). I am sure I am not the only one that has felt this way.

So what I decided to do was actually "pretend" that I was going to lose the weight this time....by pretending, I "acted" as though what I was doing was going to lead me to success....for example...I made sure I ate properly, I made sure I made exercise a part of my daily routine, I made sure I drank the proper amount of water....I did everything I was suppose to with the idea that "this is what one does in order to be successful and achieve weight loss....even if for some reason it doesn't work for me....I'm going to "act" as though it will"....so I did this for a number of months....by doing so I made it possible for me to learn new, healthy habits, ie: eating properly, making sure I exercised every day no matter how rotten I felt or how tired I was....I was relentless in my "pretending" to be on a journey that would actually produce results.

Before I knew it, the weight was falling off....I finally saw hope! I would think, "hey, maybe I will succeed at this dream." By doing it this way....I developed and maintained what I needed to do in order to create healthy new habits and achieve what I needed to achieve daily to bring me closer to my goal each and every day when I really actually doubted if I could do it.

Then at one point...after "pretending" that I was going to achieve weight loss success...the pretending one day turned into actually believing in myself and KNOWING beyond a shadow of a doubt that I WAS going to be successful and I WAS going to make it.

Hopefully that makes sense.

Thank you for your patience in me responding back to you. I have thought about your question each and everyday since you asked it. I have to say every part of my answer was and is EXACTLY what I thought of immediately upon receiving and reading you pm initially.

So this is my advice to anyone regarding success because it is what I have lived by in order to achieve what I have thus far.

Keep in touch Mary when you're able, I would love to hear from you when you feel up to it.

All the best,
Sarina
-------------------------

Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 178 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

[Sarina D]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

You are a serious inspiration! Congratulations on the great success!

Thanks so much yellowsun!

I wish you all the very best in your weight loss journey...please keep in touch and let me know how things are working out for you.

All the best,
Sarina
-----------------

Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 178 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

[Sarina D]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

all i can say is OMG! Wow you are gorgeous. I'm so very encouraged by your pics. Thanks for posting!!!!

Well thank you jmommy123 that's very kind of you to say...what a lovely compliment!

I am so glad to learn that my pictures are encouraging to you...thank you for sharing that with me....it makes me happy that I decided to post them when I hear feedback like yours.

I wish you all the very best on your weight loss journey and look forward to getting to know you along the way....please keep in touch and update us on how things are going for you!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Sarina
-----------------
Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 178 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

[Valinerya]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

You and I my friend ARE in the same shoes believe you me...you're already in my shoes and don't you forget that! We walk the same walk, side by side down the same path to great health, the only difference is time (when we started our journey)...that's it

This is something I am keeping in my head. Thank you for saying this Sometimes I look at the posts of people who have lost a great deal of weight, like yourself, and think "Wow... it's gonna take me forEVER to reach where they are."

It's good to remember that we were all at the beginning of the race at one point or another. And that this is a race worth running.

[pipee_pl]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Sarina- what more can anyone say??? Congrats on a job well done and I wish you continued success in your life. Your photos are such an inspiration- If you can lose as much weight as you did- I can surely lose a measely 50lbs.

Have you ever thought of sending your pictures to Oprah or something like that?- your story brings so much hope to so many people that need it.

[Mick2360]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

Hey Sarina, Just checking in to see how you are doing. You mean so much to a lot of people and the work that you do here is meaningful. You matter. And you always did!

[Barb1965]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

I just found this thread and have to say, Sarina, you are an amazing and beautiful inspiration to others, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us all. Keep up the good work.

[diamonds]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

I just found this thread and love it!! You have done so fabulously its amazing. I started to read and look at your pix then I had to jump ahead to page 16 to see updated pix and I was so amazed I had to jump back and read how you did it. You are so so lucky. Most people only dream of losing that kind of weight or whatever it is they need to lose but you have actually succeeded in what is probably the biggest accomplishment of your life. Congratulations in obtaining what we all wish to someday obtain ourselves!!

[Sowhat]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

you are looking good., i Hope to see u so skinny

[Sarina D]

Re: Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

This is something I am keeping in my head. Thank you for saying this Sometimes I look at the posts of people who have lost a great deal of weight, like yourself, and think "Wow... it's gonna take me forEVER to reach where they are."

It's good to remember that we were all at the beginning of the race at one point or another. And that this is a race worth running.

Hi Valinerya!

I am glad this is something that you keep in mind often, that is very important! Keep up the great work and hang in there, don't ever give up no matter how you feel or what kind of day you're experiencing.

This is indeed a race worth racing, I look forward to running it with you the whole way....side by side together.

Keep in touch!

Hugs,
Sarina
--------------------

Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 178 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160