Friday, July 5, 2013

My weight loss journey

I've struggled with weight for all of my life.  I was a heavy kid, longing to look like the other girls in my class.  I tried to pretend it didn't bother me or this was the way God made me.  It worked a lot of the time.  I used my sense of humor to win people over.  They could judge me initially by the excess weight I have, but I'd show them what a great person I really was!

I've lost significant amounts of weight two times in my life.  The first time was 10 years ago because I was a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding.  I didn't want to be the fat bridesmaid so I started running/walking in January and lost over 60 pounds by October for the wedding.  I stopped running shortly after the wedding and the weight crept back on... plus 15 more pounds.

The second time I joined a gym and worked out with a trainer.  I was more motivated by how cute my trainer was and was happy to go workout with him.  I lost about 40-50 pounds then walked away from the gym and never went back.

I've started and stopped Weight Watchers more times than I can count.  I would gaine for a few weeks in a row, lose big, repeat.  I figured the program wouldn't work for me.  I'm just destined to be fat.

A little over a year ago, my employer was offering a very discounted rate at the gym and I thought I would sign up.  It was just before summer when I would have extra time to workout.  I joined in April and worked out 2-4 times per week that summer and lost about 20 pounds between April and September.  I was decently happy with my progress but didn't commit too much to my weight loss.

In October of last year, I was experiencing a lot of foot pain in a foot I had surgery on a few years ago.  The doctor determined it was a stress fracture and I had to be in a walking boot for 4-6 weeks.  I was devastated.  While I wasn't working out hardcore, I thought if I couldn't workout that entire time, the weight that I had lost would surely come back on.  I attempted to go and do some strength training on my own but she wanted me to sit down for everything.  I felt stupid so I didn't go back the rest of the time.

I made it through the holidays and a little of the weight crept back on.  Around February of this year, I had had enough.  I joined Weight Watchers again.  I convinced one of my coworkers to sign up at the gym which earned me a free training session with a trainer because I referred her.  I met with him one evening and we laid everything out... my current weight, my goals, what it would take to get there.

I purchased a small training package of 3 sessions just to get started with him and see how things would go.  I felt like he was really trying to teach me about the exercises I was doing and why I needed to do them.  I made a lot of sacrifices and was able to purchase more sessions with him.  He made customized workout plans for me and up-ed my workouts to 6 times a week.  With his help and the Weight Watchers program, weight started dropping off.  Most weeks I lost over 2 pounds and more often it was 3-4 pounds.  I wasn't starving myself, just working out really hard and following the Weight Watchers program completely.

My initial goal was to lost 30 pounds by my 30th birthday in June.  I ended up losing 40 pounds by my birthday and I was thrilled.  I think I finally have figured out this weight loss thing and everything seemed to be going well and falling in to place.

And then the scale stopped moving.

I wanted to start this blog to share my journey.  I'm at a plateau and it has affected me so much more than I ever thought it would.  I have gotten so used to the weight just dropping off and now that it isn't, I can honestly say I've been a little depressed. I have no idea if anyone will ever find this blog and read it.  Maybe our stories are similar.  My hope is that through writing I will find some release and possibly connect with others who are in similar situations.

 

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