Amanda's Goal Story - 133 lbs Gone Forever!
 

Amanda’s (Extra Long Version) Story

Today was my first official weigh in where I was at or under my goal weight. I thought about waiting for a few official weigh-ins to report myself as being “at goal”, but decided that I’ve been hovering here long enough to make it official.

My name is Amanda, and I’m 25 years old. As of today, I have lost 133 lbs. I have gone from a size 22W with 49.5% body fat to a size 8 with 23.3% body fat. I have learned to love foods I never thought possible, to crave exercise, and to love cooking. My journey required a lot of changes, but I am still me. I still love to cook, bake, and yes, eat. I still love to make cookies and cakes and pies, though now I pawn off most of the goods on neighbors and friends. I still love to entertain, though I do so with healthier dishes, and 99% of my guests can’t tell the difference. I weigh 55% of what I did at the start, and I didn’t put my life on hold, deprive myself, or make myself crazy with strictness. I can sum up my plan, loosely, as follows:

1. Calorie count. The level that works for everyone is different, but I found a level that would let me lose 1-2 lbs a week and stuck to it like glue unless I made a choice that something was “special” – see #3.
2. Plan, plan, plan! I plan my food a day ahead of time, and dinners every week. I make 4 portions of every dinner so my partner and I have ready-made, on plan lunches every day. I plan my healthy snacks and make sure they are always available. Planning is so essential to long-term success, I can’t emphasize this enough.
3. Exercise! Strength train and do cardio. It makes you feel better, builds muscle, and in my experience, makes healthy choices food-wise even easier to make.
4. Make allowances for what matters. There were days I decided to go off plan. Usually, these were special days…birthdays, celebrations with family, holidays. Sometimes they were not…dinner with friends, or a date with my partner. But never forget it is a CHOICE, and never neglect to go back to your healthy ways after. At least every 2 weeks, I made a choice to go over my calories – sometimes more often, sometimes less. But I always chose to go back to my plan afterward.
5. Figure out what isn’t negotiable to you and plan for it. For me, it was dessert. I feel deprived without it. So every day, I saved myself 150 calories of my allowance, and I had something delicious and sweet. An individually portioned ice cream bar, a mini-cake I baked with whole wheat flour and fruit, whatever it was, it was essential to me, so I made a plan for it and made it happen. Whatever your non-negotiables are, you can fit them in with good planning!

When I started my journey, I weighed about 295 lbs. I never had a scale in my house, but I went to visit a friend, and there was a scale in his bathroom. When I stepped on and saw that I was just 5 lbs away from the 300 lb mark, it scared the heck out of me. My grandfather, not a small man, died of a heart attack when I was 2. My grandma had a stroke. What’s more, I have struggled with an anxiety disorder, and it manifested itself in fears about my health. At age 23, I spent so much time simply terrified that I was going to die of some preventable disease…heart attack, diabetes, you name it and I worried about it. I was setting myself up for a short life, I knew it, and I was terrified.

My partner was much smaller when she met me. She came to college in about a size 12-14…not a tiny girl, but not big either. By the time we’d been together 5 years, she’d gained to nearly meet me – 280 lbs and a size 22W. We wanted to have a commitment ceremony, and she had proposed on our anniversary in 2004. Neither of us wanted to commit to a date, though, until we were smaller. The idea of fitting into a wedding dress was just too scary.

In early 2006, my sister got engaged. Sarah and I had been planning our ceremony with no real progress for a year. My sister said, essentially, “Look, you were engaged first, so you get first choice of date, but you had better pick something soon or I’m planning regardless”. We found our dream location and took the only date they had available, April 21, 2007. The date was booked around April of 2006, and suddenly we had a VERY quickly approaching wedding. It was time to start making some changes, for both health and vanity. It was the final push we needed.

I made a commitment to cooking every night. I work from my home, so it was easier for me than most to get dinner on the table. On my lunch breaks, I’d spend 15 minutes prepping dinner so it could be on the table in 30 minutes or less, half an hour on stretching or strength training, and the remaining 15 minutes eating. When Sarah got home, dinner was only a short while away – a blessing for us.

We learned very quickly that eating small portions for our main meals wasn’t a workable strategy for us. I cooked many dinners at the beginning that just felt small, and we left the table unsatisfied. I started tweaking, adding extra vegetables into everything, cutting back to lean proteins, and bulking out reasonable servings of whole grains with lots of produce. We ate things we had never had before, like roasted pork tenderloin, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, and any number of different veggies. We learned that we could still have big plates of food so long as we made sure that they consisted mostly of veggies. I learned how to cook in a completely different way, removing oil and replacing with chicken broth, spices, herbs, and fresh ingredients. I replaced sodas with unsweetened iced teas and plenty of water, and switched to drinking my coffee black. Some things, though, I didn’t sacrifice. Sarah and I ate dessert every night, usually a calorie-controlled single serving of some sweet treat. It made us feel indulgent, and we made sure each day had room for the calories.

About 4 months into our new way of eating, we subscribed to a Community Supported Agriculture farm, where we paid a certain amount to get whatever the farm had in season that week. As the veggies and fruits I’d never heard of came out of the box, I had to adapt. I learned how to cook winter squash, beets, greens, eggplant, and tomatillos in healthy ways. These things are staples for me now, all due to that wonderful box subscription. And I gained more confidence in myself as a cook, which led me to create even more recipes we could enjoy. I used FitDay to track total calories and played around with new preparations and ingredients, and I can honestly say that I have loved 95% of the meals I’ve eaten while in weight loss. In fact, I’ve started being disappointed at the richness of restaurant meals – I see oil on the plate and just KNOW they could make the dish healthier. Drives me crazy.

I knew exercise was important, but didn’t really know what to do. I bought a rebounder (mini trampoline), and would turn on the TV and just bounce to break a sweat. After a few months, Sarah and I started getting up before work to go for long walks, which progressed into jog/walks as the summer went on. Then, when Fall hit and it got cold out, we joined a gym. The first time I walked in, I was terrified…all of these thin people and me, over 200 lbs, feeling so horribly out of place. I changed before I got there, unwilling to strip in the locker room in front of anyone else. The gym did, however, offer 2 free personal training sessions a month. I met with a trainer, who taught me how to really work the gym, and helped me develop lower and upper body strength training routines. I realized that the gym wasn’t a place to be afraid of…it was a place where I could feel strong! To this day, I never feel smaller, more toned, or more fit than when I am looking at myself in a gym mirror, weights in hand. I got myself into a routine – cardio 6 days a week, weights at least 2, and “bonus” workouts whenever I could fit them in on a lunch break.

Fast forward to the ceremony, 1 year after we started. I remember bursting into tears the first time I tried on a size 22W wedding dress. But my dress, which I purchased in October in a size 18, had to be sized down by a very skilled seamstress to a size 12. My arms looked toned, my waist looked small, and I felt incredibly beautiful. I was 6 lbs shy of the ultimate goal I’d settled on (which was actually goal #3 – first goal was 180, second 170…I decided to go past both of those when I reached them because I didn’t feel I was yet where I wanted to be), but I felt great.

Then I hit my first “plateau” – but man, was it a whopper. I went 6 months without losing a single pound. I did lose some inches, and a couple of dress sizes, bringing me to about a size 8. But not one pound. I’m not going to blame this all on fate – I know that after the ceremony, I was a little more relaxed – the big event had already taken place, so I backed off a little. I maintained my workouts but maybe added a few more treats. I was maintaining right around my wedding weight, so I decided not to panic. I knew that my body would either cooperate eventually, or if not, I’d get tired of being stuck and eat clean for a few months to get the last few pounds gone.

5 months into the plateau from heck, another whammy – my left knee started throbbing in pain every time I went down stairs, and making a horrific popping noise. I went to my doctor, was scheduled for an MRI, and told not to do –any- weight bearing cardio until we knew what was going on. My only option was to swim, which I did, but not nearly as often as I wanted. I could only do upper body and core workouts, with no lower body work. It was miserable, and I was watching the scale creep upward. I finally got the drive to cut out the extra treats, vowing to two of my favorite chicks (thank you Robin and Heather!) that I would not let this derail me. I worked my arms into well-toned submission. When I saw the orthopedist and he scheduled surgery, I told myself the end was in sight. Unfortunately, after the surgery, we discovered two other problems with my knee going on at the same time. To this day, I still haven’t done a full lower body workout without a physical therapist’s direction. I have finally worked myself up to 60 min on the elliptical trainer, my old cardio standby, but have to tape my knee in such a way that my kneecap can’t dislocate. I think the key, for me, was that I NEVER gave up. Even when I could do nothing but arm lifting, I would get to the gym at least every other day, just to lift. I was always thinking of ways I could still move and keep my body happy without hurting the knee.

I still don’t understand how it happened when my cardio was so limited, but 4 weeks after surgery, I dropped 4 lbs rapid fire, from 168 to 164. Then another three weeks of nothing as I slowly ramped up the exercise, with some events going on in between (including my birthday and all the associated cake and frosting!). Then on Friday, I weighed in at 161.6, and today, on my official weigh-in, there it was…goal.

As most of you know, I was featured in Woman’s World magazine in the October 30, 2007 issue as a “Weight Loss Success” cover story. The whole thing is still surreal to me, but there I am in full color (I should know…I have enough copies to prove it!). What amazed me most about the article was the impact it had on other people – already I have heard from so many people who are trying my recipes, experimenting with new veggies, and getting ready to move to a whole different lifestyle. It amazes me to no end that I might have that sort of impact on people.

My life is completely different now than at any point before. Me, the girl who crossed 200 lbs in 8th grade, who was teased, who was ridiculed, who got out of breath singing even in the car, and who was so darned ashamed of who she was now has a healthy BMI, wears a size 8, and is so darned proud of herself she could burst. Today I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen since high school. I had to introduce myself (it’s a common thing…I look completely different), and her eyes went wide as she said “You look like a completely different person”. And I really am.

Sorry for the length, but that is the whole story. I cannot thank the wonderful people here at 3FC enough for the support, encouragement, and ideas. I would never have done it without being here. And to every single person reading this who is sitting where I was sitting a year and a half ago – you can do this. And when (not if, but WHEN) you do, for each pound you lose, you can’t even imagine the amazing things that you’ll gain. To close, I give you a quick list of some of my favorite gains:

1. A wide selection of amazing recipes that I can cook for me, for company, or at bake sales without going off plan OR disappointing anyone. I’ve cooked healthy meals for my in-laws, my parents, my friends, and my relatives, and no one has said anything about the food being light (even the meat and potatoes types!). Those recipes will carry me into maintenance and beyond. Related, I developed a huge knowledge of dozens of healthy, natural foods and how to cook them.
2. A clean house. Let me explain this one. I can only cook in a clean kitchen…dishes in the sink, dirty counters, etc, make me not want to cook. To proceed on my cook-at-home-eat-healthy path, I have to have a clean kitchen. Once the kitchen is clean, I tend to clean everything else. In addition, I have a ton more energy to clean up the everyday messes.
3. A fabulous new sense of style. I love my clothes, I love makeup and styling my hair. I’ve gone from “I don’t care” to “give me a minute to throw on some lipgloss,” and have never felt prettier.
4. My confidence. I have confidence in my looks, my health, and my decisions. This is priceless to me.
5. My health. I no longer worry about medical problems striking me down. I am in control of my health and body.
6. My self-respect. I didn’t respect myself when I was bigger. I felt I was failing, and I was, really, failing myself. I have so much awe and respect for what I have accomplished, and it has helped me believe I can accomplish so much more.
7. A belief that I can do absolutely anything I want to do, if I just put my mind to it.

CONGRATULATIONS! :celebrate:

Mandalinn, I am so excited for you! THANK YOU for the length of your story. THANK YOU for posting how you did it. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for still being here & being an inspiration.

I read through your story and know now more than ever that this not just possible for me, but inevitable if I just keep going!

You've worked so hard. You've had setbacks. You overcame them. You deserve this moment so much!

Thank you. :)

:carrot: Yay you have met your goal. Your story shows that I to can do it, thank you for sharing your path with us

What a truly amazing and inspiring story.

You've earned every bit of that pride you have in yourself.

How did Sarah do on this journey?

Sarah has lost 90 lbs, from a size 22W to a size 12.

In the WW article, she is the "friend" who lost "up to 90 lbs" :D

Amanda~you are truly amazing! Thanks for sharing your story.

:congrat::cheer2::cheer2: Inspiring story!! Thank you so much for sharing and the before/after pictures are great!! Enjoy your success!!

You are truly an inspiration.

I want to be you and Trazey when I grow up! Seriously, that "never say die" attitude you have is something that I am in awe of. I think sometimes, it's just too easy to say "I'm sore" or "I'm tired" and just forget about working out, but when I start to pull that crap with myself, I'm like, "No, if Amanda can bust her butt after knee surgery, then what excuse do I have?"

So thank you for kicking me in the butt and getting rid of my excuses!

What a truly inspiring and motivating story, thank you so much for sharing. Youve really encouraged me to get going on my journey again. What an amazing story, would love to see some pics!!

Thank You!

Amanda,

Your wedding pictures were gorgeous and you are an amazing woman. I am very happy for you :)

Faerie - thank you! It is ABSOLUTELY possible. I think it is Robin whose goal story said "If I can do this, ANYONE can" - and I absolutely share that thought. If I can do it, it is possible for everyone.

Nelie - Thank you! I know I will treasure those wedding pics forever, and I felt so darned good in them!

Mom2Gabby, Alinnell, GonnaBe165, Cbmare - thank you! It is hard sometimes to acknowledge sometimes what I've done and be proud of myself. I'm working on it!

Pigginpodgey - get right back on it and just. keep. going. It really will work!

CABunnyGirl - you're welcome.

Sara - I'm glad to provide butt-kickings any time. Seriously, though, it was one of my biggest challenges, because my impulse was to say "Ow. My knee hurts and I am upset. My pain has clearly earned me a giant bowl of ice cream". But that wasn't the answer, and it wouldn't have made me feel better. Seeing the scale go down DID make me feel better.

Congratulations! You are tough as nails girl, enjoy all your success because you deserve it. Thanks for being such an inspiration. :)

Amanda: You've heard it before, but it is true--you ARE an inspiration! :):)

Thanks for every word of this!

Congratulations!!! Thank you for sharing your story and for all the support you offer. You are amazing and I always love your recipes you share.

Shananigans - thank you! "Tough as nails" is never a description I would have given myself, honestly, but in a lot of ways I guess it is true!

Jen415 - it blows my mind, and often makes me cry, to think of myself providing even a little hint of inspiration to others here. Thank you.

Midwife - I'm glad you like the recipes! We are big on eating tasty things in this house.

Ya'll seriously have me in tears, here.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. Glad your knee is getting better - I followed you through the surgery and recovery. I doubt I would have been so brave. Congratulations!

Amanda, you are truly a wonderful inspiration! I've been watching your progress for some time now, right up to the wedding, and I have tremendous respect for you and your commitment to being healthy and slim. You seem to have really "gotten it" about what it takes to be a big loser!

:congrat: and :bravo: and a million :cheer2: for your success!!! :hug:

Jay

Amanda :bravo: and :hug: :hug:

That is a fantastic story. I've also followed your progress here over the last year and a half and was heartbroken with you when the knee problems started. To persevere through all that show the tenacity and drive to keep you a successful maintainer!

Congratulations :)

Mel

Gail - the knee was a blow. It was not going to stop me. Period. And you know what? You are already doing the things I did to make me so "brave" - posting here! It was a post here that gave me the extra "oomph" to push through it, so don't sell yourself short.

Jay and Mel - its so weird to me that people followed me! Of course, I was following SO MANY of the other members here, so maybe that is why it seems weird. Thank you both.

Amanda,
You story was truly inspirational, that was a great read! I applaud you many times over, you certainly were bound and determined to reach your goals and you did. I must say, you certainly have got it together at 25 years of age, you are so wise beyond your years, plus a cover shoot under your belt too, I think it is FANTASTIC! I'm certain your maintenance will be a breeze. I wish you and yours continued success and happiness....
~wendalyn

Thanks for taking the time to post your journey Amanda! It was a wonderful and inspiring read!
I appreciate the enthusiasm and joy that you bring to all of your posts. You are a blessing to everyone on 3FC :)

Oh Amanda, I am soooo very happy for you. Not only for reaching your goal (big yay!!!! for that, of course), but for carving out a better life for yourself and for ridding yourself of those worries, the same exact ones that I had. The ones where you know that you are putting yourself at added risks for all sorts of preventable diseases and ailments. I'm just so glad you did it a younger age then I did. You are a shining example of what can be done when you set your mind to it. As if you hadn't done enough already, you then showed us all how to rise above a bad situation (your bum knee). I WILL remember that for always.

I love how you wrote and I agree with it 150%, that you need to figure out what is not negotiable and plan for it. That is soooo key.

And by the way, it was LisaMarie who first said it in her goal story, "If I can do this, ANYONE can". And then we all kinda chimed in and shared that we felt the same way.

Congratulations on a job VERY well done. I am so grateful to have crossed paths with you and I look forward to spending many years in "maintenance" with you, learning from you all the while.

:bravo::cp::bravo::cp::bravo::cp::bravo:

Amanda, you have been such a positive role model to those here in so many aspects of your life. Thanks for sharing yourself and Sarah with all of us here - you're like sisters to those of us who have been here awhile.

Great story!

Amanda, you rock! Incredible stuff!

I'm inspired & amazed - Thank you :hug:

I'm so happy for you and so glad you took control while you're still so young! Now you can enjoy a long and happy life that YOU are in control of!

Thanks so much for sharing! I'm so glad we have 3FC. It makes the impossible dream seem so possible! I've been dreaming of losing weight since I was twelve. Now at age 36 I'm finally doing it!

Job well done Amanda and Sarah( sorry if spelled wrong) You both are such an inspiration , your story is just what I needed I'm so frustrated right now thanks for sharing .:hug:

Evilwomanisshe - I don't think maintenance is a breeze for ANYONE. Still, I believe I have all the tools and strategies in place to work it every day and make this weight stay off for good.

CountingDown - I think its less that I'M so encouraging and more that when I get on 3FC, all of the support and encouragement is infectious. I see so many wonderful people helping eachother, and just get all jazzed and happy for everyone.

LisaMarie - full credit for using your quote!

Robin - It is so good to have those fears gone. Better, even, than smaller clothes in the closet. Now if my shoulder hurts, I know its probably because I did some heavy duty lifting, not because I'm having a heart attack! And I really can't thank YOU enough for the push I needed to work out and stay on plan DESPITE the knee. And me hitting goal - I think thats the proof I promised you and Heather.

HRBabe - Sarah loves all of you, even if she has never posted a single message. I talk about 3FC all the time!

Lisao - thank you! Great job on your loss also!

Nicolen and Jigglybits - thank you both.

SkiniJeni - You ARE doing it, and if you keep going, those dreams can ACTUALLY happen! I never believed it either, but its true.

Losinitin07 - Trust me, I know the frustration (remember that SIX MONTH plateau in the story?). But you CAN work through it, and if you keep on track, eventually your body gives you what you want in return.

Thank you all again, so, so much.

Amanda, thank you so much for sharing your story :hug: You've accomplished so much, and you've done it the right way. Slow and steady loss, nothing drastic, and you've accomplished much more than weight loss. I appreciate that you shared your tough spots, like your plateau from ****. It sounds like your goal and your final accomplishment was better health, but you look absolutely fabulous!

:congrat:

Suzanne - oh yes, my health. I'm a little bit like Trazey though - a liar! Note that what finally drove me to lose weight wasn't my health, though I was worried about it for sure, but the idea of being in a wedding dress in front of a hundred people. In the end I got both - better health in addition to looking better and being happier. It's a win win!

Wow! I have tears in my eyes! What a wonderful story, and what an awesome, inspiring story. Congratulations to you and your partner. :) Amazing!

Congratulations to both you and Sarah, for your weight loss success and your committment to each other. Thank you for sharing, Amanda. What an inspiration you are!

Oh, Amanda, you know that this is AMAZING! :)

I am so proud of and happy for you! And thank you for providing your (extra long) story; it is very thoughtful and generous to allow us all such insight into your journey.

Yay!! :yay:

JustMare and Jane - thank you! There goes that "inspiring" word again! It really blows me away.

ShrinkingChica - You're so sweet! And I dunno about "generous" - I was pretty excited to write it (heck, I have been writing it in my head throughout the 6 month plateau).

Absolutely wonderful post!! So inspiring and meaningful and beautiful. Post that recipe for pork loin, willya??

Jen

Glory - recipe? Its the "other white meat" - you can do SO much with it. I use it in so many ways. It is great with a spice rub or marinade and simply baked, then sliced. I butterfly it, pound it flat, and lay the top with spices, roasted red pepper, basil or spinach leaves, and maybe a few laughing cow wedges, then roll it up and roast. I slice it into long strips and use it in stirfries. Once I baked it with simple spices and quickly cooked up some apple slices with cinnamon, a small amount of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan, creating a great "pork chops and applesauce" type dish. I've slowly simmered it in a pan of chicken broth until it is falling apart, then shredded and mixed with bbq sauce - serve in a pita for tasty bbq pork sandwiches.

I've got a vision in my head of glazing with a sauce of pumpkin butter, chicken broth, and maybe some fresh sage and a hint of cayenne. That same "pork and applesauce" type sweetness with a little difference.
Pork tenderloin, with the fat trimmed, is comparable nutritionally to chicken:

3 oz. of chicken (skinless breast, cooked and trimmed) *

140 calories; 25g protein; 3.1g fat (0.9g saturated, 0.7g polyunsaturated); 73g cholesterol

3 oz. of pork (tenderloin, cooked and trimmed) *

139 calories; 24g protein; 4.1g fat (1.4g saturated, 0.49 polyunsaturated); 67g cholesterol

Edited to add: Just be sure not to cook it to death! It is so lean, it does dry out, so cook until just firm and opaque in the center - just like a chicken breast roasted for 45 min will be dry, so will a pork tenderloin. And let it rest before carving.

Thanks!!! All of that sounds fabulous - especially the part about the cheese wedges. What do you set the oven to? (I've never cooked pork!)

Amanda, thank you so much for sharing your amazing, inspiring story. You're just such an important part of 3FC -- I've learned so much from you and have been so happy for you as you've met with so much success. We're so lucky to have you as part of this board -- and I don't know if I ever told you how beautiful you looked in your wedding photos, but you were simply stunning!