Welcome!
Welcome to my website. I am so glad you decided to stop by. I really don't know where to start. I guess I would say that I have been overweight almost my entire life. I have been through many struggles, but somehow, the struggles were never severe enough to give me the motivation to stick with a program and get myself completely healthy.
In September 2007, I finally hit rock bottom. I had many medical problems and could hardly even walk. Every step was a struggle. A few months went by and I was not getting any better. As a matter of fact, I seemed to be getting worse, and I even thought that I was going to die.
A few years ago, my husband and I joined Weight Watchers, but after attending a few meetings we lost interest. I managed to stick with it for a while and then I decided that I really didn't need to journal my food. After all, I was an expert now, and could just calculate everything in my head. BIG MISTAKE!!! HUGE!!!
I lost a significant amount of weight, but I gained it all back, along with more. As the months and years would go by, I would cringe when anyone spoke about losing weight. I had given up. I just ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I was getting bigger and bigger. I tried to watch my portions, but I drank a lot of soda, and I love potato chips, so I would sit down with a bag and eat until my heart's content.
In March 2008, my husband was so concerned for my health, and he suggested that we try WW again. At that point, I was feeling so bad, and I agreed. On March 9, we walked into our first WW meeting together, and it has totally changed our lives.
We signed up for the monthly pass which included etools. When I was exploring around on the website, I discovered the message boards, and chose to check out the 200+ pounds to lose board. WOW, what a find for me! I go to this board everyday, and there are so many caring people out there, who are in the same boat as me. When I would see someone that started around my weight, and had lost 200 pounds, it was like a light bulb came on inside of me. For the first time in my life, I finally believed that I could do this.
I always felt so alone. I didn't know anyone that needed to lose as much weight as me, let alone someone going through the same struggles. This time is different. I absolutely love going to my meetings. I have an awesome, supportive leader, and I have made so many friends, that I feel like I have a cheering section all around me.
In addition to my WW friends, I have my family, my parents who are both 83 years old, and two older sisters. Both of my sisters call me every week to check my progress, and have been two of my greatest cheerleaders. They are always so happy for my weight loss. Everyone just wants me to be healthy, and to enjoy life, instead of watching on the sidelines, as it passes me by.
Update May 2009
One of my WW peeps told me that I needed to update my site, so here we go. When I first started, I was the perfect WW. I planned, counted, and tracked everything. I have gotten to the point where I am really tired of journaling, or even having to think about everything. I know that I have to keep WW on the top of my list, and I really need to keep track of my points, but sometimes, it just gets too much for me.
I feel so blessed with the group of people that I have met at my WW meeting. My leader is just awesome, and she geninely cares about each and every one of us. Our group is called Donna's Divas & Dudes, and we all call her Mama Diva. =) We have a daily thread on the Neighbor's board, where we keep in touch with each other throughout the week. We cheer each other on, and kick each other's butts. It's is so wonderful to have others that completely understand what you are going through, or how the smallest progress is so exciting.
My husband and I have been doing this for a little over a year. There are many habits that we have formed that just come naturally, but we are still learning to make changes, and learning how to do this for the rest of our lives. We are taking this journey hand in hand, one step at a time. I thank God everyday for having my husband to walk along beside me.
I started this website to document my journey, and hopefully to encourage others, as I have been encouraged by other WW's websites. Thanks so much for visiting, and I would just love for you to sign my guestbook.
Big HUGS!!!
Annette
=)