Oregon woman thankful after losing 800 pounds

TRI CITY HERALD ^ | 4/15/02 | Karen Zacharias

[HELLRAISER II]

How many of us Weight Lifters are here amongst Free Republic, it's nice to know I'm not the only one.

[SoDak]

I think there's a few of us. I sit at a desk all day, weightlifting is the only way I can stay in shape. I'm certainly not a runner, I like my knees too much. At my size, running would destroy them.

[Gun142]

1** = 199 lbs?

[MotleyGirl70]

Funny, my question would be "How did your MOMMA get so fat?" That's something I never understood. How is it physically possible for a human to weigh 1200 lbs?

Lots of cheese.

BTW, many bricks of cheese does one have to eat to weigh 1,200 lbs?

And the smell was atrocious,"

This is so nasty.

[MotleyGirl70]

She ate N'Sync AND The Backstreet Boys!

[MotleyGirl70]

1** = 199 lbs?

Ooops I made a typo it should be 1,*** lbs!

[MotleyGirl70]

Oh brother...and I battle the love of food/wine and beer everyday to stay in a size 7/8.....

I hear ya sister! Everything in moderation. Something this woman know nothing about!

[geaux]

And the smell was atrocious,"

That's b/c she was eating all that cheese.

[MEGoody]

And you're still a freaking idiot.

[MEGoody]

She's not necessarily lying. After having been so heavy and obviously sedentary, then trying to lose weight, her metabolism probably decreased significantly. She'll continue to lose weight, but the pace will be slow.

[MEGoody]

Who decides who is fat enough to have to pay the tax? Would there also be a skinny tax for those who eat so little that they experience health problems because of it (aka anorexics, bulemics)?

[Dan from Michigan]

I used to be an active one. Once my shoulder(supluxed...goes in and out of socket..been that way for 5 years and getting worse pain wise) is back in place for good, I'll be back into it more.

[ValerieUSA]

It took a decade to do it, but Jeannette lost between 800 and 850 pounds through healthy eating combined with a liquid diet. At her heaviest, Standard said she weighed nearly 1,200 pounds. Walker said he charted her weight in 1997 at 600 pounds.

So, it's just her word that she once weighed double what the doctor has recorded? I don't believe it. She has a 110 pound "apron" of excess skin removed surgically, bringing her to 435 pounds? That means she was 545 pounds before the operation - just 55 pounds less than she was 5 years ago when she was weighed, and she claims she lost 600 other pounds in the previous 5 years. Unfreakingbelieveable. Reporters will believe anything.

[MEGoody]

To Tumbleweed and all:

I cannot believe the mean-spiritedness of some of the people on this thread. Would you say the same things about a drug addict who was proud of him/herself for kicking the habit? How about an alcoholic who was working at staying on the wagon? At least this woman is trying to improve herself and her life. I would imagine that every one of you making these snide comments as if you were so perfect are battling something within yourself. If you aren't, then it's because you are like this woman was when she weighed 1,200 lbs. - just giving in to your weakness. Maybe some day you will do what she is doing, pulling herself up by her bootstraps. (Yes, with some help, but so what? The only people who don't need help from others from time to time are those who are in denial about needing help from others. LOL)

[MEGoody]

Doctors do not have weight scales that go up to 1,200 lbs. Besides, at that weight, she couldn't get herself out of the house to go to a doctor (and they sure don't make housecalls).

[ValerieUSA]

Then how did she know she weighed 1,200 pounds? Who hauled her to the truck scale? She's craving attention and exaggerating. She craved alcohol, she craved food, now she craves attention.

[general_re]

And you're still a freaking idiot.

Bad day?

My intent was quite simple. As I said, quoting someone else, I'm glad that she was able to do what she has so far done. But as Appy pointed out, 400+ pounds at that height is still extremely unhealthy, so she still has a long way to go. Taking your drug analogy for my own, I'm happy that she's quit smoking crack, in effect, but she still needs to lay off the booze. And I see absolutely nothing wrong with pointing that out.

And I really think that I can speak to this personally. My father-in-law was killed by his weight problems - he died at the age of 47 from a stroke, a stroke brought on by his own morbid obesity. He collapsed and died right there on my living room floor, in front of my wife and his own grandchildren. At 5'2" and 400+ pounds, this lady is still morbidly obese also, and I really don't like to think of her family having to go through what we all went through over here.

So why don't you...no, I'm not going to give you an excuse to have this post pulled. But you can keep your sanctimony to yourself in the future.

[HELLRAISER II]

I have the same problem & i've had it since the 9th grade, but there are excercises that strengthen the Scapula muscles that will damn near cure your problem. At age 36 I had gotten back in pretty good shape, I was benching 425 & my head had swelled considerably so I thought I would go for 450. Then I felt something rip in my shoulder & my bicep & that sent me to the doctor for Cortizone & Cortisol shot's & kept me from lifting for about 6 months. But I'm back after it & I bought a bowflex for working out at the house. It's not the same as free weights but you can do excercises that you can't with free weights such as the shoulder excercises I mentioned that will help strengthen your shoulder muscles & that will help you back to hitting the free weights.

[HELLRAISER II]

I agree, I also work in an office behind a desk all day long. If I don't work out when I get home I would be 350lb before you know it, like you I would also be considered obese by the govt. as well but they don't look at your frame size along with height. When you wear a size 54-56 jacket just to get it around your shoulders & your chest I don't consider that fat, if I was at 230-240 lbs I'd be damn near anorexic.