What is The Most weight....

The most I have lost is 220lbs.  This past year I have been struggling with gaining and losing the same 10-15lbs--but still even with the gains, I have lost over 200lbs and have stuck with it.  I lost that weight in about 2 to 2 1/2 years and this last year has been, as mentioned, up and down with about 10lb gains and losses.  (so, 220 in 3 1/2 years) When I was 25, I lost 100lbs but gained it back with in a year.  The only thing that is different now is determination and knowledge.

Mskaty... You are my hero... Girl.. you lost the equalivent to a light linebacker.... That is awesome..... you must share your secret..... PLEASE SHARE YOUR SECRET...

Hi Diva, I have to be honest with you, there is no secret.  I just eat right and exercise a lot. That is what I have been doing from the start.  I was very diligent with my eating for the first 2 1/2 years.  ( I have always been diligent with exercising and still am) I have been way more social now than I was in the past.  I was always so scared of being ridiculed or made fun of when I weighed 428lbs.  Now, I'm like a little butterfly.  BUT with that comes social eating and that has really been my downfall this past year and why I know I have not lost anymore weight.  It's very easy for me to lose the 5 -10 lbs I might gain by a couple nights worth of eating, drinking and having fun.  But it's more difficult for me to break past that point and continue to lose.  I have really pleauted.  However, I'm at the point now where I have enjoyed the new found fun, but, truly want to finish what I set out to do and reach my goal.  I did just have surgery 5 weeks ago to get rid of excess tummy skin (he took off 20lbs of  skin and fat!!! all just  hanging from my upper and lower stomach from all the weight loss) and can't wait to get back to exercising. My doc says, I will probably lose weight a little quicker now becasue I'm not as limited in my mobility.  I never really let it stop me.  It will just be nice not to have to wear a binder to go jogging anymore so my stomach doesn't hit me in the face :-) My goal now is to get down to 168lbs which was how much I weighed when I got my drivers license as a Junior in HS.  (I orginally had a goal of 140, we'll see, I may eventually hit it) I have about 30 more lbs to go to hit 168. 

Wow... and you've done it with no WLS.... that is excellent....  congrats on the Tummy Tuck.... 20 pounds of skin is a lot... wow... you much feel like a new person..

Hi Diva For me it has been 130 pounds, give or take an ounce.  I reached that goal in July of 2006 and i have basically been the same now for a year.  Before that the most I had lost at any point and kept off was 50 pounds.  I didn't work real hard at "dieting" in the past.

DonnaMarie....  Congrats.... what is your secret to maintaining.. Please share

Hey Diva, The secret is frighteningly easy.  Don't go back to the old habits.  You have to be conscious of your choices and where you've come from every single day.   I think that we have to remember that we can't eat like other people who don't have eating issues.  For myself anything simple carb is just poison..  I was talking to my SO yesterday about the fact that I hadn't had white bread in 2 years, white pasta in two years, anything with bread in two years.  Even if I eat a piece of wheat bread it is usually plain and only 2-3 times a week. Does this all mean that I don't have my days where I am sure I'll wake up in the morning at over 350 pounds?  Not a chance.  I am conscious every single moment of where I am and how I used to be. Today I went to the RibFest in the next town.  Well, all it basically was was food.  Racks of ribs, baked beans, potato salad, fudge, kettle corn, corn on the cob, etc.  Not much of what they were serving was safe food for me.  So I found the only vendor with bbq chicken and I took off the skin and ate the chicken.  I ate a few forks of baked beans and that was about it.  The other folks I was with ate popcorn, fudge, italian ice, kettle corn and of course racks of ribs and they bought 8 ears of corn on the cob for 3 people.  At the end they each had 2 scoops of icecream.  I didn't have icecream, instead I chose to chew a piece of cinnamon gum. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't impossible either.  I don't feel upset that I didn't binge or gorge myself, the day is over and I am not worse for not having indulged. It's all about remembering and keeping yourself conscious of not going back to what I once was.

Frighteningly simple concept, horribly difficult to achieve.

About 84 pounds, so far. And holding.

This hard to answer! Technically, it owuld be 10#...my highest ever has been 230, and summer 06 was the highest i had been since that high pt., when i hit 220. I am the Yo-Yo Queen. This minute, i am down 48# from that all tme high of 230. Still declining, but won't be long til i settle (170 goal, currently at 182 ish). I don't see that being much lower than 170 is reasonable for me for the long run. At long last i can say that and believe it.

My *other goal* is to maintain this loss forever.

That is my problem too... I am  the Yo Yo Diva too....  My goal is to maintain... I 've asked DonnaMarie to share her secret.... I am desperate...LOL