cath1657
I am writing this because it would appear that there is a genuine interest from other posters to know who they are corresponding with. I initially felt as though no one else could possibly be the least bit interested in me or what I might have to say, but maybe I was wrong. I gotta warn you, though that having been the youngest, I can be wordy..............
It seems to me that I've always been taller than everyone else around me -even more 4 brothers, in spite of the fact that I am the youngest. Because of my height, I have always been a tad withdrawn and felt larger than everyone. Looking at past school pictures and things, I now realize that I wasn't larger, but the body image has always been there. I can remembering wearing a size 12 when I was 12. As a high school senior, I weighed 170. I can remember that so well because I had to lose 5 pounds to fall into the weight limit to join the Navy.
By most people's standards, I wasn't obese. But, when growing up with 4 brothers, they let you know that you are HUGE, repeatedly.
So, my weight problems really didn't start until I was in the Navy and had my 1st daughter the last year of service. I didn't know how much weight I had gained because the military hospital used metrics and I wasn't inclined to decipher it. Ignorance can be bliss. When I got out of the military and my daughter Ruth was 8 months old, I weighed 192. That wasn't so bad after all. I got pregnant a 2nd time two years later, but am such a klutz, slipped on some steps and miscarried on my anniversary in my 1st trimester, I only gained a few pounds with that one. My 3rd pregnancy 2 yrs later I also gained quite a bit of weight, but again I was tracked at a military hospital because Joe had decided to make a career of the Navy. So, I was again blissfully unaware of how much weight I had gained.
I admit it, when I was younger, I paid little to no attention to my weight. I was young and healthy......My mom was always overweight, but she had told me she gained it from toxemia. I now realize it was probably also heredity. We sure get smarter as we age. I still don't know how much I weighed after my 2nd daughter, Darlene, was born. I feel as though I had lost most of that weight when I got pregnant with my 3rd daughter, Maggie. I went up to 250 lbs with her, that hospital used standard weights, lol. Still, I wasn't overly concerned because I was very active and healthy.
When I started back in college after Maggie, I took a weight management class (for PE credit) that did help me a lot with controlling my weight. I got back down to 190 by the time the class had ended. I should have stuck with it. 
But, my activity level was high and I was maintaining that weight ok. Then I was hired at the shipyard as a welder. You would think that by virtue of crawling all over ships and in and out of drydocks that you can lose weight or at least maintain it, but alas, there are many times when you are an observer, or a 'firewatch'. It's those time that it is so boring that you find yourself snacking--a lot. My weight creeped up to 220. Then after a couple more years, 250.
My mom passed away in 1996. My best friend - gone. She died 1500 miles away after having a couple of toes lopped off from diabetic complications. I was terribly sad for several years. In 2000, I fell into a deeper depression and thought that maybe my family was at the heart of my depression, so took a TDY (temp. duty) trip to Virginia in August. It was soooo hot and humid. I went from 250ish to 193 in 3 months. Loving the weight loss, but felt awful. Dehydrated, hungry- but not, stomach making hunger sounds all the time, emotionally wrung out. When I got home I was glad to see my family, but still depressed. I had an assignment at work with another shop to pump out oil from bilges and stuff; dirty and nasty work. There were other welders assigned to it, too and they were so unhappy and complaining all the time, that everyday became unbearable until finally I quit going to work and called in sick for 3 months. Risky business, that, if you want to keep your job. Turns out, it wasn't just in my head. I had Graves' Disease. My thyroid had turned south on me. While the weight loss was like a gift, the fatigue was a curse as well as the emotional rollercoaster. I had it ablated with radiation. End of problem? NOT.
As soon as my thyroid stopped functioning completely, my weight problem came back with a vengeance. I shot up to 290. Oh my. I had regained my health, but it was a trade off. I was back at work and enjoying life again. With the help of antidepressants. Watch out for effexor.....most of my regain came with that one. I was eating more on it. Once we found a more weight friendly antidepressant, my weight stayed around 250.
On my birthday in Jan '04, I slipped on some ice at work and tore my meniscus. It had taken 2 months to realize the pain wasn't going to go away. My PCP had figured I just had 'deranged tissue' and was treating me for that until he sent me to the orthopedic surgeon. That's where we also found out that I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees. I mean, my knees hurt me before, but just thought it was age (and weight) or lead exposure. The ortho said I couldn't weld anymore, so I was put on light duty at work. That means stationary work. My weight shot up to 330 pounds in 9months. 
At my six month follow up with my surgeon, he, as politely as he could, said if I didn't lose weight that I would be in a wheelchair next year. That hit home. And that is where my weightloss journey begins.
