My Struggle to Become Thinner
Probably about 250 in the pic. Aug 2007
Updates
9/25/09 - I weighed in today at 255.5. This made me happy. Over the past month, I have not been as on target as I would have liked. My mom came out to visit for 10 days and it seemed as if it was a neverending string of restaurants, fried foods and "come on, one bite won't hurt ya!" So, I indulged. I didn't weigh myself either because I didn't want to see the numbers increase. So, last weekend, it was my son's birthday and there was pizza, eggrolls, cake, etc. and I found myself in the same situation: knowing I was doing damage, but didn't put a stop to it. In short, I was being lazy.
What I am proud of this month is that I have been pretty regular with my work outs. Making it at least 4 days out of the week. I tried a spin class last week and IT WAS HARD. Like so hard I didn't want to do it anymore. But after talking to Knottie Nebb and hearing her encouraging words and her experiences with spin, I decided to give it another go. So, last night I did and I survived… but just barely. It was so hard. But, I will probably go back.
I am currently engaging in a modified Atkins program - being that I'm limiting my carbs because the past couple of weeks have seemed outrageously carb filled. So, just a bit of an update.
8/22/2009 - I weighed this morning and I am FINALLY down 31lbs!!! I am now 1/3 of the weigh (intentional) in on my journey. This means a lot and has renewed my commitment to continue.
The Catalyst
I have struggled with being overweight for the majority of my life. I have lost weight and gained more. Lost again and gained even more. It has been extremely frustrating and demoralizing. I think the catalyst for my current weight loss struggle was my engagement. I knew I did not want to look back on pictures and be disappointed. I want to be able to look pretty – but more importantly, feel pretty. So, I chose to document my struggle here. I will be following up with before and after pictures.
Lifestyle Changes
I began changing my diet habits on Monday, April 13, 2009. It started with cutting out a lot of the things that have helped me to pack on weight all the way to 290lbs. Yes, you read that correctly. 290lbs. I know, whoa. So, I stopped the drive-thrus - no more Mickey D’s, Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A Oreo cookie shakes (I’ll be honest, in the last 4 months, I have been to McDonald’s twice, but no Wendy’s or Chick’s). I limited my usage of butter. When I would cook, I would use a half stick of butter for every meal. As of 8/10/09, I think I still have a half of stick left from May or so. I think that’s improvement. Olive oil is a staple in my home now and I swapped out white for wheat – including pasta. We increased the amount of green veggies in my household and salads. I swapped out high fat dressing for Ken’s Healthy Options or some other lower fat, lower carb vinaigrette. I also cut out calorie laden drinks – I love Crystal Light, Diet Coke, etc. When I am craving juice, I get the diet stuff – Ocean Spray makes some great low calorie juices as well as Welch’s and V8 Splash. These are some of the changes that I’ve made.
Get Moving
I added exercise to my regimen on May 3, 2009 I joined LA Fitness and started off working out at least 30 minutes three times a week. I then bumped it up to 5 days a week and at least 45 minutes each work out. It has been difficult and I don’t always make it 5 days a week, but at least 4 days. I started off walking on the treadmill and bumped it up to the elliptical. I then started taking classes, like step and hip hop. I want to try a cycling class – but I’m scared! I will eventually work up to it. I need to be consistent on strength training and that has been difficult as well. To break up the monotony, I have started on Couch to 5k (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) – which is a running program – it allows you over time to work up to running 3 miles (or 20 minutes) non-stop. I am on week 5, Day One (as of 8/10/09).
Tools
There are a couple of great tools that I have used: Sparkpeople (www.sparkpeople.com) to log food and activity. The site will customize eating plans, give you a target calorie goal and has great articles and sample workouts. The GIS (Getting in Shape) board on The Knot is a great help too! The women on that board are extremely helpful and supportive. The Daily Plate is also handy to log food and research food calories.
Stats
As of my last weigh-in, 7/26/2009 – I weigh 262 lbs. I’ve lost 28lbs. My first goal is to be down 31, as I have never lost more than 30. It has been hard – my weight loss has slowed and fluctuated. I have to keep my eye on the prize as it is easy to get distracted.
I started out in a size 24 pant (it is really difficult to write that number down), and I have started to wear some of my 22’s. I usually wear an 18/20 shirt or 2XL, but I can now get into 14/16’s and 1XL shirts. My dress size is an 18/20 depending on the style – but they are starting to be a little big. I have 20’s that I would like to fit into – I probably have another 15lbs to go before I can successfully do that. Next, it will be on to 18’s. After size 18, I will have to invest in new clothes because I don’t own anything smaller than that.
My goal is to be 199 lbs (Onederland) by February 2010. We have scheduled our engagement pics for November 13, 2009; I hope to have lost 60lbs by then.