I started my weight loss journey on May 10th, 2010 (Mother’s Day), and here I am two months later, 20 pounds lighter! My belt has a couple of newly acquired holes, my pants slide off and on without unbuttoning or unzipping, my shirts fit like moo moos, and my shoes don’t fit my feet anymore. I am most definitely not complaining, and have never been happier to say that I have nothing to wear! 
My decision to lose weight started out as a vain one. We took some pictures and created a short video, and used them to put together a virtual Happy Mother’s day page for my own mother. She lives about 700 miles away, and we don’t see each other that often unfortunately. The page turned out awesome, she loved it, and I was so happy to have made her Mother’s Day special. Out of all those positive things, the ONLY thought stuck in my mind on that day was, “Jesus! Look at me! I can’t believe I’ve gained so much weight!” I couldn’t even enjoy what we had done because I was so horrified at how I looked. Pretty shallow right? … maybe! But it’s the 100% raw truth.
That day… those pictures and those thoughts lit a fire under my fat, jiggly butt like never before. I’ve always said to myself, “You know, I’m going to start eating right and exercising so I can get rid of this weight,” but I never really did. Easy to say, hard to do. On that particular day, something just clicked for me, and I never looked back, never wavered in my goal, never steered off my path. Looking back on Mother’s Day 2010, I realize now that I actually gave myself a present that no one else could ever give me. I’m giving myself the gift of life… a healthy life, a happy life, a more enjoyable life… and I thank myself for that.
I continue to use the tools provided free on LiveStrong.com to manage my eating habits, and am still a huge cheerleader for Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Meltdown. I do this workout about every other day, and the results are just amazing for me. It’s a workout that I have fallen in love with for so many reasons. I have really bad knees (the fact that I sit cross legged in my chair 24/7 doesn’t help my poor knees any), crunches and other related forms of exercise really put a strain on my neck and back… not good for me. The Yoga Meltdown routine helps me burn fat, build toned muscle, improve my flexibility and balance without any of the side effects most workout DVDs seem to provide as a bonus. So really, just 5 thumbs way up in the air for this workout… love it all the way around!
I told myself that it would be much to embarrassing to take more photos until I reached my weight loss goal. But more and more I’m thinking, “How will it really be inspiring to anyone if they never see my progress?” So I have decided, that while embarrassing for me, seeing my progress in pictures might be helpful enough for someone else that I can live with that fleeting moment of embarrassment. Very soon I will start including pictures of my progress along with my progress posts. No laughing please lol I am not the most photogenic person in the world… seems to run in my family.
I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to the people giving me constant encouragement. I get the most beautiful emails from this blog, Facebook, and even Skype messages congratulating me on my progress, sharing of your own personal weight loss struggles and successes, and even “Way to go!”s to keep me moving forward. This is a direct source of inspiration and motivation for me, and it helps more than you know… thank you so much for your support!
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Hi Winter!
I had no idea you struggled with weight issues. I’m glad to see you are doing it for health reasons, besides a touch of vanity. As a second wave feminist, I blame the media for bombarding us with impossible and unrealistic images of thin women from the time we are born., plus all the other blatant and subliminal messages society sends us. Yes, fat is still a feminist issue!
My best friend has struggled with her weight all her life, and has traced at least part of the origin back to when she was 3. She was at a funeral and wanted a cookie, and her mother wouldn’t let her have one because she said it would make her fat! And she continued to tell my friend she’d get fat, and so of course, my friend got fat.
The old power of suggestion…which I have used to drop some weight I gained after an operation. This is a very, very slow method, but every day I tell myself I am at my ideal weight of 120. So without changing my lifestyle a bit, the weight is coming off and I am now only 10 pounds away from my ideal. Okay, lol, I know this won’t work for everyone, and it did take me 2 years to lose 20 pounds instead of 2 months, but it just shows how important your own mindset and subconscious messages to yourself can be.
Anyway, I applaud your courage and determination, and your willingness to share your experience to help the countless others that struggle with their weight. Way to go, best of luck, and don’t forget to treat yourself kindly and with love.
Cheers, Lynne
Good morning Lynne!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share. I am somewhat of a feminist myself, ok well quite a bit!
I wholeheartedly agree many women, and even men now, are influenced by the mass media, and it contributes to a lot of low self-esteem issues and self loathing. This actually is not my case. I never really want to be thin, and I’ve never been a thin girl. I have curves, hips, booty all of that… and I love it! What I personally miss is feeling comfortable and beautiful for myself, within myself. There’s a certain feeling of pride you get when you can run around or bike with your children and not be out of breath, or be the furthest one behind. There’s also a sense of pride when you feel beautiful, not to be confused with other people’s compliments… yourself, for you.
This is where I’m at. I am a very strong, confident woman, and when you don’t feel like yourself… you lose part of that. The weight loss started out being a vain journey, but it has become so much more for me. With each pound lost, a little piece of myself returns…. and I’m in love with that process right now.
Arg what a horrible thing to say to your child! I can’t imagine the kind of struggle that creates for a kids from day one. My daughters are beautiful, and if they gain weight they will still be beautiful, if God forbid they lost an arm or a leg, they are still beautiful. I try to be very careful with what I’m doing, and I focus not so much on the weight loss but that I really want my body to be healthier. My whole life I just ate what tasted good, I really didn’t worry or think about the effects all the processed foods, fat and sugar have on my body internally. My kids aren’t on a diet, and honestly, neither am I really. I eat what my body requires, what I should have been eating the whole time. I don’t skip meals (except for breakfast sometimes because I just can’t force myself to be hungry that early in the morning), I eat real food, I eat full meals, I snack. There’s no way I would starve myself and put those kinds of ideas in my daughters’ minds. I want them to be comfortable and feel beautiful for who they are, but I also want them to know that it is important to take care of your body and be healthy and active, regardless of what you weigh.
I think so far I’ve been able to strike a good balance. I feel great, they see it and they’re proud of me, and they even take pride in choosing healthier snacks like fruit instead of popsicles. That’s what I want them to take away from this… just the healthier habits. My girls are always hungry lol but that’s ok! They’re slim, they run around all day, I know they need the food and energy. There’s no way in hell I would EVER tell them they’re eating too much or that it’ll make them fat! They’ll learn healthy eating habits from my example, so we’re learning together.
Thank you again Lynne for taking the time to give me some encouragement and share your own personal stories! I think many of us struggle or know someone that does, and we keep our struggles private. Girl Power!
Rock on, Winter! Nice to meet another woman who’s not afraid to use the F-word (feminist..lol)!
Very interesting that bit about gaining another little piece of yourself with each pound lost…great connection and i’ll pass that along to my friend and see if it rings true for her.
Sounds like you have the right attitude towards weight to be totally successful…and your daughters are learning great lessons from you.
Thanks for sharing and yeah, Girl Power!
Way to go Winter
After 6 months off with an Achilles injury and being very slack I am trying to find the motivation to lose the weight I have added. Still doing the exercise stuff but not at the intensity or frequency that will do it. Will have a look at those sites you mentioned.
Cheers
Martin
I’m sorry to hear that Martin! I have a friend that is suffering with tendon problems too, and it’s hard for him to be on his feet for long.
Thanks so much for the congrats! I’m really proud that I’ve stuck with it because in the past I never have. I think something just really clicked in me this time, and I want to be healthier.
I have gotten such a tremendous response to the healthy side of my blog that I’ve decided to separate the two. In a week or maybe two, I’ll have a whole blog dedicated strictly to healthy living.
Hi Winter,
I have read several of your blogs now. You are amasing. One of my quests is to organize my friends list and stay in touch with you all. ;>) For me that is huge. The next biggest quest is to finish my page and then to be on a Team at Tims. I have talked to one friend, if he fails to respond soon, you are on my list to sign up under.
Just today, a friend that is ahead of me a bit finally got his AR figured out. Boy, did we celebrate. I have seen them around, just still busy with other things. the AR is close to next. ;>)
blessings
g
Hey GeorgE
Thanks so much for the kind words! I’m really glad you enjoy my blog posts. It’s definitely still a learning process. I’m a member of Start Xchange but not on a team. I know team surfing is the big thing right now, but I don’t surf enough to keep a team happy. Normally I buy credits where I’m getting good results on my campaigns because finding the time to surf for credits is really hard.
Getting an AR setup is definitely time for celebration! It can be confusing at first, but after a while it’s like second nature
Good luck on your quests, I know you’ll do great! If you need any help GeorgE, please let me know! 