Okie newbie!
Hi! My name is Michelle. I'm 33 and am sick and tired of being fat and tired!
I wasn't always overweight. In high school, I was so skinny that kids made fun of me. I didn't have to do anything to stay thin and I developed bad eating habits. I worked full time at KFC where it was common for me to eat dinner 5 nights a week. The other two evenings I was away at basketball games (as the teams' manager) where I ate a lot of concession stand and gas station food. It was not unheard of for me to scarf down a full size bag of Doritos or Funyuns and a 1 liter of Dr. Pepper.
I went into the military right after high school and put on a lot of weight but not inches so I'm assuming it was all from building muscle. About a year into my service, I became pregnant with my first child. I had the worst "morning" sickness and didn't gain much weight during the whole pregnancy. In fact, I walked out of the hospital in my pre-pregnancy jeans zipped, though a little snug, after delivering a healthy 7 lb 3 oz daughter.
During the last trimester, I started coughing really bad. I finally ended up in the ER because of the coughing and breathing issues. The ER doc was reluctant to diagnose me with anything and referred me back to the base doctors. I spent the last trimester and the following year in and out of doc appointments. The final diagnosis was asthma and I received a medical discharge.
This was such a shock and a huge disappointment. I had planned on being career military and therefore had no plan beyond the military. I moved back home with my 9-month-old daughter and her father. I know now that I was depressed during this time and to make things worse, my ex left me and my daughter not long after. After my discharge and up until he left, I had put on about 40 pounds. Even so, I still was OK looking even though I wasn't the skinny minnie from before. Also during this time, we eventually figured out what asthma meds worked.
Fast forward 12 years - I am now 100 pounds heavier than when I was in the military. I know part of it is from bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. I'm not sure how large of a part the asthma meds have played in my weight gain.
I am dedicated to losing this extra 100 pounds and hope to do it in a year's time. I just hope I can stay focused and dedicated. It helps that my husband is also working on losing a few pounds and is supportive.
Thanks for reading this and I can't wait to see what the next year brings!
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