Dieting – The History of Jen
I am no stranger to dieting. I have tried so many in my life. I guess I’ll just give a quick history of what I have done in the past. The best place to start is to describe my body type to provide a frame of reference for those who are following my journey. As we all know, 135 pounds on one person isn’t always the same as 135 pounds on another. There are a lot of different factors to consider when trying to determine if weight loss is necessary.
Height: Short. I have been about 5’1 or 5’2’’ since my teens. Short and overweight is a terrible combination. There are some kids who are a little chunky when they are younger and then they grow 5 inches and suddenly they are magically transformed into tall, slender beauties. Tall doesn’t happen very often in my family. Short and overweight is a little more common.
High School Weight: Okay, I was about 128-135 lbs throughout high school. That is seriously not too bad for my height. It was considered to be slightly overweight – a little chunky. My jeans were about a 9/10 and sometimes a 7/8.
College Weight: I lost weight in college. I was down to about 112 –118 or so, which is quite healthy. The only problem was that I was living on white rice with garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Seriously. That is all I ate. I would make it in one of those hot pots. Despite the healthy weight, it was a terribly unhealthy diet. I got so used to that meal, that normal food started to make me sick. I was presenting the textbook symptoms of a serious eating disorder. Not good at all.
Pregnancy Weight: During my sophomore year of college I became pregnant. Ooopsie-Baby! Yep, this was a surprise to me…and my straight-laced Christian family! So, my darling little girl, Meggie, was born at 6 pounds 7 ounces….which doesn’t explain the 50 pounds I gained. All the McDonald’s fajitas I ate due to my pregnancy cravings probably explains my 162 pound pregnancy weight a little better. I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes at this time, too. My diet definitely left much to be desired.
Post-Pregnancy Weight: I stayed at around 150lbs. for a few years after Meghan was born. I was a new mom. I was living at home with my parents and raising my daughter. I seriously didn’t pay too much attention to my weight. All my friends were still away at college and I had no social life.
Dieting – Adulthood Style: When I was about 22 or so, I ended up enrolling in local college to finish my degree and decided it was time to get back into shape. This first attempt to lose my baby weight went very well. Too well, actually. I did it quickly and broke most of the dieting rules out there. I ended up at 100 pounds and dizzy all the time. I was cranky…oh, gosh was I cranky…and my mood swings were unbelievable. My immune system was a mess and I was always getting sick. This was also when my panic disorder began. (That’s a whole different story!) In any case, that diet ended abruptly as I tended to my panic disorder and I quickly gained the weight back. I was about 24 or 25 years old at this time.
Ups and Downs: Over the next 10 years, I fluctuated between 130 and 145 pounds every 2 or 3 years. I usually gained 5 to 10 pounds every winter and would quickly lose those pounds every spring. I tried Weight Watchers…which worked, but the obsessive person in me would spend too much darned time figuring out all those Points. I gave it up after 6 months. I also dabbled in some Atkins and South Beach (still one of my favorites.) My panic disorder was under control again and I was feeling better on that front, but…I was getting a little tired of the yearly weight gain/weight loss cycle. Luckily, the gain part happened during the season of bulky clothes and roomy sweaters!
The Big Three Oh (30 years old): And then it happened. One spring, after I turned 30, I began my yearly routine to lose my winter weight and…it didn’t happen. I lost maybe a pound or two, but the rest of the weight refused to budge. The same thing happened the year after that and the year after that. What the heck? So, my 130-145 pounds long gone. I was pushing 160. 164 to be exact. My highest weight ever.
The weight seriously wasn’t coming off anymore! My body was broken!
The Big Three Three (33-years-old): Last year (2007) after a lot of blood, sweat and tears, I was able to lose 17 pounds, but I found myself struggling to stay motivated. My methods were “get-thin-quick” and they lacked the staying power of a healthy, balanced diet.
Now: Here I am 6 months later in January 2008 and I am really afraid it will only be a matter of time before I gain those 17 pounds back. It’s time to start listening to this body of mine. It’s obvious that my 30-year-old body just doesn’t work the same way my 20-year-old body did. (*sigh* I seriously miss my 20’s. No lie. It just stinks to get older.) I’m 33 years old and I need to stop feeling like I’m 50.
CURRENT STATS: I’m 33-years-old. I am 5 foot, 1 inch tall. I weigh 147 pounds.
CURRENT GOALS: (subject to change) I would like to get my weight down to 112-118 pounds OR fit into a nice pair of 3/4 jeans. I don’t like basing weight loss goals solely on scale numbers. I think the fit of clothing and the measurements of hips/waist/butt, etc. is a much better way to track progress.
I would also like to feel young and healthy again…I miss my energy. I miss my spark. I feel frumpy and slow and I find myself avoiding social situations and opportunities because this. I know this weight isn’t in the category of terribly obese, but it is unhealthy – mentally and physically. This is definitely something I can change and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.
Let the games begin!
Okay, so that was cheesy, but I totally feel motivated right now. Here’s to an amazing journey. Gosh, I wonder where it will lead me?!