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Wife of Jeremy. Mom of Syd, Ben, and Ryan. Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend, Coach

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The "Aha" Moment

OK. I'm a smart girl, right?  Well, maybe you shouldn't answer that question.  I have known that my weight was not in the healthy range for a while.  I avoided being in front of the camera by always being the one behind the camera.  I said to myself that I would do something about it later.  I can exercise anytime I want.  I don't have time for that because I am too busy taking care of my responsibilities. 

So my BMI (Body Mass Index) was in the overweight range.  I thought I was ok because it wasn't in the obese range.  Yes, I was the girl watching NBC's The Biggest Loser while eating junk food and saying to myself "if they can do that, I should be able to do that too."  Still I did nothing.  I saw the photos from our beach trip in July 2010 and I still did nothing.  I just didn't think I could make it a priority.

Once the kids started back to school, I thought I might try the Couch to 5K program by Cool Running (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml).    I had a difficulty time running for 60 seconds. It was embarrassing.

Finally, I went to an annual check-up with my doctor on August 24, 2010.  When I stood on that scale, I realized I had gained 10 pounds in less than two months since the beach vacation and since beginning to run.  How had that happened? Maybe I should really think about that.  I was still in shock at what I had let happen to me.  When my doctor walked in, I realized that he had lost about 20 pounds since I had last seen him and I had found it.  He asked if I was having any problems, and I replied, "none other than I'm fat."  My pride took a big hit when he didn't disagree.  Kudos to my doctor, he sat down and really talked with me.  First, he suggested Weight Watchers.  I said that I tinker around with a Weight Watchers on my own at home.  He  gave me the look that said if I was following Weight Watchers, I wouldn't be talking with him about being fat.  Anyway, my doctor is a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers and told me it was time for me to find a meeting and get going.  He also said to me that I needed to get active. I told him I was running (a little).  He said I needed to get running more.

WOW!  I am fat!  Other people notice it too!  Kudos to my husband Jeremy for loving me at whatever size I am.  I am fat and my husband still loves me.  People love me no matter what I look like.  However, I need to be healthy for those people.  If I am not working to be healthy, I am not setting an appropriate example for my kids.  I didn't want them to think it is ok to become an unhealthy blob after having children.  I sat around thinking of all these things for a few days.  I decided I didn't want to continue in this manner. 

I continued to do the Couch to 5K program (C25K).  At this point I enlisted a training partner, my awesome cousin Casey.  Casey and I registered for a 5K race that was in 9 weeks and set up our training schedule.  A few weeks later, I finally went to Weight Watchers.  A few weeks after that, Casey and I (and my 9 year old son) ran the Big Pumpkin Run 5K.  Casey and I were slow, but hey, first or last, it is the same finish line.  Two weeks later, we ran the Tiger Trot 5K.  Three weeks after that, I ran the Walk the Walk 5K with all three of my kids.  The next week, I ran the Reindeer Run 5K with my two boys.  All through this, I was steadily losing on Weight Watchers.  I even lost over Thanksgiving.  Two weeks after Thanksgiving, I met my goal weight that is within the healthy range BMI for my height (short).  Weight Watchers started a new program called Points Plus, and I met the weight goal just after Points Plus began.  Currently, I have completed three of six weeks of maintenance (Yes, I maintained my weight through Christmas and New Years celebrations), and I hope to earn Lifetime Membership with Weight Watchers at my meeting on January 21, 2011.  I have even applied with Weight Watchers to become a receptionist.

So, between August 24, 2010, and December 31,2010, I finally (for the first time since before I was pregnant with my middle child) reached a healthy weight that I believe I can maintain.  I also developed an addiction to running. I'm slow and I will likely be slow always, but slow mileage is better than no mileage.

I'm thankful for that "aha" moment.  It led me to where I am now.  I have put 2010 behind me and I look forward to what 2011 has in store for me, my husband, and my kids.  Thanks for stopping by and keep running.

3 comments:

  1. This is your sister and I think you are awesome!

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  2. That's great, Wendy! Keep up the good work.

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  3. I like what you said about it being the same finish line for everyone. So true! I love running half marathons, good luck with you training. You are off to a great start in 2011.

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