When I first started on my journey, I weighed 240 pounds (this was AFTER losing the weight I had gained during my last pregnancy). This was the highest I had ever weighed in my life. As some of you reading this may know, I was a very active teenager due to participating in competitive sports. I did not do anything as a teenager to develop healthy eating habits, however. My daily lunches consisted of a Hostess Apple Pie and a package of Hot Fries. But, because I burned a ton of calories dancing as well as playing softball and volleyball, I maintained a 140-145 weight in high school. I was by no means "skinny", but I was muscular and fit. Into my 20's, the active lifestyle was traded for life in a cubicle - however, I was still highly addicted to junk food. Couple that with giving birth to three children, and you can see how I ended up at 240 pounds!
I knew my third child would be my last, so it was at that point that I decided to take back my body...no more excuses! I had tried just about every diet on the planet, including Weight Watchers and Atkins, and although that works for some, I didn't have success in the past. Most of us know weight loss (or weight gain) is attributed to the calories we eat versus the calories we burn. Simple math, right? So - my nutritional goals were simply this: Limit my calorie intake to 1500 calories/day and try to eat low calorie/high protein foods in every meal and snack. Sounds easy....and guess what? It was! I found that foods that were high in protein kept me satisfied much longer than "empty" calories. I feel some of my failure in the past was because even though I was limiting my calories, I was choosing food that was nutritionally empty. For example - I used to think that the "100 Calorie" snack packs were brilliant. But eating one of those to me was the equivalent of eating air. It did nothing for me, and yet I wasted 100 calories on it. Now I know that a much better snack choice is yogurt, cottage cheese, almonds, an apple with a little peanut butter - anything that is low in calories and high in protein. An added benefit? Protein builds muscle and muscle burns more calories.
Every weight loss plan or article you read will tell you how important it is to set goals. I agree - however, sometimes I think we set our goals too big. In the past, I had set massive goals (Be a size 6, lose 50 pounds, fit into my old jeans that were 7 sizes smaller than I was, etc.). Setting these types of goals can be discouraging if you don't reach them within a certain time frame. To keep myself encouraged, I set smaller goals so I would feel successful ON A REGULAR BASIS. Initially, my goals were to lose 1-2 pounds a week, stick to 1500 calories a day, and incorporate as much protein into my diet as possible. This allowed me to reach my goals once a day! Every time I ate 1500 calories in a day - I was successful. Every day that I was successful guaranteed that I would meet my weekly goal of 1-2 pounds per week.
Now - I knew that the junk food lover inside of me would still be screaming for a cheeseburger or nachos every once in awhile. So, as part of my eating plan, I allowed one "free day" every week. I would usually save that day until the weekend when I knew we might be going out to eat or over to a friends house where I could not control the menu. This method allowed me to still be successful, and also not feel defeated when I ate something high in calories. Because I allowed myself this one indulgence every week, I didn't feel guilty about it! If I had a craving during the week, I would just tell myself "If you still want to eat it on Saturday, you can have it then." Usually, when Saturday rolled around, I no longer was craving whatever it was....but, if I was - I would eat it without the guilt.
So there it is - this was my plan. I consistently lost 2 pounds a week (even more in the beginning). After one year, I dropped 90 pounds and went from a size 20 to a size 6. All of this was accomplished while working full-time and caring for three young kids! What I learned is that caring for myself was just as important as caring for my children. I learned that FOOD IS FUEL...if you put garbage into your body, your body will look and feel like garbage!
In the course of this journey, a lot has happened in my life. I left my full time job in July to become a stay at home mom. In addition, I have recently become trained to teach Turbo Kick, and I am in the process of getting hired part-time at Eastside Sports Complex. I have come a long way in the last year and a half...I have gone from morbidly obese to a fitness instructor. All I know is that I never dreamed that changing my diet would give me this much success. Now - I have new fitness goals. With the addition of exercise and a highly nutritional meal replacement shake, I'm hoping to tone up the left over "baby belly" and tighten up the rear a little bit. By this summer, I want to be something I've never been before - confident in a bathing suit!!
Future posts will provide an example of my daily eating plan, eating smart when eating out, and my perspectives on motherhood and fitness in general. I hope this information is helpful and inspiring! If you have ANY questions, or just need an accountability partner - please email me! Living healthy has changed my life!
Before and After:
This is great info Traci! You and Curt have inspiring stories to tell.
ReplyDeleteTraci,
ReplyDeleteThank-you for sharing the first chapter of your personal journey. I look forward to reading your thoughts and feelings on dieting, exercise, and lifestyle in the near future.
I have my own story to share but that's for another time and another place.
You looked great when I ran into you at the game and am sorry I wasn't able to catch-up with you after having not seen you in what I'm sure is more than a decade.
All the best!