I wasn't always so overweight. I was always thin growing up, even if I didn't think so at the time :o)
My weight didn't become an issue until I left home and moved about 350kms from home, with my boyfriend Simon, to attend university. It was about this time that I started to gain weight.
Now, more sixteen years later I am nearly 33 years old, married to Simon and back living in my home town. Unfortunately when I moved back I also brought with me an extra 40+ kilos.
Although that seems like an awful lot it really isnt much when you think of it as less than 4 kilos a year. During the last thirteen years that I gained I have tried many different diets including Gloria Marshall, calorie counting, fat counting and many more ways to loose weight. But none of them seemed right for me.
And I joined weight watchers. But I didn't just join it once. I joined and started really well then eventually gave in to temptation. Then I'd gain a little and stop going to meetings and before I knew it my membership had expired through non-attendance. So then I would join again. Then I would give in to temptation and gain a little....................and so it went on.
Many of you tuned in to the first version of this website from years ago. Back then one of my strongest motivators for weight loss was infertility. My husband and I had tried for 5 long and difficult years to concieve, with various treatments, specialists and medication, but without success.
That was until in March 2003 when I gave birth to our first child...a healthy boy named Caleb Lyle :o)
We then completed 6 months of expensive fertility treatments trying to concieve our next child. And by expensive I mean in not only financial ways but also emotionally, physically and spiritually. The tonnes of medications this required played havoc with my weight and more so my emotions and we eventually came to the conclusion that we could not continue.
The big picture is that every kilo I loose will help me to overcome my PCOS and concieve again....so , 19 months after Caleb's birth I was ready to jump back on the weight loss bandwagon.
My son is still my biggest motivator....although instead of only wanting to loose weight to create a life now I also want to loose weight to give him the best life. I want to be an active and involved mum to my child (and hopefully children) and I don't want to pass on any messed up food issues by example.
In September 2005 I found out I had been chosen by WHO magazine to participate in a 12wk weight loss challenge. They even organised free personal training for me during this time (enter the 'Enforcer!'). During the 12 week challenge I lost 13.7kg, 4.2% body fat and 37cm! On December 30th 2005 my interviews, progress and before and after photo's were published in the special issue "Half their size".
On Saturday, December 10th I was on the front page of my local newspaper. As part of ongoing coverage of weight loss issues they decided to publish my story. I would NEVER have dreamed of doing this at the beginning of my journey...but after losing 26k I guess I must have gained some confidence along the way. You can find the article on my photo's page or email me for larger pics that enable you to read the print.
So please, join me in my journey to goal weight. Join me through the high and low points as I attempt to shed over 40 kilos using the Weight watchers points program. In return I will keep you posted with daily journal entries, progressive photos and statistics.
Let the journey begin................................
Ps...In May 2006 a miracle happened. I fell pregnant naturally!!! You can read my pregnancy website here.
Talyn was born Jan 12th 2007. His story since birth can be read here.
And now...I'm back on the weight loss bandwagon and charging towards my goals once more!
Cha-cha-changes! (13/10/05)
· -I have lost 19.4kg.
· -Scales aside, I’ve lost over 80cm of body size.
· -I have new muscles, where only flab once lived.
· -I can now begin to see my waist where once only giant rolls of fat hung out.
· -My aerobic fitness has improved out of sight - I now actually jog in public and no one stops to stare and point (ok they didn't before but it felt that way)
· -I can now do over 20mins on the cross-trainer where initially I could only do 5mins.
· -My clothes size has gone from an 22-24 to an 18.
· -I now look for clothes in the regular size area of Target instead of the ‘ Options Plus’ range.
· -My watch is loose – instead of clinging to my arm like a second skin it now swings around my wrist
· -I enjoy exercise, rather than dreading it, and I look for excuses to be active.
· -Takeaways are much more scarce in my diet. We used to eat take-away at least 3-6 times a week and now I have it once a week after my weigh- in.
· -When I buy take-away I now buy just regular one person sized meals…..not super size of everything.
· -My skin looks great thanks to my healthy lifestyle
· -I drink more water than I used to; since before I didn’t drink any, having 1- 2L a day now is a huge change
· -I used to drink up to 2L of Coke a day…now I’ll have up to 2 cans of diet coke.
· -I can now take all my rings off my fingers for the first time in many, many years
· -I am now an active member of a ‘real’ gym, working out 5-6 times a week instead of running a mile from any establishment that might be filled with ‘gym bunnies’ and ‘buff boys’.
· -I now try new styles and colours in clothes. No more all black, baggy, long sleeved cover ups for me!
· -I can now wear skirts without the dreaded thigh chaffe factor.
· -I now won’t buy any skirt that hangs below the knee (yes I’m a tart at heart!)
· -I now own a pair of knee high boots that do all the way up.
· -I can, and always do, cross my legs now at the knee instead of the ankle.
· -I choose to eat grain bread over white at every opportunity
· -I now eat several pieces of fruit a day…instead of several pieces a year!
· -I eat only low fat dairy and dressings.
· -When I go to Red Rooster I order a chicken salad instead of a chicken and chips.
· -When I go to Subway I always order from the 10g of fat or less menu.
· -I know now that when I was a teenager, starving myself because I thought my size 11 body was horribly fat … I was wrong. Very wrong! I now “know” real fat.
· -I’m no longer always the fattest person in the room.
· -I am now comfortable swimming in board shoarts and tankini top instead of togs underneath with bike shorts and big baggy T-shirt over the top…Ugh!
· -I now only rarely have a Nanna-nap when Caleb does during the day. I have far too much energy for sleeping now.
· -I’ll try almost anything now without fear of getting any ‘accidental’ exercise as a result or embarressing or hurting myself in public.
· -I can ride the swings with Caleb at the park.
· -I now plan social activities and outings to include exercise rather than avoiding any exertion at all costs!
· -I now park my car central and walk when I can rather than trying to park right next to the door.
· -I now snack on fruit, yoghurt, lean turkey, rice crackers and fun sized choc bars instead of the old chips, chocolate, biscuits, Coke and greasy food.
· -When I go out I drink wine or vodka and diet coke instead of the old binges on beer or sugary pre-mix drinks.
· -I’ve learnt to order healthy options from just about any menu.
· -I don’t deep fry ANYTHING at home…I oven bake, stir-fry or bbq.
· -I am setting a great example to my son of how to eat healthy and stay active.
· -I no longer feel the need to isolate myself from others … I’m eager to make new friends.
· -I’m beginning to learn to shop for clothes I like instead of just buying whatever fits.
· -I love buying new underwear and sexy flimsy nighties etc and dress like a women for my hubby instead of someone who wants to fade into the background (previously a preferrbly dark background *wink*)
· -I LOVE to shop now :)
· -I feel fantastic about being almost half way to goal and for the first time I believe that I really will make it this time.
3 Things about me.....
THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
•My eyes
•Myself as a mother
•My sense of humour
THREE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
•My weight
•My control freak side
•My infertility
THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
•Losing my sons or husband
•Dying young and leaving my sons without thier mummy
•Spiders
THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
•Hair elastic
•Deodorant
•Sunglasses
THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
•Black bike shorts and blue singlet
•5 finger rings, 4 toe rings, 1 tongue ring and one eyebrow barbell
•Hair elastic
THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/SINGERS
•Eminem and D12
•Justin Timberlake
•Kylie Minogue
THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE ALBUM’S AT PRESENT:
•Eminem’s new ‘Encore’ album
•JT - Future Sex Love Sounds
•Rihanna - Good girl gone bad
THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
•Shopping for clothes from a regular store instead of plus size
•Falling pregnant without the assistance of fertility drugs (ok done that now - perhaps I'll change that to getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight)
•Wearing a skirt without the dreaded chafe factor (done that prior to pregnancy too but will have to re-achieve this one)
THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP (love is a given)
•100% trust and honesty
•Continue to be able to make each other laugh long into old age
•To maintain a close knit family for our son
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (you figure out which is which)
•I have never cheated on a partner
•I have had 4 body piercings (not counting ears)
•I once kissed a girl
THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
•Smile and in particular sexy mouths
•Washboard abs and that little muslce triangle leading down to the pelvis area on a man.
•Bare chested men in jeans or black pants
THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
•Burp on command
•Fall pregnant easily (Ok well I've done it once now but still...?)
•Live without Coca-Cola/Diet Coke
THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
•Cooking and entertaining
•Internet, Email and Ebay
•Hanging out with my boys (hubby and son)
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
•Maintain my goal weight!
•Fall pregnant (does that keep coming up?) (Yep - but I did it!!)
•Win the lotto
THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
•University Lecturer in Psychiatric Nursing (study required)
•Clinical Facilitator/Teacher for student psych nurses
•Write a book or invent something :)
THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
•Europe
•England - to meet my Dad’s family
•A tropical Island
THREE KID'S NAMES:
•Caleb
•Maddison
•Carys (pronounced Car-reece)
THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
•Reach Goal Weight
•Have another baby (work in progress)
•Watch my children grow to old age
THREE INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE:
•My Son
•My Husband
•My Mother-in-law
THREE OF MY FAVOURITE "NAUGHTY" FOODS:
•Chinese take away
•Chocolate
•Chicken anything
THREE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES:
•My home
•Fraser Island (our childhood holiday destination)
•My husband or sons arms
THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKS:
•The Hobbit
•Flowers in the Attic
•Anything by Stephen King
THREE WEIGHT-LOSS/FITNESS GOALS FOR 2007:
•Reach my Goal Weight!!!!
•Wear hipster jeans and a sleevless top out on the town
•Tone up my upper body
THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES:
•Rocky Horror Picture Show
•Dirty Dancing
•Pretty Woman
AND FINALLY THREE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS
•Simon (my husband)
•Julie
•Scott
50 Interesting (or not) Trivia tidbits
1. I am 29 years old. I haven't lived with my parents since I was 17.
2. I am the youngest of 3 girls.
3. My mum died when I was 20yrs old.
4. I got engaged when I was 19. I married when I was 21.
5. I found out I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in 1997. We tried for 5 years to have a baby until finally achieving success with beautiful baby Caleb in 2003.
6. I have something called Dsyplastic Neavi Syndrome which means I have a greatly increased chance of skin cancer and thus am totally the ‘sunscreen Natzi’ at my house *wink*
7. I am terrified of anything bad happening to my son or husband.
8. My star sign is cancer. And it's true - hard shell on the outside, very soft on the inside.
9. I am a qualified Registered Nurse, and undertook several years of extra training and study to then qualify as a Psychiatric Nurse.
10. I have tackled people, dragged them into seclusion rooms (with padded walls), held them down (with help) and injected them with psychotropic drugs against their will.
11. In my job I have been punched in the face, upper body and chest…I have been spat at, ridiculed, threatened with death and called every curse word you can imagine and then some. I have counted down every minute of every hour for an 8.5hr shift fearing for my safety due to a dangerous patient or ward situation. In the course of my job I have been accused of rape, physical abuse, theft, deprivation of liberties and illegal drug trafficking (all false by the way).
12. I love my job but it’s dangerous (physically, legally and spiritually)…and right now….I feel it’s not worth the risk.
13. I love ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’ (daytime soap opera) and have followed it now for 13yrs!!!!!
14. I used to love trashy talk shows like Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer but have now moved on to more positive/educational ones like Dr Phil and occasionally Oprah.
15. I used to play softball from early primary school up until I left home to attend university.
16. Simon pursued me for months with roses and poetry before I finally agreed to go out with him one month before we finished year 12.
17. We moved out of home and 4hrs away from our families just 3 months later.
18. We have now been together 13years and married for 8years.
19. I am a total control freak!
20. Loosing control causes me much anxiety
21. I have obsessive compulsive traits in regard to order, routine and tidiness.
22. I don't like being told what to do. Detest it. Push me and I will dig my heals in and stubbornly insist on doing the opposite to what you want me to do.
22. I believe that when I die I will be with my mum again and will in turn be there to great my loved one’s who outlive me.
23. I believe VERY STRONGLY in organ donation as my mum died awaiting a kidney transplant.
24. I can simultaneously bend all my fingers at the first joint to a 90 degree angle.
25. I often wear acrylic nails with French tips
26. My tongue is currently pierced and in the past my eyebrow and nose were also.
27. I never tire of pondering the miracle that is my son.
28. I am a total Ebay junkie. I sell and buy and have made hundred’s of dollars this way…and spent more than a few too!
29. I am very critical of myself. More critical than I should be.
30. Sometimes I cannot imagine what my husband sees in a total bitch like me?
31. I hate being looked at! It makes me really mad and likely to stare back or say something derogatory within earshot.
32. I am prone to road rage (mostly tail gaiting or driving really slow if being tailgated)
33. I have never had real grandparents. Both my mum and dad were abandoned by their mothers and had absent fathers. In both case the mothers kept an older son with them.
34. My mom’s aunt and uncle, my great Aunty Muriel and Uncle Bill were our surrogate grandparents and I miss them both terribly now they have passed on.
35. I feel bad that I wasn’t there when my mom died.
36. I decide shortly after meeting someone whether I like them or not. And it's not very often that I change my mind. I tend to be a fairly reliable judge of character as my profession gears me to observe what most miss and to listen between the words.
37. I think Christmas is a very stressful time of year… yet so magical now that I have children to share it with.
38. I gave up smoking 5 years ago. I was a smoker for 12 years.
39. In my lifetime I have smoked marijuana, taken LSD, magic mushrooms and Avil pills. Thankfully I was given the opportunity to grow older and wiser.
40. I love my family, and love creating new family traditions with my own family now.
41. I once had my ex father-in-law (my husbands estranged step father) charged with stalking me. He is a total psycho!
42. I have never been charged with a criminal offence. The only traffic tickets I have received have been for speeding.
43. I detest drink driving.
44. I can be very emotionally manipulative. It’s a trait I recognize in myself but don’t like. I am working to overcome it.
45. I hate to see people who I went to school with as I’m sure they are thinking how fat I got.
46. Other than 6years away at university I have lived in the same town (now city) all my life.
47. My favourite foods include mango, mud crab, hot chicken and Chinese take away
48. I never had a middle name. My maiden name is now my middle name.
49. I have never drank a cup of coffee in my life – but I love the smell of it
50. I have always believed I’d die in a car crash. So far so good *wink*
