I weighed 235 pounds a month after my youngest son was born in January 2010. That was the single highest weight I had been in my entire life, not being pregnant. It was depressing and took a major toll on my family and my happiness. I am usually a very upbeat and sarcastic person, yet every time I looked in the mirror, I wanted to either cry or throw my brush at the mirror to shatter it. My reflection would look smaller in the tiny shards of reflective glass. Right?
Even with my self-worth and self-esteem crumpled up like a paper towel in the bottom of the trash receptacle, I didn’t get off my butt to do anything about it. The depression weighed me down on the couch like someone had tied bricks to my waist. I dreaded getting out of bed because my knees would start cracking and popping as if the Rice Krispies Elves had taken up residence in the hollow between joints. I would sit and munch on chips or cookies, then pick up the phone to dial my local Chinese delivery place, who knew me by voice. Sad, sad existence.
One day a few months ago, on a private FaceBook group, a friend brought up a 90 Day Health Challenge. I decided to join. A few months prior I had switched (cold turkey) from eating delivery to cooking 99% of meals at home from scratch. Not only was my wallet a trifle fatter, but my energy came back 10 fold and I started seeing small victories when looking at my scale. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? This health challenge has changed my life for the better in not just my physical health but my emotional AND financial health as well. I have lost 52 pounds in the last 6 months without pills or surgery.
I know I’m not the heaviest person that has undergone a transformation like this, but this is the first time I have gone through such a radical change. I was not happy at 235 pounds, nor was I healthy. I wanted to guarantee to my children that I was going to be around for them for a very long time, and carrying around that amount of weight was killing me slowly.
I now make 100% of my meals from scratch at home. Not only am I saving money doing this, I am also showing my children that eating healthy is a good thing. We have family dinners every night. I know this might change up a little bit once my divorce is finalized, but I plan to try my hardest to keep up the tradition. My 7 year old son tells me all the time that I am “getting skinny” and it makes my heart melt.
I am hoping that by sticking to what I am doing now and adding in some more activities, I can shed those last 33 pounds needed to get to where I want to be. Even if it is only a few more pounds lost, I have lost a lot more. I shed 52 pounds, years of depression, years of fatigue, and years of a very unhappy existence. I am hoping to gain a lifetime of blissful memories, better sleep, and healthy children and grandchildren. Maybe even find my soul-mate. Maybe.