The Beginning

Welcome Everyone!

A few words of introduction:

My name is Liz, I just turned 27.  I am from Connecticut where I live with my husband of 4 years, my 2 year old son, Dillon, and our Miniature English Bulldog, Chloe; she is 4. We just purchased our first house in April.

I was adopted at birth, so medical history is a true mystery to me, so a part of my quest is to stay as healthy as possible since I am at a medical background disadvantage.  My son, and the possibilty of a future child are another reason I am working so diligently to stay healthy.  My husband and enjoying life in genreal is a third reason to get healthier.  But of course, the most important reason is for me!  SInce I have started losing weight I can buy clothes at the store without trying them on and I know they will fit (this is considered an off the scale victory), I can run up the stairs carrying my 30lb. son and not be winded at the top, and I have more energy to do things!

In high school (1997-2001) I was a 3-season Varsity athlete- soccer, basketball, and softball.  I played on recreational teams during the summer.  My first year of college, I realized very quickly that the people at the small Catholic college I was attending were much more interested in majoring in "Better Living through Chemistry" aka drugs and alcohol than I was.  I had a 4.0, I was in the college's musical production, I went to church each week and was a member of the church choir.  So, when I wasn't studying I had lots of free time, but most people were off partying.  I hit the gym.  I woke up at 5:45 and walked across campus to swim at 6am.  I would come back from the gym, go to class, and return to the gym to swim at noon.  Another class and then back to the gym to swim at 5:00.  After the 5pm swim I would go and do 30 minutes on a cardio machine and 30 minutes on a nautalis circut.  Needless to say, after a year of this, I was in even better shape than when I was playing 3 varsity sports! 

After my freshman year of college (2002), I came home and worked as a lifeguard for the summer at a camp for children with special needs.  It was this summer that I met my husband- well, I already knew him, but we actually started dating.  Steve was also very into exercise.  He had been chubby throughout high school although, quite active, so he was very into fitness.  I had decided to transfer to a school in Boston for my sophomore year.  The city was great, the school was challenging and fabulous.  I completed my sophomore year with flying colors.  I was living in an apartment off campus, and I had about a 30 minute commute via the "T."  I didn't have a regular eating schedule or a regular exercise schedule because it was "such a hassle" to bring all of my school books and exercise clothes for the day into the city with no real "home base" as I didn't live directly on campus.  After my sophomore year, I returned home and again worked as a lifeguard at the camp for special needs children- with my future husband.

My junior year of college, I returned to Boston, but this time lived in an apartment right in the middle of the city in Beacon Hill.  This location was ideal and I lived just across the Boston Common from my school!  In the spring semester of my Junior year, we competed in the National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC).  It was a select group of marketing majors that had to apply and be selected for this course.  We had many late nights and long weeks as we pushed to make our advertising campaign come alive.  This was my beginning...  or maybe I should call it my be-gaining.  We were so over-tired and over-worked.  We ordered take-out and bought late night snacks at the convenienve store.  The philosophy was "if 1 cookie makes me feel this much better, imagine how 6 would make me feel!"  Yup, we were all doing it, we ate to stay awake, to keep up energy, to survive.  At that point, it was really survival.  Steve, his friend, and his sister came up during this crazy push to see a Celtics game, I went with them, and I slept on Steve's shoulder through the whole game!  I cannot even tell you who the Celtics played!  We survived!  We came in 2nd in our region, but our school was so proud that they still sent our team to Dallas for the American Advertising Federation Conference, and to see the finals for the NSAC.  The year ended- Thank God!  Again, I returned home to work my summer as a lifeguard at the camp for children with special needs- with my future husband!  I had started to gain some weight, but not a whole lot.  I was back into an exercising routine with Steve and it was coming off again.

Fall 2004, I was beginning my senior year of college, but not just my senior year- my last semester, I was going to graduate a whole semester early!  I had more late nights, more crazy eating habits, not too truly weight gaining, but not losing either.  Just existing.  I finished in December of 2004 with a B.S. in Marketing- concentration in Public Relations and Advertising.  (Yea, me!)  That Christmas Eve, dressed as Santa, Steve proposed to me in front of all of our friends and family.  I had not a clue!  This jump started a weight loss kick!  I joined a gym and I joined weight watchers.  I was doing great!  That summer (2005), instead of returning to camp, I was offered a job at a local private high school in the admissions office.  I had been working for about 4 months when the director informed me I would be traveling to Mexico to recruit students.  I was thrilled because this also meant I would be able to reconnect with my friends in Mexico from high school!  This also meant, I lost my way (or should I say weigh).  With so many families and friends taking us to dinner, offering us food that we could not turn down to be polite, and drinks that were obligatory celebrations, even trying to track on the Weight Watchers online tool became impossible for me and I just stopped.  Well, after 2 weeks in Mexico, I never went back to Weight Watchers, I never went back to tracking my foods, but I did still go to the gym, but not as often as I should have.  I was coaching girls' basketball and I was getting in the mix and running drills and things with the girls- exercise, right?  And, I could keep up with them!

June 2006, I moved into an apartment in one of the girls dorms on campus.  June 24, Steve and I got married and left for a cruise to Bermuda the next day!  This was perhaps one of our busiest years.  Steve and I were both coaching 2 seperate teams, we were both working full-time at 2 different schools, and I had dorm duty- I was responsible for the girls every other night and every other weekend, which meant I had to stay up until 11pm/12am 3-5 nights a week.  And do you remember what it was that I did the last time I had to try and stay up?  Yup, I ate!  I did gain weight, but not huge amounts, I had little time to exercise. 

Fast forward to summer 2007.  I decided after 2 years to leave my job in the school building, but not the dorm parent part to persue my Master's Degree in Elementary Education.  In Septemeber 2007 I began an internship program at a local school that essentially paid for my entire semester of grad classes.  At the end of September 2007, I found out I was pregnant.  A true surprise, but a complete blessing!  I didn't tell Steve for almost a week after I found out and when I finally did, he was so surprised/shocked that I think he didn't talk to me for 2 days!  But, he came around!  For the first few months I didn't gain very much at all, in fact one month, I didn't gain anything, but that was okay because I had started off a little heavier.  (I should actually call my midwife's office and see what weight I first weighed in at.) I left my internship at Christmas break because with a baby on the way I needed to be earning some money, so I was planning on substitute teaching at the school Steve worked at.  January 2, 2008, we found out that we would be having a little boy!  (We had already decided on the name Dillon!)  So, I was due June 6, 2008.  In between January and June, I flew to California, I chaperoned a week-long walking trip of Philadelphia and New York City with 174 international students (at 8 months); I even climbed the "Rocky Steps" at the art museum, and I substitute taught every day that I wasn't on the trip and I had dorm duty every night (yes, you read that correctly, EVERY night) and every other weekend.  I stayed busy, but as you do when you are pregnant, I gained weight.  In the end, I have no idea how much I gained while pregnant.  (Again, I should call my midwife and find out!)  On June 2nd I had an appointment with my midwife, she set an induction date for that Friday (my due date), well, Dillon didn't want to be told when to come out, so he decided to make his on plans.  On June 3rd, the 1st day in 6 months I hadn't taught, my water broke in the afternoon.  On June 4th at 2:27am, Dillon Robert came into our lives.

Over the next 2 years, I have no idea what I gained or lost, only that I had to shop at stores that I felt ashamed of because they were stores that people had referred to as "fat people stores" or the "fat person version of..... (insert store name here).  I was SO down on myself and I don't think I really bought any new clothes, with the exception of things for special occassions in the 2 years.  Then, in May of 2010, I decided that enough was enough.  I re-joined Weight Watchers and I committed hard-core to losing weight.

On May 5, 2010 I weighed in at 223.6 lbs.  As I said, I have no idea what that was relative to my first midwife appointment in 2007, but when I saw that, I was determined to not leave myself this way any longer.  By June 2nd I was 12.4 lbs lighter, weighing in at 211.2, but in just 4 weeks, had met and exceeded by 1.4 lbs my 5% weight loss goal.  By July 7th I had lost an even 20lbs, weighing in at 203.6 lbs.  By August 4, I weighed 200.6 lbs, making me 23lbs. lighter.  September 1, I FINALLY broke 200, I weighed 199.4lbs.  To most, they'd say "um, that's still pretty much 200lbs, but to me, FINALLY being under 200lbs. made me feel like I'd hit the lottery!!!)

Now I am back on dorm duty 2 nights a week and 1 weekend a month, and these nights prove to be my eating downfall and thus have slowed my weight loss process.  On September 29 I was 194.6lbs for an even 29lbs.  Then came my weekend on duty, the next week I weighed in 1.8 lbs. heavier- back up to 196.4 lbs.  I was SO upset with myself, it was such a huge setback to me.  I ended up skipping the next week because I was babysitting my friend's son, and i was not stressing myself out to weigh in with 2 toddlers!  So, I weighed in again on the 20th of October and I was down 1.6 lbs. putting me at -28.8 lbs, almost back to my -29. 

When I lost 25lbs, I donated 25lbs. of food- this is what 25lbs. of weight looks like, now imagine that on your body:

With holidays headed my way, I know that I will need to remember to track and be more diligent about substituting healthier ingredients in my cooking and baking.  I have been walking 2-4 miles about 3 days a week with a friend, but I find it a little hard (and I'm a little lazy) about going without her, but some days, I do!  I am also going to join Curves, as I have taken the sign that 3 gift certificates equalling 5 free months have come into my life.  So, now I am back on my weigh to being a healthier, more fit person! 

So here's my question to all the people who wait (weight) for January 1st or more often, TOMORROW to lose weight:  WHAT ARE YOU WEIGHTING FOR?!  I am not saying you have to do anything that I've done, but think about what will work for you?  Find your support, find an exercise buddy, find something that works for you!  Don't weight any longer!