My Weight Loss Journey

You'll find many posts on my blog about my weight loss journey. Use the 'tag' feature on the home page to filter just these posts.

May 2007- My heaviest and then 103#'s later at my lightest (so far)- March 2012

How did I get THERE!?

My struggle with my weight has been lifelong and probably always will be. As a young child, I didn't have a weight problem.
(NOTE to self: Insert pics from  before 3rd grade)



It wasn't until about the age of 8 that I began to 'chunk out' and that's probably normal considering I had a height growth spurt for the next few years. It probably also had a lot to do with my mom going back to college. This meant she had less time to cook for us, she was hardly ever home, and she felt a lot of guilt over it. So fast food became more common and 'comfort foods' were normal occurances. Also having to fend for ourselves became more common and 8 year olds aren't so good at making their own food choices. It was also the year that my father was diagnosed with Multiple Sclarosis which back in the early '90's no one knew much about it and it's pretty scary to hear that as a kid. There were some good things that happened that year: I got a dog and I met Stacey. The woman who would take over the role of my mom.

(NOTE: Insert picture of age 8)

Through my pre-teen and teen years, I was always very active in playing sports. I played competatively on national travel softball teams and in high school. But I was always bigger than everyone else. I was usually slightly chunky/moderately overweight and was constantly told so.

(middle school picture)


I had issues with food and body image. I never dated in high school and presumed it was because I wasn't as good looking as all the other (thinner) girls.

(High school softball picture)

2003/2004

When I transfered from community college to the university my Junior year, I actually got my weight under control. I think a lot of that had to do with my roommate who was very health conscious and encouraged me to go to the gym with her. I built in two PE classes into my schedule (I knew that if I was going to be graded on it, I would go).

Junior year of college.

2004/2005

Then Senior year rolled around and my long time boyfriend moved from the East Coast to living across the dorm hallway. It was great having him around, but for whatever reason, I started to get out of my exercise routines, I gave in to the tasty college food and gained a lot of weight in one year. I guess my "Freshman 15" waited until Senior year and added interest on top if it.

2005/2006

I immediately went on to graduate school. I moved out of the dorms and into student apartments with my boyfriend and we both spent a lot of time studying. I was working full time on top of graudate school and trying to support us both. It was stressful, but fun and difficult, just as life usually is for people starting out. My bad choices of eating cheap, tasty, fatty foods continued and my schedule made exercising impossible.

2007

The pictures below are from graduation day. According to my medical records, this is me at my heaviest weight.

Grad School Graduation Day- heaviest

Shortly after graduation, my boyfriend proposed and we planned to marry two years later on our 9 year anniversary, after he'd graduated from his studies and I had found a stable job (and hopefully lost a little weight. I wasn't happy about how I looked in graduation picture or engagement pictures).

2008

I found a stable job, and he never graduated. About 10 months from the wedding I came home to a suicidal "Dear John" note taped to my door and spent a lot of time with the police in the following week.

Just two weeks before he disappeared

When it was clear that he would never come home again, I needed to learn how to live again. To live for myself, by myself. When you live with someone that long and you are use to talking to them everyday for nearly a decade and then the next day they are gone...... it's hard. But I had no choice but to solider on.

2009

That first year was about trying to figure out what happened. How did I not see this coming? What could I have done differently? Settling his affairs and redecorating the house we'd shared so I wouldn't have to live in the shadow. I needed to pick up the peices and find some closure. Exercise helped me to work out my frustrations, anger and emotions. I also got a puppy that year and he needed to burn off some enrgy too. I ended up losing about 30#'s. But losing weight wasn't really my goal. My goal was to find my footing in life again, to deal with my emotions and work through all that had happened.

My sweet puppy; February 2012

September 2009; Trying to function like a normal person and make some new friends

 

Towards the end of that year, I met my current husband and we started to date. I wasn't ready for him, but I knew that he was special and I didn't want to blow it. So the hard emotional work continued.

Serving Thanksgiving Dinner at a community service event; our first Thanksgiving. About a month into dating.

 2010

I was continuing my exercising (2-4 times a week; 30-60 mins) and pretty much maintaining my weight loss, but I did put a few more pounds on due to an extended illness that I sustained that year which resulted in my having to not exercise. We'd been dating a year and I was completely in love. For the first time in a while, I stopped analyszing the past and started living in the present.

2011

I felt ready to take on the next level of my personal growth. I'd found my footing the first year, the second year I stabalized and sustained it and this year... this year I was going to blossom! My New Year's Resolution that year was to learn how to cook and to stop eating out so much.

As a result I lost some weight and started feeling good about how I looked and how I was living. I was really enjoying learning to cook. I kept up exercising and even toyed with the idea of running, but didn't actually start until about May/June that year.

In April that year, hubby took me to a murder mystery dinner theatre. We got all dressed up in 1940's clothes and I was even cast as part in the show! That was the night I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man. It was time to start thinking of the future.

April 2011; just before starting WW

The very next week, I signed up for Weight Watchers Online and really took learning how to cook to new levels. I not only got great new recipes, but also I finally understood portions, nutrition, and how much food my body actually needed. I started to learn how to pack in nutrition along with the calories. I started running and the weight started to come off.

June 2011; about 30 pounds lighter from starting WW

Early October 2011

By the time he'd proposed that November, I was down 52.5 pounds! My perspective on food and the importance of my healthy completely changed. This was a lifetime change. This was a change that was sustainable. This was a change that will not only keep me healthy, but my new future family too.


Late October 2011: About a week before he proposed; 50#'s lighter

2012

My weight loss continued during our engagement

Engagement Photos: Early January 2012; 65#s gone!

 and by the time the wedding rolled around 5 months later, I'd acheived a personal goal of losing 100# from my heaviest weight (the above picture). It was a wonderful feeling to sit there in my wedding dress and think back on how far I've come personally, emtionally, intellectually and spiritually (I mean that in a more "sense of self" way). It's the best gift I could have given myself.

Wedding Day;  March 2012; 85#'s down from starting WW;100 from grad school Graduation

I'm continuing to learn more about food, cooking and life. I'm working hard at maintaining my fitness level, making good food choices and starting to set new goals. 2012 is a year of stabalizing and adjusting to being married and moving.

2013

I think 2013 will be another year of blossoming...... stay tuned!

What I've Learned
(Section in progress. Will update soon)

My Milestones

Started WW on 4/27/2011
25#-7/11/11
50# -10/24/2011
BMI, Overweight- 12/5/11
75#- 2/13/12
100# loss from lifetime high- 3/5/12
BMI, Healthy-TBD
100# since starting WW- TBD
Goal Weight- TBD

My Starting BMI:39.2
Current BMI: 25.8
A Difference of 13.4 BMI points

The Difference Weight can make

• I can cross my legs with ease.
• I can run for nearly 8 miles; before I couldn't run for 5 minutes
• I went to the doctor for my annual exam after having lost about 50#'s and she felt a lump in my breast. I had to have a mamogram and an ultrasound. Turns out, it was a 'natural lump' for me but no one has ever felt it before because the fat was covering it up! Who knew?
• My husband is obessed with picking me up (I still freak out and tell him to put me down, thinking that he'll get hurt, but it's nice to know that I'm light enough that he can pick me up)
• If I don't exercise for a few days, my body is actually sore and achy!

  

My Favorite Recipes

 Breakfast

• Peanut butter, Banana Waffle Taco (2 multigrain low fat frozen waffles; add 1 tbsp creamy PB on each; break a banana in half and stick half on each waffle; Drizzle with chocolate syrup; Fold sides up around banana like a taco). Great for a pre-workout snack since it has a carb, protien and potasium. Also a great snack on the go, so long as you don't put the chocolate syrup on it.
• Instant Oatmeal! (1 packet made with water or 1/4 cup rolled oats) It's very versitile and you can add a variety of things to it and it becomes a brand new experience. (blog post)
• 1 tub of fat free Cool Whip + 4 tbsp creamy Peanut Butter. Stir. Top on whole grain, low fat freezer waffles, slice up a banana and drizzle chocolate syrup! For more ideas on Whipped Toppings see my blog post.

Lunch/ Dinner

• Eggplant Rollatini with Tomato Basil Sauce
• Split Pea Soup with Ham Hock and/or bacon.
• Pasta e Fagoli This is a recipe from a friend of mine, but I modify it to make it lighter: Ground Turkey, Fat Free/Sodium Free Beef or Chicken broth, Chipotle Tobasco sauce, whole grain noodles. Great tasting soup that freezes well.

Snacks/ Deserts

• Berries with a dolup of fat free Cool Whip
• A bowl of watermelon and pinapple chunks (the watermelon balences out the acid of the pineapple. And the pineapple adds a burst of flavor to dull watermelon)
• 1 tub of fat free Cool Whip + 4 tbsp creamy Peanut Butter. Stir. Perfect dip for apples or bananas!
• Roasted Bannana with chocolate chips (PB optional).