Reaching and Maintaining your goal

Hello All,

I don't know any of you, as I am a distant relative of Daphne (whom I haven't had the chance to meet as of yet), but she asked me to contribute a bit here as I lost 50 lbs. about two years ago and have successfully kept it off. Not sure how much to share in an initial post, but here goes:

I was always thin as a teenager and even after my kids were born. I never had to watch what I ate and I never exercised. I just never realized how active I was. So when my activity level dropped, and I had developed poor eating habits, the weight crept on. I tried many of the 'diets' and pills, losing a little here and there, then regaining all if not more when I stopped. I reached a weight of at least 170 lbs, I was a size 12-14 and I'm a shorty at only 5'4". I had an epiphany about two years ago that no one was going to do this for me, and that I am the only one who can take control of my life (this also applied to other things in my life, including my marriage, which led to my divorce). I have to admit that there are two TV shows that really seemed to have an impact on me - The Biggest Loser and What Not to Wear! I took to heart the eating style I needed to have and completely changed my eating habits. I also went through five sizes of clothes and had to replace my entire wardrobe except for my shoes!

It really it a simple process, but it takes consistency and dedication to acquire the new habits. I started by just making better choices. Grilled v. fried, steamed veggies v. fries, brown rice v. white rice, etc. And for the first time in my life I got onto a treadmill. I started walking fast for 2.5 miles at 4.5 miles per hour. When that became easy I went to 5 mph, then 5.5, etc. I averaged about 1.5 lbs per week weight loss, and lost 50 lbs. in seven months. I went from a size 14 to a size 4 - a size I haven't been since before my kids were born and a size I never imagined I would ever see again! I now weigh about 125 lbs.

I can now run at 7 mph, but have decided to ease back to 6.5 and increase my distance to a full 5K (3.1 miles) as many days a week as I feel like doing it. But I find that by keeping my eating habits the same, I don't have to work out that much to keep it off. I heard someone say one time that 'Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels' and I can attest that some things just aren't worth the time I know I would have to put in to get it back off! I am actually thinking of doing a triathlon this summer. I've never had a problem swimming or riding a bike, and now that I've been running for two years, I think I could handle the run segment.