No matter the plan... we all Blog to Lose!
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You're not alone. I put on 70 pounds in two years with the Boyfriend before I joined WW and started taking it off. And I'm still taking it off — have about 15 to go.
It's good to see you again.
I also put on the "romance" pounds -- but mine was like 20, instead of 10. I'm back to where I was when we first started dating...but still have a long ways to go.
It's SO great you're back on BTL and even better that you have a PLAN of attack! You…
10 is nothing girl. It might seem like a lot, but thank the good Lord you came back before 10 became 20, then 20 became 30, you get the idea. It'll be gone in no time, kick it into high gear!
Welcome back and congrats on the new BF! You should be proud of yourself for getting back to the gym. So it has been a few weeks but you went back!
Yup, I put on the "new romance 10" as well. It took a lot of hard work, but it's off now. Congrats on getting back on track and enjoy the romance!
Good luck with getting back on track! The same thing happened to me when I got married, I was like "You're eating this much food, I want to eat that much food" And I did. And it showed.
You can do this! Good luck!
I don't even know where to begin! First off, most simply, I am down on myself. I started to see the scale creep up about a month ago but kept passing it off as "water weight", not real pounds. I'm sickened to say the scale this morning said 175. I h…
Profile Information
- About Me:
- Where to begin! I was always one of the bigger, taller girls growing up. Even looking back at old team soccer photos, I was always the big one in the back. I never really noticed or worried about my weight though, that is, until high school.
It didn't help that I have a naturally athletic, seemingly perfect sister, only a year and a half older, and I've always felt that I live in her shadow. Through lack of activity (I never bothered trying out for sports teams in h.s. because of her), poor eating habits (my dad was always a big guy), and generally being unmotivated I found myself at an all time high of 232lbs. my sophomore year. I don't know if anyone else can relate, but I always LOATHED going to the doctor. There was always the anticipation of the conversation "do you exercise? you need to lose weight, etc." I remember getting out of the doctor's office many times and sobbing all the way home.
I hate to admit it but a lot of my motivation for first losing weight was my junior prom. I had never even been asked out by a boy, and I didn't want to be the only one of my friends to be without a date. Naturally I figured if I lost weight the boys would just flock to me. I somehow managed to lose a few pounds but still remember the disgust I felt in getting a size 20 dress. I ended up going to the prom with a friend of a friend, and after seeing pictures was even more motivated to lose.
That summer and into my senior year I tried to exercise on our family treadmill and with videos as much as I could. I also tried slim-fast for awhile, but like everything else I gave up on that too. A year later at my senior prom I remember finally feeling pretty, at around 190lbs with a size 14 dress, and my first kiss as my prom date (I guess I was a late bloomer lol).
Fast forward to college. Didn't go to the gym once that first year, and found myself back up around 210lbs. by summer. Something clicked sophmore year, and I started joining my friends at the gym, somehow ended up around 165lbs without really trying (looking back I was barely eating anything and going to the gym pretty much every day). Again, gained the weight back and was around 206lbs the summer after my senior year.
I got a job and apartment in NYC and seeing all of the super fit people in the city definitely motivated me. I began walking everywhere, going to the gym after work, and eating healthy foods daily. I was finally learning that I needed to make a life change and I would not lose weight with a quick fix. By last fall I was back down to about 170lbs and feeling fabulous.
I know this may sound crazy to some of you but a lot of why I've always wanted to lose weight has been guy-driven. I have been blessed with so many things in my life but have never had a relationship that lasted more than a couple months. I know I need to lose for myself, and to gain confidence, but I've always blamed my lack of lovelife on my body, and my loathing of it. But I digress...
Then last October 1st I got the worst news of my life. My father had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer (the same cancer Prof. Randy Pausch recently passed away from). I was devastated. I began travelling home to Boston every weekend and when he continued to deteriorate and the chemo was stopped, I stayed home the entire month of December. Through stress and sadness food didn't seem to matter anymore. As I mentioned my father was always a big man (about 6'2, 280lbs for most of my life). In his last months he had lost all of his appetite and I remember he kept saying "It's kind of funny how I used to live to eat and now I'm eating to live". He passed away January 10th, at 56 years old, just over 3 months from his diagnosis. I remember weighing in at 157lbs. around the time of his passing.
I am now back around 166lbs and my goal has always been to be 145-150 and STAY there. My main motivation is that I am joining my sister and brother in running (yikes!) the Miami half marathon this January, raising money for pancreatic cancer research, in memory of my Dad. Through training, healthy eating, and support from others I KNOW I can do this.
This time it'll be for good.
My Stats:
Height: 5'9
Highest Weight: 232
Starting Weight: 166
Current Weight: 163
Goal: 145-150
- Plan of Choice:
- Low Fat, High Fiber, Other
- Workout Philosophy:
- I'm a gym rat ALL the way, I love lifting weights, I only exercise because I have to
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What the heck is going on here???
I don't even know where to begin! First off, most simply, I am down on myself. I started to see the scale creep up about a month ago but kept passing it off as "water weight", not real pounds. I'm sickened to say the scale this morning said 175. I haven't been 175 in a loooong time.
Let me backtrack - the past few months have been an absolute whirlwind. The happy, amazing, wonderful news is I have a new boyfriend. We have been dating since February but made it "official" in April. With this new… Continue
Let me backtrack - the past few months have been an absolute whirlwind. The happy, amazing, wonderful news is I have a new boyfriend. We have been dating since February but made it "official" in April. With this new… Continue
Posted on July 15, 2009 at 9:19am — 6 Comments
Back in Action?
I'll admit, I've been all over the place lately. During the week I mostly have stayed on track but on the weekends I can't control myself! (Well, I CAN, I just apparently choose not to). I think I have come to the realization that I am just not one of those people who can go without some kind of junk/processed food here and again. And during the week I am so focused on eating as healthy as possible that I think in turn I do deprive myself. All that leads to is a feeling of "freedom" on weekends… Continue
Posted on March 25, 2009 at 1:27pm — 1 Comment
Ok so I took a bit of a sabbatical...
...however, I have not fallen off the wagon!
After the high of my half marathon I was on cloud nine for awhile. For some reason, my completing a half made me think I could forego exercise for awhile, I'd earned it darnit! Well, fast forward to now and I've run a total of ONCE between January 25th and today. I just haven't had the motivation! I also moved recently and have had a million things going on with work - no excuse, I know...
I will add though, that due to my new living situation I now… Continue
After the high of my half marathon I was on cloud nine for awhile. For some reason, my completing a half made me think I could forego exercise for awhile, I'd earned it darnit! Well, fast forward to now and I've run a total of ONCE between January 25th and today. I just haven't had the motivation! I also moved recently and have had a million things going on with work - no excuse, I know...
I will add though, that due to my new living situation I now… Continue
Posted on March 12, 2009 at 12:30pm —
More Race Pics!
First of all thank you guys so much for all of your super sweet comments. You don't know how much I appreciate them! I'll be sure to get back to all of you when I have some more time.
These pics were emailed to me from the "official race people" and when I first saw them I died laughing cause I look so miserable! lol Let me preface that it WASN'T THAT BAD. It was just the end of the race and I was COOKED, and a bit emotional.
This one is right before the finish line. My muscles had quit on me… Continue
These pics were emailed to me from the "official race people" and when I first saw them I died laughing cause I look so miserable! lol Let me preface that it WASN'T THAT BAD. It was just the end of the race and I was COOKED, and a bit emotional.
This one is right before the finish line. My muscles had quit on me… Continue
Posted on January 30, 2009 at 7:03am — 1 Comment
As Promised...
Still can't quite believe I actually ran a half marathon 3 days ago. It's wild. Here is a pic of us pre-race at about 5:45am!
Left to right is Maggie, Me, my brother, my sister, and Rebecca (See the skinny girls I had to run with! lol)
This is a pic post-race. If only you could see ho… Continue
Left to right is Maggie, Me, my brother, my sister, and Rebecca (See the skinny girls I had to run with! lol)
This is a pic post-race. If only you could see ho… Continue
Posted on January 28, 2009 at 6:52am — 6 Comments
Comment Wall (19 comments)
- At 1:22pm on February 4, 2009,
HilBil said… - I totally know what you mean, Jen, about "God didn't make me fat, I did." Did you ever try thinking about it like this: "God put certain situations and experiences in to my life for a reason." Therefore, maybe we put on some weight so He could reveal something to us about ourselves that would help us grow in a way that is pleasing to Him.
- At 9:27am on December 31, 2008,
Dawn said… - Holy cow, I can't believe that your half marathon is only a month away...where the heck are you running that it's warm enough for that? I'm in ct and I wouldn't be able to run a half marathon in Feb. (not that I run at all...ever) You'll do great! The holidays are always a little bittersweet for me (I enjoy them, but usually end up gaining). Good Luck with your race training.
- At 11:13am on December 1, 2008,
Kelsey said… - Hey- so how has the half-marathon training going??
I actually registered to run another one in April, so I'm going to start hitting the training routine again.
Hope it's going well for you!
- At 3:37pm on November 17, 2008,
Azad said… - Hey Jen!!! You've been missed around here! Thanks for the comment on my blog...hope things are going well :O)
- At 11:08pm on September 24, 2008,
Kelsey said…
- Hey Jen! So exciting to hear you're running a half-marathon!
To answer your questions: I ran cross-country in high school, but it was more of "my friends are doing it so I will too" kind of deal. I never liked/enjoyed running and never would've thought I'd be running a half marathon in less than a week. I still don't really like running, but it's one of the few forms of exercise I can tolerate. As you said in your blog, I would not consider myself a "running person" either. Honestly, I am only running the ½ marathon because my older brother (a fitness guru) doesn’t think I can do it. However, now that I am actually doing it, I'm proud of myself for not giving up. I printed off “Hal Higdon’s Novice Guide to Running a Half Marathon” and followed it fairly closely- it’s a 12 week program that outlines what you should do each day to prepare. Just keep in mind you don’t have to run super fast or super hard. My typical pace is 6 MPH or 10 minute miles. You can do it!!! You are also running for far more noble cause than I am, so you should use that for motivation. Sorry this is so long…but stay the course and keep the end goal in mind! Let me know how everything goes for you!
- At 11:03am on September 24, 2008,
Rachel said… - I'm so glad I could give you the idea! Cinnamon graham crackers on top sounds perfect! I'll have to try it.
- At 7:06pm on September 23, 2008,
Stephanie said… - Hey Jen!! I just finished reading your story and am so sad for the loss of your father. My other thoughts were how similiar I recalled some of my high school experiences to a degree. I too am the "athletic tall girl" that played soccer as well. I'm 5'8" and in high school weighed around 160-170 and never thought too much about it. About 2 years ago I lost 20# or so, but now I am trying so hard to shed those last 10...I would love to be between 140-145. So I just thought we shared a few common things. Good Luck on your training and running! My first half marathon was an amazing experience...I'm sure it will be for you as well. You really do look fantastic!!
- At 2:30pm on September 22, 2008,
Kristina said… - Thanks for the comment and sweet compliment about my daughter! Your exercise goals seem very realistic which is encouraging to me. Sometimes I feel that if I am not working out rigorously that I will not see the benefits...when I know I could simply aim for 30-40 minute walks or bike rides in our very hilly neighborhood and keep up with doing some weights at the gym or just strength exercises at home. Im trying to take it one day at a time and not focus on the fact that I was once 135! So hard to do sometimes. but thanks for the encouragement, you have the happiest most beautiful smile and your positive energy shows up even online!
- At 11:03am on September 22, 2008,
Kristina said…
- Hey! I just read your story, very moving. I am sorry about the loss of your father last year. My neighbor here in Asheville is now going through what you went through then...her father has cancer and has only been given a few weeks to live. She is driving to see him every weekend.
Your pictures are incredible, and your progress has been so wonderful! thanks for the inspiration! I myself am aiming for 145 and it seems SO far away! do you lift weights as well as cardio? what do you think the key has been for your success?
- At 9:27pm on September 18, 2008,
Brian said… - Jen thank you so much for your encouraging words today. Its really funny I am so excited about a few minor changes and even more excited about ww (if thats possible) now than even before. btw CONGRATS on all that you have already accomplished and good luck as you get really close to your goal!
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