My Story

msarobix

My Story

Back in 2010 I decided that enough was enough and I was finally going to take off all the weight I had gained, and I proceeded to lose 20 while participating in a group very similar to this one. But the moment that I quit that group I slowly put all that weight back on, so I created this group to keep me motivated to reach my goals and then stick with a healthy eating plan so that I never have to go through this again.

Here is my history.

I had been thin most of my life. My heavies is 161, which is where I started at the beginning of this year (2013). There seems to be something about that 160 mark that keeps me in check, when I get there I know I need to make drastic changes in my life.

I am 42 years old, and when I was growing up, in high school, I danced and really enjoyed it. I took several classes a week and was pretty active. In high school I was around 115 lbs, and maintained that weight even though I ate a lot of junk food. After I graduated I moved away from my home town and didn't dance anymore so I needed to find something to keep me active, so I took up aerobic exercise, which was as much fun as dancing for me. There was choreography and it was there was music, very much like the dance classes I took.

It wasn't long before I found out how easy it was to become an aerobic instructor. So I studied and took the test 6 months later, and became an aerobic instruction. I taught 4-8 classes a week for nearly 15 years. During this time I continued to eat anything and everything that I wanted, but I as I aged I slowly put on weight. My highest weight during this period I was about 137, but still very much an acceptable weight for my 5' 6" height.

Then in 2005, I was going to school to get my bachelors degree, working full time and still teaching aerobics 4 nights a week. Something just had to give, and at the time that was teaching aerobics. So I stopped cold turkey. I still worked out on my own, but not nearly has hard or as often as I was when I was teaching.

Later that same year I was in a car accident and for 18 months following the accident I couldn't barely get through the day let alone workout. And of course I was still eating all the junk I had become accustomed to. Slowly over these months I gained weight, at that time my highest was around 150. At this point, I was not happy with how I looked or felt, but there wasn't much I could do about it because I was still experiencing pain from the car accident a year and a half before.

Then I started to see a chiropractor and started to get some relief from the pain and as soon as I was able I got back to working out. The only problem was that having been sedentary for so long it was hard to make a habit of it again. I have always enjoyed working out, but just couldn't make it a habit. And over the next couple of years I added an addition 10 lbs to my body, to take me up to 160.

This is the point where I really put my foot down and said enough is enough, and I joined Biggest Loser Club. I worked hard and stuck with my diet and within 4 months I had lost 20 lbs. At that time I thought, I knew what I need to do, and what I need to eat, I didn't need to keep paying for the service on Biggest Loser Club, so I canceled my membership.

I was able to maintain my weight for awhile, but slowly it all crept back on as I started to fall back into my old habits of eating way too much, and not working out nearly enough. Which brings me right back to the weight I was 2 years before.

I now realize that no matter how much weight you lose, or if you get to your goal weight, you still need to monitor your calorie intake and exercise on a regular basis. Once at your goal weight you can eat more calories, and still maintain your weight, but you can't be going overboard every single day, and not workout to compensate for the extra calories.

So I am here, to lose it all over again, and I hope this time I have learned my lesson and will keep it off for good, because I really do not like how I look or feel at this weight and it is so disappointing that I let myself regain that weight.

Tina

P.S. If you are interested you can check out my group here on MFP.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/12853-truly-committed-boot-camp

SockBunny

Tina,

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Squamation

I now realize that no matter how much weight you lose, or if you get to your goal weight, you still need to monitor your calorie intake and exercise on a regular basis. Once at your goal weight you can eat more calories, and still maintain your weight, but you can't be going overboard every single day, and not workout to compensate for the extra calories.

This is a great point that I think many people miss the first time they lose a lot of weight. All the best of luck.