This is depressing as hell- Today i just realised I am 100 pounds heavier than I was when I was a runner and fit as a fiddle during college (1995).
My plan is to get back down to 180 (Im now 280) and be fit enough to run the 2012 Boston marathon...
I joined the local gym, use the treadmill, and tried the 'club stength' hour long class...
Man, I thought I was going to die...I can't even do pushups, and with my gut hanging out, was so embarassed-The class was so hard, I left the class after 25 minutes, and felt like such a failure......


I feel like throwing in the towel-Can I ever get back below 200 pounds? I'm 40 years old, so my metabolism has changed- The trainers at the gym have always been athletic, so they really don't understand the struggle of what it's like to once have been fit- then gain 100 pounds...They say 'getting fit is easy- eat healthy and exercise-period'. Uh, yeah-It ain't that easy....
Since my weight gain, my self esteem, energy levels and mental clairity have tanked..
Anyone here once athletic, yet for one reason or another pack on the pounds? Do you find yourself angry with yourself for not having the strength and stamina you had when you were athletic?

I know exactly what you mean. I was 120 lbs in high school and got a full scholarship to Clemson University to be in AROTC. I was the most athletic female in high school in our JROTC program. After I got out of college after my first semester and got married I gained about one hundred lbs. After about 2 years I was like what did I let myself do??? So I started a low carb diet and exercise program. I am happy to say I have lost about 60lbs!!!! I currently have about 20-30 lbs to meet my goal!!! Its possible you just have to keep at it and don't give up. Once you start to see results your motivation and confidence will come back.

I was at 170lbs, playing rugby at school, club, county, I played for about 10 years 16-26 but then when cycling to work I got hit by a car. I couldn't play or exercise (long list of problems caused by the accident). in the last 3 years I have gone up to 220. But this year with the arrival of a gorgeous baby boy and looking back at photos of me in healthier times I realised I had to do something, I have gone from 220 (222 to be exact) down to 189 (weighed monday) due to good diet and regular exercise.

I had a similar incident to you, I went to a bodypump class at the gym, i lasted the hour, however, i looked around and the room was full of middle aged women sailing through it and i was sweating like a stuck pig. now they are giving me support which is good and everyone is helpful on here too.

Just stick with it and you will see results.

thanks for sharing......I'd give anything to have my college years fitness...I feel like a failure for not being able to work out like i did when I was 24

I hear you. Not exactly in the same boat--I wasn't an athlete at the same level as you--but I definitely know what you mean. Even though I was heavy much of the time when I was younger, I wasn't obese. And I played sports, so I remember what it was like to be very fit. And later, there were periods in my 20s when I was studying karate or backpacking in South America that I was both fit and thin.

But, since then, I've been as high as over 350.

I'm now 47. Several years ago I moved my high-weight mark from 350 down to about 300, and it stuck. Which was a good step. And now I'm actively losing weight again, and exercising regularly, and I'm down around 250. Most of my exercise is walking, but I notice my fitness is coming back--I can jog up the hill leading to our house (a 3 minute run up a 10%+ grade hill) with 30 pounds of baby and baby-backpack on my back without losing my ability to carry on a conversation. So it's definitely coming back.

The positive is, since you've been an athlete you already know things about how to work out, how your body responds, what you'll need to do. I think the marathon in 2012 is a great goal--it's exciting and challenging, which makes it motivational. And given the timeframe and your background as a runner, it's doable.

Best luck. I look forward to hearing about your progress.

Jim