BEFORE 174 pounds
AFTER 128 pounds!Well, it is not so amazing since there was some serious hard work involved. My sister Steph has lost 46 pounds, 21 inches all over (with 8 of those from her hips!!) and changed her life. Here is what she has to say about motivation, exercise, nutrition, trials, and successes of her weight loss journey:
"When I started running/exercising it was laughable to even think about jogging for 5 minutes straight. I was doing about 2 minutes tops. I now run 40-50 minutes 6 days a week and have increased my speed from 4.5 miles/hour to 5.2 - 5.5 mph. I have also started getting up at 5am to go to the gym on days that I have to work. It's not easy to get up that early (anyone who knows me knows I am a night owl by nature) but it is easier than going after work, or trying to make it in the afternoon sometime. I actually say that out loud when the alarm goes off..."it'll be easier to get up now than to try to go later." If you had told me a year ago I'd be getting up at the butt crack of dawn to exercise I would have had you committed to the loony bin! Even now I can't believe I actually do it. Could it be I am as obsessed as my cute little sister? Who wouldda thunk?
It was really hard to stay motivated when the weight wasn't coming off "fast enough." Also staying on track with kids who are used to eating lots of sugar. This new eating style has been an adjustment for everyone, but it was especially hard on the kids. I think they have finally adjusted, and they don't seem to crave it nearly as much anymore. But the hardest part of all was at "that time of the month." That's when I wanted to eat everything in the house and then some. I had to ban myself from the kitchen. I made a mental list of activities I could do to keep me out of the kitchen and that really seemed to help. I read a lot of books!!
Doing Weight Watchers was the best idea for me. I had tried counting calories before, but I could never wrap my brain around the big numbers. With WW points system it finally made sense to me and it made it easy to keep track how much I was eating. Tracking what I ate came really easy for me. Of course, like my sister and mother I am an obsessive list maker so making a list of what I ate was no big thing. I know no one wants to hear this, but overall losing weight was fairly easy for me. It was like my body was so ready to let go of all the weight I had been carrying around for the last 10 years. It took time, and a little patience, but in the end it all paid off.
My biggest motivations are my mom and sister. Both have maintained a healthy weight and eating habits for years. Because of them I could see that it really is possible to eat this way as a lifestyle and that its not just a diet. I think that really helped with the patience part of things. Realizing that this is the way I will be eating for the rest of my life makes it easier to be patient with the weight loss part of the journey. Anytime I get frustrated or want to give up I think of them and know that I can do this too.
Another big motivator is all the compliments I get. Looking younger has been an added benefit of losing weight. Funny story: a few weeks ago I had 3 different people think I was younger than I am- and not just a little younger. I started a new job and when I told my new coworkers I had a 14 year old they all asked if I was 8 years old when I gave birth. Then I had this young (and did I mention cute) guy come into my work and flirt wildly with me (talk about motivation!). Then the very next day I went to a parent teacher conference with the above mentioned 14 year old and the counselor said if she didn't know any better she would have thought I was the sister. Whenever I want to completely pig out I remember that cute young guys do not flirt with fat girls that look like they have a 14 year old."
Way to go Steph!! You are now my inspiration and motivation (I can't let you weigh less than me...even though you do). I am so proud of you. I am so excited for you and I feel like we have SO much in common now that this makes us even closer than we were. I love running with you on family vacations (even though you kick my butt) and I like sharing exercise tips, healthy recipes, and nutrition advice. You are amazing!
It was really hard to stay motivated when the weight wasn't coming off "fast enough." Also staying on track with kids who are used to eating lots of sugar. This new eating style has been an adjustment for everyone, but it was especially hard on the kids. I think they have finally adjusted, and they don't seem to crave it nearly as much anymore. But the hardest part of all was at "that time of the month." That's when I wanted to eat everything in the house and then some. I had to ban myself from the kitchen. I made a mental list of activities I could do to keep me out of the kitchen and that really seemed to help. I read a lot of books!!
Doing Weight Watchers was the best idea for me. I had tried counting calories before, but I could never wrap my brain around the big numbers. With WW points system it finally made sense to me and it made it easy to keep track how much I was eating. Tracking what I ate came really easy for me. Of course, like my sister and mother I am an obsessive list maker so making a list of what I ate was no big thing. I know no one wants to hear this, but overall losing weight was fairly easy for me. It was like my body was so ready to let go of all the weight I had been carrying around for the last 10 years. It took time, and a little patience, but in the end it all paid off.
My biggest motivations are my mom and sister. Both have maintained a healthy weight and eating habits for years. Because of them I could see that it really is possible to eat this way as a lifestyle and that its not just a diet. I think that really helped with the patience part of things. Realizing that this is the way I will be eating for the rest of my life makes it easier to be patient with the weight loss part of the journey. Anytime I get frustrated or want to give up I think of them and know that I can do this too.
Another big motivator is all the compliments I get. Looking younger has been an added benefit of losing weight. Funny story: a few weeks ago I had 3 different people think I was younger than I am- and not just a little younger. I started a new job and when I told my new coworkers I had a 14 year old they all asked if I was 8 years old when I gave birth. Then I had this young (and did I mention cute) guy come into my work and flirt wildly with me (talk about motivation!). Then the very next day I went to a parent teacher conference with the above mentioned 14 year old and the counselor said if she didn't know any better she would have thought I was the sister. Whenever I want to completely pig out I remember that cute young guys do not flirt with fat girls that look like they have a 14 year old."
Way to go Steph!! You are now my inspiration and motivation (I can't let you weigh less than me...even though you do). I am so proud of you. I am so excited for you and I feel like we have SO much in common now that this makes us even closer than we were. I love running with you on family vacations (even though you kick my butt) and I like sharing exercise tips, healthy recipes, and nutrition advice. You are amazing!
2 comments:
WOW! Congrats to your sister, Leisa. That is amazing and inspiring. It sounds like she is working hard and should be able to maintain well. That's awesome!
Amazing in deed! She looks great, and it sounds like she feels even better. Congrats to your sister!
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