I've had my struggles with my weight most of my life. In middle school I became the "fat" girl at 5'6" and 140 pounds. In high school I was about 5'8" and 160, which wasn't really fat but my friends were all petite and I wanted to be more like them. After high school I got pregnant, married, pregnant again, and by the time I was 23 years old I weighed 237 pounds. About that time in my life I was going through some big changes: getting divorced, training as a black belt in taekwondo, and working at my mom's taekwondo studio as a taekwondo and cardio kickboxing instructor. I tried Weight Watchers and, with all that working out, I was able to lose 77 pounds in about eight months. At 24 years old I was comfortable at 160 and newly single. Life was great.
In 2009 I was working as a merchandiser in a home improvement store and I suffered a back injury from lifting an all-in-one toilet. That injury was permanent. I was virtually bedriden for 16 months. Fighting depression, as a 27-year-old with a permanent back injury trying to support two kids on workers' comp, I began to gain weight. Daily activities like showering and getting dressed were painful as my sacroiliac joint dysfunction affected every move I made. I had to wash dishes for five minutes at a time. I had to tell my kids "no" when they asked me to play outside with them.
I met my fiance online in 2010 and I moved across the country in December 2011 to live with him in Georgia. As many of you know, the food in Georgia is NOT diet-friendly. I started packing on weight at ridiculous pace -- sometimes up to 10 pounds a month. My top weight was 277 in December 2013. My ankles were constantly swollen, my back was giving me more and more trouble, I had chronic heartburn, and I didn't do much more than sit in bed or at my computer all day every day. I had just come back from spending Thanksgiving with my family in California -- a trip from which I almost backed out due to embarrassment. I was in a size 22 pants and wore size 3X shirts. I'd had enough. After all, I know how to lose weight -- I'd done it once already.
In January I began watching The Biggest Loser on Hulu Plus -- the catalyst that sparked the fire inside of me -- I got a BodyMedia Fit Core armband and started my 1,330-calorie diet. I started going for walks a couple of times a week. When I did a 5k with a time of 53 minutes, I decided that I wanted to train to be a runner. Since then I have been using the C25K app to train to RUN a 5K, and I plan to surpass that goal -- I'd love to run a marathon and have one of those "26.2" stickers on my car.
Now it's September 11th, according to my old scale (the one I started my journey with) I weigh 207 pounds -- I'm down 70 pounds in eight months! I'm in a size 14 pants, my heartburn and swelling is gone, my back doesn't inhibit me hardly at all anymore, my 5K pace is down to 43 minutes, and I feel pretty again. With only 47 more pounds to go and still on a two-pound-per-week pace, I'll be in a bikini by next summer.
To everyone with seemingly insurmountable goals -- I'm talking 100 pounds plus to lose -- it can be done. It takes time, patience, discipline, perseverance, and willpower. For me, 1,330-calorie intake and 2,330-calorie burn goals have been the key to my success. Some days I burn more and some I burn less. One day I even went over my 1,330-calorie limit because I NEEDED a piece of pizza. And guess what... I didn't balloon back to 277. Remain consistent and do your best to stay within your caloric goals. The weight will come off.
When it comes to activity, start slowly and increase gradually. The more you're able to workout, the better your body will function and the better you'll feel. For those of you who aren't fond of exercising, household chores burn calories too: laundry, cooking, dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, washing your car. Do a little something every day and pretty soon you'll actually FEEL like getting that blood flowing. Then start going for walks, get a workout video, or ride a bike. Just keep building on what you're comfortable with. Make your heart work a little bit because that's what burns calories.
I've overcome an injury that I thought would destroy my chances of ever being active again. I'm working on a 117-pound weight loss. I'm turning myself into a runner for the first time in my life. I can play with my kids again. And eventually, I'll get back into taekwondo. I'm going to be healthy again, because I don't want pain to control my life anymore.
I'm not going to wish you all luck, because luck won't do it for you. I wish you all patience, discipline, perseverance, and willpower. Be strong and you'll get there.
Christy