|
| As a teenager at 5'3" I was never skinny...but not obese either.....my weight would fluctuate between 120 -130 lbs and after marriage, 3 babies and a year and a half on an antidepressant which caused me to put on 30 lbs AFTER I'd had my kids, my weight was the highest it had ever been in my entire life. None of my clothes fit and I was wearing size 16's and they were getting tight....One day in June 2001, I worked up the nerve to actually weigh myself. That was the day I determined that I was not going to stay like that. I had very little energy, and no self esteem and I was terrified that my weight would just keep climbing the scales! I began to make some changes in my eating habits. I knew I had to cut out somewhere and I figured I'd rather EAT my calories then DRINK them, so I cut out all juices, sodas, milk etc. and began to ONLY drink water.... Within just a couple weeks I started to notice a difference. In less than 2 months I dropped 14 lbs! The more weight I lost the more encoaraged I was that I could do this. I never thought to myself, I'd like to lose 60 lbs...because to be honest I never thought I'd get that far. I just kept trying to lose a little bit each week... I weighed myself every single morning and if those scales went up, I would be extremely careful what I ate until they went down again. I completely cut out snacks, and very rarely would I allow myself to eat after 6 pm. I ate much smaller portions. Instead of using a dinner plate I use a salad plate for my meals. I tried to eat more fruits, vegetables..... Eating lots of fiber fills you up and keeps things moving... lol.... If I wanted sweets I never denied myself, but instead of a handful of cookies, just one or maybe two.... or just one scoop of ice cream, not the whole carton! I also discovered sugar free fudgsicles!! One thing about treats...if I really splurged, I'd just eat way less the next meal or two to compensate. We rarely eat out anymore but if we do go to McDonald's, I'll have a small fries, not a large and for sure not a supersize! I will have a cheeseburger, not a big mac.......and if I do overeat I'll fast later! lol........(probably not the recommended thing to do though!) One tip I used to help cut a craving was to chew a piece of gum, or to brush my teeth! By Christmas of 2001 I'd lost about 35 lbs and I was stuck..... I wasn't gaining. My careful watch of the scale ensured that, but I wasn't losing either! And I still wasn't where I wanted to be.... So after Christmas I decided to start working out. I got about three different workout videos...Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons.... and I'd work out about 3-5 times a week. I still didn't lose anything! I was getting frustrated, but the benefits from the workouts were so great for me that I continued to do them.....They gave great stress relief, and they prevented my muscles from stiffening as they often did, so less body pain, and much more energy!!! And though I wasn't losing lbs, I could tell I my clothes were getting loose. I stayed the same weight until about May 2002, when I again decided to get real strict with drinking only water.....I'd been letting some things slip back in to my diet and though I never gained weight........I still figured I had a ways to go. As soon as I cut out those sugary 'full of calories' beverages, I began to lose weight again, and the more my stomach shrank, the easier it was to eat less and less. Every time someone mentioned how good I looked, I determined to lose another 5 lbs... I've never had good self esteem, especially when it came to my body image..I was addicted to losing weight and I craved any complement I could get!.... By October I had lost another 20-25 lbs.....and weighed 112 lbs, less than on my wedding day!! I now fit into size 5/6!! Something I'd NEVER done before even when I was 3!! lol....Woohoo!! But by this time I was so addicted to my workouts I worked out 7 days a week and sometimes twice a day if time allowed! I was getting obsessed with losing more and more weight.... and I was not eating hardly at all... It was not a very good time for me, as the strict dieting was wearing me down, physically and emotionally. I was battling depression again and I began getting dizzy spells and my hair was falling out by the handfuls and breaking off..... I was cold ALL the time.... The doctor made me start taking vitamins and I started to eat more regular meals after I did some research on anorexia, I decided I did not want to go there! Since October my weight has fluctuated between 115 and 118lbs, depending on the time of the month and all... I wouldn't mind to lose another 10-15 lbs but I'm pretty happy right where I'm at, and I can live with my weight as it is right now. I've got a much more healthy image of myself, my body, and I have a lot more energy than I have had in years! To maintain this weight, I continue to do my workouts, almost every day, though not twice a day anymore!........ and I drink lots and lots of water, eat oatmeal for breakfast...umm...when I have breakfast that is!..... It's low in calories and fat, high in fibre and fills me up........and I eat something from every food group every day... and yes dessert is a food group! Ask my son!!! lol...I also take multivimins, extra calcium and magnesium and an omega 3 supplement.... Sometimes I take ginseng, gingko biloba, and st.john's wort, but at present I am only taking the vitamins... At 5'3" my weight is perfect for me now but sometimes I look in the mirror and still think I see this big fat person, but I now banish those thoughts from my mind and try to see myself as healthy and be proud that I'm more fit than I've ever been and after 3 kids yet!! Like my doctor said, I probably could go ahead and lose another 10 lbs if I wanted and still be within a healthy weight for my height, but unless I'm planning on walking up a runway anytime soon...(NOT!!!!) there's really no need to be that thin! The whole point is to be healthy and fit, so that I can enjoy life to the fullest! If I can lose 60lbs, you can reach your weight loss goals too! Just make sure you set reasonable healthy goals for you.... set small attainable short term goals rather than big long term ones......... For ex. say "I'd like to lose 2-3 lbs this week", and once you reach that goal, set another small one.........rather than 60lbs because that just seems so out of reach that you'll give up..... and when you hit a plateau don't get discoaraged... it's important for your body to maintain weight loss for awhile before you lose lots more! Make healthy changes in your diet and lifestyle that you can live with... It's not about crash dieting or you'll just gain it all back and then some....it's about living healthy and any healthy change you make should be a permanent one, even after you reach your weight loss goal. There's no magic way to do it.... you've got to burn more calories than you eat.. It's that simple, and that difficult! But you can do it! It's all about portion control, and WHAT you eat....... and get off your butt and get moving!!! lol.... Best of luck to you, though it'll take more than luck let me tell ya!!! |
 |
| Home/ Our Beliefs/ Dining (News) Room/ Master Bedroom/ Brianna/ Bethany/ Benjamin/ Our Pets/ Photo Album/ Joyful Mom/ Wendy's Testimony/ The Music Room/ Wendy's Stationery INDEX |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| My Weight Loss Story! How I lost 60 lbs! |
| Oct/2000 175 lbs |
| March 2003 115 lbs |
 |
 |
| August 2001 160 lbs (I'd already lost 15 lbs here) |
| January, 2003 118 lbs |
 |
| Blinkies by Mommys Graphics! |
| The song playing is called Free To Dance by Hillsongs Music Australia |