2 years of heartache and 7 months of travel

Posted on April 16, 2018

In November 2015 I signed up for my first Dietbet, a 6-month transformer. My dad was diagnosed with cancer a few months before, but I had a boyfriend who loved me and I was managing fairly well.
Over the course of that dietbet, I lost more than 13%, bringing me to the lowest weight I had been since I was a teenager and I looked great! I also lost said boyfriend, and even though my father is still alive and currently in remission, he had a stroke that completely changed his personality and my relationship with him, so I feel like I lost my dad as well.

Needless to say I am no longer that "lowest weight". I gained it all back and more. I hate being such a stereotype, but here I am! I struggled immensely to get over the breakup, while I was also in my last year of college with an internship, a thesis and a ton of coursework on my proverbial plate. My actual plate had mostly junkfood, energy drinks and ice cream.

I graduated with honors (yay!) but I was a mess by the end of it. I could barely function. So I decided to travel. I booked a bunch of tickets and took off on a 7 month long adventure that took me from Belgium to America, Australia, and Asia. I slept in 62 different beds, in 40 different countries, on 4 different continents since October 2017.

I also have not seen a scale in a while, but I know I gained weight on this trip. And if I did, it was worth it because I have found joy again! But I don't need to take the bad with the good, and I am ready to lose that weight again. Dietbet worked GREAT for me in the past, so I'm ready to give it another go! Starting with kickstarters (I entered 2, because why not!) on the day I arrive back home from my big adventure. After that, I will sign up for a transformer. And another one. And maybe another one. And when I reach a healthy BMI, I will sign up for a maintainer. I know this works for me - after 20+ years of struggling with my weight, I found something that works for me! Why would I stop?

Edit: I decided to go right for it and sign up for a transformer AND 2 kickstarters! Go big or go home right!

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Referee Rachel

04/17/2018 12:42AM

Congratulations on graduating with honors! I'm sorry to read about your Dad. It's so difficult when health changes a family member so I'm sending you hugs and a little nod to let you know you are not alone in this journey. So, what would you say were the top 3 most beautiful spots you saw while traveling and why?

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Referee Rachel

You sound so much like my best friend. She went to Macchu Piccu (she had the stomach bug and though she loved it, she remembers being sick and having to use hand gestures to get medicine). She also did a three-week tour of Africa and LOVED it. I live vicariously through her. You sound like you are having so much fun. I love your profile picture, too! Now, I can live vicariously through you, too. There's another referee that travels and I love seeing her pictures, too. Sigh... I'll travel soon hopefully. In the meantime... if you post pictures.... ;)

Nomnoms

Yay for women who travel! I was sick a few times, in Peru I had major altitude sickness but I barely remember the bad! I was “lucky” to get the most sick while I was in Singapore where healthcare is top notch! I picked something up in Bali and it would have been way worse if I had to go to the hospital there! If you want to travel, you should! It’s been cheaper and easier than I expected! Time is really the only issue, but I feel like it only becomes more of an issue as we get older (jobs, husbands, kids) so do it while you can!

JenG

04/16/2018 10:59PM

Keep going...loved reading it.....we all have our journeys....I am glad you keep moving...half the battle. Good Luck

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