I’ve been lurking on the board for some time now and decided that I should start contributing because reading your posts keeps me motivated.
So here goes, hope it’s not too long.
I can’t say that there’s ever been a time when I was ever skinny. At 5ft11, I was always a “big girl”, but I was fairly athletic and never thought about my weight as a little girl. Even in my teens, I never obsessed over weight. I played some sports, ate pretty balanced meals. I struggled with being an introvert and probably had a mild form of depression. I spent a lot of time alone reading and making art (classic nerdy girl!) I’m guessing that I weighed around 160-165 lbs (I almost never weighed myself).
In my twenties, I lived an unconventional lifestyle. I worked 8 years in the bush as a forestry worker planting trees. It was a tough physical job that I loved. It allowed me to travel and make art. I was in touch with my body, had become very fit and ate a healthy diet. I had absolutely no clue what I weighed. All I knew is that I was slender and strong.
Fast forward to my thirties, I met my current partner, settled down into a “desk job” and went through a long period of feeling miserable. My parents both passed away and the depression issues that bothered me on occasion came back to haunt me more persistently. I developed bad eating habits and I abandoned regular exercise. I was not happy with what I saw in the mirror, I was starting to look old and tired. My feet hurt, my heart fluttered and I had a frightening episode in 2005 with a blood clot in my leg. Something had to change, but it still took me until last summer to motivate myself to get going.
This is how it happened.
Last July, my spouse got a Wii Fit, when I reluctantly stepped on and it showed that I weighed 220 and had a BMI of 30 (borderline obese), I was shocked – I had gained about 70 lbs over the last decade. I guess I thought that at my height I carried my weight reasonably well. WRONG!!
My spouse never knew what I weighed before and I was embarrassed to be over 200lbs.
Together, we decided to change our habits. We bought a spinning bike, some small weights, a SCALE (finally!) and I totally reformed my eating habits. I decided that I would not go on a specific diet, but rather, become more mindful of what, how much and when I ate. My diet is now 90% clean – organic meat, lots of veg, nuts, breakfast (!), no juice or pop, only occasional wine. When the weight started to come off, it gave me a tremendous boost! I’ve been losing at a slow, steady rate ever since, with a definite winter slowdown. I can honestly say that I don’t feel deprived. I’m looking forward to adding more fitness goals to my list.
Which brings me to the present.
I just turned 40 and feel better than I have in the last 10 years. I’ve lost 38 lbs, which is beyond my wildest expectations. I’ve gone from a size 16 to size 10. I’ve set a goal of 170 lbs for the time being – only 12 lbs to go!
Thanks for reading and sharing your stories – you are all inspirational and I wanted to wish everyone continued success on their journey.
Newbie featherweight
The last 12 lbs will be tough also because I need to ramp up the exercise. I'd like to try running, but the cold weather makes me so lazy!!
.... Congrats on your weightloss so far, we can all do this together!
