The Battle of the Bulge

Hi, my name is Michelle, and I’m overweight. I can’t keep blaming on my pregnancy anymore; mini-man will be 3 in March. Photos from Mexico scared me… or is it scarred me?

Anyway… the time is now.

My Weight Loss Story

I put on weight from when I was about 8 or 9 years old when I was abused. And while that situation is long dealt with and forgiven, what remained was an insecurity and a compulsion that warped me just a little. I first joined Weight Watchers on the advice of my parents at the age of 12 when I weighed roughly 150 lbs at about 5’0″ to put a little perspective to it. That didn’t do a thing, though. I was 12 for goodness sake.

I never ended up doing anything about it until 2002, when I was 27 years old. I’m not sure what clicked, but I maxed out at 215 lbs and finally decided I was done with it. What followed was a full year of Weight Watchers, added to the running and kickboxing training I was already doing, resulting in a 60 lb weight loss.

Before Weight Watchers I was working out a lot – I did kickboxing at least 3-4 times a week and ran here and there, did some yoga, snowboarding in the winter… but I also ate. A lot, apparently. Too much, even for my high level of activity. What was really great about Weight Watchers was that it really taught me just how much food is normal. I seemed to have misplaced that perspective… or maybe never had it to begin with.

My Weight Gain Story

I kept the weight off until I got pregnant in the summer of 2005. I started gaining weight right from the beginning of my pregnancy. I think (or maybe try and justify it?) it was from being really lean when I got pregnant; my body fat % was about 16-18% and for a woman that’s lean. Even at work people were speculating that at over 150 lbs I was anorexic. But by the time I was 3 months pregnant I’d already put on about 15 lbs. Then I had to quit kickboxing when I was 5 months because of the anaerobic nature of it – my doctor was concerned baby wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

So then I sat on my couch for 6 months. Probem is I kept eating the same.

I tried replacing my beloved sport with walking or water aerobics, but it just wasn’t the same. I never found that thing I liked enough. I weighed 232 lbs the morning I went to the hospital for my son’s birth; this is a pic I took that morning. That’s a total gain of nearly 70 lbs.

Anyone who has a baby will tell you it’s the fastest weight loss you’ll ever experience. I lost 25 lbs in 3 days… then another 10 within 2 weeks. And then nothing. WHAT?! So there I was left with an extra 35 lbs again.

And now, I find myself with a hair over 40 lbs I need to lose again.

My New Weight Loss Commitment

Now, I don’t have kickboxing to use anymore and have a 3 year old at home I have to be around for, so workout time is way more challenging to come by. My husband’s jobs are unpredictable and take him out of town sometimes for weeks at a time. But I’m determined to do it again. My head is in the right place now and I’m ready. And in the same way I recruited my friends on a Facebook Group to support my efforts to quit smoking, I’m going to use this public blog to prove my commitment.

Here’s my photo inspiration: My wedding day. If you’ve seen me lately, you know…

This time the plan is much more simple, and probably more challenging but I will make it work: Weight Watchers Online and my Wii Fit. That’s it.

Now watch me shrink.