I am not a dieter. Never have been. I enjoy food too much.
In fact, until I got to college, I ate whatever I wanted because I led an active life. Once I got to college, however, I stopped walking or riding my bike to class. I also found that convenience foods, drive-throughs and restaurant delivery options, were...well, convenient. How many times did I meet my sorority sisters for frozen yogurt, burgers, pizza, beer, etc.? It seems that all my socializing involved food and none of it healthy or portion-controlled. The more the merrier. This was 1986-1991.
And thus the downward spiral began. And continued through graduate school as I gradually morphed from a size 8/10 to a 12/14 by the end of graduate school. Somewhere after 150 pounds, I stopped checking my weight and it continued to climb.
I held steady at a size 14/16 until I got married in 1998. Then my weight started to climb, again. Apparently, this is "normal." For us, "normal" was take-out and eating out. My weight continued to climb and my closet kept getting fuller and fuller as I had to buy larger clothes for a proper fit.
I joined Weight Watchers* in January 2007 and gave a half-hearted effort to the program. I kept doing things "my way," not the Weight Watchers way. Well, that changed in the Summer of 2007 during my 20-year High School Reunion. I was, by far, the fattest woman, in the room. It was embarrasing, not only for me, but for those who saw me. You see, I was an active, fit teenager. For many of my friends, it was a shock. No one said anything. I mean, what do you say, "hey, you got fat!" That would be rude and insenstive. But the pictures of the event told a VERY different story. One that I had to come to terms with, and embrace, if I was to succeed in my goal of NEVER being the fattest woman in the room, again.
Once I saw the photos, my determination and dedication to the Weight Watchers program changed dramatically. I had been attending meetings on Saturday mornings at 9:00 a.m. That changed immediately and I started going to the 7:30 a.m. meetings. I also started getting up at 5:00 a.m. to workout at the YMCA, so I could get in an extra 45 minutes of cardio from Monday through Fridays. Saturdays after my weigh in, I grabbed my gym bag and headed to the Y for Zumba, to dance and sweat my stress away.
In late September 2007, I was laid off from an organization I'd dedicated 6 years of my life to, and fully expected to be a part of until I retired. Life had different plans in store for me. So, here I sit, unemployed on Saturday, April 12, 2008. What are my choices? Eat my emotions, curl up in a ball and watch life pass me by...Or focus my attention on the rest of my life.
Weight Watchers has a proved record of results. It requires a complete lifestyle change and is not a quick-fix. I'm not a quick-fix kinda woman. I prefer to work hard to achieve something greater. Plus, the program makes good medical and common sense. So, I chronicle my journey....starting this website one year and 4 months after starting Weight Watchers. Did I mention I'm also a fantastic procrastinator?
Why Weight Watchers? Why Zumba and other exercise at the Y? Because the alternative is unacceptable!
And, now...my blogging career begins!
I invite my readers/ blog posters to help me celebrate my journey by donating $10, $100, $1000 or a gift amount of your choice for each pound I lose, and have lost, to organizations in our communities that do the following: