I joined WW in 2007 after my sister and I had returned from a trip to Las Vegas. I was so large I almost could not buckle the seatbelt on the airplane. Since I wasn’t really aware of seatbelt extensions, I thought I would have to fake it when the flight attendant came by to check. The following month, I joined WW.
When I wrote this story, I had actually gotten down to an all time low weight of 164 pounds and was 10 pounds below my goal weight of175 pounds. I am not sure if that weight was really maintainable. It could have been the changes in my life and job workload in my second year of maintenance that made it harder to keep up with my extensive exercise routine. It could also be a combination of both. I currently maintain my weight around 175 pounds and know I am still a success even if “I used to be 10 pounds lighter.”
Here is my story I wrote several years ago:
It is funny. I never had an actual idea of what I looked like. I never liked pictures so unless Mom or Dad took pictures at each birthday celebration I didn’t always have a picture. When I would see one I’d not even believe it was me. A mirror does not do justice. I looked in mirrors everyday never really seeing what I looked like. I was active (although just socially), I was outgoing, and I was just a fun person to be around. I loved myself for me. When my Mom would recommend some sort of weight loss program saying, “You can be fat after you get married” I’d tell her, “I want somebody to love me for me. Not just somebody they like to look at.” And I stood my ground. Slowly getting larger and larger in the process!!!
I’ve been on Weight Watchers (known as WW) before. I did it once with my Mom when I was younger. I wasn’t doing WW for me. I was doing it for my Mom. She felt I needed to lose weight. My Mom was always trying some new diet. We were always trying to find ways to lose weight. Between my junior and senior year of high school we went on this new program called the Prism Diet (no not Prison Diet like it sounds when you say it although sometimes it felt like prison.) You couldn’t have any white flour, potatoes,or refined sugar for six weeks. It was hard but I adjusted. I also lost 30 lbs in three months. I was about 180 when Igraduated from high school. I rememberwearing a size 14 jeans and feeling good about myself.
I suppose I just started getting heavier and heavier in college. Living the single life and enjoying life in general. I can’t really say it was one thing or another. Poor food decisions and no exercise I suppose. I remember going to the doctor and slowly the scale started to increase. In the days before digital scales, when the nurse weighed you to be polite they always started the weight at the 200 lb marker. I always told them to start it at the 250 lb marker as I knew I was over 250. One day she moved it to the 300 lb marker. I couldn’t even believe I was over 300lbs. How did I get this way and why didn’t anybody tell me??
So I joined WW. I cried the day after I signed up while on the phone to Mom. I didn’t know how I was supposed to take this list of healthy foods and make a meal out of it when I ate out for all of my meals. She told me if it was going to be that hard then to just quit. (Mom has said this to me at a couple of different crossroads in life. It serves its purpose as I don’t quit anything). I decided to make WW work for me. I continued to eat out and make good food decisions and lost weight along the way. Slowly my healthy eating got even healthier and I started cooking at home and trying out different recipes.
The weeks leading up to getting to goal were tough. I had set a goal for 175 lbs,which was the goal I set with my doctor. WW’s goals are based on the BMI (Body Mass Index) chart. According to my height of 5’6” I have to weigh 155. I remembered my last successful weight loss journey in high school. I was happy at 180. I thought I looked good at 180. So we set the goal for 175.
Weight Watchers helped me lose 140 pounds. My very first meeting I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 304.8 lbs and now I weigh 164 lbs. I’ve gone from a size 26 jeans to a size 10/12. I no longer wear a size XXXL shirt. I am now a size medium. I’ve lost 46% of my total body weight and my Body Mass Index went from 49 to 26.
It is amazing what an impact weight loss can have on a person. It is way more than just losing pounds or looking good. For me it was a whole life change. It was making the outside match how I felt on the inside. No longer hiding and no longer allowing myself to make excuses. I’m active, I’m alive, and I love my life. I have a great husband, great family and great friends. My support system is HUGE! And I am grateful for each and every one of my supporters.
Weight loss is possible. For whatever reason you choose to motivate you and whatever program you choose to assist you – embrace the change. Enjoy the journey. Remind yourself why you are on this journey and what you want to accomplish. Set small goals. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, and weddings all come throughout the year. Remember that they are just one day. Enjoy the day and then get right back on track. Keep at it even when you have again at the scale or a bad day where you eat more than you should have. Don’t give up. Put yourself first because YOU are worth it!
Here are some comparison photos:
The first two photos are taken at the same 5K event a few years apart. My sister Katie is on the left, I am in the middle, and my sister Jenny is on the right. My niece Hailey is in the stroller.
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