Tuesday, November 1, 2011

A Slim Chance: Part 2

And now... continued from Part 1...

Anyone that has known me since childhood, can attest to the fact that I really was a slim child. But that all changed once I hit junior high school. I was heavy in my teen years. I had stretch marks to prove all the weight I gained in high school!

It followed me into married life and until I had my first child, I really hadn't known what it was like to be thin as an adult. My first taste of being "adult" thin was after I had my firstborn child. Apparently I had lost my own weight, while being pregnant. Of course I gained weight overall, but within a week of the birth I was under what I weighed 9 months before!


In fact, to tell you how big I was when I graduated from high school...I weighed the same as when I was 9 months pregnant! That first child weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces! The weight simply was not a issue for me then...that was in my 20's.  I had only gained 15 pounds in that pregnancy.



After a while, I gained back some of the weight, although never to see my high school numbers again, thankfully. When I was pregnant with my second, I was in my 30's, and this time things were different. I had less energy, didn't eat nearly as well...I gained about 50 pounds! The weight was hard to get rid of this time around. My second child, at birth, weighed 8 pounds even.


We moved to Ghana for two years when this baby was 4 months old. With a food change and walking more (no car), the weight pretty much left ...and easily too. When it's hot out, it's hard to eat too much and water was about the only thing I drank. Easily we had a change of lifestyle that had weight loss built in.


I did get down to a slimmer weight this way... But moving back and the stress associated with an overseas move put about 10 pounds back on. Give it another 3 years and you've got a few pounds to lose.

As I would soon learn, there was a website that I could use to track my calories and exercise. It also had "friend ability" (you could get help from others and be accountable to friends). When I first started, I could hardly believe how many calories I was really eating! I had no idea. It was then I realized...No wonder I was not thinner! I had been fooling myself.


I like seeing all the numbers and the Lose It! website (and phone app) are helpful to many who have lost weight using this food diary. You use any food plan and exercise regimen you like. This is just a tool to keep track of food and exercise, with an emphasis on weight loss. And it's free!


So I continue on this vegan path I've been on, emphasizing smaller portions, more raw and lean foods, and exercise, a little more lately. Using a free website and my rebounder (mini trampoline) at home is working for me to, once again, get slim.


My journey from late July till now has been a good one. In that time I have lost more than 16 pounds and I'm almost to my goal weight. A real dream goal weight. I have never been this light in my entire adult life.

And guess what? Two months after I started actively losing weight, my husband also joined me. Our weight loss goals (number of pounds to lose) are within one pound of each other and he is almost there as well. It's fun to support each other this way! =)

I won't say it's easy, but the work has been good and rewarding to have another chance at being slim!

2 comments:

tandemingtroll said...

Good job! I have a lot of weight to lose. I think that I am technically obese. God has me focusing on other things right now, but I am sure He will be having me work on it in the future.

A friend was talking about trying to lose more weight and talked about how great it was to have an accountability partner. I might show her the web site.

BTW, from the few pictures you have posted, I can't imagine you being overweight. It is interesting moving to America has made so much of a difference.

Loretta said...

Thanks! =)
Actually, about the only photos of me on here are when I was thinner.

You can't see it very well, but the wedding photo is probably the heaviest one of me on the blog. And those wedding dresses tend to hide the hips! =) A good thing!

Let me know if you or your friend ever join Lose It! and I will friend you! =)