My Weight Loss Journey

Warning:  This blog post is one of the most vulnerable I have ever written.  Please be kind.

My entire life I have had “weight issues.”  I wasn’t morbidly obese, however, I wasn’t a size 2.  I was always the fat friend, the fat cheerleader, etc.  No one was mean to me in front of my face, but I knew that people said unkind things about me sometimes.  I had incredible friends and family, so this didn’t bother me a lot.  Sure, it bothered me some, but I didn’t dwell on it.

Off to college I went….and I gained the freshman 15.  Probably more like the freshman 20.  I was again the “fat friend,” but I had amazing people around me. I worked out….but I never really lost weight.  It just kept me from getting out of control.  I again had amazing friends around me, and they never made me feel bad about the way I looked.

I got married a few weeks after graduating college.  At that time, I was a size 16 and weighed in around 200 pounds.  My incredible husband never made me feel fat, and he always told me I was beautiful.  Sure, it  bothered me when I tried on clothes or was around others smaller than me, but I didn’t really change anything. I tried to be active, but was never consistent.  I tried to watch what I ate, but that again wasn’t consistent.

A few years into marriage, my husband and I became pregnant without our first child.  I decided that this pregnancy gave me the right to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and to be lazy if I wanted to.  I hated weighing in at the doctor, and often left in tears.  I started to realize that I needed to change, but continued the eating pattern until I went into labor.

When I went to the hospital, I decided that this would be the first day of my weight loss journey. I decided that my husband and my baby boy needed me to be around….and that meant taking serious control of my body.  When I weighed in at the hospital, I forced them to tell me my weight.  They weren’t going to. I weighed 255 pounds.  I had gained about 60 pounds with the pregnancy. That was it!  I was over it.

Over the next few years, I made it my mission to lose 100 pounds.  I had a few set backs (knee surgery being one of them), and some serious weight loss plateaus.  I’m going to be honest, I turned to diet pills.  I believed that they would help me along my journey.  They did, I won’t deny that, but they made me feel awful.  I knew that they weren’t good for me, but I wanted so badly to hit my goal, that I did it anyway.  I was able to successfully lose, and maintain, a 100 pound weight loss for about three years.

At this point, Bryson was four.  My husband and I decided we wanted to have a second little Law.  When I became pregnant, I weighed 155 pounds.  I decided that this pregnancy would be different.  I would continue to work out.  I would eat much better.  And that’s what I did, when I could.  I had some set backs (my progesterone levels were low and I had to be careful the first trimester, I blew my knee out and was on crutches for a while, etc.).  Even though I tried harder this time around, I gained MORE weight than I did with Bryson.  By the time I weighed in at the hospital, the night I had Addi, I weight 225 pounds.  I had gained 70 pounds.  I was devastated, but I knew I had done the best I could.

I also knew I had a lot of work to do.

So, as soon as I could, I got back to it. My goal was to lose the Addi weight by her first birthday.  She turned one yesterday.  I weighed in at 153 pounds.  I made my goal!  And this time, I did it without diet pills.  I was much healthier in my approach.

My goal weight is 145. Why?  That is what my license says. It has said that weight since I was 16, and even then it was a fib. It’s hard work.  I am very often frustrated when I don’t see the results I want, but I keep going anyway.

I say all of this not to toot my own horn. There are thousands of people who have done this and beyond.  However, I tell you all this for this reason. If I can encourage even one person to take control of their health, then I have met my goal.  You see, I am crazy busy. I am a teacher, wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend, active church member, etc.  I have an insane schedule.  However, I also find time to take care of me.  My kids deserve it. My husband deserves it.

Do I want ice cream all the time? Yep!  But, I make the decision to not buy it and have it in my house.  I bought work out equipment and put it in my house so I have zero excuses to work out.  I use an app to track my progress and my calories.  I allow myself cheat days.

What is it in your life that you need to change? Is it your health?  Is it making time for you?  Is it reading more? Whatever it is, IT IS POSSIBLE!  Take baby steps if you have to, just take the first one.  If I can do this, anyone can!

I believe in you. Go get em’.