My journey to health, fitness and weight loss started 3 years ago after my daughter’s wedding photos arrive. I could not deny what I saw. A beautiful bride and a very unhealthy, fat mother. I decided that day that I would do whatever it took to change.
I was not a fat child. I started to gain weight in high school when I took a job as a baker in a Donut Shop. At my graduation, I topped off at 180 lbs. Lucky for me the Donut Shop went out of business. I took a job next at Gilmore’s Department store. Seeing all the pretty clothes encourage me to lose weight. I was very motivated and managed to get down to 125 lbs! It was during this time that I met my future husband. We married and started a family and as typical my weight started a slow, gradual increase. I kept telling myself that it was just baby fat but at my daughter’s wedding, I could no longer say it was baby fat.
My decision was drastic, I decided to have Bariatric Surgery. This is NOT something to be taken lightly. I am very thankful that my insurance company required 6 months of weight management with a certified physician. My beginning weight was 234 lbs. This program helped me learn why I was eating, what I was eating and how I was eating was all wrong. I managed to looe 40 lbs in 6 month working with this program. I barely qualified for surgery but I was determined to go through despite all my families’ objections. Here is how I did it:
- I needed to MOVE. Not exercise, just move. I made small changes like taking stairs, parking my car as far from stores as possible. I started walking 15 minutes in the morning and evening. I eventually worked up to 30 minutes. I also took 10 minutes each morning to do strength building.
- I ate when I was not hungry, I ate when I was bored, and I ate when I was stressed. I ate all the WRONG foods. How did I figure out this you ask? I journaled. I was reluctant because I figured it would be too much work and I hated calorie counting but my nutritionist hooked me up with a program that did it all for me. MY FITNESS PAL is the secret to my success! I downloaded it on my computer and was totally amazed at how many calories I was eating. I was able to make changes to low calorie foods and track my progress. This program also provided tips, exercises and recipes.
- I also learned I was eating too fast and my portions where out of control.
I am out of time today but I will continue with my story…………………………