Andy's weight loss journey

So Amanda shared her weight loss thoughts so I thought I should share mine. I guess this is even more appropriate because my 10 year high school reunion was a few weeks back. I didn't go, but my weight loss really started there. It is a bit surreal.

So between my junior and senior year of high school I gained a ton of weight. I blame the ability to drive and fast food. At my heaviest I was 240. I'd show you pictures, but there really aren't very many. I didn't take pictures, didn't want pictures. It was pretty brutal.

(This picture is from 2008ish)

So for some reason, around the start of my senior year I decided to do something about it. I blame this on my need to be attractive to the opposite sex. So I cut out a lot of things from my life. First, I stopped drinking soda. Now I very rarely drink it. Second, I stopped eating fast food. I eat fast food less often than I drink soda. And last, I started to eat less. Portion control was always a problem. It took be about 2 years, but by around the end of my first year of college, I was down to 175-180. I went from a size 40 to a size 32 in pants.

Fast forward a bit, my first year of graduate school was hard. It was the first time I was away from home and Amanda and I had just started dating. I gained about 25 pounds and was hovering around 200. This would have been around 2006. I was able to lose that weight by getting back into good habits eating. I would eat because I was entirely too stressed, which is why I didn't continue to pursue a PhD and instead I just received my Masters.

Since then, I really try to eat well. I don't always, but I try to be conscious of what I put into my body. Sometimes I don't eat well, and I can tell because I don't feel right. I try to work out more, although I have not been able to lately because of my arm surgery(which, BTW, I go to the doctor on Monday and will probably start physical therapy shortly). Amanda has really helped with this, mostly because she is an amazing cook.

This brings me to running. I played a lot of baseball growing up, and despite being pretty overweight I was still pretty athletic. But I never really ran much. Amanda convinced me about a year ago that we should do a 5K, and so we started to train. It wasn't too long into this when I ran 1 mile straight for the first time. This seems like such a small thing, but really I was so proud of myself for finally being able to run a mile. It was something I never thought I could do. The 5K came around and I ran the entire thing. We ran another, and I improved my time. It was pretty awesome. It is something I want to continue to do, because it is a great stress reducer on top of being healthy. I have some pretty bad anxiety, and it is a great way to relax.

I still have a way to go, both with my physical body but also with my body image. I still feel like the fat kid I was in high school. I am a pretty small guy now and people will make comments about this, and it is something I can't handle. I don't see myself that way, but it isn't like I am unhappy. I am incredibly proud of everything I have done with my life including losing a considerable amount of weight. If I could maintain this weight for the rest of my life, I would be happy. But I still think of myself as a 17 year old kid in nearly everything I do. I'm not entirely sure if that is healthy, but it sure is fun.

I now weight about 185. For most of the last ten years I have been anywhere between 175 and 185.

And I am sure if I cut out coffee and alcohol I would be in much better shape. Oh well! Some things are worth hanging on to!

More on Amanda's weight loss

Weight loss. It's a battle for me. Andy too actually but I think it's better for him to share his story on his own. (Hint, hint Andy...)

Unlike my husband, I am still struggling to lose the weight. I gained fifty pounds between high school and my first couple years of college. One of the reasons I gained so much weight had to do with a medication I was on. It was terrible. I come from a relatively thin family and it was hard to see myself fitting in with everyone else.



That's me on the left, the day after I graduated high school. Ugh. High school. I had a tough time during my junior and senior year. A lot of kids teased me about my weight gain, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and I seriously hated how I looked.

I lost a bunch of weight before my high school graduation so I'm not at my highest weight there. I wish I could tell you that I stayed at a healthy weight for a while but I gained most of the weight back right away.



My weight went up and down all the time.



I gained 15 lbs before our wedding. I tried to lose weight but I was juggling a full-time job, 12-14 units of undergraduate work, wedding planning, family drama and wedding dress stress. I'm a stress-eater.



Despite the weight gain, I still felt beautiful and loved on my wedding day. Andy cried when we had our first look. How can I feel bad about myself when someone loves me so unconditionally?



(Love ya babe)

But I felt bad. I felt horrible.



So we started running. Running a race with your loved one is so motivating. Exercise made me feel strong, got my body fat percentage down and gave me a faster metabolism.



I started feeling better about my appearance but for different reasons. I suddenly stopped caring whether I was "skinny" or not. I care if I am healthy or not. I care if I am strong or not.

So I signed up for Weight Watchers. Again. For the third time. This time I'm doing it for the sake of the weigh ins. Weekly weigh ins keep me on track. I don't obsess over calories. I track my daily eats in a notebook aiming to get a higher percentage of protein and less carbs because that works for me. I don't rule any foods out. Forbidding foods will only make this struggle harder for me.



But my portions sizes are down. I'm relying on whole foods to keep my body fueled. I'm going to physical therapy to help strengten my body and get me back into the running scene. (I'm hoping to run a 5k with Andy, my sister and her boyfriend at the end of October.)

I weigh-in every Saturday. Last Saturday, they told me that I had lost 3.2 lbs! I was pretty shocked considering what I ate. I didn't sacrifice anything, instead I added in more vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and fruits. I moved a little more by running a tiny bit, doing HIIT workouts via Jillian Michaels or Jackie Warner dvds, stretched with yoga and obeyed my PT by doing all of the lower body exercises required to heal my knee and IT band. The reality is, eating less and moving more works! I'm hoping to continue to lose every week even if it's only half a pound. I don't want to lose weight in a rush, just to gain it all back. This is a lifestyle, not a diet. I firmly believe that making healthy living a lifestyle has helped me in a major way. As an educator, I also believe that I set an example for young people and that living a healthy life and loving myself helps others as much as it helps me. I don't want people to see this hungry, lazy girl losing weight with the newest diet gimmick. No thanks.

So yeah, my approach to weight loss might not be very original but it's what I need in my life right now. I'd love your support as I go through this journey for what feels like the millionth time. I want to share my success, my fears, my failures and my joy. I'll report every Saturday with the good, bad and ugly. And progress pictures! If you want to know exact numbers, e-mail me and we'll talk.

What do you think of my approach?