The beginning of the year was marked by my heaviest weight, ever! I have been a major yo-yo dieter in my past, and I thought I would always get up to my 'normal high' weight and never go above that. Well, the end of 2012/beginning of 2013 marked the end of that thought process when I hit my all-time high. I was astonished and ashamed when I weighed in at an embarrassing 360 pounds!!
It was that doctor's appointment that toss me into a shocking revelation. I came home that day and told my girlfriend of over three years that I had had enough. There was no more hiding it - I was taking action. I told her that she could watch me or join in - but it was time for me to take control. Looking back, I really don't think she was ready to throw in the fast food towel, but she was supportive of my decision. The first month, I lost 19 pounds - most of this was water retention, but I wasn't complaining!!
At the end of January, we headed to Mexico for a family member's wedding. It was a lot of fun, but because of medical (weight-related) issues, I was pretty miserable most of the time. Here are a few pictures from our trip.
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| Just before we swam with dolphins |
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| This is the last night in Mexico |
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| At the wedding. I was sucking my stomach in as much as possible! |
After the week in Mexico, I was terrified to weigh in, and I did - at 351. If you are doing the math, that's a 10 pound gain! I felt like I was starting all over - and wasn't sure how to handle it. After seeing an expert about my medical issue, I finally felt like I had that part of life under control and could focus on me - but I knew for sure that I wasn't ready to head back to the gym.
Over the first several months, I struggled quite a bit. After much persuasion, Nicole encouraged me to go back to my old personal trainer. In April, I lost almost 8 pounds. Even though I was starting to see success, I was not happy with my trainer. At this point, I decided that I couldn't attend personal training sessions where I felt judged by a guy the entire time I was paying him for his professionalism (not for him to text on his phone the whole time).
At the end of May, Nicole purchased a Groupon for a boot camp gym in the area. I watch the warm up (yes, only the warm up) of one class - and it overwhelmed me. I walked out of there and told Nicole there was NO WAY I could do it. After three weeks of attending, Nicole was hooked and persuaded me to try a free class. I finally tried it, and somehow I survived! The next day, I was incredibly sore. I wondered why I ever let my body get so out of shape, and was certain I would never return!
That first class was over six months ago! I am at Body by Design at least five times a week and multiple times on Mondays (and sometimes multiple times per day). My biggest change since joining Body by Design has happened since I started working 2-3 times each week with my personal trainer - Alex. The week before Christmas, I lost six pounds - in ONE WEEK! He has helped me realize how much more important nutrition is for weight loss than any other part of it. He has built up my endurance and strength - and my body feels so much leaner after each work out.
In 2013, I lost a total of 71.4 pounds. It may not have been the number I imagined in the beginning of the year, but I have learned so many life lessons that will take me into my successes in the future.
Here is a picture comparison of me on December 31, 2012 (left) and on December 31, 2013 (right). I love my progress!
I really look forward to 2014, because I WILL hit 100+ pounds lost before my 30th birthday in June, and continue hitting goals all year long!
