I actually did a DietBet game last year from January to July and didn't finish. Needless to say, I did not win my money back. Ouch. Since college, my weight has been up and down. I was very much a yo-yo dieter. Exercise was never a big thing for me. I'd do the occasional workout DVD, but nothing stuck. I did Jillian Michaels for 22 days and then it was the holidays, and I fell off the wagon.
For the longest time, I think other people (aka my parents) were the ones who really wanted me to lose weight. Sure, I'd look myself in the mirror and wish I was thinner, but it wasn't enough.
This January, I started taking Zumba, dance and toning classes at a local dance studio 3 times a week. It was my New Year's resolution, and I was sticking to it. Then I sprained my ankles in March (falling into a pothole...yes, I'm a klutz) and that was my excuse not to work out anymore.
Starting May, my ankles were still not getting better, and the weight was creeping back on. And by creeping, I mean that I was getting to my heaviest point. I'm 5'2", mediumframe (though I once convinced myself that I was larger) – I shouldn't be hitting 180 pounds (especially since I can't claim any of it to be muscle). That's what got to me. So, I went back to working out. But this time, I went all in: I joined Equinox (with the rationale that if I'm spending that much money, I'm going to go), got a trainer (because gym equipment and proper diet were foreign to me), bought a FitBit and downloaded MyFitnessPal.
Slowly but surely, my ankles got stronger and the weight started coming off. I never used to cook – I was a microwave pro. And to be honest, my first week on a clean diet was miserable. I made the most disgusting egg bake (that I ended up feeding to my dog), and it was so tasteless. But now I enjoy looking up recipes, I actually use the oven and I've found healthier versions of my old favorites. (If you love spaghetti, try zucchini noodles in a low-sugar marina turkey meat sauce. It's great.)
This time, I wanted it. And I think that was the most important part. I wasn't doing it because someone else wanted it for me (though my parents were quite thrilled when they saw me earlier this month 25 pounds lighter). I wanted a change, and I was finally ready to commit to it.
I still have my hard days where I don't feel like working out or sneak in things I'm not supposed to be eating. Most recently, as I am getting down to the last 15 pounds, I've definitely lost some steam because I don't have that sense of urgency of getting out of the obesity range on the body fat percentage spectrum. I remembered DietBet and thought that publicly committing (and putting my money where my mouth is) would take me past that last hurdle.
I hope that seeing other people who are also working hard to lose weight (as no one in my group of friends are) would help keep me motivated. So, here's to the last hurdle and finally completing my transformation.