Today, I reached a 50lbs loss (unofficially, sine my weigh in is on Thursdays). However, I have taken some time to reflect on my journey so far.
Before IP, I had steadily been gaining weight. I remember my approximate weight at different milestones of my life: 18yrs old - 150lbs, 3yr of university - 180lbs (first time on weightwatchers), end of university - 220lbs, wedding in 2000 - 250lbs, before first child- 270lbs, before second child - 280lbs, and a just few months ago - 310lbs. I have tried weightwatchers a few times, worked out at the gym, even tried running and did the Couch to 5k program. But never have I lost more than 20lbs. I never stuck to anything for very long. Most of the time, I have not been on a diet or made really efforts to lose weight.
A typical day would consist of coffee for breakfast, granola bar if I was organized, fast food for lunch (my favorite being a double bacon cheeseburger and fries from Dairy Queen), a normal meal with the family, and a large bag of chips for a snack once everyone else was sleeping. The funny part was that I always drank Diet Coke! So overall, I was malnourished, rarely having fruits or vegetables.
I knew something had to change. I could barely fit into the largest clothes at most plus stores. I couldn't fit properly into airplane seats, restaurant booths, etc. I wasn't participating in a lot of activities with my children, because I couldn't or was scared to try.
I heard about a few people on IP in my small town, in particular a radio host who had a blog. Her results were incredible. I also was given a pamphlet at the local pharmacy (IP clinic) about an info session, which I was a bit insulted by! I read a bit on the Internet, and decided to make an appointment to find out more. So on Nov. 22, 2012, I talked to the person at the clinic for about 1 hour, and decided on the spot to join, and begin the next morning!
The first 3 days were very hard. My head felt foggy, I couldn't think, I was really hungry, and really grumpy. I feel bad for my husband and kids! Then, as if by magic, the fog lifted, the cravings left, and I wasn't hungry anymore! I was weighing myself at home, and couldn't quite believe the results. I doubted my scale. But my first weigh-in showed a loss of 14lbs!
I have continued the journey almost 100% OP. I had a few bites of mashed potatoes on Christmas Day. A few times, some prepared foods at restaurants or friends houses were probably not 100% because of sauces or cooking methods. But other than that, for the last 11 weeks, it has been incredible. Included in this time were the holidays, parties, weekends away, business travel, and more. I even had an incident at a Chinese restaurant that could not accommodate my requests, so I drank water and bought a roasted chicken and the local grocery store and ate in my hotel room. Really, where there is a will, there is a way.
I like how simple IP is. I most often have the RTS drinks on my way to work, raw veggies and a RTS pudding at lunch, a dinner at home with protein and veggies, and my restricted snack in the evening. I drink tons of water, and 1 cup of black coffee in the morning. I've become more adventurous lately, made zucchini muffins and cookies (thanks Lisa) and had rhubarb crisp for breakfast today (thanks lamberjules). I have discovered new veggies like rutabaga and leeks, and quite enjoy a wider variety of veggies in general.
It hasn't always been easy. I find it hard to cook for my family and not get to eat some of the food. Sometimes I'm quite grumpy about it! I also don't often eat with my colleagues at lunch or sit with them for coffee breaks. There are just too many temptations there. I also haven't had anyone, other than one friend who is on IP, comment on my weight loss. How can 50lbs not be noticeable?
The rewards though have been tremendous. The obvious ones include clothes fitting better, having more energy, fitting into booths, etc. However, the most significant change for me is the knowledge and confidence that I can do this. I actually have control over what I eat, I have control over my choices. I didn't know that I had this much power, and I certainly hadn't exercised it in the past. In fact, I was so doubtful about this, that I set my weight loss goal for 60lbs when I started IP, and really didn't believe that it could ever happen! Well it is happening, and I'm planning on going much beyond it!!
Thank you to everyone on here for sharing your stories and for the encouraging words. The knowledge that you share has made a tremendous difference in my journey, and I hope that by sharing my experience so far, I will be able to help someone else.
