Over the past six years, I have battled an unhealthy amount of weight gain and all of the problems that go with it. I was depressed, stressed, and feeling like I was 90 years old. I had a wonderful husband and a beautiful little boy, but I was stuck on the sidelines of our life together. My daily heartburn, excruciating back issues, and mood swings left me miserable. I was either hiding behind a camera or watching my son and husband enjoy life together.
There came a time that I was so disgusted and miserable with myself that I decided something had to change. Today, I would like to share my story with you and bring you hope. Weight loss is such a struggle for me and my successes did not come overnight. I have fought to lose every single pound, but there has never been a moment I regretted any of it. It was all worth it because I get to share this part of my life with you today. If I can help one person live a healthier life, it was absolutely worth it to me.
On November 12, 2011 I celebrated my son's second birthday. We spent the day with our families at a local railroad museum. When I got home, I started going through all the pictures. That was the very moment I realized I was done with it all. I was beyond devastated that I was actually balancing my son on my fat rolls in pictures. I felt like I was ruining the pictures of our special moments together.
I began keeping track of my calories with My Fitness Pal. I used it on my iPhone and online. If I went out to eat, I would search the foods to know what I could eat to stay on track. This is one of the most useful tools I have used during my journey. At the beginning of March, I had almost reached my half way mark.
March 1, 2012 my husband took pictures of me with my son. I was so proud of my progress and thrilled to see pictures of me with my son that I didn't cringe over. Little did I know that my weight loss journey would be put on hold the very next day.
March 2, 2012 my whole life was completely turned upside down. The marina my family works for was hit by an EF3 tornado. For the next three weeks, we worked non-stop without a day off. Our lives were filled with clean up efforts and any attempt to return to normal. Friends, I have never been through a more traumatic period in my life. Due to the stress and my insane emotional eating, I didn't officially reach my half way mark until April 20, 2012. I was simply watching everything I ate to lose this weight.
On May 29, 2012 I had plateaued for around 4-5 weeks. I decided to start staggering my calories. I would eat 1200 calories one day, then I would jump up to about 1600 the next. It kept my body from getting used to the same intake each day and I started working out of the plateau.
On August 10, 2012 I found a water that I didn't mind drinking! I shared the apple-cinnamon detox water that I absolutely love. Not only did it make water more tolerable at the time, but I was able to lose weight that crept back up. If you hate water, please give this a try!
On October 1, 2012 I started sharing some of my tips and tricks in my 31 Days to a Better You Series. Looking back now, I believe this is where I really started to notice how much I wanted to inspire others to live healthier lives. I have a huge heart to help people reach a healthier weight and I am so blessed that my blog can do that.
November 12, 2012 found me comparing my year's progression.
January 30, 2012 I finally admitted here what scared me into finally taking my weight loss seriously.
To date I have lost 57.9 pounds. I have 3.6 pounds to lose until I reach my original weight loss goal. My journey will not end there. I have some great fitness goals in mind that I will share soon. On November 12, 2011, I wore a size 18 pair of jeans. I wore XL everything. Actually, I still ran around in some of my maternity clothes... Today, I wear a size 10 comfortably. I wear mostly Mediums with some Smalls now. Just in my pooch area of my belly I have lost 10 whole inches of fat. I am not on any medications and I have no health issues. This is by far the healthiest and happiest I have been in my entire life. I am so blessed to have a second chance to live. I was slowly killing myself with my health problems. When my weight decreased, the health problems disappeared! I have been given the opportunity to love and enjoy my family the way I have always dreamed of. It was worth every single tear and struggle.
My biggest things that help me stay focused:
1. Eat protein!
For breakfast, I eat a protein bar and Greek yogurt to keep me full. I consume 20 grams of protein just for breakfast.
2. Keep your butt out of those fast food places in the beginning!
Get control of your eating and then make healthy choices while dining out. Some places I don't step foot in: Kentucky Fried Chicken (their only veggie is green beans filled with sodium) and Long John Silvers. If you walk in a place to eat that doesn't offer more then two salad meal options, turn your behind around. Not even kidding. When I eat out, I stick with salads unless I go somewhere that has low calorie menu options. Applebee's is fabulous for this!
3. Drink more water
Take your body weight and divide it in half. That is the number of ounces of water per day that you need!
4. Work your way into a healthier lifestyle by making one change at a time
Let one healthy change become a habit before starting the next. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to overhaul your life overnight. I promise it rarely works and normally doesn't last very long.
5. Keep track of your calories
I use My Fitness Pal and I love it. You can easily calculate how many calories are in meals at your favorite restaurants. It helps you stay on track! Some large dinner salads can contain more calories that regular menu meals.
6. Take Before and During pictures
There will be days that you are just so frustrated. If I didn't have these, I might have quit. Take measurements as well. Even though you may be getting smaller, your mind doesn't always accept that fact. Some days I still feel like I'm 60 pounds heavier.
7. Hold yourself accountable by sharing your progress with friends or family
When I shared my progress with my Facebook friends, I got such an overwhelming amount of support.
8. Find a weight loss buddy!
I have made several weight loss blog friends along the way. We cheer each other on. I've also found friends at church that I enjoy going to Zumba with. I don't think I would have tried it on my own (I'm actually a little shy in real life), but I am so glad my friends got hooked on it with me.
9. Eat one big salad a day. Period.
10. Stick to the whole grains to feel fuller and leave starches and sugars behind.
You can join me at Daily Dose of Del Signore to read my entire story from the beginning. If you would like support on your own journey, I would love to hear from you!
On November 12, 2011 I celebrated my son's second birthday. We spent the day with our families at a local railroad museum. When I got home, I started going through all the pictures. That was the very moment I realized I was done with it all. I was beyond devastated that I was actually balancing my son on my fat rolls in pictures. I felt like I was ruining the pictures of our special moments together.
I began keeping track of my calories with My Fitness Pal. I used it on my iPhone and online. If I went out to eat, I would search the foods to know what I could eat to stay on track. This is one of the most useful tools I have used during my journey. At the beginning of March, I had almost reached my half way mark.
March 1, 2012 my husband took pictures of me with my son. I was so proud of my progress and thrilled to see pictures of me with my son that I didn't cringe over. Little did I know that my weight loss journey would be put on hold the very next day.
March 2, 2012 my whole life was completely turned upside down. The marina my family works for was hit by an EF3 tornado. For the next three weeks, we worked non-stop without a day off. Our lives were filled with clean up efforts and any attempt to return to normal. Friends, I have never been through a more traumatic period in my life. Due to the stress and my insane emotional eating, I didn't officially reach my half way mark until April 20, 2012. I was simply watching everything I ate to lose this weight.
On May 29, 2012 I had plateaued for around 4-5 weeks. I decided to start staggering my calories. I would eat 1200 calories one day, then I would jump up to about 1600 the next. It kept my body from getting used to the same intake each day and I started working out of the plateau.
On August 10, 2012 I found a water that I didn't mind drinking! I shared the apple-cinnamon detox water that I absolutely love. Not only did it make water more tolerable at the time, but I was able to lose weight that crept back up. If you hate water, please give this a try!
On October 1, 2012 I started sharing some of my tips and tricks in my 31 Days to a Better You Series. Looking back now, I believe this is where I really started to notice how much I wanted to inspire others to live healthier lives. I have a huge heart to help people reach a healthier weight and I am so blessed that my blog can do that.
November 12, 2012 found me comparing my year's progression.
January 30, 2012 I finally admitted here what scared me into finally taking my weight loss seriously.
My biggest things that help me stay focused:
1. Eat protein!
For breakfast, I eat a protein bar and Greek yogurt to keep me full. I consume 20 grams of protein just for breakfast.
2. Keep your butt out of those fast food places in the beginning!
Get control of your eating and then make healthy choices while dining out. Some places I don't step foot in: Kentucky Fried Chicken (their only veggie is green beans filled with sodium) and Long John Silvers. If you walk in a place to eat that doesn't offer more then two salad meal options, turn your behind around. Not even kidding. When I eat out, I stick with salads unless I go somewhere that has low calorie menu options. Applebee's is fabulous for this!
3. Drink more water
Take your body weight and divide it in half. That is the number of ounces of water per day that you need!
4. Work your way into a healthier lifestyle by making one change at a time
Let one healthy change become a habit before starting the next. Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to overhaul your life overnight. I promise it rarely works and normally doesn't last very long.
5. Keep track of your calories
I use My Fitness Pal and I love it. You can easily calculate how many calories are in meals at your favorite restaurants. It helps you stay on track! Some large dinner salads can contain more calories that regular menu meals.
6. Take Before and During pictures There will be days that you are just so frustrated. If I didn't have these, I might have quit. Take measurements as well. Even though you may be getting smaller, your mind doesn't always accept that fact. Some days I still feel like I'm 60 pounds heavier.
7. Hold yourself accountable by sharing your progress with friends or family
When I shared my progress with my Facebook friends, I got such an overwhelming amount of support.
8. Find a weight loss buddy!
I have made several weight loss blog friends along the way. We cheer each other on. I've also found friends at church that I enjoy going to Zumba with. I don't think I would have tried it on my own (I'm actually a little shy in real life), but I am so glad my friends got hooked on it with me.
9. Eat one big salad a day. Period.
10. Stick to the whole grains to feel fuller and leave starches and sugars behind.
You can join me at Daily Dose of Del Signore to read my entire story from the beginning. If you would like support on your own journey, I would love to hear from you!
* If you have a success story of your own, please share what worked for you. Inspiring story like yours, will help me and other weight loss aspirant to stay focused. Click here to submit.
Yay for you!
ReplyDeleteGreat story! Wendy has a fantastic attitude. I love that it’s about fitness and not just weight loss. Definitely going to give protein bar (or some variation) & greek yogurt breakfast a try!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful story and Wendy looks FANTASTIC! I am going to adopt this one big salad a day rule!
ReplyDeletewhat a heart warming story! Thanks for sharing your moment Wendy. I really appreciate you taking time to share what measures worked for you during this journey. You are simply stunning! :)
ReplyDeleteSuccess story like this never cease to inspire me. Teresa Moody, Leslie, B. Jenkins, and Mommy's Heart, if you know any other encouraging story like this I'm glad if you could share. Thanks for adding your thought.
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ReplyDeleteI have gone through your success story and hats off to you Wendy. Cheers!! You can also visit my website regarding weight loss tips for women
ReplyDeletei loooooove this blog...thx for all the wnderful inspiratn
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ReplyDelete