IF I CAN LOSE, SO CAN YOU
Mid-February 2018, I embarked in a personal journey to redefine my lifestyle and the eating/drinking habits that go with it. Since then, the program I signed up for in which I learned how to live and handle my relationship with food, I lost 30.8lbs (I could barely believe it myself!). I became more active, too – if you had told me I would be jogging the better part of a mile and a half, I would’ve laughed at you and myself! Me? Athletic? Pssshhtt!
But let me take you back 15 years. As a teenager, no different than so many people my age then and now, I struggled with my weight and, as a result, with my own image. I would start a new fad diet. Trust me, I’ve done the onion soup diet (don’t ask ), did a stint on Atkins, exercised like cray – with my mom acting as drill sergeant (thanks, Mom!), we went to an endocrinologist and lost a ton of weight and then gained it all back again. I even participated in Miss World Dominican Republic and got down to my lowest weight ever (162lbs)! Quick unrelated note: I still lost for many reasons, one of them being I wasn’t an ideal weight and other candidates were more experienced at the time – BUT I got to top 10, so there’s that for my ego ;). Look up the definition of yo-yo dieting and you would see my picture next to it.
My past doesn’t define me, it just tells the story of how I got here. It’s up to me to take myself where I want to go.
Some events in my life also contributed to my weight gain and my eating was the way I dealt with those events. Apparently, everything I did had to do with my stomach and feelings. Was I trying to eat them? I’m no psychologist, so I don’t know, but man it’s been a long run!
So what’s been working, you ask? I don’t know how to pinpoint exactly. In the beginning, the program I was following (Noom), asked me to define why I was doing it, to see myself at my goal weight, to design my big picture. And that’s when it hit me, my reason: I want to become pregnant and have a baby. My reasoning: losing weight after having a baby can be a real b****. And I want to be healthy and make healthier choices for me and my family. At that time I wanted to meet my goal of losing 58 more pounds in a short amount of time. At that point, it’s not just about losing weight but becoming physically fit and sustain it, but because you can plan however much you want, life can get in the way and once I was down a total of 35lbs of the 58 I wanted to lose, and in the middle of a cross-country move and job search, my Dad passed away… I was so devastated I couldn’t find the motivation or interest to lose weight. So I steadily started gaining all the weight back, and then some.
As I sit and write this now, mid-2020 (listen, if the Zombie Apocalypse were to happen tomorrow, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash at this point, because it’s been a mortifying – Murder Hornets, anyone!? – and incredibly sad time in everyone’s lives right now), I decided that now was a good a time as any to do some introspection and get myself motivated and moving again. So for the past month and a half, I’ve done just that and lost 16lbs following a meal plan and exercise routine from FitGirls Guide, but also tracking my meals (it definitely works for me – when I remember to do it :’D).
No matter how close I came to my goal in 2018, and how much I’ve lost, I know I have a long way to go, lots more to learn, and way more to do, but I think I’m finally realizing I really can do this. My past doesn’t define me, it just tells the story of how I got here. It’s up to me to take myself where I want to go.
So friends, if you’re looking for a magic pill to get yourself going on a healthier lifestyle path, I’m sorry to say I don’t have one.
And anyone telling you any different or that they have one is lying!
The secret formula is to find the thing that will motivate you and do it for YOURSELF. The thing that will push you and make you accountable to YOURSELF. For me, this has changed so much over the years, but now I’m focused on becoming a mom and starting a healthy lifestyle that I will be able to teach my child/children. If you’re reading this post, then you more likely than not are also down a similar path, but a shorter-term goal could be a vacation that’s booked and you want to love your pictures from that trip, an event like a wedding, a medical reason, or something else entirely. Find your big reason, and once you do, you will make it happen!
Please share your story in the comments, or feel free to email me directly, we can be each other’s accountability buddy!
Carol
I love sharing fun facts and reading anything I can get my hands on. I live for wine, movies, books, and knitting! Travel and baking are my passions!
2 Comments
Olga Orbis
You’re amazing!!
Pingback: