Friends for Weight Loss

Hi… I’m Lexy and this is my weight loss story.

Throughout most of my childhood and teenage years I was pretty average… I wasn’t very aware or concerned with weight loss issues. Although I never had the “perfect” figure that every girl dreams of…. I was a fairly confident person and was generally happy in my life.

It wasn’t until I got married and had two children that I became more aware of my body shape and weight. After my second child was born, I followed the “Body for Life” program and regained my fitness and weighed approximately 150lbs. By the time my boys were 5 and 7 yrs old … I found myself at my lowest point emotionally. I was overweight, frustrated, miserable, embarrassed, and annoyed at my appearance. On the inside, I still felt like the same athletic person I had always been… I even went for walks and occasionally would go running. I felt defeated because my physical body could not keep up with what I assumed I was capable of mentally! I never wanted to go anywhere… didn’t want anyone to see me… dyed my hair dark brown… and hid out at home. My turning point was the day my sweet grandmother commented on how “fat” I was getting. I finally faced reality and decided to do something about it. I weighed myself at my husband’s office and to my horror….. the scale read 188 lbs!!!

I signed up for Weight Watchers online and began my weight loss journey. I began long distance running for my main source of exercise. I had always wanted to run a full 26.2 mile marathon! After losing the first 25 lbs, I ran the Country Music Marathon in Nashville in April 2007 finishing in 5:15! After I lost another 20 lbs while training and following WW, I ran my 2nd full marathon at the Texas Marathon on January 1, 2009 and shaved an hour off of my finishing time… completing it in 4:15!! After taking a break from long distance training, I began to maintain between 148-155lbs. However, at the beginning of 2011, I weighed 160 lbs and was ready to start WW again. After some initial frustrations with the NEW PointsPlus program, I decided to start with a fresh new attitude. Over the course of 4 months, I lost approximately 20 lbs… surpassing my WW goal of 140. I currently weight 136 lbs. 2 more weeks until I receive the “Lifetime” award!!

There have been many struggles along the way. It took my mind a while to catch up to my physical progress. I have decided that the slower the weight comes off, the more lasting it will be! Being on program is not always easy for me … I don’t want you to think for a moment that it’s easy for me. IT HAS GOTTEN EASIER…..I am constantly planning my meals, making sure I have the right food in the house and making better choices when I eat out. I think it’s because I started way back in 2005 and became accustomed to the whole concept of WW, keeping a food journal, drinking the correct amount of water, getting good exercise, etc. It hurts to look back to how I was eating through the holidays. I was miserable and didn’t feel good at all. Now that I’m back on track, I feel great! I love the freedom to be able to eat whatever I am craving!

Following WW is the one thing I have complete control over! I’m the boss of it. I decide what food I’m putting in my mouth. I decide if I’m going to work out. It has become a kind of “game” that I love to play and I want to win at it.

You have to give yourself some credit. Appreciate the positive changes. Acknowledge the progress you are making each day. You are doing a great job! Keep journaling… keep thinking about it…. keep trying to figure it out. Don’t give up!!. You will have success!! We are all in different phases of life right now. Please don’t be so hard on yourself! You are gorgeous!!! Smile…. you are great!!!!! You can do this!!

You can read more about Lexi’s Journey with her Sister-In-Laws over at Fire Lites Fire.  I LOVE that they created their own network to support each other just like we are doing over here at Friends!   Thanks Lexy ~ you look fantastic and your success story is completely inspirational!

I have always been on the chunky side, as long as I can remember. It’s my family genetics and I’m not small boned either.    In high school my weight seem to creep up until my senior year when I dieted and probably lost about 30 lbs.  I looked and felt good.    I got married at 19 and the weight started to come back.  I had my first son at 23 and never lost the baby weight.   Then at 28 had a set of twin boys and never lost that baby weight either.   Probably in about 2000, I lost a considerable amount of weight, I’d say about 50lbs.   I’ve dieted off and on my entire adult life.

Back in 2008 I lost the best job ever..corporate consolidation eliminated a division of my company.  Unfortunately the Division Office I worked in.  That led to very short work days for about 6 months when I spent more time on the couch than I ever have in my entire life.  I ended up just sliding into another job, same company different location.   Just as all that job drama was ending and things were getting back to normal my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 47.  It was agressive and he needed surgery fast.  Well he’s cancer free but that saga still continues and I have plenty of stress.

In May 2010 I decided that all the stress wasn’t going away any time soon and nobody was going to take care of me but me. I needed to make myself a priority so I joined Weight Watchers, something I thought I would never do in a million years. I was following the plan, it was easy and I was losing weight.   The next month, in June 2010, I thought perhaps I should think about some exercise–ha ha.  We have an awesome treadmill which bores me to death and when I’m on it I shop on QVC,  so I bought a bike .   I spent the money to get a really good bike and I hit the streets.  I started riding that bike every single day.  I rode at least 8 miles a day but more 12 miles a day.   I’d ride closer to 20 miles each day of the weekend.   Not only was it good exercise but it got me out of the house and it was free which was good since my husband was still off on disability.

I continued eating right, going to my weekly Weight Watchers meeting and exercising.  I started a weekly Zumba class in the fall anticipating I’d only be able to ride my bike probably until December (I live in the snowy, cold Midwest).   Well it turns out I rode my bike everyday until December 3rd which I thought was great.    I got through the holidays and an awesome Vegas trip just fine.  I ate what I wanted in the right portions (even Cheesecake Factory Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake) and  stayed on plan.  It really was easy. 

Well on January 11, 2011 I hit my goal weight.   Yay…that was exciting and it seemed to fly by.  I lost 60 lbs in 33 weeks. I achieved lifetime on February 22, 2011 and that was exciting too but….  I really wanted to lost 10 more lbs.  Well I’ve been losing that same 10 last pounds since January 11th.  I’m down 7.5 of that  last 10 lbs so I technically have 2.5 lbs to my personal goal.  I’m attributing the very slow rate that this last 10lbs is coming off due to the fact that I haven’t been exercising.   Spring has finally sprung here in my Midwest state…I was back on my bike today and it was an awesome 12 mile ride.  I’m not worrying about the last 2.5 lbs it will come off because I’m doing everything right.    One of my goals in the beginning was to wear all the size 12 clothes in my closet but as it turned out I’m wearing size 8′s now.  That is a huge NSV for sure.

I’m so glad I joined Weight Watchers…I knew about portion sizes, I knew what was healthy to eat and I knew that I should be exercising long before I went to Weight Watchers but I just never did it.  What Weight Watchers has given me is the fact that I need to be accountable to myself.  Every Tuesday I go and get weighed in and I have to be accountable.   I have tracked and used the e-Tools the whole time and I love it.  I love the charts, graphs, recipe builder and the database.   I follow a handful of blogs that give me great  new food ideas and I’ve got a kitchen scale that ‘m not afraid to use if I’m unsure of a portion size…I”m feeling very positive and I hope I’ve made a permanent lifestyle change.

BEFORE

AFTER

Right from the beginning, I have always loved to eat.  I was always the chubby girl growing up, but always maintained a quasi-active lifestyle by playing sports.

My mother passed away when I was 11, and I remember my Dad trying to tell me several times that he was concerned about my climbing weight. I merely brushed it off, and continued to be a pretty happy teenager. I remember Saturday nights used to be my favorite, because we’d get to rent a movie and get a bag of chips. I had no problem polishing off an entire large bag of Ruffles chips.

Once I got my drivers license, I would often go to my favorite fast food places like Taco Bell, McDonalds and Burger King to indulge in high fat foods “in secret”. My best friend and I would also out to dinner frequently and often gorge ourselves until we were so full we couldn’t move! The picture shown here is my senior prom. I had to buy my prom dress online from the US, because I was too ashamed to go to a plus sized store. This dress was a size 22, and I was 19 years old in this picture. I must admit though, I was always a happy fat girl. I was part of the popular crowd; confident and out going.

Fast forward to my first two years of university. I was already big when I started, but living in residence eating junk and drinking 5 out of 7 days made my weight soar.

In second year, my friend Krissy and I joined a gym. I remember going for the fitness test… and the scale reading 267lbs. The lady actually said to me “There must be something wrong with the scale” because she didn’t think it was possible for me to weigh that much.

Throughout the last part of my 2nd year and throughout the summer, I lost 20 lbs just by eating cleaner and getting in a little bit of exercise.

In 3rd. I decide to try internet dating. I chat up a wonderfully handsome boy (does this story sound familiar Krissy?) and  we have so much in common. I feel like I’ve met my soul mate. We decide to meet for a drink. I have nervous butterflies in anticipation of meeting my prince charming. I will never forget the look on his face when I opened the door to meet him. It was pure disgust.

Sadly enough THAT was my moment.

I’ve always known that I have a wonderful personality. I’m witty, funny and have a wide variety of interests. I wanted the body to go along with that personality.

Krissy and I joined Weight Watchers shortly after that horrific experience. I’ve never come out and thanked Krissy for being such an awesome WWer buddy. She drove me to all of our meetings, and took me out for groceries after. THANK YOU KRISSY! In addition to Krissy, I had a bunch of supportive roommates, and even more support from my family.

Its a little embarrassing to admit that my “That’s it” moment was triggered by a boy… but hey, it got me where I am today.

Today I am happy, healthy and am keeping my weight in check by enjoying the foods I love in moderation.   

I have run 10 half marathons.

I know what it’s like to feel beautiful.

I feel strong, and lean.

I am confident.

I am proud of my accomplishments.

And I know I will never look in the mirror and see this face again.

BEFORE

I started my weight loss battle in 2003 at 267lbs by following Weight Watchers. Almost 7 years later, I’ve lost almost 100lbs and am keeping my weight down by enjoying foods that I love in moderation and exercising.

AFTER

You can follow Amy’s Quest to Health and Happiness on her site ~ she is awesome!  Click HERE to check it out.

My weight gain/weight loss journey started shortly after I graduated high school.  I started gaining weight but really didn’t think too much of it.  Then with my first pregnancy I thought, this is my chance to eat for two!  Never once did it occur to me that my current eating habits would have sufficed.  Instead, I just shoveled it in.  The day I delivered my daughter I weighed in at 212 lbs.

About 9 months later, I started a diet plan that told you what to eat and when to eat it.  I did pretty well at first but real life stepped in and following that plan got just a little bit too hard.  That was the end of that.  By the time I was 23 I weighed 210 lbs and my daughter was almost 2 so it was no longer considered baby weight. 

In July 2003, I started working at a local gym for women only.  I was of the mindset that looking at the machines would help me to lose weight!  :)  Lots of women there were members of Weight Watchers.  I would listen to them and think wow, what I would give to lose some weight.  After a while, I decided that I would give it a try on my own.  I didn’t need to spend money that I didn’t really have anyway.  I started working out and following the principals of Weight Watchers.  From September of 2003 – April 2004, I lost about 20 lbs.  Not too bad!  Then a girlfriend of mine convinced to just come to one meeting and try it with her.  That is all it took, one meeting and I was hooked.  From May – July I lost another 15 lbs!  That was the best money I ever spent!

At the end of July, I found out that I was pregnant with my second child so I would have to give up Weight Watchers until after she was born.  My second daughter was born in April 2005.  I started attending meetings again in July 2005, once I knew that I was able to devote my full attention.  After this pregnancy, my starting weight was 180 lbs. 

From July  2005 – June 2006, I lost 50 lbs and hit my goal and lifetime. Then in June of 2007, I had enough courage to join a real gym!  To this day, I have never gone above my goal weight.  One thing that I wasn’t prepared for though, was as hard as I thought it was to lose the weight, it is even harder to keep it off.  You don’t get to see those small victories on the scale anymore so you have to find other things to keep encouraging yourself. 

 I wouldn’t have been able to do it without two very important people, my husband and my Weight Watcher leader.  My husband never complained about the foods I made or wouldn’t make and encouraged me the entire time.  My leader taught the class in a way that made we want to come back every week.  I wouldn’t trade my journey for the world.  It got me where I am today!

                 BEFORE                                     AFTER

I have always struggled with my weight. It’s been an issue in my life for as long as I can remember. I have always been a “bigger” girl. I have never been able to share clothes with my girlfriends because I was usually a couple sizes larger. I was never able to do those trust exercises (you know, where you fall backward and someone catches you) because I was always scared that no one would be able to catch me. But I was “satisfied” with myself, for the most part.

When I started dating my boyfriend (now my husband) in grade 11, it all went downhill. I gained over 60lbs over the next 7 years. But I did not let it bother me too much because I kept reminding myself that Peter loved me no matter what I looked like. I felt so comfortable in my relationship that I kind of just stopped trying to maintain my appearance.

It got to the point that I would just look into the mirror at my reflection and cringe. I hated what I saw. I hated having pictures taken of me because they always made me look worse.

So in January of 2010, I joined Weight Watchers. This was not my first time doing Weight Watchers. I joined in 2008 a few months before my wedding to shed some pounds. I lost about 15lbs but I never stuck to it in the long term. After the wedding I just kind of ignored the plan and thus, stopped. I didn’t have anything to lose weight for and so I thought, what’s the point. I kept saying to myself that my husband loved me for who I was. He didn’t care what I looked like.

Well, it turns out, I was the one who cared. I wasn’t happy with myself. I wanted to lose weight, for myself and no one else. Even though I was increasingly unhappy with what I looked like, I didn’t do anything about it until 2010. My new year’s resolution was to join WW again and to stick to it.

After joining WW, I found myself in the same patterns I was in in 2008. I really wasn’t taking the plan seriously. I wasn’t tracking what I ate and I wasn’t exercising. I was doing it half-assed. And although, I lost a little bit of weight in the first month and a half, it wasn’t until I had my first gain that I knew it was time to take the plan more seriously. I mean, I was supposed to be on a weight loss program and I gained weight?! Not cool. So the very next day, I started tracking diligently and I started going to the gym. For the next few months, that is exactly what I did every single day. And the pounds just started falling off. I was having losses from 3-5lbs per week.

I was so determined. My head was in the right place. That was one of the most important changes that I had to figure out and make. I had to wrap my mind around the plan. The WHOLE plan. It was a lifestyle change, NOT A DIET. Sure, everyone wants to lose weight, but unless you are committed and willing to change, it won’t happen.

I reached my goal weight on January 17, 2011 and couldn’t be happier. Weight Watchers changed my life. I am eternally grateful for the skills that I have acquired. Weight Watchers taught me how to eat properly and that is one of the biggest changes I had to make. It taught me what my body needed each day and how to live my life to the fullest and healthiest.

I joined WW at 207.8lbs and lost a total of 73.8 LBS!  My goal weight is 135lbs. My current weight is 134lbs.

Carolynne

http://just-like-magic.org/