September 2008 GOal Getter
 Nothing to lose but the weight
I've struggled with my weight for most of my adult life. I'd tried a variety of diets and watched my weight yo-yo up and down, finally managing to keep my weight the same for a couple years. Then two years ago, I started gaining again. Last November, I thought I should do something about it so I joined the fitness center my friend Janet had told me about. Last November, I thought I should do something about it so I joined the fitness center my friend Janet had told me about. (Janet, you got me here, get your butt back here!) I went four times and then paid my dues for several months without ever crossing the threshold. Four months ago, I hit my highest weight ever. My closets couldn't hold all my clothes because I had 4 different sizes in them. I tried to avoid looking at myself in the mirror because I hated what I saw. I'd try multiple outfits on, not liking how any of them fit. Perhaps more importantly, I was short of breath if I walked too fast or went up a flight of steps. The time had come to face the ugly truth -- if I wanted to change all that, I had to take responsibility for what I ate and for my exercise. Others could help me plan but only I could do the work.
So, I came back to Momentum. I began with 20 minutes on the treadmill at a lower speed followed by the workout plan on the strength training machines that my fitness coach had laid out several months earlier. I started watching what I was eating. And I increased my treadmill time until I was walking for an hour a day at a higher speed at least 4 times a week, sometimes more. And I got frustrated because in 8 weeks, I lost about 4 ½ pounds. I had noticed the signs for the Weight Loss Revolution and looked it up on the web site to read more about it. One night while I was on the exercise bike, Charlene stopped to chat with me for a few minutes. I asked her to tell me more about that program. After her explanation, I decided I had nothing to lose but pounds and I told her I wanted to sign up and asked if she’d be my nutrition coach. With Charlene's help, I have learned a lot about how the body uses the calories we put in. She has worked with me to keep a diet well-balanced in the various nutrients. And I've been absolutely amazed at the things that I have found out that I actually like! (I think cooked carrots has been the most shocking to me.) But perhaps most surprising of all was the realization that I had to eat MORE than I ever thought I should on a "diet". It was several weeks before I could consistently meet my target calorie intake.
In the initial 8 weeks, I lost 20 pounds of fat mass and none of lean mass. I was walking down the hall at work one day last week and a friend of mine was coming towards me in the hall. When she got close to me, she told me that when I got home, I was to take off the pants I was wearing and burn them or give them away but I was to never wear them again. When I asked why, she pointed out and I hadn’t realized it but the crotch of my pants was halfway to my knees. I walked around the rest of t he day with my arms folded across my chest, furtively holding my pants up on the sides.
My journey is not over yet -- in fact, I have really just begun. I cannot tell you my goal weight as I do not know what it is. While I have weighed less in my life, I have never weighed less but also been in truly good physical shape at the same time. So I don't know what I will feel like at each milestone until I get there. What I do know is that I am proud of what I have accomplished so far. Not because I have lost a total of 22 pounds (although I am very happy about that), but because I am facing a personal challenge and I'm doing what I must to win my battle.
Back |