my- somewhat strange- weight and loss story.

  • hello!

    i've been around for a couple of days, reading, learning even more, and i thought it might be time i shared my weight-gain and loss story with you guys.

    i was never a chubby child. i was very active, doing all kinds of sports (tennis, judo, sailing to name a few), didn't really pay much attention to food, even though i liked candy and especially chocolate! never at a problem weight though.

    when i was around 17-18 i developed a skin condition known as eczema. and i had it at a very very nasty place- my face. it was a very hard time, especially since i was always a little vain. no matter what we tried, what the doctors tried, it wouldn't go away. the only -temporary- solution was cortizon pills.

    taking those, my weight ballooned up. i got stretch marks and felt miserably. at the end, i stopped the pills and decided to live with eczema on my face.

    the weight went back down, and the eczema eventually actually left on its own. apparently it's very much stress-related, so the less i thought of it, the more it was going. i became both eczema free and bloat-free! yoohooo! the stretch marks have remained though

    during that time, though i developed a- "love me as i am"- attitude which is both good and bad- in my case, bad.

    fast forward a few years, and i found myself living on my own, making poor food choices--now i realize that my mom was always great about giving us a balanced diet. i started having more takeaways, chocolate and junk! and i started getting bigger. i didn't care much though, cos i had the aforementioned "love me as i am" attitude. every time my parents-or anyone else mentioned to me about weight, i went to the defensive.

    i do not know what my highest weight was, cos i only bought scales when i started my diet.

    the reason i started my diet had nothing to do with weight though....

    last august, i was visiting my grandma. she's riddled with osteoporosis, bless her, and she's extremely fragile. my aunt was there, and she asked me "hey, do you drink enough milk?"

    honestly, i wasnt. the only milk i would have would be in a coffee!

    so she started telling me off, saying how can i not be making sure i get enough calcium, especially since i can see the problems my grandmother has.

    i started thinking about it, and i thought that i should start drinking milk. so i did.

    and then, something clicked inside me. further soulsearching made me think "ok, now i drink calcium, but how about the other stuff? am i getting veggies, fruit? why am i consuming all this processed sugary stuff? why am i eating pre-packaged meals that are full of saturates?"

    so, i didn't set off to lose weight. i set off to become a healthier me. the weight loss has been a side-effect. and then i decided to buy a set of bathroom scales.. well i was not happy when i saw my bmi was 29.5!!!

    i lost my weight through calorie counting, and having 6 meals a day. i made sure i was getting everything my body needs. and i don't plan to change it. what's the point? i want to be healthy for life!

    that's also the reason why i stopped my weight-loss and went into maintenance. my bmi is currently 23.5. it's bang on in the middle of healthiness. sure, i could lose some more, but that would be probably unsustainable in the long run (for me and my body type).

    don't take me wrong, i am very happy i got new clothes, compliments, many more admirers (sadly noone I actually like at the moment! heehee), but the bottom line is this: my health, my body, my temple.

    and even though it's true, people need to love me as I am, i also need to love myself first.

    this is my story, i hope you enjoyed it. sorry if it was a long-ish read

    grrrkgrrrl
  • Welcome to maintainers grrrkgrrrl! Focusing on your health rather than your weight is a great way to set yourself up for successful maintenance!
  • Welcome!!!
  • Welcome grrrkgrrrl! Congrats on all the steps you've taken towards healthiness and thank you for sharing your story with us. Please jump into the forums, wherever you feel comfortable. Looking forward to getting to know you.
  • Welcome! Great job! Health is a great motivator. Hope to learn more about you!
  • thanks very much for the warm welcome, guys!

    this place looks like a fantastic place to be, full of helpful and knowledgable people. i hope i can, too, provide warmth and a haven to the people here, no matter on which stage of their journey they're in!

    x grrrkgrrrl