Half The Person I Used To Be...

(Edited from original post)

I have been overweight pretty much my entire life, and I was never one of those overweight girls that was okay with being over weight. At a doctors appointment that I had been avoiding for years, due to the fact I knew I was heavy, I just didn't care of know just how heavy I was. But I went anyways, I had blood drawn and was told to come back in a few weeks for the results.

At my first appointment I had not looked at the scale...this time I did...I was over 300lbs! Once in with the doctor she informed me that I was a pre-diabetic and that at my weight and with this health condition right around the corner that if something didn't change I would be in poor health and it would only get worse. I walked away just stunned at what I had let happen to myself. A diabetic? Really? I was too young to have such a serious health condition...but my doctor did say that it was reversible at this point, so long a I made some changes rather quickly.

I joined Weight Watchers for a few months, the accountability was great and what I needed but I wanted to know more about health and nutrition and being active. So, once I had lost a little weight with WW I joined my local Curves. It was the only place I knew I would be comfortable enough to workout regularly and it would give me the accountability that I was looking for.

So I started to workout regularly, three or four times a week and I made small changes to what I ate...to really eliminate the chance of becoming a diabetic I cut out all simple carbs and sugars, white bread, white rice, white potatoes...and also kicked six a day Coke Zero habit. My first year at Curves I lost almost 90lbs!

That first year was tough, but when I think back the only thing that I have done different to every other time I had tried to lose weight was not quit. I gained back 15lbs at one point when I feel back into old habits, and even all this time later I can still say that old habits die hard and I have to be mindful of what I eat.

Fast forward 3 years, and losing 140lbs I spent almost another year trying to tighten up the lose skin on my stomach. I ate about 90 percent clean, incorporated weight training, at well as Spin and HIIT aerobics. Nothing worked, so instead of being miserable about the loose skin and the fact that I had lost so much weight and still had to wear oversized clothes to cover my hanging belly skin I did something about it and had it removed, think extended tummy tuck to address some of the extra skin on my thighs too and a vertical incision to address the loose skin above my belly button and on my back. Clearly once the procedure was done I was justified in knowing it was the only way as the doctor removed 8lbs of skin.

I wont lie, losing this much weight on my own has not been easy...but its been so worth it! My biggest struggles would be my health issues which include thyroid problems, depression, an ankle injury that re-occurred more times than I care to remember, and I have degenerative disk disease which is pretty sever and very painful but none of these were enough of a reason to carry around so much extra weight.

How did I lose the weight? Well, I really, really wanted it! Like really, really bad! More than I wanted that large #1 from Wendys with a large frosty, more than the cake and ice cream at the countless kids birthday parties we attended (we being myself and my two wonderful daughters). I wanted to workout more than sleeping in every morning...I just really, really wanted it!

I also didn't want for my daughters to suffer with the problems that I did from being overweight as a child and then a teen, and then an adult...I knew I didn't want them to have the some problems that I did. Not just health wise, but being comfortable in a bathing suit around friends and being able to wear what everyone else is wearing and feel comfortable and look good! My getting fit has become a whole family activity...my girls who are 6 and 10 are learning by doing on a basis...we take walks as a family, playing at the park means that I am the mother who is sliding down the slide (and yes, I fit!!!!) and climbing up the rock wall while other parents sit on the benches.

Everyone has their own battles when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. I am not, nor will I ever be the skinny girl...but that was never my goal...I just didn't want to die and I didn't want to set my girls up for failure by teaching them all of my unhealthy habits.

Once you want it, more than you want anything else then it really does become easier. I still plan meals, I still plan time for activity and I am still educating myself on just what is best for me and my family. But I would say that at this point I am a success...the pants and shirt in my before picture are both a size 32, I was 315lbs and over 50 percent body fat at my heaviest...today, I am a size 8/10, 165lbs and 26 percent body fat...and if I can do it, with everything that I have had to struggle through, then there is no reason why any one else cant do it too. Once you identify your struggles, own them and then make a plan that you can stick with, and you stick with it...the only person stopping you will be yourself...