My weight loss journey
AN ORDINARY GAL ON A WEIGHT LOSS MISSION
I am a middle-aged, Midwestern gal, and like many Americans I was defined by my addiction. At 5’2” and 340 pounds,
This picture was taking during a visit to Washington. It gives you the full picture of just how large I had become.
it was hard to deny that food wasn’t a problem for me. I had let food become too important for me, a comfort for bad days, bad jobs and lonely nights. My weight was defining my lot in life and I couldn’t ignore the words “morbidly obese” any longer.
I am not one to join a group or work out my problems on doctor’s couch. My gal pals are my most treasured confidants, but I didn’t even tell them that I was embarking on a life-changing mission. I had failed too many times before to lose my life long curse. I became my own trainer and nutritionist, lost 200 pounds and burned more than 700,000 calories to accomplish that feat. Eating healthfully and working out does work.
NINE POUNDS, FOUR OUNCES
Every birthday my mother reminds me that I was 9 pounds and 4 ounces when I entered the world as a robust, bouncing baby. My girth left a lasting impression on her and reminds me that I wasn’t little even from the start.
I grew up in a family of hearty eaters, and our gatherings always centered on food and never exercise. Dinner-table discussions seldom reflected the harsh criticism that I was receiving for being the largest girl in my class. In high school I took up photography and journalism as a way to show my class that the fat girl had talent under the excess pounds.
Cute and chubby is OK for a two year old but the label stuck with me for years.
My passion for capturing special moments led me to Ohio University, where I majored in photojournalism. During my college years I was able to shed a few pounds by walking to classes and reconnecting with my childhood love of swimming.
220 POUNDS
After graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C., to be an art director. The weekends were filled with partying with my friends from college, and my weight began to creep up again. When the scales went past 220 pounds, I joined Weight Watchers but grew tired of trying to figure out how to compensate for all the eating out that I was doing. I just stopped trying to do anything about what I perceived as my overweight lot in life.
For the next 20 years I became a journalist nomad like many of us in the profession. I chased better jobs across the country and began to binge eat to compensate for the pressure and loneliness that comes with moving to a new job and city.
300 POUNDS
I got a dog to keep me company, but a Bassett Hound probably wasn’t the best choice for a companion. He enjoyed going for
This is my Ah-ha moment photo. I was visiting friends from college back in Washington, D.C. When the photo arrived I recognized them but I seemed the stranger in the photo and that is when the switch finally went off and I began my weight loss journey over 5 years ago.
walks but preferred the abundant chocolate chip cookies that I brought home. I continued to think about going on a diet but never put a plan into action. By age 30, I was nearing 300 pounds.
At that point, my doctor was starting to beat the drum to lose weight and put me on Phen-fen, but I developed side effects after a week and was taken off of it. My circle of friends loved my cooking and loved me. Again, I just accepted my lot in life and continued to pursue my passions for travel and anything sweet.
By age 40, the combination of getting older and carrying around twice a normal person’s weight was beginning to slow my pace. I stopped traveling because of the embarrassment of having flight attendants chasing me down the isle and announcing to the passengers that I needed a seatbelt extender.
In short, I gave up on doing anything about my weight problem except for overeating to mask the pain of something that I had control over yet couldn’t control.
340 POUNDS
When the scales at the doctor’s office hit 340 pounds I heard a chorus of medical professionals telling me that I needed to seriously consider gastric bypass surgery. I dug my heels in and just continued to ignore their pleas to do something before it was too late.
A professional conference led to a trip to Washington with the bonus of connecting with old friends. My pals and I went for dinner one night and afterwards snapped a photo that forever changed my life. When the picture arrived at my home I was glad to see my old friends hamming it up for the camera, but I seemed to be the stranger in the picture. It was finally time to do something.
EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP
I purchased many weight-loss programs over the years but never put them into action. So, I grabbed the Suzanne Somers book,
At my halfway point I was already starting to feel more energetic. Here I am enjoying an afternoon at my parent’s lake cottage.
“Eat, Cheat and Melt the Fat Away” off my bookshelf and actually read it. It was the first of many books that I read and took to heart as I tried to break my lifelong habits of excessive eating and virtually no exercising.
I became more aware of what I was putting in my mouth, the portions that I was eating and how much I would need to move to work off the extra pounds. With in a year, I was down 70 pounds and for the first time in my life I believed that I could make my dream of becoming a normal-sized person come true.
CHEERLEADERS FOR THE WEIGHTLOSS MARATHON
My friends and colleagues began to cheer me on, like fans at a marathon race. The compliments were great, even though at times they put the “old me” to shame. One of my favorite “compliments” that I heard at least 100 times was that they didn’t recognize me from behind, apparently my former backside was quite memorable.
My very first girly dress was for my friend Susan’s wedding. It sure beat the tent dresses that I used to wear.
With fewer pounds on my petite frame I was able to increase my workouts, and I began to enjoy the walking and then added strength training, biking, swimming and Pilates. I started cooking for myself on the weekends to make sure that I ate balanced meals during the week. I took my favorite recipes and began to retool them to include more vegetables, lean meat and less fat. On Saturday, my refrigerator often looks like an ad for food storage containers but at least I know I have good food at my fingertips.
CROSSING THE FINISH LINE
Within two and half years of starting my lofty goal of losing 200 pounds, I had lost half of my former self. Shopping for clothes is a treat and not a chore like it used to be. I began dating and traveling but sometimes life throws you a curve ball.
Last year I had to have major surgery and then was hit by a car while riding my bike. I put on 20 pounds because I was unable to workout as much. I am back on track now and with the help of Joy Bauer’s new LIFE diet I was able to lose the last pounds.
The lessons I learned were hard fought and I love my new healthy life. I finally overcame obesity and I now know that anything you set your mind to is possible.
