As of today, I've officially reached my initial weight loss goal of 135 pounds. I'm having trouble letting it sink in that I actually did it. I did it!!! I'm going to post before/after pictures soon. I'm still getting used to being comfortable enough to take pictures.
On 9/24/13 I weighed 285 and a size 24. My doctor told me that day about all of the dangers I was in at only 30 years old with all of my recent lab work, on top of my high blood pressure, and that I needed to lose weight. All it did was make me mad and make me want to eat more each time she talked with me about my weight. Then about a week later I ended up in the Emergency Room for the first time in my life with racing heart beat, shortness of breath, and dizziness. My blood pressure was really high. When I got home that night, I was lying there next to my two-year-old daughter thinking about how I needed to live for her. I needed to change things because I didn't want her to grow up without her mother. I love her too much to leave her, especially when there is something that I can do about it.
It took me about two more weeks to finally get the courage to start my journey, but once I did I never looked back. For the last 11 months I have worked very hard. Everything I did was on my own, no diet tricks- just eating healthy and exercising. I used the Lose It app to help me track everything. I made sure I was active all of the time, and I exercised usually six days per week. I started slow and gradually increased and pushed myself to go further than I thought I could and would constantly surprise myself that I could do things I never thought I could do. I decided to start running in May. Even though I was in pretty good shape, I still could not run for more than a few minutes without losing my breath. Now I can easily run four miles when I feel like going for a run. I love exercise, and it is a part of my life that I look forward to each day. I have changed my entire lifestyle, and I'm actually very happy with it. I don't really miss things that are no longer in my diet, and I still reward myself when I need to. My blood pressure is now 116/60 at my last doctor visit, and no lingering health issues. I can now be healthy for my daughter and someone she can be proud of.
As of today, 11 months later, I am 150 pounds and a size 6. It has been an adjustment getting used to life in my new body, but it's an adjustment I'm happy with. My doctor followed me all through the process and was okay with everything I did. I'm so excited that I've reached my goal. I still have a little bit of work to do, but not much. I just told myself that the day I reached my goal I would make sure to get on here and share my story. I just want to let people know that it is possible. With hard work, one year can make a huge difference in your life!
:congrats:
