My Story
I have numerous posts on my weight loss journey dotted around the internet on Tumblr, imgur, Blogilates etc. but I don't actually have one that I have written in great detail and published on one of my own personal pages. Numerous people still ask me so I think it would be a good idea to create one that covers my background and then I will publish one on what my diet was like and my exercise regime.
I first started gaining weigh when I left high school for college to do my A-Levels and my daily structure didn't really exist anymore. I didn't necessarily have set break or meal times and I had no idea that I was eating so badly. I would eat huge portions, buy sweets from the shop on campus and then go home to dinner and snacks. I had McDonalds way too often during that time which is not only unhealthy but I had no clue as to how many calories I should be eating or how many I was actually consuming. Prior to college, I was diagnosed with Long QT syndrome and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defribillator. I used that as an excuse not to exercise at all but I still didn't clean up my act when it came to eating. I was generally really in denial about my eating.
My sister got engaged and I was to be one of her bridesmaids so my Mother said I had to lose weight for the wedding and fit into a smaller dress. This was around Christmas of 2010 and I weighed about 240lbs/109kg which was considered obese even though I'm quite tall (5'11). Of course, once again, I had no idea about proper nutrition, how much to eat or what exercise to do. I took the cheaters way to lose weight and started to have weight loss meal replacement shakes. I used Celebrity Slim and would have 2 shakes a day, 2/3 snacks and one main meal. This just meant I was losing weight from a huge calorie deficit and netting below my BMR. I lost about 30/35lbs by May/June of 2011 and the wedding was in August. I was very tired, irritable, had crappy skin and no concentration from eating so little. I tried on my bridesmaid dress in June and it fitted so I got really lax and thankfully stopped having the shakes but in turn simply returned to my usual habits of gorging on savory carbs.
I ballooned back up for the wedding and was back to nearly my original size. I've never told anyone before but as we were making our way back to the hotel after the wedding, a drunk man was shouting at our party so I told him to go away. To this he replied "f**k off, fatty" which actually stuck with me for a very long time afterwards.
I went back into complete denial about my size and how unhealthy I was until my Mother started to bring up the subject more often. I had spent months avoiding the fact that I was having to buy clothes in size UK 18/20 and that anything from Topshop was just out of the question. I was absolutely mortified when I saw the photos from the wedding so, being the lazy person I was, I went to my doctor to ask about medical ways for me to lose weight. I don't quite know what I was expecting to get. My doctor weighed me and told me that I weighed 235lbs/106kg and, for the first time ever, someone told me that I was obese. It hit me instantly and the denial washed away. I cried on the journey home and decided that I would immediately change and couldn't lie to myself anymore. That was January 5th 2012 and a lot has changed since then. The top left photo is one of the only photos that I have of myself from the end of January '12 and by then I had already lost a few pounds.
I made myself a tumblr to track my progress and find motivation or support from those who had already turned their lives around. I remember being so daunted that I wanted to lose 80lbs which was over 1/3 of my total current body weight. Through tumblr I discovered Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred workout which was the only real exercise I had done for quite some time. I did the whole routine a few times through and was driven by the fact I was finding it more easy. I cleaned up my eating and gave up drinking every single Friday night. I educated myself on the internet about what our bodies require to properly function and dispelled any weight loss myths that had been drummed into my head.
By Christmas of 2012 I was down 65lbs to 170lbs and felt fantastic. I started doing the Ripped In 30 routine and finally started to love my body. Over the course of the next 6 months I took up running and Blogilates which eventually took me down to 155lbs.
I now don't weigh myself and have maintained my weight for the last year but I feel smaller and less "fluffy". I have gone from a size UK 18/20 to a UK 8-12. My eating habits remain largely the same and I am not afraid to treat myself from anything to a bar of chocolate or a 3 course meal at TGIFridays every once in a while. I feel more confident than I ever have before and can actually walk down the street without looking at the floor. I want to help more people learn for themselves that losing weight and being healthy doesn't mean using diet pills, shakes, hours of cardio and eating as little as possible. I want to help more people understand that our bodies need to be properly nourished and that there is no magic trick to weight loss other than harnessing your motivation and knowing that you either get it done or remain the same.
xoxo
Wonderful story! I lost about 57 pounds using exercise and lifestyle change a few years ago, but then got married, was diagnosed with cancer, and came down with an autoimmune disorder that makes me exhausted. I always find your Instagram posts about your weight loss encouraging. I am on getting for again. I have gained it all back, but I know there's hope.
ReplyDeleteI am ready to get fit again. I don't know what I was typing in the second to last sentence!
DeleteThis is so inspirational! I lost 25lbs myself last year and managed to keep it off until I got a stomach infection and subsequently put it all back on. This has inspired me to get rid of it again once and for all so thank you! (Ps, on Instagram you commented on someone's pic about a two pack of school kilts from M&S, was that just from an ordinary store or online?) much love xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Are you fully recovered now? Later today I'm posting a piece about healthy eating on a budget if you're interested! I haven't specifically seen kilts but everyone wants the AA pleated skirts which are basically just school skirts. I think I've seen printed ones on ebay for really cheap but obviously you have to wait the extended shipping time from Asia :(
DeleteThank you for reading!
xoxo
no worries! I'm still undergoing tests at the hospital but you've still given me the inspiration to rely on myself! It doesn't help that I have arthritis as well as trying to go to the gym but thats my only 'de-motivator' at the moment. That'd be lovely thank you! I'm in my 3rd year of uni and although I'm quite good at budgeting/healthy eating, in my 1st I used to spend up to £50 on fruit and veg alone :( (especially when you're a vegetarian, its not easy!) it would be lovely to have some tips frpm someone thats been through the uni life already! Thanks for the tips with the skirts too! I found some amazing AA dupes in H&M kids section but for tall girls like us (I'm 5'10) they can be a bit short at times! xx
DeleteSlim-Fizz is a distinct appetite suppressant which is containing the ground breaking fibre Glucomannan, which is a natural dissolvable fibre derived from pure Konjac.
ReplyDelete