by Beth
“In Her/His Words” is a series on Beth’s Journey for people who want to share their weight loss story. There are so many different ways to reach success and all of us can use a little inspiration from time to time. Check out the past In Her/His Words Posts:
If you’re interested in sharing your story, please email me at bethsjourneyblog at gmail dot com to get the conversation going!
I’ve struggled with my weight most of my life, but it went out of control after having 2 children. Every time I’d lose a few pounds or more, I’d put it back on and then some. I saw this as going nowhere, and so for many years, I gave up.
The turning point was summer of ’06. I was 44 years old and our family went to Disneyland. On the plane, I asked the attendant for a seat belt extension. Forgetting who asked, she held it up and asked loudly who needed it. I felt like sinking away in humiliation. Southern California was in the gripes of a heat wave, temps were in the high 90’s and more. As a large person, this was torture. There was also the shame of not fitting on some of the rides with my kids and husband. We were in the happiest place on earth but I was miserable. I promised after that vacation I would do something about my weight.
It took six months for me to keep that promise but on Feb. 24, 2007 I joined Weight Watchers. My doctor had urged me to consider WW over the years. I tried it twice as a young woman. I knew WW would work if I was serious about it. My weight was 313 pounds and I needed to lose over 160 pounds! I never knew anyone personally who had ever lost that much weight or if it was even possible. But with steely determination I was going to defy the odds and make it work, and work I did.
I attended nearly every meeting (I missed only 2). I tracked every morsel I ate, drank plenty of water and started walking. I made sure I stuck to my daily Points target and often used my bonus Points. As I started walking more and incorporating weights and resistance exercise into my routine, I used my Activity Points often. I wasn’t going to let anything derail me, so I did what I needed to make sure I had time for planning, shopping, food prep and exercise.
At my one year anniversary with WW, I had lost over 100 lbs. By Feb. 21, 2009, I reached my goal weight of 146 lbs. In total, I lost 167 lbs! The day I completed Maintenance was the proudest of my life. I went from a size 28 to a 6. I lost 23 inches off my waist, 24 off my hips and 20 off my bust.
My challenges along the way were few. I was so focused and determined, not much stood in my way. One challenge I had was doing exercises that would boost metabolism and reshape my body. It took 8 months for me to start a workout routine. I started with the exercises in the WW material. Once I saw the difference, how it pulled in the flab and gave me a sexy body, I was hooked! Another challenge that reared its ugly head was breads and sweets! I learned to limit those in my home and gave away most of the baking I did. Trigger foods that had to be in the house for my family was kept in a cupboard that was off limits to me.
My motivation? Liking what I saw in the mirror, how my body could move, the energy I had, the
increasingly smaller clothes I was fitting into, the pride of my family. The joy I felt every day.
Five keys to my success:
- Track EVERYTHING!
- Eat the daily PointsPlus Target, always!
- Exercise! I didn’t have tummy tucks or lifts; exercise did a damn good job at that
- 4. Be POSITIVE! Focus on the CANS not the CAN’TS.
- Practice healthy selfishness – setting aside ME time for success.
Whoever you are; you can do it. Pull it out of your inner most self and tell yourself everyday: I
CAN do this! I WILL do this!
Good luck!
Darlene Scott – Lifetime Member, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
