<~~~~~January 2012
Christmas 2010Yesterday morning I was thinking about updating my blog and it just so happened to be the same day my mother suggested I update my blog, write a book, start a magazine, have a talk show lol She cracks me up BUT she does have a valid point . My story could be a motivation for other ladies and men out there.
So the last time I blogged I believe was June 7th 2011... almost two months after my surgery. That by the way CHANGED my life for ever. Not in a bad way in what I like to call A FABULOUS WAY!!!
So after my surgery my mom sent me some photos of some of the pics that she had taken while she was visiting. And needless to say I was flat out disgusted! I could not believe that I had let myself gain as much weight as I had. I knew that I was a bigger girl but everyone always said " Your so pretty" " You carry your weight well" " Your big boned" I laugh now knowing what I know about that statement it makes me chuckle. So I started hitting the gym hot and heavy and just seemed like I was not loosing anything and well maybe that had something to do with the fact that I did not know how to eat and what to eat to work hand in hand with the exercise. So June 21st was the day that I say started " the new me" I decided to go see a dietitian/ nutritionist. I wanted to see what I could do and what I was doing that was wrong. I wanted to look into the surgeries and all to see if I could qualify and see if that would help me loose the 91 lbs that I needed to loose. I was kind of honestly looking for an easy way for me. NOT saying that everyone that chooses that option is taking the easy road and or cheating. I am saying for me I felt the fasted way to get it off was the most dramatic because I felt that I just could not do it. So I met with Dr. Taylor and she did a complete physical. She had already read over my chart which was fabulous. Knew that I had fertility issue, battled weight for about all my life along with having cancer and a hysterectomy all by the age of 29! She was amazed that I was "put together" as I was. She then followed up with saying " What is your goal with me" She made me think long and hard about the real reason why I was there visiting. Was it to be skinny? to look great? To have the confidence that I needed, that I had when I was younger? To fit in smaller pants? To feel more accepted? NO That was not why I was there I was there so that I could be HEALTHY. I could live longer and in turn all those things mentioned above would fall into place. She told me that she did not recommend any dramatic weight loss surgeries that I had the determination I just needed the dedication and motivation. And that only I could determine how well I was going to do. She started me out keeping a journal of everything I ate and to this day almost 7 months later I am keeping one. She also put me on a low calorie diet one I follow now. I am not as strict now but still do the calorie counting. She also put me on whats called Phentermine a weigh loss supplement that basically makes you feel full faster and I tell ya the first month it was great BUT I could NOT sleep I was up til 3 am or so and just was having the hardest time sleeping so I got off that quickly and decided that I was going to have to be dedicated to the gym and my eating.
The first month I lost 16 pounds! I could NOT believe that. After years and years of struggling I was actually loosing weight! So then I gave all the credit to that pill and I said lets see how much I can loose on my own! Well the second month I lost 13 lbs ! For my 30th birthday I was down 29 pounds! Since the beginning of the year my highest weight was 291.8 at the fertility doctors office. So August 21st I weighted in 262lbs and I was on my way to feeling better. I was still pushing through and really just dedicating myself to classes at the YMCA, eating better, walking during lunch and taking the stairs from floor 2-12 every day! I was pushing myself hard because I knew that I could do it. My third appointment around Sept 21st I knew that I had busted it hard and that my numbers would have been great. Even though I was not really seeing a big difference in my clothes I knew the scale was down. I had lost another 9 lbs. 38 total. So I pushed forward and little by little I was making progress. I could start to tell a difference in my clothes, face, and even the way I felt when i was shopping and stuff. The change was happening on the inside not just the outside.
When I started this journey I wanted it to be a complete makeover. I wanted it to effect the inside and the outside. I wanted it to effect my marriage. For Neal and I both to become healthier. I really started to notice the change around Christmas when I had not seen some family members in a while and when my mother came into town. Your momma always is going to support you no matter what. How you look, act, what you wear. People started to notice when I didn't. I had not really noticed clothes because I did not want to go shopping for new clothes and if I did I went to goodwill. I had noticed the sizes going down or if someone gave me clothes I thought I couldn't wear and they fit that's when you feel really good. So around Christmas I knew that I was not doing all that great. It is so hard to eat , drink and exercise around the holidays because there is so much temptation. Neal and I just had to do it literally in moderation and make sure we kept our exercise up.
Well I had my after holiday weigh in last Friday the 6th. Since its coming up on a year that I started the gym Jan 28th and then my year of surgery April 26 . My year for dietitian June 21st , Looking back I am kinda shocked how much for the better I have changed!
I have officially lost 64.2 lbs, went from a size 22-24 to a 14-16 and size 2x shirts to mostly XL and some larges! I have realized that I am allot taller than most I am 5'10.5''! So with me I am going to be considered " larger" but I do not consider myself plus size anymore! I feel fabulous most of the time.
One of these life changing experiences that I would like to take away forever is remembering that it was me that help get into the shape I was in. Even though I had a ton of health issues I could have prevented me from gaining 91 pounds but I decided that I would rather eat, drink and feel happy that way then putting all my energy in what I really needed to which was my health. No matter how much people say that I changed, look better, I still know that I have to be willing to maintain and remember the work that it took to finally get to where I am happy inside and out! Life is so short to be unhappy! Sometime that everyone should learn.
I do NOT want anyone to think that I think their choices to change were right or wrong. I am saying all this about me! And only me because I am the one that has to answer for myself. I have not completed the goals in life that I want to yet. I have however started a journey that I plan to continue until Jesus calls me home. I would like to say that Neal and I have started this journey together and its so much easier when you have someone that wants the same as you which ultimately is to be healthier.
So if you are reading this and want to change and do something then DO IT! Do not let the doctors tell you that you cant. Do not let others tell you its SO HARD and in the end not worth it. Do not let society tell you that THIN is the ONLY way to be because that's NOT TRUE. You decide what you want to do and DO IT... You don't have to eat all organic or all natural foods. You do not have to shop at the most expensive stores. You do not have to try every diet pill that's man made. You can start out changing things like drink more water, take the stairs at work, park away from the doors at stores rather than finding the best spot in the lot. Walk even if its 30 min walk! Any bit helps. I am by far a pro or a dietitian BUT I know what I can do to change and its worked. Eat 100 calorie snacks instead of the bag of chips you want. When you want candy try drinking water to make you feel fuller. There are ways to do things that do not BREAK the bank! I hear that all the time that people can not afford to eat healthy... yes it does cost us about $15 more a week then we were getting and or that someone can not afford the gym. Well when Neal and I first started I had a membership BUT I was at the track that's FREE at the local high school and jogged. I was not fast but I did it ! That's free. There are parks that are free. Get a buddy or ask someone to walk with you make someone your accountability partner. It helps. Keep a food journal. I have been keeping one since June and I love it. I sometimes slack at it but for the most part I keep a log of EVERYTHING that goes in my mouth for the most part. The little things ADD up. You can do it without it costing a fortune and or taking the most drastic out there. NOT SAYING that its not worth it to take those drastic steps because I TOTALLY think that some people REALLY need it that sometimes those little steps just wont work. First you must TRY just give yourself at least 21 days and do it hot and heavy to make it a habit! If then you cant then seek the help that you feel you need. Please anyone reading this do not feel that I am not for the drastic steps I am... It just was NOT for me... I hope and pray that and I feel so confident that I can because I have a fabulous support system and I do not want to be the old "me".
So in a nut shell life is grand! Ups and Downs happen in life and its how you react to them that makes you who you are! I still have to go to my oncologist every 3 months for a scan and so far so good! Work is good and the Catering business is good. Having your own business or helping your husbands business can be a tad stressful at times and can boggle you down but I have to remember that its the outcome that I life. I love immediate gratification so if a party is happy or a client is happy well the stress is TOTALLY worth it...
I would like to end with this. Thank you to everyone that has supported Neal and I in this life changing life style change that we are embarking on. We are so grateful. I love each of you. Thank you to my family which I have been distant from to focus on me. Thank you to my friends that are so emotionally supportive with your kind words and encouraging me. To my momma for always telling me that I am beautiful, strong and for loving me for good and bad through thick and thin! To my husband for making me stronger, for loving me, for the fights we get in, for always loving me no matter what my outside looks life, for supporting my habits and always spoiling me, for the reminder that going to the gym is going is going to get us to our ultimate goal, thank you for becoming the man that God intends for you to be. I am not the person that I want to be and thank you for waiting and walking beside me until I get there. Thank you God for helping me get through what some may say could have been impossible. Not just this weight loss journey but the cancer, heart break etc... Thank you for being the FATHER that I need and being so forgiving... I love you God more than I could ever express in writing!
So I will try to blog more... I hope that this does NOT offend anyone ... If it has I am sorry. These are my choices, views and opinions NO ONE ELSE'S...
LOVE YOU ALL ~~~~ LIZZY
ps... Just like Jennifer Hudson (singer) said that " I am and always will be a work in progress. Always fighting life as a "big girl" is something that you will never forget BUT I now KNOW what I have to do to maintain a healthy life style and not starve myself. I can still enjoy everything in life just in moderation and substation" THANK YOU JENNIFER HUDSON for this... I have been saying this throughout the last 7 months! This is so true and I LOVE it!!!
