No More Lies. I Weigh…

I don’t normally talk about my weight, but I want to be open and finally reveal my weight - currently only known by me, my doctor, and God.

First a little about my story. For me, this is weight loss starting line number 2 and this time there is no specific finish line.

Weight Loss: My first major weight loss occurred the year after I graduated high school. I suffered through high school as an obese but smart and witty kid (personality counts for something, right?). I always had friends and was very involved, but never felt comfortable with my appearance or tried to change it. I knew I was fat, but never knew how big I really was.

After graduation I began working at the local YMCA as a receptionist. Being one of the fattest people working at a fitness center is not fun, but it did have its advantages. Everyone was willing to help once I showed interest in a more healthy lifestyle, so I took advantage of the free resources around me. I started working out and soon lost weight and started eating healthier.

I continued working and working out at the YMCA and dropped 50 pounds my freshman year of college. Beat that freshman 15!

After that initial large weight drop I got stuck and stayed at that weigh (around 200) for 2 years. My junior year of college I studied in Europe and lost another 10 pounds from snowboarding, hiking, and walking through every major European city on the weekends.

Weight Gain (Again): When I came home I was depressed because I was stuck in Memphis for the summer and missed the life I had in Europe. All of the activities I had enjoyed in Europe to stay healthy were impossible in Memphis, so my activity level took a sharp drop. Combined with my eating habits (a return to Southern comfort food) I packed on 20 pounds.

Since then I have added another 9 pounds or so because of the stress and sadness of things happening with my family. That brings the story to today and my desire to lose more weight and keep it off for good. I want to be healthy and fit from this day forward.

The Weight Stats: I have never told people my weight before without lying about it. Well, here are all the stats in their heavy glory.

Highest Weight: 255

Lowest Weight: 190

Current Weight: 228 (yikes!)

Goal Weight: 150

The Goal: The plan is to stick with Weight Watchers and keep training to run 5ks and triathlons. I need to weigh 40 pounds less than I have ever weighed, which seems like a huge goal. Even that is still on the heavy side for me since I am only 5′2″ tall. However, I feel like I can do this. I will do this!