What I Wanted Was to Fit in
Lisa Eirene’s love of swimming is what sparked our initial conversation such a long time ago. She’s an active #attune chat participant and we thought it would be fitting to share her weight loss “Independence story” on Independence Day.
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What I wanted was to fit in. For the first half of my 20’s I’d been obese, hiding underneath the baggy 2X shirts and 24W sized jeans and felt like life was passing me by. I was no longer comfortable in my own body because my body was rebelling against the damage I was doing to it: high blood pressure, aching joints, high cholesterol, and the approaching threat of diabetes. What I wanted was to be healthy.
What did I do about it? I got off my couch, vowed not to eat pizza or ice cream (trigger foods) and get my life on track before I ate myself to death. I was 26 years old and weighed more than 250 pounds. With determination and willpower that I had never had before, I started my journey to lose 110 pounds. I swam in the nearby pool a few times a week. It was hard—I was out of breath and out of practice. I could barely make it down the length of the pool. But this slow, gasping swimmer soon became a fast swimmer that could endure long sessions in the pool. (I can now swim 1 mile in 30 minutes.)
The food was a challenge, of course. I knew the food was the biggest part of the weight loss equation: I HAD to master it. I counted my calories for one day to see where I was starting from and had eaten over 2,000 calories by lunchtime. That shocked me so much that I became determined to make a change. I counted my calories every single day. The weight came off quickly in the beginning, and then it slowed down. I did not give up when I hit plateaus and nearly two years later I weighed in 100 pounds lighter.
My life has changed in so many ways because I got healthy. Gone are the 24W jeans; instead they are a size 4. Gone are the dizzy spells from high blood pressure; now my doctors ask me if I run marathons because my numbers are so good. Oh, and speaking of runners…I became one! I ran a 5k, an 8k and then 15 miles in the Hood to Coast Relay Race. I biked 55 miles in Reach the Beach, 72 miles in the Portland Century and will be doing a full century this summer.
My life is completely different today than it was simply 5 years ago. I challenge myself to see what my body can do. I eat the foods I like in moderation so I am not denying myself anything (yes I now eat pizza and ice cream!). I am so happy I changed my life. I am so happy I got healthy!
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Lisa blogs at 110 Pounds and Counting where she shares her weight loss stories, tips and victories. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend Michael and two cats. She’s kept 110 pounds off for 4 years and is looking forward to new challenges. She will be biking a full Century in 2012 and hopes to train for a triathlon. Her story has been featured in Glamour, Woman’s Day, Yahoo Health, and on the cover of First Magazine.
Jul 12, 2012 @ 09:33:00
Great story! I’m just starting, but I hope to achieve results like yours over the next two years.