Major Changes

I'm reaching out to the MFP community for some much-needed support right now. I recently got out of a 2.5 year abusive relationship. In that time, I gained weight and changed a lot about myself to make my partner happy. Never again. I'm getting back to the old me. I love being active, she didn't. She didn't enjoy hiking or biking or working out in general. I stopped doing a lot of those things because I wanted to do them with her, and not many of my friends wanted to, either. We fell into the habit of eating poorly, too. I know I feel better and function better on a balanced diet (I also eat 3-4 small meals a day). She would eat one bad meal each day that probably had around 2500 calories in it, and I'd eat 2-3 small meals then go out to eat with her. So, I started packing on the pounds. I don't blame the relationship for the weight gain, I just wish I hadn't compromised my personal health for it.

To compound things, I broke my leg last summer and have only been walking since October, and that was painful. I still can't run more than .25 mile without my knee hurting. I can swim, bike, or use the elliptical as much as I want. I miss running! I had a lateral tibial plateau fracture--has anyone else ever had that? (My tibia will always have a 3mm dent in it, causing cartilage pain on impact until the cartilage naturally wears down and smooths out) How long did your injury take to recover? Can you run without pain yet? I want to do a 5k this May, and a 10k this fall. Small goals.

I joined a gym near my job and have been going 4-5 times a week, except for last week when we had an ice storm hit Atlanta (national news because it was "only 2 inches of snow".) I've lost 7.5lbs since January 17th. I haven't lost anything this week, maybe because I wasn't at the gym that much. My ultimate goal is to get down to 160 or 155, which would be about a size 6-8 for my frame and height. I haven't been that weight in about a decade.

Groupon had a great deal on yoga and dance classes, so I'm hoping my alternating the dance (lower impact classes but high energy) and yoga and gym during the week, I can up my calorie burn and keep building lean muscle. I'm doing light weight training, stretching, yoga, and dance at home every day for an hour while I watch TV.

My psychological health has taken a hit. I feel like I'm wearing a skin or suit of my past and I'm clawing at it to get it off of me. But that suit is made of fat and regret. That's why I'm reaching out to get some advice and support. I just want to move on but I don't feel like I can until I can see the old me in the mirror.

Any encouraging words?

I live in the Atlanta area, so if anyone ever wants to go hiking or bike the Silver Comet Trail, send me a message. Springtime is approaching!