Weight loss is not linear---237 lbs later and loving life

I have written success stories four times before—back in September 2013 when I was 116 lbs down, the next month when having lost that much weight allowed me to do an amazing charity rappel down an office building in downtown San Antonio, in February 2014 when I crossed from Obese class II, or “morbidly obese” to a mere “obese,” and then in May 2014 when I completed my first triathlon.

After that I did what many of us do, I celebrated and cut loose…and started gaining. I got in to a relationship with one of my best friends after 14 years of friendship, and by November 2014, I was pregnant with our daughter. The pregnancy was very hard on my body and I was put on bed rest various times. Exercise was out. Sex was out. The only comfort I had left was food, and boy did I find comfort in it. Then my beautiful baby girl was born, and her mommy was over 300 lbs again. So there I was, responsible for a tiny human and did not really resemble the woman my now husband fell in love with. She kept getting bigger and more alert and started pulling herself up to stand and then started walking and I realized I'd have to keep up with her. And what kind of example is a Mom who sits on the couch and stuffs her face?

By the way- here are a few very old pics for reference. The kid in the pics has grown up since but they give you an idea of maximum density brookielaw. (And I haven't shared them before).


So there I was, super morbidly obese again. (Again, not AS super morbidly obese as in those 2 pics, but really when you're that super morbidly obese, whats' the difference? The reference point for this post is more like the "before" half of my icon.) The first trigger to make me lose weight in 2013 and 2014 was the realization that colleagues and friends were dropping like flies. Back then it hurt to be me. I got winded so easily and my osteoarthritis (OA) was so bad that I walked like the tin man. When my daughter was born I hadn’t gained back ALL of my weight, but enough to where I was at the deeper end of the “fat lady” stores again…and I was responsible for a tiny human! I don’t know what the exact moment of the wake-up call was, but at some point before my daughter turned one I realized that I had to at least get that baby weight off of me. I was walking like the tin man again, and huffing and puffing. Little Bit hit so many of her milestones early, pulling herself up to stand on her own at 7 months, and I knew that walking wouldn’t be far behind. She was toddling unassisted steps at 9 months and running shortly thereafter….this kid does NOT slow down. I realized I had not only to keep up with her but to lead by example. How much fun was I going to have as a parent sitting on my rear? My husband and I were already in our 40’s and bound to be mistaken for her grandparents at some point, but did we have to act like Grandparents? What was I teaching her?

To top it off, all of those cool things I was able to do after losing weight before, like rappelling, kayaking, riding amusement park rides, and white water rafting were out of my reach.

So there I was, back to the drawing board and back to mfp.

It took me until my daughter was 14 months old to lose the “baby weight.” That was in September of 2016. In October I signed my husband and me up for our first family 5K, and I came in dead last…but I finished. We started walking a monthly family 5K, and I fully admit, I bribed my fellow Star Wars nerd of a spouse with bling from the Jedi Training Academy series on an online virtual runs website. We collected the series. I was making better choices, eating less, and more weight began coming off. I got back to my first love, the swimming pool, and worked my way back up to 3 to 4 miles of swimming a week. I also went back to my former trainer and started lifting again. I got below 200 lbs, which was a feat I had only accomplished very temporarily in the mid-90s but never sustained. I kept moving, making better choices, and religiously ensuring CI<CO. I also discovered CICO + Keto* = no hanger for me. (*You do you. This is in combination with CICO, and both work for me).

Then one day I hit a new benchmark. At 166 and change, I was merely “overweight!” There was much celebration. I bought myself the t-rex costume I was coveting and I’ve been having a blast, showing up for doctor’s appointments, surprising my trainer, picking my stepdaughter up from school, and walking through the lobby of the 5-star hotel we checked out of Mother’s Day weekend. Oh, yeah, and I completed that same triathlon from 3 years ago, but this time at 165 lbs (but no, not in the T-rex costume. Maybe next year, but I did wear it around a 5K, not the whole race. It's HOT in there). The swim portion of the tri was a breeze but halfway through the 10 mile bike ride my knees were screaming from the OA...but I kept going, with braces on both legs. When the “run” leg of the race came along I knew I was going to walk (doctor’s orders due to the OA), and I pushed Little Bit in the stroller the whole way, looking like Forrest Gump. I crossed that finish line pushing her in the stroller, doing just what I set out to do, leading by example.<center>


To make a long story short (too late!), I’m 237 lbs below my highest and 179 lbs below maximum baby weight. I’m busy living and leading by example. The weight loss certainly wasn’t linear. It wasn’t always easy, and there were many bumps in the road along the way. The weight loss has not cured my OA, and that’s just something I deal with on a daily basis. We recently took a vacation and I spent my time paddleboating, paddleboarding, jet skiing, swimming, tubing, hiking, and kayaking. It was amazing!
That's a pic of last year's vacation versus this year.

My daughter is my biggest motivation. I do it for her, because she needs a healthy and strong Mom. I do it to lead her by example, and it's working. I'm down to 150 lbs and (weather permitting) we walk a family 5K every month where I push her in the stroller. I can't run due to the osteoarthritis, but I also can't let that stop me from living the best life I can. I'm less than half the woman I once was so I can be all the Mom she needs. I’d like to hit a "healthy" BMI then focus on maintenance, giving myself a 5 to 10 lb range, but after an iDXA scan my doctor has confirmed that I'm there already. Yes, I have 10-15 lbs of loose skin*, and I'll share a pic or two. Loose skin sucks, but it's a small price to pay. I’m a much better mother for it. I found my “why.” Find yours. When you slip up, forgive yourself, get back on the horse, and get busy living.


* The loose skin on my arms is bearable, for sure. With some compression gear I happily don a size 8 dress and even some vanity-sized 6 Old Navy Jeans. . Not bad for someone who wore up to 30/32, 28Ws on the regular.