Happy Anniversary to me! Today is my one-year anniversary here at 3FC.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/mini...like-pics.html
I wanted to make a post today because one year ago today, I was just getting started. It honestly didn't occur to me that I would stay here a whole year, or that this place would play such an important role in my weight-loss journey. But I did stay, and it has played a huge role. HUGE.
People who have been around for awhile will probably want to skip the next part, but I'll recap for our new chicks (and man-chicks, too....heh, that sounds funny).
A year ago today, I weighed 245. I think that was the heaviest I've ever been. I will post a picture as soon as I figure out how to blur faces. I thought I carried my weight well but I was kidding myself; I was very overweight. Last year at Christmastime:
--I was literally busting out of my size 18jeans; the inner thighs had worn through and there were just a few thin strands of elasticised thread holding them on me. I had to go buy size 20's; big, cheap, ugly things that didn't flatter my figure. But they were all that fit.
--My asthma was horrible. I coughed constantly, had zero energy. I could barely climb 1 flight of stairs at work; 3 flights would have me heaving and coughing and shaking. I had terrible heartburn and other digestive issues. I had nearly constant migraines due to the vast quantities of sugar and caffiene I was ingesting.
--I was depressed. I felt terrible about myself. I knew I looked bad. I was ashamed that I had to go and buy up yet another size.
--I was embarassed. I wanted to be invisible because I felt huge and hulking and unattractive. I was ashamed of myself, ashamed of the amounts of food I was eating.
--I hated the big clothes I was wearing. I hated shopping in the women's department with all the tent-like tops and the pants that were too wide and too short, but I couldn't fit into anything in the Misses' department. I had a lovely black wool coat that I could no longer zip.
So a year ago, I was desperately Googling for success stories. I wanted to see before and after pictures; I knew I had a lot to lose but had no idea how much because I had avoided the scale for years. Google brought up 3FC, and I found the Goal section with all the success stories and the amazing pictures. After a couple days of reading, I began to feel hope. Hope that i could do this, because I saw that others had done it. So I dug out my scale and steeled my nerves and stepped on. 245. OK then. That was my starting point.
I started out slow. I just cut out my afternoon trip to the candy store and started bringing my lunch to work. After a few weeks, I started counting calories. I bought an elliptical machine because I was afraid to go to the gym.
The weight started coming off. I started keeping a spreadsheet and a graph of my calories and my weight. When spring came, I bought shoes and started the Couch to 5K program.
Fast forward to today. This Christmas:
--I am wearing size 12 jeans. They're cute and they make my butt look amazing. I wore them with a red sweater to my annual Christmas party.
--I still have asthma, but it's only periodic and I can control it with an inhaler. I don't have my annual winter cough at all. My migraines are greatly, greatly reduced. I can run up the stairs at work without feeling a thing and I can run on the treadmill for 10 minutes at a time (still working on getting up to 5k!). I only take Tums now because the doc wants me to get the calcium.
--My mental state is much, much better. I don't sit around and cry for no reason and I can sleep.
--I am no longer embarrassed at my appearance. Yeah, I've still got some weight to lose. But I look a LOT better than I did, and I can now wear a "Large" top from the Misses' department and both of my jeans are 12's. I can wear my lovely black wool coat and can zip it easily with room to spare.
So:
I've gone from size 18-20 to 12 on the bottom
Bra size has gone from 38G(tight) to 36G (OK, so the girls are still big)
Tops have gone from 1X to Large
I have lost 6" off my waist
I am 55 pounds lighter
I feel a zillion times better
I haven't been perfect. I haven't been as disciplined as many chicks here are. But I've tried to be pretty consistent and it has paid off in a huge way. So if you are Googling, looking for some hope and for a sign that you can do this, here it is.
Start today. You won't be sorry. I know that a year sounds like a long time but it has flown by. This next year will pass either way; why not spend it learning healthy new habits? It has made such a difference to me.
Start today. We are here to help you. Start today. You can do this!
Start today; you won't regret it, I promise
Congrats on your weight losss. What a great post. Keep up the good work.
I am convinced that the single most relevant factor of my success this time around is that I didn't put it off until tomorrow, or the beginning of the next week, or whatever. There was no "last meal." The very moment I decided I was going to do it, I did. Right then. No putting it off.
