Almost half-way to go (42 lbs down)

I work in a company in their Benefits Department and one of my projects that I'm assigned to is to help the LiveWell coordinator. I am around healthy information all the time and have never taken it into consideration for my own health until July, when my doctor (rheumatologist) came out and told me I was fat. In August 2011, I started this journey to see where I could take my body. So far, I've reduced my weight from (starting) 241 lbs to currently weighing in at 199 lbs. I've gone from a size 20-22 / 1-2XL to a size 14 / Medium-Large. My coordinator was so impressed, he had me write our weekly blog entitled "Working Towards a Healthy Weight." I thought I'd share my blog story as well as the accompanying photos:

I love going home for the holidays. Home, for me, is New Jersey. I miss my family and don’t see them often enough. What I don’t enjoy is walking through the house and seeing photos of a chubby, two-chinned girl staring back at me from framed photos on the walls in dance costumes, formal dresses and the like. Falling victim to the two-parents-with-crazy-hours household, I’d stay with a sitter after school until my mom picked me up, being given two dinners and two desserts to eat (one with the sitter, one with my mom). Even with dancing three nights/week and being active in soccer, I was still the heaviest girl in my class.

I grew up being taunted with nicknames like chubby, whale and two-ton, not only from classmates, but from family members. What a blow that takes to ones self-esteem, especially one of an impressionable child. I grew up in the era of Cheryl Tiegs, Linda Carter and Brooke Shields. To be thin and beautiful was everything. But how embarrassing is it, at age 8, to travel to six different malls to find a store that carried “pretty-plus” sizes so that you had a communion dress to wear. Not a pretty dress, just a dress that fit. I eventually was able to grow out of that “chubby” phase, but after an accident in 2004, gained about 100 lbs. Tired, miserable, depressed… these are just some of the things I felt after packing on the weight. In June 2011, I was sent to a rheumatologist because I had been feeling so bad with aching joints and waking up in pain every morning. The rheumatologist said something to me that I couldn’t believe: “You are fat. You need to lose the weight.” Wow. Harsh, yes, but, he was right. I was extremely overweight and even though I was going to the gym, I really wasn’t losing any weight or seeing any significant results. That was the kick in the pants I needed.

In July, a friend of mine introduced me to a website called MyFitnessPal.com (MFP). I had tried diets like Atkins, South Beach and Weight Watchers, all with limited and often yo-yo effects. I had my reservations about MFP. But, after walking through the site, reading the contents and success stories, knowing it was free, what did I have to lose (besides the weight!). I began on August 3rd, weighing in at 241 lbs. I cried when I weighed myself and couldn’t believe that at age 34, I felt like I was living in the body of a 60 year old. In support of me, my sister also joined the site and encouraged me to just “do it.” The site helps you budget your day by counting the calories of the foods you plan to eat as well as exercise calories to burn. With a giant database and a scanning tool, I had everything I needed at my fingertips (the site is also a free phone App). At the recommendation of my doctor, I walk 3-5 days a week for 30 mins., take Zumba™ classes and run 5 days/week. I purchased a heart rate monitor and was on my way!

I’m happy to report that in my 5 months of using the site, I’ve reduced my weight from 241 to 199 lbs! That’s a 42lb reduction! My pains have significantly decreased, I have increased energy and I’m starting to shrink (from a size 20 / 1-XLarge to a size 14-16 / Medium-Large). My journey isn’t quite over, giving myself a goal of 96 lbs to reduce by July 1, 2012 (54 lbs to go as of this writing). This leads me to wonder what everyone else’s goals are for the New Year. Do you have an “Achievable Resolution” that you are working towards? Friends report to me that they have goals such as getting their finances in order, spending more time with family, quitting smoking, encouraging their kids to eating healthy and doing more physical activities. What about you? Besides the next 54 lbs, I’m working towards training for a half-marathon in November with my sister in Disney World. Crazy? Not when you have motivation guiding your journey and a strong support system. Here’s to your health, your “Achievable Resolutions” and a Happy 2012! DO IT!