My first “aha” moment was in the summer of 2010 when I stepped on the scale at a local Big Lots. I was at my biggest, in the 270’s! I have been plus size my whole life but just kind of ignored it.
 |
| My at my heaviest 270 lbs. In 2010. |
 |
 |
| Me at 13. Middle School. |
The first thing I needed to do was focus my mind and start setting goals for myself. Being addicted to sugar and cheese was a hard habit to break. I quit the sugary drinks and started drinking lots of water. I was already a vegetarian at this point but you might as well have called me a “cheese-atarian”. I decided to go vegan for my health because of how addicted I was to cheese and finding out about my lactose intolerance. By January 2011, as a result of these changes I dropped down to 258 lbs. I really wanted to lose more weight but didn't know how to start. This is when I saw celebrities on TV/ videos on you tube of people doing the lemonade diet and I decided to give it a try. I convinced my boyfriend to go along with me. On this diet my goal was to drink this lemonade and not eat for at least a few weeks. Not surprisingly on day 4 I felt week and terribly hungry! My boyfriend came home and said that he had done some research on this diet and said that over all this was not a healthy way to lose weight. I agreed and that night we each had a giant bowl of red beans and rice. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed food so much! I did lose 7 pounds during that 4 day period but gained it right back. Ultimately this is when I decided to find a healthy approach to weight loss that would not be a quick fix but a lifestyle change.
A few weeks later my boyfriend called me from his work telling me that he had found this free calorie counting website “caloriecount.about.com”. I wasn't sure if this would work for me but I gave it a try. It took a few weeks to get the hang of logging everything that I ate. I learned how many calories that I needed to eat to lose the amount I wanted to lose per week (2 pounds) based off of my personal info like my height, age, and activity level. I realized the more that I exercised the more I could eat while losing weight. The website started me off with 2,000 calories (now I‘m down to 1,800). For the next 21 days exercised because I wanted to make a habit of it. I would go for 6 mile walks with my boyfriend and go to the gym on the days we didn't go walking. After 21 days I knew I was in the habit so from then on I allowed myself 1 day off per week. Sundays became my weigh in day, I focused on my nutrition, and wrote down every work out I did on my calendar. It was so exciting to watch the pounds come off each week and reach my goals! By December of 2012 I reached my goal of 100 lbs lost!
100 lbs lost!
.jpg)
A couple years ago I would have thought you were hilarious if you would have told me that I could do a 5k race, bike 58 miles, walk 16 miles, or go to the gym 6 days a week. Now I feel like I can do anything that I set my mind to do! I no longer live in the physical pain that I once did at my highest weight and I can keep up with my little nieces and step daughter when we go play at the park! My husband Todd and I now bond through exercise too. We can now go for long bike rides, long walks, and go jogging together. I feel like the same Lorrie just a little more enlightened and healthy!
I learned that its not about any quick fixes, diet pills, fad diets, or any particular workout workout craze that is popular right now. Anything that sounds too good to be true most likely is. I learned that losing weight for me was plain and simple learning how to eat and exercise in moderation. It is as much mental as it is physical. A lifestyle change means finding out what works for you to become healthy. Not comparing yourself to others. It's about setting small attainable goals that do not overwhelm you. Weather that means just upping your walking to 2 times per week, learning about nutrition, reading blogs you can relate to, or seeking out support for an eating disorder. Everything you do in your healthy lifestyle change should come from love.
The impossible can become possible!
