Hello, my name is Jenny and I want to lose weight and become healthier for myself and my family. I am tired of sitting on the sidelines of life. Over the years I have become sedentary, gained weight, and quit doing the things I used to enjoy such as hiking and playing sports. I am making small changes so that I can lose weight slowly and keep them off.

**My story with how I got here**

Like most people I started gaining weight once I graduated high school. When I ...

Hello, my name is Jenny and I want to lose weight and become healthier for myself and my family. I am tired of sitting on the sidelines of life. Over the years I have become sedentary, gained weight, and quit doing the things I used to enjoy such as hiking and playing sports. I am making small changes so that I can lose weight slowly and keep them off.

**My story with how I got here**

Like most people I started gaining weight once I graduated high school. When I graduated I was around 165 pounds. In high school I always stayed around 160 pounds and was very active. From middle through high school I played volleyball and softball. I also shot baskets in the backyard 3-4 times a week and in high school bought a stationary bike and rode it for an hour 4-5x a week. My eating habits however needed lots of work. A typical school day went like this: Breakfast was a Pepsi and Nutrigrain bar, no lunch or just a hamburger from the cafeteria, dinner was usually french fries, hotdogs, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn or some combination of this, and then at night I snacked on popcorn, chips and/or ice cream.

Once high school ended I stopped playing sports and started working. The only exercise I got was walking my nieces to the bus stop or the park and going for an occasional hike on the weekends. I quickly ballooned to 200 pounds in two years. Then I started a different job where I worked crazy hours and got back into skipping meals again and dropped about 20 pounds in a couple months. Shortly later I met my husband and then we married about 2 years later. I was around 220 pounds when we got married. We ate out all the time and I really started to indulge in treats that I used to limit myself to. My husband always reassured me that I wasn't fat or big...I was beautiful just the way I was. I never felt that way about myself.

Fast forward may years later and now I weigh 270 pounds. Over the years I have figured out that I use food to deal with my emotions. Usually boredom and stress bring on the binge monster. Over the last couple years I have had a lot of personal stress; my youngest daughter passed away, we almost lost our home, my husband was laid off, and I was nearly laid off too. None of this helped with my weight problem. From 2010 until now I have gained about 30 of those pounds.

My turning point came in September 2012. I had my yearly physical for my job and the nurse practioner told me that my breathing had declined since last year (did a spirometry test). I had been noticing that I was getting winded really easily and more tired than usual. I also noticed that I felt breathless at times even at rest. She told me that I had to lose some weight and repeat my spirometry test or she couldn't allow me to continue with my normal job duties. She also said that my fasting glucose level was just one point away from diabetes. Wake up call!! I had let myself go so much that not only was the weight affecting my personal life- now it was affecting my health and job. From then on I have decided it is up to me to make a change.

I am so DONE with this weight and my unhealthy lifestyle.

**UPDATE FEB 2013**
I was feeling horrible just a couple weeks ago. I made myself stop eating and start exercising. Everyday I was coming home laying on the couch and stuffing my face while zoning out in front of the TV. I didn't feel like talking unless it was to complain about something.

What made me start changing is that it was really beautiful outside one day and I looked outside and saw people playing and walking. My daughter really wanted to go outside, but I just couldn't get moving and sadly we sat in the house and did nothing, but watch TV. Later that night, my daughter said to me "Mommy, maybe you will feel better tomorrow and you will play with me.". That made me feel horrible! There is nothing physically wrong with me to keep me from playing with her...it was all mental. I started moving the next morning and cutting my calories. I didn't want to sit in the house one more day and watch life pass me by and not another summer hiding indoors when I should be enjoying life with my family.

Read More About ILUVTHE80S (Updated May 3)

Member Comments Page (238 total):  < Previous1234Next >Last >>