The Journey from Fat to Healthy

I don't think that anyone wakes up and decides that they want to be fat. It just happens and you don't even notice. Don't get me wrong it's not like I was a thin person who just looked in the mirror one day and realized that I had gained weight. I had been a heavy child and had gone through high school at least 75 pounds overweight. You can imagine what that does to the ego and self esteem.

After I graduated high school, I moved 200 miles away and decided I wanted to change my life so I did in the most unhealthy way possible, I quit eating all together and went from 325 pounds to 130 pounds in about eight months. That's right almost 200 pounds. I looked like death warmed over. I am a large framed person and am 5'8", my idea weight is between 155 and 165 so I was almost 30 pounds underweight. You could see all of my bones and my eyes were very sunken in not to mention the damage I was doing to my body with my lack of nutrition. I started having heart palpitations and fainting spells. I wasn't about to start eating again though I was terrified of being fat.

My saving grace came in the form of a man that I met at my apartment complex he was a very loving person who made me feel comfortable enough with him and myself that I was able to start eating and trusting in him to not leave me if I gained a pound. We were married eight months later and I looked really healthy at 160 pounds in a size 12 wedding dress. Two months after our wedding I found out I was seven weeks pregnant and I became terrified about gaining too much weight. I vowed not to let that happen. Unfortunately, at five months I was put on total bed rest until the delivery, needless to say I gained 100 pounds and delivered at 260 pounds. I lost about 25 pounds after our son was born but that was as far as I got.

That was 1992 and by 1999 I weighed a very hefty 317 pounds. I couldn't believe that I was almost back to my highest weight ever. I was bound and determined not to let that happen, but I also wanted to be healthy this time and look good when I was done. So, on January 1, 2000, I started my workout plan. I began with basic Tae Bo. I did that for about 10 months and went from a size 28 to a 22. I then moved to advanced Tae Bo and walking four miles a day, I never modified my diet to much though, which slowed my progress. By the end of 2003, I was down to a size 14. I had decided to stay off the scale and just go by my body and the way my clothes fit.

My goal for 2004 was to finish my weight loss and end the year in a size 10. I felt that this was a very attainable goal. Imagine my shock and surprise when in February of 2004 I found out I was pregnant with our second child, 12 years after the birth of our first. I went into panic mode and was positive that I would again gain 100 pounds with this baby. I was amazed when I went to the doctor in my 14th week and found out that I weighed 203 pounds, I had been less than 200 pounds and didn't even know it. I decided then that after the baby was born I would start weighing myself. I hadn't been less than 200 in 12 years and didn't even get to celebrate it because I didn't get on a scale.

I delivered a healthy baby girl and only gained 35 pounds with the second pregnancy. I was very proud of that. It took me a while to get started on my weight loss though because of having a newborn and going through a long terminal illness with my mother. I went to the doctor in November 2005 and she said I weighed 226 pounds. My mother had passed away and my baby was over a year old so I told myself that it was time to finish this long journey. Almost six years I have been doing this and I am so ready to reach my goal.

January 1, 2006, I resolved to finish my weight loss in the next two years. My goal is a size 10 or smaller. This time I have modified my diet to breakfast, light lunch, one serving of dinner and one healthy snack. I drink lots of water and workout five or six times a week. I alternate between and hour of Tae Bo and an hour on the elliptical, which has been amazing for my hips. I didn't really get started on this until February 14, but since then I have gotten into a size 12 which is the size I wore when I got married and am buying medium shirts.

I decided to stay off the scale when it wasn't moving fast enough and I was getting discouraged. I know I'm getting smaller by the fit of my clothes and the reactions of people I haven't seen in a couple of years. Going from a size 28 to a size 12 still blows my mind.

It's taken me six years and a lot of hard work and determination to get this far but I am so happy and feel so good about myself. The road is long and hard but it is attainable. If I can make it this far, anyone can. I did not feel like I had any will power or self restraint but I wasn't giving myself the credit that I deserved. I feel and scream fro the rooftops that the key to successful long term weight loss is regular exercise and food in moderation. I eat what I want just not a ton of it. You have to find an exercise program that you enjoy and wouldn't mind doing for the rest of your life. Anyone can do this, you just have to do it.

I wrote this story about six months ago and I was so happy to be in a size 12, the same size I got married in, but I was even more excited to buy my first size 10 ever a couple of months ago. I am now planning to get into a size eight and then be done. I feel so healthy this time and look healthy too, not just skinny.

I hope this will give just one person the encouragement they need to give their selves credit for what they can do and what they can achieve. You don't need surgery or magic pills, just belief in yourself and the will to do what you have to do to live a long, healthy life. You owe it to yourself.