The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Seaside]

Wow, Lauren!! That's wonderful. I loved reading your story and seeing your after pictures. You do give hope to those of us who have a great deal of weight to lose.

Hmmm...I'll have to grow about an inch taller to be 5'9" and the blonde hair is do-able, but no way I could be as lovely as you!! You look great and sound like you feel even better. Congrats!

[Serendipity]

Ok, now I'm just jealous! I know this is not a competition, but I've been waiting for Hype to comment on my after thread! NO FAIR!!!!!

[Nancy]

Lauren ~

It would please me to no end to see you again and to meet Jo, Hype, etc. would be a total blast. I'm about 7 minutes from the Portland, Oregon International Airport. Z-z-z-z-oooooom!

Meeting people that have been on the journey is a great blessing; we know what it is like to have our lives and our health do a 180. There is no price, no taste, no foody morsel that compares to walking the path to wholeness. We are flab free and we love it!

I know some of you have not faced ugly health issues and please, please - be very happy about that! some of you have a little weight to lose and some have a whole lot. I know that being 10 pounds over one’s personal weight goal can seem like a lot of weight and it takes effort and discipline to stick to the program to reach that goal. Losing over a hundred pounds is not a picnic in the park. It takes great resolve.

When I first started going to local and regional Take Shape gatherings, I was unique and people wanted to meet the woman that lost over a hundred pounds. Women wanted to know where my skin went – they patted me and felt my body, they wanted to know if I had surgery; and men wanted to know why I allowed myself to get that big in the first place. That was hurtful.

I sort of felt like an oddity, like the person whose picture you might see on the National Inquirer or the City Tattler.

Now that several years have passed and more wonderful people have gotten on the program and found success, too, it warms my chest ticker.

It is a delight to meet with those that have spent time in the trenches.

You are special in every way – now let’s stay that way!

We want a whole lot more to join us! Shake it up!

[Lauren]

Hey, everyone! I realized it's been since February that I've posted any more "after" pics, and since we had some shots recently at a 60th birthday gala for my mom, I thought I'd throw them in there (as well as one from a night at the shore). Anyway, the gang is my sister, bil, and niece and nephew, aren't they yummy? Please ignore the fact that my hair looks slightly Don King-esque in the outdoor shots, I don't use hairspray (or any product for that matter), so the wind is not my friend!





Still happily, merrily, comfortably, and joyfully maintaining at at least 165 pounds down (lost), usually closer to 167-168 total lost, but since losing 155 pounds was the original goal, I'm good with that!

Unca should post soon...

<edit>added link to before pics - UT:
http://www.makemethinner.com/forum/diet-4568.html
</edit>

Cheers~

Lauren

[Tawanda]

Looking forward to the new pics! Congratulations to you on continuing to maintain and thank you for sharing your photos.

[DonnaS]

Your pictures that are already posted are so amazing to me. You were pretty in your before pictures and your after pictures are beautiful.

[hulagirlfromhawaii]

Wow Lauren, you are gorgeous! Thanks for updating your photos. Just Beautiful!!

[bikipatra]

Better than ever!!! And I think the hair looks great! Your lips look great. Your teeth look great! Look at those teeny wrists! I know you are really tall but I think you very thin calves are attractive and NOT chicken like at all. (I still have emotional wounds! Not your fault.) You are definitely highlighting your assets, one of the best rules of dressing to look your best. It gives you a fashion model look. (After heroin chic was over.) When I was heavy I still always had thin calves. Did you too?

[Lauren]

Thanks, girls, and Donna, that was so sweet!

Biks, thanks for all the love! :-) My hair in the outdoor pics is more the style I try to have, a little edgy, shorter in the back, sweeping bang, etc. But it's still just starting to grow back and get thicker after getting really thin, so it gets very "fly-away" looking easily. It never gels as one cohesive unit, and because it's both thin and blonde, product just makes it look greasy and matted. And, well, I've always been low-maintenance in the hair department - but then again, I used to have a really lovely head of long hair! ha Perhaps I should become more high-maintenance! Anyway, all of this is to say that I have an image in my head of the haircut I want, but I currently have hair that is incapable of fulfilling those dreams. Alas, one day...

I danced (ballet mostly) for many years as a child and teenager, so I always had strong, muscular legs, and fairly lean calves. Even as I started gaining much more weight as I got older, my legs remained my best asset, so for years I would sport the short skirt with the looser tops. Finally, however, I just got FAT, and even the legs didn't look so fabulous. My friend Steve said the cutest thing when I was about half way through the weight-loss phase - he said, "look, you got your legs back!" I was very pleased. I don't think they look thin, actually, they're quite muscular from the back, since I run, but I am happy enough with them. More than anything, I thank my legs every day for being kind enough to support me during the "fat years" and even kinder for taking me on long runs every day! Honestly, I've put these legs and feet through the ringer, so I am pretty appreciative that they're still kicking!

You crack me up with the wrist comment. I always truly believed I was "big-boned" while I was fat, that even if I lost weight, I'd still be big. But who knew that hiding under the fat were thin wrists? Seriously, it was a shock to find out that while I am indeed tall, I am not big-boned. Crazy sh*t, right? :-)

And thanks for the comments on the dressing. My friends and family have always said that even at my heaviest I always dressed well for my body type and chose flattering options. And while I don't enjoy the act of shopping, I've always enjoyed having beautiful things. So when I was losing weight, the one item I always wanted when I was thin was a classic Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress - sure the trendy seasonal ones are cute, but I wanted one classic one that I can wear anytime for any occasion, and that brown dress in the pic is my DVF love. In fact, I had a great NSV when I went to the DVF store, the sales girl looked at me while I was trying on the different dresses and said "wow, you have a great body for these dresses!" I laughed, because when my boobs were 4x as large, the dress wouldn't have worked, but now that I am a shrunken fool, it looks great! haha Anyway, it made me happy. I actually just got a $50 off bday gift card from DVF and plan to go there this weekend for another dress - something more autumnal, that I'll likely wear to synagogue for the upcoming holidays.

Oh, and Biks, your legs are not chicken-y at all, they're beautiful, as is the rest of you. Your whole package is gorgeous, be kind to yourself, and please try to see you as we see you - stunning, intelligent, dynamic, and amazing.

Lauren

[bikipatra]

Oh, and Biks, your legs are not chicken-y at all, they're beautiful, as is the rest of you. Your whole package is gorgeous, be kind to yourself, and please try to see you as we see you - stunning, intelligent, dynamic, and amazing.

Lauren

Thank Lauren! You made my day!

[DonnaS]

I can't say much more that what others have said, your just one beautiful lady. Your niece and nephew are adorable too as is the rest of your family.

[Karli]

*OMG* Lauren !!

You look just amazing !! Thanks for posting these updates, it's VERY inspiring and helps me stay on track mentally and otherwise !!

Cheers,
Karli

[DogMa]

You look great, Lauren (and you and Biki BOTH have great calves; I'm the one who can't seem to get rid of the chunky calves!). And your sis is lovely, too.

[Tawanda]

Lovely photos!

[pinkbugs471]

I have one word..... WOW!