12 Weeks - 17 Pounds - 1 New Lifestyle

A little over 12 weeks ago I started the Fit Yummy Mummy challenge (the next one starts in the fall). Though I'm not technically a "mummy" (at least of human children) I had finally lost patience with my own lifestyle and eating habits. I had ballooned to 184 pounds - 44 pounds heavier than when I married my hubby 5+ years ago and 84 pounds heavier than when I graduated high school 12 years ago.

Admitting the Problem
Some of you might say, 184 is thin! What's the big deal? Well, it was a big deal. I kept having to buy bigger and bigger clothes and was nearly stretching out size 14 pants. I couldn't comfortably cross my legs or sit comfortably like I used to.

Not only that, but I knew my eating habits were unsustainable. I would literally eat two pints of Ben & Jerry's on a Friday night. After I had my pizza of course.

Meals on the weeknights weren't that much better. Lots of pastas, breads, and always dessert. If I had two veggies in an entire week I was doing "good."

Exercise had become a rare occurrence. Before I got married I was going to the gym every day. I still wasn't in great shape but I was able to eat pretty much anything I wanted without gaining a ton every week. Of course getting married, and becoming busier in general, made the workouts disappear.

I joined Weight Watchers twice - there were meetings at my work during lunch time. I lost 10 or 15 pounds each time and gained 20 or 30 later. And I was always hungry.

And yes, my marriage did suffer as I gained weight. Hubby gained weight too but of course it never seems to matter so much for men. Though he has lost weight with me the last three months.

May of last year in Maui. An embarrassing 170+ pounds. :(

Finally, I read a post by Holly of Fit Yummy Mummy and started crying. I had lost control and had to start over. I was never taught how to eat properly. My father died when I was 8 and my mom did the best she could, but she struggled with her own weight. She tried every diet out there and at her heaviest was over 300 pounds. Eating to cure all pain was typical. Boredom, depression, anxiety - all were addressed with some food.

I would come home from school in middle and high school and make a box of mac and cheese for dinner. And follow it up with some ice cream or candy. Since I was so athletic I was still skinny as a rail with a quick metabolism.

As I entered the workforce and started sitting more and playing sports less I started to gain weight. It wasn't so bad when I gained the first 20 pounds because I actually looked healthier and less anorexic.

But my eating habits never changed - from high school to college to marriage. A box of macaroni and cheese was often my favorite dinner. Spirals were my choice. =) Dessert was every night. Driving through Wendy's, Burger King, and Arby's were common occurrences.

A couple of years I finally switched to Diet Soda from regular. I had been drinking two or three regular (and often caffeinated) sodas every day. Afterward I drank up to 5 diet sodas every day. Although I've always been a big water drinker so I got a lot of liquids.

Finding a Solution
Which brings me to my first Tuesday post for the Healthy You Challenge 2008. While I did finish the 12 week FYM challenge I do not want to stop. I didn't do this as a "diet" or a quick fix. This is a LIFESTYLE change.

I won't post my before and after photos just yet. I'd rather have a better after photo. I'm certainly not where I want to be yet. However I will post my before and after stats.

On February 12th -

• I weighed 184 pounds.
• My waist was 40 inches.
• My chest was 40 inches.
• My thighs were 27 inches each.

On May 19th -

• I weighed 167 pounds.
• My waist was 39 inches.
• My chest was 38 inches.
• My thighs were 25.5 inches each.

It might not seem like a huge drop in inches but my pants are definitely looser and I'm even having to use a safety pin to hold up a few pairs! Plus I measured myself on the 19th after a fairly decent meal. So I may have been a little bloated.

I will continue to follow the FYM plan (which I highly recommend...Holly is fantastic. I'll write more in detail about this later). I need to hop back on the exercise wagon as the last couple of weeks have seen a slight slide. Especially in resistance training.

This is a really long post. But I do want to continue my success in changing my lifestyle and my habits. I'll talk about some of the things I've changed in the last three months and some of the challenges I'm still struggling with. I'm glad to have entered this new Challenge.