What a long, strange trip it's been...

doglvr_75 · June 2008

My battle with the bulge has been on since I hit puberty :blushing: many, many, oh so many years ago. In the 1st grade, I was diagnosed with a duodenal (sp) ulcer and put on a restrictive diet...(no grease, spice, limited dairy)...the family doctor referred to me as the "string bean" during these years. Unfortunately, once the ulcer was healed and my diet restrictions removed, I became a food-a-holic...my friends and I would walk the 6 - 10 blocks downtown to the bakery where we would consume mass quantities of pastries, then hike a few more blocks to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream chaser...:noway: But, it was all good, of course, because we were WALKING. Needless to say, I blossomed into what the doctor now referred to as a "chunk" (age 13/150+ pounds)....:devil: Kid sister to the rescue shortly after my 16th birthday with a bad case of the chicken pox :grumble: :sad: I had them so badly that I was unable to eat anything solid for about 2 weeks...Voila!!! My metabolism apparently changed and I was once again in the normal weight range...
Fast forward to married with children...I did very well with all 3 of my pregnancies..stayed within the normal weight gain and lost it with breast feeding (and after the first one..chasing little boys)...in my early 30's, I decided to get on the fitness wagon and began jumping rope, riding a stationary bike & finally running...I was in great physical shape...(around 125/size 5/6)...
Another fast forward to 1998...I began experiencing pain & tingling in my hands, clumsiness (more than usual),:ohwell: loss of balance & occasional inability to walk and/or grasp things with my hands...
diagnosis this time around "MS"...

:sad:

Aside from the sheer terror of this diagnosis, came 3 rounds of oral steroid treatments....Once again I blossomed...this time to a whopping 226 pounds...topping even my most extreme pregnancy weight...I was a huge size 22W when my husband commented that he didn't know how he was going to push me around in a wheel chair when the time came....this was my call to action...I joined WW at home, started walking and light strength training and over the course of a year and a half, lost 101 pounds..:drinker: ( I even had a couple pairs of size 4 slacks)....the rest of the story is in my profile...I broke my foot, moved 600 miles from home and became complacent which resulted in a weight gain of about 20 pounds....
BUT with the help of MFP,:smooched: I've nearly reached my goal on the scale and my fitness level is as good, if not better than when I was in my 30's...I'm back into my 5/6 clothes and feel better than ever.
So, that's my story in writing...check out the pics...
My words of wisdom???
1. It really is a lifestyle change & portion control is everything
2. With time, all things are possible
3. Slow & steady wins the race
4. You have to want to make the changes in order to succeed.....

Best of luck to all in your journey to better health!!!

Vicki

doglvr_75 · June 2008

My battle with the bulge has been on since I hit puberty :blushing: many, many, oh so many years ago. In the 1st grade, I was diagnosed with a duodenal (sp) ulcer and put on a restrictive diet...(no grease, spice, limited dairy)...the family doctor referred to me as the "string bean" during these years. Unfortunately, once the ulcer was healed and my diet restrictions removed, I became a food-a-holic...my friends and I would walk the 6 - 10 blocks downtown to the bakery where we would consume mass quantities of pastries, then hike a few more blocks to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream chaser...:noway: But, it was all good, of course, because we were WALKING. Needless to say, I blossomed into what the doctor now referred to as a "chunk" (age 13/150+ pounds)....:devil: Kid sister to the rescue shortly after my 16th birthday with a bad case of the chicken pox :grumble: :sad: I had them so badly that I was unable to eat anything solid for about 2 weeks...Voila!!! My metabolism apparently changed and I was once again in the normal weight range...
Fast forward to married with children...I did very well with all 3 of my pregnancies..stayed within the normal weight gain and lost it with breast feeding (and after the first one..chasing little boys)...in my early 30's, I decided to get on the fitness wagon and began jumping rope, riding a stationary bike & finally running...I was in great physical shape...(around 125/size 5/6)...
Another fast forward to 1998...I began experiencing pain & tingling in my hands, clumsiness (more than usual),:ohwell: loss of balance & occasional inability to walk and/or grasp things with my hands...
diagnosis this time around "MS"...

:sad:

Aside from the sheer terror of this diagnosis, came 3 rounds of oral steroid treatments....Once again I blossomed...this time to a whopping 226 pounds...topping even my most extreme pregnancy weight...I was a huge size 22W when my husband commented that he didn't know how he was going to push me around in a wheel chair when the time came....this was my call to action...I joined WW at home, started walking and light strength training and over the course of a year and a half, lost 101 pounds..:drinker: ( I even had a couple pairs of size 4 slacks)....the rest of the story is in my profile...I broke my foot, moved 600 miles from home and became complacent which resulted in a weight gain of about 20 pounds....
BUT with the help of MFP,:smooched: I've nearly reached my goal on the scale and my fitness level is as good, if not better than when I was in my 30's...I'm back into my 5/6 clothes and feel better than ever.
So, that's my story in writing...check out the pics...
My words of wisdom???
1. It really is a lifestyle change & portion control is everything
2. With time, all things are possible
3. Slow & steady wins the race
4. You have to want to make the changes in order to succeed.....

Best of luck to all in your journey to better health!!!

Vicki