As a means of introduction

sierra_lucy

Hello everyone! I am in the middle of a weight loss journey. In the year 2000 I was a very fit and active 29 year old. I weighed 142 pounds, mostly solid muscle, and wore a size 6. I ran 3.5 miles daily and followed up with basic strength training and ab work at my gym. I lived my 20's in this lifestyle and did take pride in my body and appearance and felt I worked hard for it.

I never was on any particular "diet". I ate what I wanted, within reason of course, and the physical activity kept any weight gain off me. Things were good and I was loving life.

Fast forward to Sept 2000. I suffered a sports-related injury and sprained ligaments in my sacro-iliac joint (si joint). This catapulted to problems down my spine in my disks in my back. The chronic pain I felt was immeasurable and it totally sidelined me from any phsyical activity.

It also became impossible for me to work. I underwent three very involved surgeries to fuse my si joints. It did not help. I also then developed a nerve and circulatory pain condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and lost total control of my life and became EXTREMELY depressed.

By the spring of 2002 I had to move back to my parents home, and there I rarely left my old bedroom, in fact, I very rarely left the house except to go to Dr appointments. I can not begin to explain the sort of pain I live with. Many with RSD committ suicide as they simply can not endure it. It is just horrible.

During that time I got absolutely no physical activity whatsoever and my metabolism was shot. I made poor choices in food and got into a very bad habit of drinking 2 2-liters of regular (not diet) soda. In total by last year I had gaine over 150 pounds and weighed in at Dr's in the 290's and at my highest point once at 306.

I had totally given up on life. However, I have been slowly picking up the pieces. While I will likely never get out of this pain and reclaim all of my physical activities and career again -- I am working on living the best way I can in a modified life. Part of this includes getting my weight under control.

I have not allowed a camera on me or near me in many years, as I was so uncomfortable with my size and I didn't want to see it staring back at me. However, last July a picture was taken at a family reunion and I was in the photo as I couldn't imagine explaining to everyone why I refused to be in the photo.

When I saw this photo about a month later and I saw the size of myself next to everyone in photo -- all the rest thin -- I literally felt sick to my stomach and it was like an awakening and I decided right then and there that I was going to lose this weight!

In August I gave up my soda habit and switched to water with the occasional treat of diet soda. Within a few months I lossed 30 pounds from that alone. In October I joined the Y as warm water exercise is the only thing I can handle with my back, si joints, and RSD. They have a aqua cardio class which I started to go to several times a week and within another couple of months more weight started to melt off.

In January I decided to take a long hard look at my diet and began to nearly eliminate carbs and sugars and even more weight came off.

Today I am 215 and have lost over 80 pounds since August. I now monitor my sugars and carbs and do cardio class in the pool 4X a week and an aqua toning class 2X a week.

My goal is to be under 200 by the time we get to summer, 7 weeks from now (June 21 starts summer). And then ultimately my end goal weight is 150 which I'd like to see happen next fall.

I am glad I found this board so now I can monitor my calories and keep an even firmer grip of how many calories I am eating exactly. I am also happy to find some like-minded people who are on their own weight loss journeys. So that's my story, sorry for the length of it.

Look forward to meeting everyone! - Deana