me so far 52lbs gone pics inside

sue_stef

I said I would do this when I lost 50lbs so here it is my story so far

I have always been fat
I was the chubby kid cute but not skinny
I was the chubby friend as a teen again cute but more a side character
I was a fat adult (still am)
plus sized clothes, limited movement and crappy diet and 5 kids(yes 5 kids) lead to well a not so attractive body
I know some would call it ugly but I'm cute so I can get away with it

What I can't get away with is poor health
Last fall (mid November) I found a lump
scared me too
I made an appointment with the doc
since it had been so long I also needed a check up
I was NOT looking forward to it
On December 2nd I went in did the blood work
got on the scale
241lbs (I'm 5ft 2in tall BTW)
not the heaviest I have ever been but still morbidly obese I joked with the nurse about it (heaviest I have ever been not PG is 275lbs)

Then she took my BP
200/99
you have my attention
the doctor came in and looked like someone kicked her puppy
she gave me my numbers
cholesterol was very high
A1C of 9.7
this is bad very very bad
she then started talking about medications

while most people would be all for it
I started to cry
I have a very good reason to NOT be on meds


if this works right you will see my main reason
my youngest is 6 yrs old severely autistic non verbal
there is not a lock he cannot undo not a bottle he cannot open
those meds would kill him

I begged for some time give me a chance to get it under control give me 3 months
I got 2 before a new appointment and a new set of tests

so I began
the next day I came onto MFP started my account again
my goal
move 30 minutes a day minimum
eat low salt low sugar low carb
I put my research skills to use
I knew I had read somewhere about a study that was done about "curing" type 2 diabetes
my goal was not curing but control
severe obsessive control

eating low sugar low salt low carb BTW is not an easy task
the first month I lost 16lbs
yes I "dieted" over the holidays
my splurge was Christmas day I had 3 Christmas cookies
and a ton of Turkey

I have used my cooking skills to find and make low salt low sugar versions of foods I like
I have found vegetables that are not horrific (my inner fat kid throws a tantrum at the idea of carrot sticks but tolerates spinach and tomatoes)
I used my Christmas gift card from my MIL to get myself a fitbit flex
within a couple weeks I was able to get my BP under control (I monitor it at home)
I felt better
I no longer needed a nap in the afternoon to survive the day
headaches are not there
I felt better
I was using Leslie Sansone walking videos as well a walking around my small town
I lost another 16lbs in January
My doctors appointment in February
my A1c was down to 7.1
doc said since that counts November she wants a solid 3 months of me eating my new way before considering meds again I go back in May
Cholesterols normal
BP normal
that lump still there we are keeping an eye on it
(yes I had a mammogram and an ultrasound)

NOW for pics of me
none of them are very flattering but here goes
In January I was wearing a size 20 it was tight I started in December wearing a tight size 24W jeans
Here is a picture from January when I did a diet bet with some friends of mine


and here is picture from April 6th when I was able to put on my "goal" pants a size 14 capris I bought a couple years ago at a good will



I have a long way to go according to the charts I should weight on the heavy side 135lbs
I have not been that small since sophomore year in high school
I'm now the "thinnest" I have been since I was in high school

the weight loss has been a side effect of working toward getting my diet and exercise under control
I have to say I love it
Im thrilled at how I feel
I love people in town stopping me asking what I have done
I would not trade feeling this good for anything
not even chocolate and a big broasted chicken (my favorite foods ever)

I have even lost weight in my feet I can wear a pair of heels that have not fit in 15 years
the biggest thing I did for myself was to cut the crap

so there it is
I'll post here again when I hit 75lbs lost
sure hope I got those pics to work

there fixed them

tannadine

You've made such an amazing transformation already and your health stats speak for themselves! Thank you for sharing your story - and all the best for the rest of your journey!

fourluvbugs

Minus 52 pounds looks great on your friend! Isn't it amazing what a little health scare can do for you? And now you are in so far I'm sure there is no going back! I look forward to cheering for you as you keep your momentum going.... and I LOVE that you shared your progress so far. Yay!!

caveninit

You're amazing...truly. Congrats on an amazing life change!

kadpotts

Congratulations! I love the way you posted !

mrsmjp

Great job!!! You look fantastic and I cannot wait to see your next post!! Keep up the good work!

lensperry

Great job!

debbiedoeshealth

This is a great story. I know the inspiration to begin was your son but you have got to be very proud of yourself and must now see yourself as the motivator.

Great job.!

codycsweet

Great job thank you for sharing.

SnuggleSmacks

You found your inspiration, and he's obviously worth it :-) Great job!

loriemn

your doing great! BTW,that son of yours! sooo adorable!

MizMimi111

Fantastic!

mandybear014

Great job! :drinker:
I'm looking forward to your next update. Thank you for sharing.

MEK1960

The best reason of all to get healthy and stay healthy! Thanks for sharing and keep on going!

design1414

That is soooo awesome!!! Congratulations. You look fabulous. What a great choice you made to get healthy instead of a bunch of pills. Way to go!

kandy1436

That is awesome!!! Good for you!!!

elghee123

awesome job!

VTorres26

Great Story!

Put tears of joy in my eyes as I am going through the same thing you are. I have diabetes and am working hard to loose the weight and not seeing any results yet.

I have three kids and now I see things in a new light!

GREAT JOB! You should be very proud of yourself!

sue_stef

Thanks everyone!
It gets easier the more I do.
reading labels has become second nature
measuring weighing just a part of it

counting calories is the easy part
watching salt more difficult
avoiding sugar is not too bad at first cutting out refined sugar and treats was not easy but it gets better
I also do not drink as much coffee as I used to and I sleep so much better now

If you are just starting out and want to give up don't it gets better
I have to say quitting smoking was harder than this (did that 2 years ago when my kids had whopping cough)

sue_stef

Great Story!

Put tears of joy in my eyes as I am going through the same thing you are. I have diabetes and am working hard to loose the weight and not seeing any results yet.

I have three kids and now I see things in a new light!

GREAT JOB! You should be very proud of yourself!

Hi I accepted your friend request
If you have any questions or if I can help in any way let me know
for some cutting out refined sugar is not enough
you also have to cut all sugar this includes fruit sugar and the higher sugar vegetables (sweet potatoes carrots ) that is for SOME diabetics not all have problems with those
Another thing I have found is some diabetics have problems with artificial sweeteners the "sugar free" foods have sugar alcohols in them for sweetening for some diabetics this affected them same way
I basically cut out all of that
Sodium I keep under 1500mgs
at one point my doctor was concerned with high urine protein levels and the dietician at the office said to cut protein levels to 60mgs a day
that is where I drew the line
I am not an air fern
I just kept eating the way I was and the following month things improved

Livin4me1969

You look great and should be very proud of what you have done already! It is hard work lowering those number and you have managed to do it very quickly. Good Luck on the continued journey!:drinker:

KristenElizabeth7

WOW!!!! That is all I have to say... well... and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

sue_stef

your doing great! BTW,that son of yours! sooo adorable!

Thanks so much! he is very cute his nick name is QT (also his initials)
hubs and I joke that we could hire him out as a personal trainer
he is in constant motion bouncing, climbing, spinning, running, bouncing

zombiemomjo

Wow! Excellent progress! You are inspirational!!!

I'm with you on the children being a motivator (your son is absolutely adorable!). I'm an older mom, and my dad died at 38 of a massive heart attack. He was healthy. When I hit that age, I had anxiety attacks about leaving my young sons without a mother. I keep fighting every day for them.

gkauf744

I love that you did this with Leslie Sansone. I have a tendency to put down my workouts, and tell myself if I'm not doing P90x or lifting heavy it doesn't count. But it does count! You are proof! Thank you!

DAM5412

Love this! Thank you for sharing. Keep up the good work!

jessicagilb

Great story & awesome job bringing those numbers down in only 2 months!! You look great also, and way more confident!

janeishavingtrouble

Congratulations! Hope to join you someday.

itzehoe

VERY WELL DONE!!

amyford25

I don't post very often, but your story really moved me this morning. Thanks for such great inspiration and congrats, you look great! :happy:

sue_stef

I love that you did this with Leslie Sansone. I have a tendency to put down my workouts, and tell myself if I'm not doing P90x or lifting heavy it doesn't count. But it does count! You are proof! Thank you!

between eating better the Leslie Sansone videos walking around town and walking on a treadmill (just got that 2 weeks ago) it makes a difference
I use the fitbit to track the steps so do not rely on MFPs calorie burn for those and it is not really (according to the fitbit) a full __ miles most videos run about half the miles they say they do
they count the miles based on the beats of the music but the moves are not to every beat
the good thing about them
they are fun
they are easy
they make you sweat
they are a great place to start

Walking is fabulous exercise
I am not a runner
I do lift a bit (not as much as I should I need to remedy that)
and I cannot flop on the floor doing burpees (I have diastasis recti)

according to your ticker you are doing great too keep it up!