My Weight Loss World

After hitting a few road blocks I have decided to start from scratch with my weight loss journey.

Since I’m starting from the beginning (again) here are my new stats:
Starting Weight: 68.5kg (150.7lbs) — 25 Feb, 13
Current Weight: 62.4kg (137.3lbs) — 11 May, 13
Total Weight Loss So Far: 6.1 (13.4lbs)
Will Reach UGW (55kg) In: 7.4kg (16.3lbs)

And here is the much loathed ‘before’ shot. I hope to have a new ‘after’ shot up in a couple of months.

And here are my *original stats just for the hell of it (goal weight was 55kg):
Starting Weight: 68.8kg (151.4lbs)
Current Weight: 55.6kg (122.3lbs)
Total Weight Loss So Far: 13.2kg (28.8lbs)

*note: these stats are from when I started blogging about my weight loss. My highest known weight was 77.4kg (170.3lbs). I have a feeling I was heavier than that though.

My Weight Loss Journey

I wasn’t always fat. I was an active kid. I played competitive softball, I was always out riding my bike or roller blades (kid of the 90s or what). I went ice skating or bowling with my next door neighbours in the school holidays and spent so much time at my cousins house. Her mum didn’t have a car so we walked everywhere.

See, not an ounce of fat on me.

During primary school I wasn’t fat either. Nor was I when I went to high school. I was fit, active and healthy.

Wasn’t I as cute as a button and fit as hell!

I can’t pin-point exactly when it was that I started to gain weight but I think it was around year 9. I guess it was because I stopped being so active during school.

In primary school I was on the swimming, softball and athletics regional teams. When I got to high school I stopped representative sports for school and just continued with my Saturday softball competition. I think I stopped school rep sports because I didn’t want to stand out too much at school. I just wanted to blend in and be average like everyone else.

This is when I started getting a bit chunky. You can’t tell too much in my face but trust me, under that shirt were uncomfortable rolls of fat.

Like many people, once you get a boyfriend, you get fat. And that’s what happened to me. I put on over 15 kgs (33 lbs). And the funny thing is (or not so funny) is that I didn’t even realise I was fat. I knew I wasn’t tiny, but I didn’t think I was FAT. Looking at the picture below makes me realise how delusional I was.

I actually felt hot and thin that night. It was my little cousin’s 18th birthday. Delusional or what.

I love going out with my friends to pubs or clubs. We’d drink, eat, get drunk, dance, drink some more and eat before we went home. Not a healthy lifestyle. Especially if you were doing that 3 nights a week. So naturally, you gain weight!

I’d always wear dressy baggy shirts while my friends wore sleeveless dresses or singlet tops. I’ve always had issues with my chunky arms!

Another night out drinking and eating with my friends. Getting slowly fatter.

After my boyfriend and I were together for a few years I decided I wanted to have a baby. Weighing in at the hospital for my first signing in check up I weighed 77.4 kgs (170.3 lbs). I wasn’t even shocked at the number either. I was only 3 months pregnant so hardly any of that was baby weight. I didn’t feel like I was overweight at all.

After my son was born I never had any time to exercise. I barely had time to feed myself. So when I did get some me time, I’d just want to eat anything that was easy and quick to prep. My love of corn chips grew during the time I was a stay at home mummy. I’d easily eat a large packet a day if I could be bothered to drive to the shops to buy them. I didn’t ever count calories. I didn’t even know what a calorie was.

This is me on a carnival ride with my son and two nieces. I had no idea I was fat. I knew I was “chunky” but didn’t consider myself to be obese.

When I started working again I met two amazing health-conscious people who helped me understand about eating right. I did try to eat correctly when I was at work but I had no idea about portion sizes, weighing food or serving sizes. The times when I thought I was eating right, I was actually eating a serving size large enough to feed 2 people. So I didn’t really get anywhere with my weight loss. I was trying to exercise at home before work but I lived too far away from work to get in any type of a good workout. My mornings and evening were spent travelling. So I was mostly too exhausted to exercise.

The only type of exercise I’d get is when we’d take our son to fun places like this Toy Museum, where we’d walk around for hours.

There was a stage when I knew that I was fat, but didn’t do anything about it. My weight was neither going up or down. So I guess I was just content. I didn’t ever weigh myself. I didn’t even own a set of scales. So I guess I was just chugging along, pretending I was happy with my body.

I’d never dare wear this dress without a jacket or cardigan. It’s a spaghetti-strapped dress. Forget about it. Cardigans and jackets were my best friend.

High-waisted skirts were also my best friend. They still are now, but I don’t wear them exclusively to hide my stomach.

It was some time after this next photo was taken that I realised I needed to lose weight. I don’t know why it was this photo. God, there are plenty more horrendous pics in my mum and sisters photo albums that could have triggered me to lose weight. But this one did it for me. I think it was because I truly did not feel fat at all on this night. Then when I saw this photo I just thought to myself “fuck, how did I get this big”. I look so heavy and uncomfortable. And once again, wearing a cardigan, on a summers evening at an Aussie Hip Hop gig. Where it gets messy and sweaty. But still, I can’t have my arms showing can I.

I got my boyfriend to take a pic of me and an MC from one of my favourite Aussie Hip Hop groups. I was super excited to put it on Facebook because I love these dudes. It never made it to Facebook.

Thankfully, around this time one of my oldest friends asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Just what I needed! A motivational event to help me strive to lose weight. Because if I didn’t, there’d be heaps of people seeing me in all my fatty glory. I’d be known as the ‘fat bridesmaid’. So I read up about calorie counting, joined a gym, started exercising and I lost 13kg (28.6 lbs).

I should also mention that we moved into the city and closer to my work, so I had plenty of time before work to get some exercise in. I don’t know if I could have lost the weight without joining the gym. I found it a lot easier to be motivated to workout at the gym than at home.

I was the first bridesmaid to walk towards the ceremony. All eyes were on me. Lucky I looked good!

After the wedding I wasn’t as strict with everything. I would often work out 2 times a day when the wedding was approaching and was really strict with my calorie intake. After that I chilled off a bit with it all and just enjoyed life.

Christmas day 2010. Two months after my friend’s wedding.

Me wearing the spaghetti-strapped dress without a cardigan. Pale, yes, flabby, not so much.

A night out with friends. No junk food or alcohol for me thanks girls.

So here I am. January 2013 and back on the road to slimming down again. I’ve done it before, I know I can do it again.