My story is in some ways like a lot of others and in some ways it is not. I was not overweight as a child, but started slowing putting on weight as a young adult. I am big boned and have a large frame for a female. I've been told that runs in my family on my dad's side.
I am not one of those people that diet constantly or try this diet for awhile and then try that one. I never dieted in my life (except for one time which is noted below).
I got married in 1987 and I don't remember how much I weighed, but I do remember that I wore a size 18. Each year that went by I added a few more pounds than I had the year before. I guess what happened to me is what happens to a lot of people after they get married. They get complacent and let themselves go. Boy did I ever!
All along my wonderful husband never ever said anything negative about my weight. As a matter of fact, it really did not bother him. He even told me that it was more of me to love. But along about March 1995 I hurt my back to the point where I could not even stand up. I went to the doctor and of course you know how "nice" doctors can be.. He came right out and was ever so blunt about it. He told me that if I did not lose weight, I had a very high risk of developing medical problems which could lead me to having a stroke later on in life. And then he went on to ask me, "Is that how you want to live? Do you want to be dependent on others to have to take care of you for the rest of your life?" Well, that opened up my eyes (for a little while). About a week after that doctor visit, I found out that I was pregnant with my second child. So of course, I could not go on a diet yet. (That's what I told myself). During my pregnancy I gained way too much (I don't even remember - but I do know when I delivered I was over 300 lbs).
Not too long after my son was born, I went on a diet called the "3 day diet". It is a diet where you eat mainly tuna fish (straight from the can), green beans and carrots. I lost about 50 lbs on this diet and got down to about 220 lbs. I kept the weight off for about 6 months because I had joined a gym and was working out 5 days a week. However, I could no longer afford to keep paying the gym fees so I quit going and of course I was no longer on the "diet". But that's just it. it was a diet. I had not made a change in my life that would help me to keep it off. Gradually from 1997 until 1999 the weight came back on until finally in September 1999, I discovered that I now weighed 311 lbs.
One day while I was at work, I received a call from a co-worker. She told me that she was going to join Weight Watchers the next Friday and asked me if I would be interested. I don't know why, but the word "yes" sprang out of my mouth. I did not even think about it. I came home and talked to my husband about it that night and he was so supportive and told me that if it was what I wanted, then he would support me all along the way. I went to the meeting that next Friday and joined. It was September 10, 1999. It was not something that I took half-heartedly. Money was tight with us at that time and I made a promise to myself that if I was going to spend the money to join Weight Watchers and attend the weekly meetings, then I was going to make it work for me. I don't like to waste anything, especially money. So right from the start, my weight loss journey has been a serious thing in my life. I prayed and asked God to help me with this. I asked him to give me the strength and the will power to succeed at this. I never think about it as a diet. For me, right from the start, it has been a lifestyle change. I know I will be eating this way for the rest of my life if I want to maintain my weight loss. My weight loss journey has not been the easiest, but it has not been hard for me either. I guess what has helped me to succeed like I have is the fact that I had my mind made up before I joined that it was going to work for me. I follow the Weight Watchers program every day. I write EVERYTHING in my journal and I get some type of exercise in as many days as I can. Right now I am walking for 30 minutes 5 days a week and will probably be increasing that soon. I also have a stationary bike that I ride occasionally when I have the time.
My husband is my #1 supporter. Without his support, I could not have accomplished any part of this weight loss. When I started cooking healthier, he willing changed his eating habits too and as a result, he has lost about 55 lbs himself.
My energy level since I have lost my weight has skyrocketed. I feel like I can do whatever I want. It feels so great to be able to get down on the floor and play with my kids and not have to have someone help me up. We go to the park and ride our bikes or roller blade and I love it. I am not tired all the time like I used to be. I feel great!!
It is now January 2001 and has been a year and four months since I joined Weight Watchers. I have lost 131 lbs so far and am only 20 lbs from my goal weight. Weight Watchers has changed my life.
The support that I receive from my husband, my family, my friends and co-workers is my lifeline to this success. The various message boards on the net have given me tremendous encouragement and motivation. It is here that I can come to when I need support from someone that I know is going through the same thing that I am.
A few great things that have happened to me recently are on 12/30/00 I got my wedding rings and another one of my rings that is very special to me re-sized after not being able to wear them for almost a year because they were too big. They were sized down from a 10 to a 7 & 1/2. Also, just last week (Jan 5, 2001) I received a phone call from a representative of Women's World magazine. They got my email address from a web site called DietWatch that I belong to. They interviewed me over the phone and I federal expressed some of my photos to them. They are considering doing a weight loss success story on me. They have three candidates to pick from for each edition. I am very excited about this. I should find out the results of this sometime this week.
I thank God everyday for helping me through my journey. I also thank my husband from the bottom of my heart for supporting me along the way. Thank you so much for letting me share my story. I hope I have helped someone to realize that you can do it too!
Updated - I
reached my WW goal on 2/8/01 and now have only 8.6 lbs to go to my personal
goal. Here
are a couple of updated pics. Thanks!!
I made it/surpassed my personal goal on 6/21/01
--- my final total lost is now 153 lbs!!!! Now I am working on maintaining
this great new weight for myself!!!
Becky
311/168.6/174/160
start/now/ww goal/my goal
OP since 9/10/99
Lifetime with my Leader
Reached WW goal 2/8/01
Here are the addresses of the web sites that have helped me in my journey:
www.healthdiscovery.net Updated photo with my son - March 2001
