It’s hard to say what was the final straw. I’ve been uncomfortable with my size for as long as I remember, but just accepted that I would always be that way. I was fine with being the fat and funny friend. And my husband still loved me and found me attractive, bless his sweet little heart. We were happy, and could finally see a light at the end of this stressful, upsetting tunnel that had been the past 5 years of our life. It was a new start for us, and for me, it felt okay to take some time and try to better myself.
I started with baby steps, first by watching what type of food I put into my mouth. I started researching clean foods (those minimally processed) and added more of them into our diets. Slowly, I noticed that I had a bit more energy and the pounds were starting to come off. I started to walk everyday, soaking up the bright Florida sun. After losing 15 pounds, Rob and I started a running program called C25K (couch to 5K)…designed for beginners. I started small, and as the weight went down, my endurance went up. I enjoyed how I felt after running, enjoyed feeling my muscles getting stronger. Steadily, the weight kept dropping. Within two years, I had lost almost 60 pounds.
I was two weeks away from running my first 5K when I found out we were expecting Evan. After he was born, I was just so exhausted from the craziness of having a newborn and a four year old. I completely forgot all the WORK it takes having a little one at home (they are needy little buggers, aren’t they?) Food stopped being part of my joy, and turned into another chore to check off the list. I began shoving whatever I could find into my mouth. My only requirements were that it had to be tasty, and had to be quick. Ordering pizza and Chinese delivery was a lot easier then trying to plan and execute a healthy well balanced dinner. The weight started to pile on again, but to be completely honest, I didn’t care! (I think I was just too tired)
Before I could blink, a year had passed and I was slowly, but steadily creeping my way back up the scale. Going on another diet was out of the question…I needed a complete overhaul. Just when I was coming to the realization that I needed major change, I saw “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” If you haven’t seen this documentary, do yourself a favor. One ten day juice fast, a 5 day juice fast and a clean plant based diet with exercise has helped me to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
I still have a good bit to go to get to my personal weight goal, but for once I have a definite plan to make it there within a year. More on that next time!
Mama's Losing It 