My Transformation Story
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| Before ~ 287 pounds |
Having been overweight since childhood made approaching 50 terrifying because I expected my remaining years to be short lived, with serious health problems and limited mobility. My lifetime dream of having a lean and healthy figure faded with every failed diet attempt. But opportunity knocked when I least expected it, a childhood dream became a reality, and doors began to open.
From my early childhood, I was always the
fat, chubby kid, the one everybody teased so I turned to food for comfort. I had always been ashamed and embarrassed of
how I looked and, out of desperation, was always in search of a fast result to
lose weight. I tried just about every
diet program out there and was always left frustrated from the lack of promised
results. I had been on diets since I was
eight years old so I knew a lot about dieting but at some point my
determination would stall and the pounds would soon rebound. At 5’1” and 287 pounds, I even considered
weight loss surgery as the sure fix but saw limited lasting results from those
who chose that option, so I continued to forge ahead in search of the miracle
weight loss promise that might finally work for me.
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| In the midst ~ sans 75 pounds |
Besides
being overweight as a child, I suffered with chronic infections of the ears,
bronchitis and sinuses. Through the
years various doctors had conducted allergy testing which revealed numerous
environmental allergies. In 1995 I had
two sinus surgeries followed by years of bi-weekly allergy shots, yet I didn’t
get better -- in fact I got sicker and the weight continued to creep up. After countless drug reactions to fight
through bad sinus infections with antibiotics and steroids, we were running out
of options and medications. In September
of 2010 my doctor, an ear nose & throat specialist, proposed we explore an
elimination diet to determine if I had any food sensitivities. While allergy testing had not revealed any
food allergies, there was a remote possibility that certain food sensitivities
could be contributing to my chronic problems.
Less than six months later I was sick again and had to deal with another
antibiotic reaction, so I decided it was time to explore my doctor’s suggested
elimination diet (a/k/a Paleolithic eating).
So I followed the diet to the letter and was surprised to discover that
at the end of the two weeks I no longer had a sinus headache or nasal
congestion but I had also lost 13 pounds.
With finally feeling better and a weight loss like that, I decided to
not make any adjustments, so I continued on with the elimination diet. Six months later I had lost 75 pounds! I maintained the weight loss for the next six
months while exploring regular exercise.
The elimination diet for me revealed sensitivities to dairy, grains,
corn products, some nuts and tomatoes (the sensitivity to corn products means I
am unable to eat most processed foods; however recently I have been exploring
organic products that I am able to tolerate).
It had
always been a childhood dream of mine to attend a boot camp. One morning in early 2011 I read about a new
live in boot camp on Minnesota’s north shore called Fitness North. During a phone conversation with my husband that
day he told me he had seen something in the newspaper that he thought I might
be interested in – imagine my surprise to discover it was the same article! Before the end of the week I had booked my
week long reservation. My childhood
dream would become a reality! The boot
camp was where I also learned more about exercise, a different approach to
eating, as well as how determined I was to achieve a lifetime goal. I left the boot camp confident that I had the
right tools at my disposal and began working with an online nutritional
consultation service shortly thereafter. Week by
week, the pounds and inches just seemed to melt away. It was truly amazing how easy things were once
I had a nutrition and exercise plan to follow that actually worked with my
body. My husband and son, along with my
boot camp friends, were vital to my success as they encouraged me along every
step of my journey! As I began to
approach my goal weight I discovered things were suddenly happening for me – my
emotional attachment to food was waning, and after digging out from the shame
and embarrassment I had been hiding behind, I could finally begin to accept the
new me that was waiting for me in the mirror. On April 21, 2012 I
celebrated reaching my goal and my lifelong objective finally being achieved: losing
OVER 150 POUNDS!
Now I’m forging ahead with a new perspective
and adventure to my life. I continue to
remain dedicated to my nutrition by honoring a Paleolithic diet and eating
organically. Daily exercise is high on
my priority list which means I am at the gym at 5:00 a.m. most days to ensure
my workouts are not missed. I will be
starting my second season skating on a women’s hockey team called the Black Eyed Pucks who play in the beginning-level of
the Women's
Hockey Association of Minnesota. This spring I also joined my employers
running club and ran my first 10K in April 2012. In August 2012 I ran my first half marathon
with a group of women who also attended Fitness North boot camp. In October 2012 ran my second 10K. I am working towards participating in my first triathlon in August of 2013.
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| After ... 157 pounds lost!!! |
Countless
times each week people tell me how my transformation has motivated and/or inspired
them to either alter their eating habits, increase their exercise, or begin
their own transformation. Today I no longer
worry about embarrassing my son with my size; instead I make him smile when I
play hockey, or help out at a soccer or football practice. My husband who has always loved me for me
sees how much happier and more confident the new me has become!
