Hi everyone!
I just wanted to take some time to introduce myself. I'm a woman in my mid-30's who's always struggled with my weight throughout the years. I'm tall and usually carried the extra weight well so my experience wasn't too negative although I knew I wasn't healthy. I never counted calories and wasn't too active, but I guess my age was starting to work against my metabolism because I was really starting to pack on the pounds.
Earlier this year I stepped on a scale for the first time in ages and was shocked with the number I saw. 254 lbs?! No way. I stepped on it again (maybe the scale was broken? lol) and yep 254 lbs again! I had no idea I weighed that much but I knew I had to do something.
I first started slowly changing my eating habits such as no more late night snacking, started to drink more water, adding more fruits and veggies to my diet, limiting/eliminating alcohol on weekends etc.
Once I somewhat got my eating habits under control (which wasn't easy by the way), I incorporated exercise into my life. I started taking a 1 hour strength-training/cardio class twice a week and I use a workout dvd's at home and/or workout on my Pilates machine for 2 - 3 days during the week. Now for the last couple of weeks I've added power walking on a school track about 3 days per week for 1.5 - 3 miles each time and the pounds are falling off!
Currently I'm down 17 lbs. at 237. I struggled getting out of the low 240's for a while, but adding power walking has helped me reach my goal. My face has slimmed down tremendously, my core is getting tighter and my hips and thighs are getting smaller! It wasn't until I went on vacation last week and saw pictures of myself I noticed the weight loss.
I find keeping sweets and snacks out the house, doing a variety of workouts and doing mini-goals help me a lot. I really wanted to get to 238 lbs. and I've reached that. My next mini-goal is 229 lbs. and I'm hoping to reach that point by mid/late-September.
After that it's 220 lbs. hopefully by my birthday in November and ultimately I would like to weigh 195/200 lbs.. I am so determined and focused and I really think I can do it this time. I used to avoid stepping on scales, but I find it helps me monitor my progress.
Lastly, I did all of this without any fancy diet plans or expensive workout equipment or a gym membership. Check out your local community centers to see if they offer adult fitness classes or just get outside and walk briskly after dinner. You can do it!
Thanks for reading my very long introduction.
17 lbs. down - 17 to go!
