Weight Loss Journey

As you've guys probably know, I've had a struggle with weight loss before. I lost 30 lbs and I have pretty much kept it off. My weight fluctuates once in a while but it still stays pretty much the same. What's so cool is that after my weight loss journey and trying to maintain it, I got my whole family involved in fitness and nutrition. My parents are now exercising more. My aunts and uncles started walking/running. My uncle even tries to make some healthy food choices (he's a Dr.Pepper addict).  

         

A year ago,  I wrote a personal statement about my weight loss journey and I thought that maybe it'd be easiest for me just to post it instead of writing a new one. I've edited it a bit. Here it is:

      “This makes you look fat,” my mother told me when I tried on a red sweater at Sears. It hurt, but all I said was “I know I am. I'm not going to wear this sweater until I get skinnier” I was 13 years old then, at my highest weight.  I wanted to hide myself because I weighed more than the skinny, Asian girls at my school.

            Ever since I was 10 years old, my mom tried to get me to exercise *lose weight*. She bought exercise tapes, hoping it'll help me. I gave up  so many times trying to do them because I thought that it was “too much work”. With each failed attempt, I ended up gaining more weight.

            The Sear's incident opened my eyes. I was going to enter high school the next year and I wanted a new start, a new look.  So, I committed to exercising everyday by waking up early in the morning for a jog or doing the exercise tapes. At first, it took a lot of effort just to get out of bed.  I thought “I don't want to wake up early. I want to sleep.” Hey. I was a lazy kid. But, it eventually became a daily routine. I went from not being able to run an entire lap to running  for 1 hour. I eventually started doing workouts such as the 30 Day Shred and then yoga. The weight came off slowly but I was finally seeing results.

           On top of exercise, I also needed to change my eating habits. They were really terrible. On top of eating 3 regular meals, my daily after school snack meal included either going to Carl's Jr for a spicy chicken sandwich or heating up sodium rich frozen foods at home. Then, I would have ice cream for dessert.  It was doing a lot of harm to my body, and I didn't even realize it.

            To learn what foods to eat, I searched the web for nutrition advice. I was surprised  that food quality and the amount you eat has such a great impact on health (take it from a junk food addict who hated vegetables). I took small steps to eating healthy, including switching from white bread to whole wheat bread. I also started eating less junk food  (which I love) and eating more fruits and veggies.

            It’s rewarding to have more energy, thanks to exercising and eating healthier. My blood pressure even went down due to this.  It went from 125/81 at age 13 to a current 110/60. What encouraged me more was my uncle’s remark: “Helen, you don't have a stomach anymore.” I knew then, that it was the reward of perseverance and willpower. My love for health and nutrition grew because of this and now, I know what career path I will follow. I'm now studying to become a Registered Dietitian (RD).