Catherine Corley - I Can't Even Pick Up 83 Pounds!

Today is "Talk About Diet Thursday!"  At least this week it is!  I thought I would share about my weight loss journey.  I have always struggled with my weight--it has never stayed the same for most of my life.  I was a sickly toddler, who became an overweight child, who (thankfully after hitting an early growth spurt at 12 to becoming 5'9") became a less overweight teenager.  I had my children in my early twenties and became an obese mom.  In 1992, I lost just under 100 lbs. on Weight Watchers and I thought I was cured!  The trumpets played; the angels sang!  I didn't bother doing the maintenance program because, at 26, I thought I would never be fat again.  Oh, youth is wasted on the wrong people!

Over the next 20 years, my weight fluctuated up and down...mostly up.  When I found out I was very ill several years ago, my cardiologist yelled at me about my weight and told me my heart couldn't handle the pain I was inflicting on it.  He said I had better lose a lot of weight right away or I would die!  Every time I saw him, he would say that and I would cry.  I thought he was a mean man!  But he did look a lot like a clean-shaven Dr. House, so he had that going for him!  

I slowly lost a lot of that weight and gained a healthier outlook on life.  I wasn't thin, but I was doing well.  I could run the hospital steps when my father was being treated there.  I could easily get through the day as a care giver and wear cute yoga clothes doing it.  Again, I thought I was cured.

Last year, almost a year of bed rest because of a terrible, life-threatening infection, and the inactivity it brought, shot me back up again to where I didn't want to be.  Not as bad as before, but 30 lbs. heavier than I was.  So in January of this year, I made a resolution once and for all that I would get back to my 1992 Weight Watchers' goal weight by my 46th birthday and stay there for the rest of my life.  

The day before my birthday, I had lost over 50 lbs. and I reached that goal and have remained below the goal every week since then for five months.  I think that might be a record for me!  I really lack self-control in this area, but it helps to weigh in at Weight Watchers every week with my cousin, Ruth.

By the way, I am NOT cured.  I am 83 lbs. lighter than I was when my Dr. House-wannabe told me to lose weight; however, I am always going to be a fat girl on the inside.  The moment something trips me up, I feel like grabbing a Twinkie...oh, I guess maybe I should change snack foods at this point.

This won't be the only time I talk about weight loss.  Nutrition and exercise are two of my passions now.  I used to hate exercising!  Now I love the feeling after a workout.  Some days, I work out for three hours; some days, I don't.  I can run farther than I ever imagined and I can do 75 pushups and hundreds of crunches.  On Thanksgiving a year ago, I was too weak to sit up in a dining room chair.

I am the smallest I have ever been in my adult life, besides that brief period in 1992, which I think lasted about six days!  Well, maybe six months.  I wear clothes I never imagined I could wear.  But the best part is, every day, that sick little heart of mine keeps on beating because it doesn't have to pump blood nearly as hard as it did before.  My wonderful doctor was right!  He saved my life in so many ways, and I am thankful for every time he made me cry because it made me the person I am and it kept me alive!

How is your heart?  Do you get check ups?  Do you know your numbers --  cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.?  Trust me, take care of your heart.  I sure wish I had my healthy heart back!  Be kind to yourself.  Feed yourself nourishing foods and find an exercise routine that you love and can live with.  Avoid stress or at least learn to deal with it appropriately.  Don't make excuses!  And don't set unrealistic goals.  Love yourself enough to take care of yourself.  If you don't, who will?

I will share more of my tips and how I lost the weight in upcoming blogs.  I will also share my cousin Ruth's weight loss journey as well.  She's doing great!

Until next time, be kind to your heart!