| I was a big girl, well as a kid I was skinny until I was 11 years old and I gained a ton of weight over the summer. I would get teased for my weight, but I never thought of myself being big. Not until people would point it out to me. My Mom and Grandparents would often say things like – “Don’t eat this or you’re gonna get fat” or they would say -“Don’t eat that or you’re gonna get fat.” My mom would often tell me to cover up or even threatened to put me on a diet if I gained anymore weight and can’t fit into my graduation dress. My dad and my Grandma were critical of my weight and they often pointed it out to me. Fast forward to 2018 when I tried to do something about my weight and then it kept being a cycle of inconsistency and having multiple set backs. And then again being shamed for my weight. In late summer, it started off with what I thought was bad asthma and allergies that I never thought would go away. That wasn’t it at all, it turned out that I had pneumonia and I didn’t realize it. For weeks, I was off work and I couldn’t eat anything too hard and could barely drink anything but water. All I could do was sleep, and it didn’t help having a fever that almost got me hospitalized. I was eager to get back to work for the first time, my mom assured me that this could be a blessing in disguise. Finally, I got the OK to go back to work. Many people noticed something different about me, I was asked about my weight and got compliments on how great I looked. I didn’t notice it at first, until I asked my mom and she started to notice. I stepped on the scale, I was shocked that I was 10 pounds down. Water weight of course, but it clicked that I wanted to keep on this path. I even told my mom I wanted to keep this going. I first focused only on nutrition and I started to see the pounds drop, I was warned the scale will go up and down and that is normal. I suddenly hit a plateau and that’s when my mom introduced me to the gym. I HATED going to the gym at first, not knowing what to do, the sounds, the people etc. It was literally a fight to go there and my mom would have to beg me to get to the gym. The first routine was just walking for an hour on the treadmill, which then turned into going on the elliptical. The pounds did drop again, but it wasn’t until I hit another plateau, that something had to be shook up again. I started taking classes as a way to get workouts in and kept focusing on my nutrition. After that, I would either hit the elliptical or the treadmill. January 2019, I made the decision to hire a trainer and stick it out for a year or until I got to my goal. Best decision I ever made and the best thing I invested in was my health. I always looked forward to the training nights, and in the mornings when I didn’t train, I took some classes and did workouts at the gym. As the plateaus came and went, pounds going down and up and down, body fat percentage decreasing slowly. I would have a purpose for going to the gym. Training nights were every other weekend and Monday nights. Yeah – I had to sacrifice the girls’ nights, family functions at times, staying late from work on Monday nights, Sunday nights watching 90 Day Fiance. I learned to develop healthy habits for life. For the first time in April I was able to pull off wearing a Tankini and then a high piece bikini. I went to Punta Cana where yes, that’s where I had setbacks but I made sure to stay consistent with my fitness. Summer came rolling around, and I discovered a love for running and the racing scene. I was welcomed into the running community with open arms. It was still the training nights, especially in the summer but it was worth it. Fast forward to September 2019, that number on the scale, the size small, a new hair do and running my first half marathon – I finally got to my goal weight. The hard part, maintaining and keeping consistent. I made a promise that no matter what I would not let myself go and that I wouldn’t allow myself to be big like that again. I still have my trainer for accountability and I still love fitness and health. It isn’t an easy road, but in the end it is all worth it. |
I am 31 years old and I’m from Courtice, ON Canada. I am an autistic person and graduated college from the Early Childhood Education Program. I’m studying Russian and hope to visit Russia when it becomes safe again. My hobbies include going to the gym, running weightlifting, reading, swimming, yoga, hiking, meditation, knitting, cooking, and learning new things. I also love traveling and I am a huge cat person.
+ show Comments
- Hide Comments