As a child weight was not an issue for me.
However I became pregnant at 16 and had my first child at the age of 17.
Because I had never worried or paid attention to my weight in the past I didn't pay attention at this point either. I was an average size after giving birth but I did not go back to a skinny size after that and it is for lack of trying or caring. My life became completely devoted to my son.
At the age of 19 I met my soon to be husband, Everitt.
Shortly afterwards I introduced him to my two year old son but not before I warned him that my son had not been raised around many men and that he might be intimated by this guy with broad shoulders, long hair and a full beard! Upon laying eyes on my Everitt, my son immediatly ran to him and threw his arms around his legs and said "Hello Glasses!" (Everitt wears glasses!) At that moment I knew my life had changed for the best, I knew I would marry this man. One year and 10 months later we got married on Halloween on 2005.
One year after we met, I had already gained weight. (Engagement)
About 4 months pregnant with my second child. 2 months before the wedding.
6 months before the wedding we had decided to try and get pregnant thinking that it would take awhile and that we would end up getting pregnant right after the wedding. We got pregnant on the first try and I got married 6 months pregnant!
Months later we welcomed our 2nd child. With that pregnancy I craved bricks of cheese and chocolate. I think I ate 16 oz and 2 bags of Dove dark chocolate a day! By the end of the pregnancy my photos looked photoshopped, I looked pregnant with triplets and my head looked waaay too small for my body.
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After our second child was born my husband could not bare the thought of having our children in daycare and so we decided that I would stay home with the kids as long as it was possible.
6 months before the wedding we had decided to try and get pregnant thinking that it would take awhile and that we would end up getting pregnant right after the wedding. We got pregnant on the first try and I got married 6 months pregnant!
Months later we welcomed our 2nd child. With that pregnancy I craved bricks of cheese and chocolate. I think I ate 16 oz and 2 bags of Dove dark chocolate a day! By the end of the pregnancy my photos looked photoshopped, I looked pregnant with triplets and my head looked waaay too small for my body.
'3 days before giving birth
After our second child was born my husband could not bare the thought of having our children in daycare and so we decided that I would stay home with the kids as long as it was possible.
I was truly happy though. I was so comfortable with myself and my husband that the weight did not bother me. Later that same year we decided to have our third and final child, we thought "Well let's just get the diapers and no sleep thing over with all together" and again we ended up pregnant the first time. Again I ate whatever I wanted and sat on the couch and blogged. I was content raising my kids, eating and staying inside. I told myself the weight gain was a side affect of depression and depression medication.
Shortly after my third child was born I was diagnosed with hypo-thyroidism and I added this to my list of reasons I was obese. And it still did not bother me. I felt beautiful I felt loved and I did not see it for what it truly was.
We had no full length mirrors in our home and when I would see my reflection out in public I didnt even think about it! My sizes kept going up and I was still not paying attention. I started blogging on Green Earth Journey which gave me another reason to be sedentary as my blog found a huge following quite quickly and I found that people LOVED me on the internet. I stayed this way for years, even through an "OOPS" 4th pregnancy.
I used to watch Biggest Loser and eat shit while I was watching it.
One day I came across Kris' blog and she had a weight competition going on at her blog. The name Bloggest Loser was a play on the name of the show and thought it would be a great blog platform. Since the contest part was her idea I didnt just want to steal it so I contacted Kris and bounced the idea off of her. She loved it and we put this blog together. At first we were both gung ho about losing weight and we wanted to have this huge contest and have lots of followers and inspire people. But the people never came...don't get me wrong we had a few pop up here and there who really wanted to join the contest but they soon disappeared into real life and our posts got fewer and fewer as real life got ahold of us. I did lose a little weight at the time but then I started getting the apron skin and I was unhappy with that, I felt that my husband would like a round tummy compared to what I was getting. (Which is ridiculous, I know, he just wants to me around forever).
I started college and I had less time to devote to the blog, I took on two fitness classes at one time, I really wanted to get into shape and I thought exercising would do it. I was pretty good about showing up to the one class and finding time to fit in the fitness center for the other class. And every day I would leave, I would call hubby up on the way home and asked him what he wanted for lunch. My favorite at the time was KFC chicken fingers meal with two side orders of mac and cheese. I felt I deserved it for my workout and that it wouldnt hurt me and that I should still be losing weight.
One day as I walked out of the college my foot slipped off the edge of the sidewalk and I went down with a crack. It took several people to get me up and a friend drove me home. After arriving home we decided that I should actually be at the medical center, after about 1 and a half hours of the incident, I finally arrived there (another friend of mine took me, but her car ran out of gas on the way over there! I laughed so hard because it was so freaking funny).
I had majorly factured my ankle and would have to keep an air cast on it for weeks. Not only that but I could barely keep my weight off of my foot because I could not move myself on the crutches without my foot touching down. The nurse told me she had seen bigger men be able to do it and why couldnt I. I looked at her and through gritted teeth said "obviously I am NOT them and that is NOT helping". After attending physical therepy for a couple of weeks, I was finally able to go without the aircast and just have the ankle support on and I went back to the gym, but I still didnt change my ways. I worked out and then ate fast food afterwards. I injured my ankle twice more that semester and was always very nervous that it would just keep happening.
Around this time, a friend of mine had told me that her sister in law had lost a bunch of weight on Weight Watchers and she told me a little about it while I asked questions. Then I talked and asked a lot of questions through Facebook to that person. Her progress pictures were amazing! After awhile it kinda slipped into the background.
I think it was after I saw this picture at Thanksgiving time on my moms Facebook;
that I really started to look into Weight Watchers, I started reading what bloggers had to say and I found all of it to be positive which really took me by surprise.
The picture above is one my husband took of me making Christmas cookies with the kids at my moms house. This is the picture that did for me. I knew I could not keep ignoring this problem and just using exercise was not the answer. I needed to change my eating habits for good. The week after Christmas I found a meeting location on their website which happened to have a meeting on that very night and it was at the church hubby and I got married at, and the first meeting was free. So I made a split second decision that I was going to attend. I did and I went to another meeting the following Monday at a different location and signed up and then attended the Tuesday night meeting again the next day. Everyone was so warm and welcoming and so happy with Weight Watchers, they never tried to make me sign up. They have never shoved any of their products or food down my throat and I felt that the plan is so live-able. I know that I needed to eat more fruits and vegetables and with most of them being 0 points on Weight Watchers, this sounded like the right lifestyle change for me! I started at the highest weight ever, 259. I lost my fist 25 pounds with no exercise and then I started exercising and then I couldnt because I injured my ankle again. I've lost 10 pounds a month for the first 6 months and hit 70 pounds in the next 2 months.
After about the 3 month I no longer counted points. I felt confident that my problem had all along been about the portion sizes I was eating. At the same time I had also been gluten free for 3 months because of a menstrual problem, which helped me cut out the fast food from my diet. I've learned that I can indeed live without gluten and while I do not strictly adhere to gluten free, I eat less now and I am grateful that I have withdrawn from fast food. Now I find that I get nauseousness, headaches, stomach cramps, drowsiness, and bathroom issues if I eat fast food. It just doesnt make me feel good. I could eat it on Weight Watchers if I wanted to, but I dont want to.
Occasionally we do eat at sit down restaurants which does not seem to bother me, but I make sure that I am aware of how much I am eating. I have found that some waiter(resses) will try and guilt you for leaving food on your plate. More than once I have been told that I could have ordered without "such and such". I was floored but I didnt let it guilt me into eating anything else.
I am so happy now. I am active. A friend of mine took me kayaking once at the beginning of the summer, I loved it so much that I bought my own kayak and went as much as possible. I am active with my kids. I absolutely hated what my wardrobe had become and now I am loving the new and smaller options I have! I was also so damned depressed and now I have successfully been free and clear of my depression medication for 10 months! My thyroid is on track with natural supplements and a few changes to my diet. I feel cleaner, I don't have "food" swings as I like to call it. Highs off of the sodium and preservative content followed by drastic lows which lead to binge-ing on the same food.
Things have changed. I am not to my goal yet, I don't have a weight goal set. But Im thinking below 150 would be good. I will take it one day at a time and I will MAKE it happen!
~Hyla August 31, 2011 (Pictures added Jan 2012)
Advice: Take a beginning picture and a picture every ten pounds. You dont have to share it with anyone but once you start comparing them, it is so motivating to see the progress!
It's 70% food and 30% exercise if you want to kick that weight to the curb.
More before and after pictures are HERE
Update January 2012
I am back at Weight Watchers and loving the extra support. I feel like I am stuck on a plateau of 95 pounds and I really want to hit that 100 pound mark. I set my goal weight at 136.
I started running back in September 2011 with the Couch to 5K program. I enjoyed the program but at the beginning of October I had my first gallbladder attack, which can happen due to a large weight loss. at the end of the month I had my gallbladder removed. I have had no trouble eating anything since then, which was a big fear of mine. I didnt get back on track with the running until this month and now I am trying the 5K your way with Spark People. I joined the local running club that someone just started and they except runners of all types! And I am geared up to run Dirty Girl in September!!!!
