One year later...106 pounds gone!

Exactly one year ago, a friend of mine told me about MFP while we were at work. I went home and stepped on the scale and it didn't work. I went directly to the store to buy a new one and to my dismay, the first one was NOT broken! It just didn't go that high. After sitting on the edge of the bath tub, I wiped the tears and created an MFP account. It was so hard to type in the weight, but I made my finger press "299!" I then vowed that I would NEVER see that number again.

I started walking a mile or two every day, then I added some workout videos and started changing my eating habits. I am happy to report that I have now walked more than 1300 miles since last July, I can't even begin to count the number of Leslie Sansone videos I have completed, and I have even joined a gym and have started to transition into some running and weight lifting!

I could never have gotten to this point without the support of my 72 year old father, who is now walking with me 2 or 3 times a week. One year ago, we went for a walk. We did 4 miles in an hour and 15 minutes. When I got back in the car, I sobbed because I saw the limitations of my body and it broke my heart because I had such a desire to be able to do more, but my body could NOT meet my expectations. Fast forward one year...exactly one year later, I went for a 4 mile walk and I added hills and running...and I did it in under 50 minutes! I went home that day and cried again, but not because of what my body couldn't do, but because of what I had trained my body to be able to do!

I started this journey for me. I wanted to be a healthier person. I wanted to fit into those smaller pretty clothes that all of my co-workers could wear. I wanted to be able to play with my students at recess without feeling like I was going to pass out. I teach very small children who didn't see me as overweight. They drew pictures of me at the beginning of the year and made me look like I was skinny. It was my job to become the woman that they could see with their eyes of unconditional love. By the end of the school year, I had dropped over 100 pounds and had dropped from a size 24W to a size 16! I have run into parents who introduce themselves to me because they don't recognize me, even though I had taught their older children. And nothing gives me more motivation than to have a former student walk up to me and say, "I can't believe what you have done. You look amazing!" It was time for me to start practicing what I preached. And yes, I do play with them at recess now! We jump rope, we run, and I have even been known to move all of the desks in the room and put on tennis shoes and have them do 15 minutes of my workout video with me. If I can be an example of health to even one child, then every drop of blood, sweat, and tears would be worth it.

I have to thank all of my MFP friends for their support and love throughout my whole journey. I especially have to thank my "FIRST" MFP friend. She made me realize that I could do this, but that I needed more support...and now I have so many people who cheer me on everyday! MFP has been my saving grace. I would have given up long ago without this resource.

I still have a few pounds to go to hit the first MFP goal I set for myself, and I would like to lose an additional 35 or 40 pounds, but I'm in no hurry. I have learned that this is not a sprint, it is a marathon. For the obsessive/compulsive girl, I sometimes get very impatient and discouraged, but then I look at this picture and no longer see how far I still have to go...I look at this picture and see how far I have come!

For any of you who are struggling with getting motivated or feeling discouraged...please don't give up. Rely on you MFP friends. Allow yourself to shed a tear or two and then wipe your eyes and lace up those shoes. If this lazy girl could transform into an athlete, so can YOU!



The first picture was taken in May 2012 at my highest weight. The second picture was taken just a few days ago at 193 pounds!