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Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Before and After… A Year’s Journey by Una
Since I was a kid, I thought I was fat. It wasn’t until sixth grade that I realized or accepted that I was chunky. I was not an inactive kid, mind you, I took horseback riding lessons, I danced – ballet, tap, character, etc. However, when puberty hit, I got curves… generous ones, even with all the activities I was in. It would be a long time before I would learn that I wasn’t fat, at least not then.
As I entered into high school, I stopped dancing and horseback riding and threw myself into sports. I played volleyball, soccer and swimming. Most of my girlfriends did not play sports and were, for the most part, twigs. They all wore single digit sizes in clothes. I did not. I was the double digit girl. Much to my chagrin, my best friend played three sports and was a single digit size. I figured, I was going to be “thick” and that was just the way I was. I was not meant to be thin or skinny. I was meant to be average… curvy, athletic. As with most kids graduating high school, I went on to college. Exercised less, did not really know to alter eating habits (since I wasn’t as active), although I ate fairly healthy. My parents raised me well. I had three meals a day – all food groups were correctly represented and consumed. I love to cook so it was easy to watch what I ate.
Fast forward to a few years ago – my hubby and I decided to try for kids. I was a little heavy, but not far off from what I thought was my “normal”. Being curvy, I accepted I wore women’s sizes, double digit because that is just what I am. I figured I should get in a better shape if I was to get pregnant. Well, got pregnant faster than I expected. I don’t know if this is common, but I thought…I won’t have to gain much weight…I could just try to maintain and end up losing weight while I was pregnant. Ha! That was just me being completely unrealistic. I gained…I gained more than I wanted, about what average pregnancy gain is, but it put me at 250 pounds. Mind you, I am five-foot-three-inches tall.
Then, my life had some trials. My son was born early and I was released from the hospital the day of my great-aunt’s funeral. Two months later, I lost my gramma – my father’s mother. As some of you faithful blog followers may know, my mom’s cancer returned with a vengeance during this year. The next year, my son turned one, my step-grandfather died, my mother died, my husband’s aunt died, my last surviving grandparent: my Barbar died. Suffice to say, I started to lose the weight at the beginning of the year and then gained it all back. By the time I surfaced from my comfort eating, I was back at 250 pounds only this time I wouldn’t be gaining a child from that weight. 
The “before” picture you see…that is me from July 2011. Seeing that picture, having no energy to play with my two-and-a-half year old son, I was done, seriously done with being big. But I was so far gone, I couldn’t do the exercise routine I was used to…I was too heavy. My blood pressure was a mess, I was having dizzy spells, couldn’t sleep, I was snoring. I was done feeling ugly, being depressed, and I was done not being the mother to my son, that my mother was to me. I went to my doctor and told her, I was done. That I didn’t want pills to get skinny or surgery or anything like that; what I wanted was to learn how be healthy. Something that would help me lose the weight safely but at the same time, teach me to live healthy. Like I said, I ate pretty healthily; I knew I needed to exercise, but what is the right balance. Plus – was I really eating healthy?
My doctor prescribed a program and it was the blessing I needed. It is a medically supervised weight loss program – a balance of diet and exercise and my insurance covered it. They call it lifestyle modification – I would learn to live a healthy life with a proper diet for my body and exercise. I started the program October 2011. A year later, I have lost 92 pounds. I am almost to my goal weight of 150 pounds. I am not wearing women’s sizes. I am not in double digits. I run or swim five days a week and do weight training and other exercises. I get 30 minutes minimum exercise a day. I eat almost all the same foods I did before – but at much better portion sizes. I have two snacks and three meals a day. They say, “Never say Never”. “They” are right. I never thought I would wear a medium. I NEVER thought I would be a runner (even though I played soccer in high school…I hated running). I never thought I would be “skinny” and still have curves. Yet, here I am…
Through this program, I learned that my body “type” if you will, puts on bulk muscle, if I am not careful. I’m not a lean muscle person, or at least growing up, I did not muscle up that way. I was really strong. I’m not as strong as I was… but I’m working on being strong enough. I’m toning up. I know what balance of foods in my diet to eat to avoid the bulking up and keep my muscle leaner. I do not feel as if I have sacrificed my love of food. I feel like I found a happier and healthier me…who was inside me waiting to be found. I found my balance and through this discovery – I have found other areas in my life that needed work. I had truly fallen down the rabbit hole of depression – much in my life had gone awry. Now…things are different…better.
I now play with my son until HE is tired. We go on adventures in the mountains and around the neighborhood to get “exercise”. He knows that just as much as our bodies need fuel, we need to be active. I am as active with him as my mother was with me, if not more. My mother along with other women in my family struggled with their weight. I know my mother is beyond proud of me.
It is astonishing to me to see the transformation. I have put together a little picture timeline to show my journey. I hope in baring this to you all that it gives you the courage and determination to make a change to that one thing in your life that you feel you cannot. We are amazing creatures and we can do amazing things when we believe in ourselves. It is amazing what we can accomplish when we have the courage to take that first step. I would not be here without the overwhelming support of my family, my friends and especially my GG’s. Love you guys!
Happy New Year to all of you! And remember... a lot can be accomplished in just one year!
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Confessions of a large thin-person
I’ve never had problems losing weight. Sure, I would have to work at it. Weight Watchers was my method of choice. I have also always been fairly active... gym or running throughout most of my adult life. If I put my mind to it and committed to the weight-loss process, I always lost the weight within a few months. And I was always one of those people that could eat more than my allotted WW points and still lose weight. Good metabolism, I guess.
I tell you all this NOT to throw it in your face, but to give you an idea of what’s going on in my head now. I’m 39-years old now. I am the mother of two young kids. I have gone back to work part-time. I am 10-15 pounds over-weight. I have been for about a year now. Over a year ago I went through one of my “down cycles” where I start skipping the gym and workouts - when I start eating more than a few extra servings or desserts - when I drink a glass (or two) or wine more than once a week! I slowly put on weight and got up above that “danger weight.” You know the one - that magic number on the scale that you PROMISED yourself you wouldn’t go above... I’ve been at or above that number for almost a year. WHY? Why didn’t I rally and motivate to lose those extra pounds? I don’t know... laziness... being compliant was just easier. Sure, I only fit into 50% of my wardrobe, but I just ignore the clothes I can’t wear!
As you know I started back at Weight Watchers and joined in the #twitloss movement. It’s been a great support system and for the most part, I’ve stuck with it. I lost 5 of the 12-15 pounds I want to lose. Then I hit the
*SIGH*
So now I have to figure out how to get over this hump. This self-destructive behavior. This woe-is-me attitude. I need to work harder to get what I want.
OR I need to change my expectations of myself and my body. I’m not sure I want to do that... I want to be realistic within my lifestyle. But I don’t want to be compliant just for the sake of laziness.
So my Tweeps and blogging friends... How do I get through this? Have you hit a wall - not just in weight loss, but in any aspect of your life - when what you’ve always done in the past just won’t work any longer? I don’t want to feel sorry for myself... I want to take action. Where do I go now?
Thanks for listening!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Week of Weight Loss
My first week of Twitloss...
Here it is Tuesday afternoon and I’ve already re-writing this post 3 times in my head. The first time was immediately after my weigh-in on Monday.
I started my weight-loss journey over 13 years ago. It’s funny that my starting weight 13 years ago was roughly 5 pounds over my current goal weight. Hey, I had good metabolism and I was in my 20’s. My goal weight back then is impossible to reach now. I used the Weight Watcher program and was extremely successful. I was able to lose a lot of weight and keep it off. I am a Weight Watcher’s Life-time Member.
For a few years I didn’t need to really try hard at keeping my weight down. But after a couple of kiddos, it wasn’t so easy. I worked with my Weight Watcher leader to alter my goal weight to something more reasonable. And I was happy at that goal weight for over 2 years.
Fast forward to 2009. For some reason, I lost my motivation and will power. My workouts and gym schedule diminished. I ate a lot - portion control is my Achilles' heal. But something else started to happen... I became an emotional eater. I would eat when I was bored. I would eat when I was stressed. I would eat when I didn’t feel good about myself. And I gained roughly 13 pounds.
What I’m talking about...
I’ve been in and out of Weight Watchers for the past few months. Never really sticking around. As a lifetime member I have to weigh in once per month. I’ve now committed to attending each week and staying for the meetings. My weight-loss week is from Monday - Sunday, which means that I have my weigh-in on Mondays. I kind of like this idea. Start the week off with a clean slate.
Last week I did my first week back on Weight Watcher program. My friends at Twitloss are a big reason for this. Twitloss was the idea of a group of great women on Twitter. Their stories and support have already helped me through the first week. And I did GREAT for my first week back, losing 3.2 pounds! So my post yesterday morning was going to be a big pat on the back for my hard work and making it through the first week.
However, yesterday I was gone the ENTIRE day until 9:00 pm. I had a long day and found that I was at my favorite Mexican restaurant at 6:30 pm and I was SO hungry. Well, I just “let go.” I had chips and salsa and stuff with cheese and sour cream. I had a margarita. I ate 2 brownies (small) for dessert. So my post last night was going to be all about the fact that as soon as I see progress I go out and sabotage myself. I felt like crap last night. And I was too tired to write a post.
Which brings me to today. I was so tired when I got up this morning. I did not want to do anything. But I went to the gym and completed 60 minutes of Body Combat
and it kicked my butt. I ate sensibly and feel good about myself. I’m back on t
If you are interested in losing weight and are on twitter, use the tag #twitloss. Look for the ladies’ Twitloss Blog. They have great ideas and helpful information. Good luck, and if you need support, just let me know. We are in this together!
Here it is Tuesday afternoon and I’ve already re-writing this post 3 times in my head. The first time was immediately after my weigh-in on Monday.
The next time was last night when I went out to dinner and then today, after I’ve had some time to reflect. I think the fact that I have now mentally written 3 blogs about one week of weight-loss demonstrates what an up-and-down time I’m having with my current weight-loss journey.
I started my weight-loss journey over 13 years ago. It’s funny that my starting weight 13 years ago was roughly 5 pounds over my current goal weight. Hey, I had good metabolism and I was in my 20’s. My goal weight back then is impossible to reach now. I used the Weight Watcher program and was extremely successful. I was able to lose a lot of weight and keep it off. I am a Weight Watcher’s Life-time Member.
For a few years I didn’t need to really try hard at keeping my weight down. But after a couple of kiddos, it wasn’t so easy. I worked with my Weight Watcher leader to alter my goal weight to something more reasonable. And I was happy at that goal weight for over 2 years.
Fast forward to 2009. For some reason, I lost my motivation and will power. My workouts and gym schedule diminished. I ate a lot - portion control is my Achilles' heal. But something else started to happen... I became an emotional eater. I would eat when I was bored. I would eat when I was stressed. I would eat when I didn’t feel good about myself. And I gained roughly 13 pounds.
What I’m talking about...
I’ve been in and out of Weight Watchers for the past few months. Never really sticking around. As a lifetime member I have to weigh in once per month. I’ve now committed to attending each week and staying for the meetings. My weight-loss week is from Monday - Sunday, which means that I have my weigh-in on Mondays. I kind of like this idea. Start the week off with a clean slate.
Last week I did my first week back on Weight Watcher program. My friends at Twitloss are a big reason for this. Twitloss was the idea of a group of great women on Twitter. Their stories and support have already helped me through the first week. And I did GREAT for my first week back, losing 3.2 pounds! So my post yesterday morning was going to be a big pat on the back for my hard work and making it through the first week.
However, yesterday I was gone the ENTIRE day until 9:00 pm. I had a long day and found that I was at my favorite Mexican restaurant at 6:30 pm and I was SO hungry. Well, I just “let go.” I had chips and salsa and stuff with cheese and sour cream. I had a margarita. I ate 2 brownies (small) for dessert. So my post last night was going to be all about the fact that as soon as I see progress I go out and sabotage myself. I felt like crap last night. And I was too tired to write a post.
Which brings me to today. I was so tired when I got up this morning. I did not want to do anything. But I went to the gym and completed 60 minutes of Body Combat
and it kicked my butt. I ate sensibly and feel good about myself. I’m back on track and where I need to be. My twitloss friend, Lynette, has been super helpful and I sure appreciate it! Same with all those ladies participating.
You are amazing! Thanks!
If you are interested in losing weight and are on twitter, use the tag #twitloss. Look for the ladies’ Twitloss Blog. They have great ideas and helpful information. Good luck, and if you need support, just let me know. We are in this together!
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