May I introduce to you...
April 29, 2010I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Sarah. I'm 33 years old, and I'm still fat, but not as fat as I was 18 months ago.
You see ... as of today I've managed to lose 91.8 pounds. I know the next question. I hear it several days a week. How'd you do it? I don't have any voodoo magic to share with you. Sorry! Here's my secret... huddle in now... wait for it... I strictly watch what I eat EVERY single day, right it all down, and I exercise most days a week, usually instead of doing something like going out for lunch, or happy hour. Not very fun huh?
But much better to be this:
Than this:
Yikes!!! That hurts my eyes people. Seriously... How did I let that happen? Well.... I let it happen over many many many years of being overweight, obese... fat. Whatever you want to call it, I was it. I was the fat kid, the fat teenager, the fat bride, and finally the fat pregnant lady. I loved myself, I had good friends/family, and I felt people accepted me, but It all came down around me on August 9, 2007.
See that sweet boy sitting on my lap in the scary picture above? That's my sweet baby that was born that night. Let's call him "L". He was born 5 weeks early, weighed 3 lbs 4 oz, and spent 27 days in the NICU at the hospital. He was born early because I developed HELLP syndrome - a very serious and rare from of preeclampsia that can lead to liver failure and even maternal death. L and I, we're lucky. We both came out of it relatively unscathed. Sure, he's a little small, but it hasn't effected his ability to flourish one bit. After L was born I continued my "old lifestyle" for over a year before I was finally told flat out by my doctor that my weight was likely a "contributing factor" to my pregnancy issues - oh yeah there were multiple issues, but let's not go there right now. I was also advised to lose weight prior to any more pregnancies. WOW! I almost killed myself and this sweet little boy, because I like bon-bons too much? That was a selfish thing to do. And so, the very next week I walked into Weight Watchers and vowed to change myself. I had to... I had that sweet little boy to think about now.
And that pretty much brings you to now. I've followed Weight Watchers since October 2008. Let's see that's 18 months!!! I lost my first 50 lbs with no exercise, and then last April I started going to Curves. Oh yeah... and now I've lost my last piece of sanity and am signed up to run a 5k in June. June 12, 2010 to be exact. It will be a day that lives in infamy. See, my family, we are not runners. So, stay tuned for that one. I just started training this week, and will have a post coming soon.
In closing (isn't that how you were taught to write an essay... it has been a long time people). I have a favorite quote. "A journey of a thousand miles, must begin with a single step"
- Lao Tzu
I live by that every day!
15 comments
You go girl. You have done SO amazingly with your weight loss. I look forward to continuing to follow your journey!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you! What a fantastic inspiration you are. I must admit, I keep saying I am going to start WW again and keep putting it off. You are the second blog visitor I have had this month who has had great WW success (I had it in the past before being pregnant). This Wednesday I am going to the meeting in town. You have motivated me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thank you for visiting my blog! I look forward to seeing your progress with getting to run a 5K!
You look fantastic Sarah! So very proud of you. You've come a long way.
ReplyDeleteHi! I've connected with you through the HELLP group, and I will continue to follow your amazing weight loss journey here. But I wanted to say - please be gentled with yourself - you certainly did not cause HELLP/Pre-e and it was not your fault that it happened!!!
ReplyDeleteAllie - Thanks for visiting! Good luck with your meeting. Please let me know how it goes for you. I hope you have great success. It is a wonderful program.
ReplyDeleteAmy - Thanks for visiting. Thanks for reminding me that... it is hard to not blame myself. I just want to do everything I can to make myself as healthy as possible and see if I can get lucky the second time around. :-)
Fantastic Sarah. Great job and I love the name of the blog sister
ReplyDeleteOkay, Sarah, you've inspired me and I'm back on the wagon ... and thankful for fat free 1/2 & 1/2! I've gained back 20 pounds over the last year, so the time has come. I blame the stress of the year, but I should take some ownership of that! Keep posting!!
ReplyDeleteOh I heart fat free 1/2 and 1/2!!! Bless it! YAY, so glad you are back! Life happens... it is what it is, and you just have to move on, right?
ReplyDeleteWow Sarah...you look absolutely great!!! Keep up the great work...'united in weight loss we stand'!.
ReplyDeleteYou look fantastic! You look so much younger too!!! Wow! Inspiring.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS!!!! That's a fantastic loss and you did it the right way! The healthy way!
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteYOu maybe don't remember me, but we attended college together. Paul and Amy told me about your blog. I have done WW after each pregnancy and you're right it works. YOU LOOK UNBELIEVABLE!! When I see the before pics that is the Sarah I remember, but now I don't recognize you. i am so glad to hear you have your health on track too. Keep it up you look great.
Melanie (nee Benson)
Way to go, girl! It is refreshing to see someone who did it the right way - with patience and perseverance and self-acceptance. You are/look beautiful. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeletewow. very inspiring! i just started my own WW journey because one day i DO want to have cute little healthy babies and be energized enough to play with them! i post mostly recipes on my blog, all with the PointsPlus values and breakdowns. i've found this plan to be quite enjoyable, especially with the free fruit! if you have some time, check it out. i hope some of my recipes and tips help you out with the new program!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on coming such a long way. I have heard that being overweight can cause you to have reproduction issues so I am glad you and your child made it through. Keep up the good work as we all know it is a lifetime of work.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE hearing your thoughts and feedback. Please leave me a comment