| Kim's Story Part 2 | |
My first week I lost 13 pounds and that, of course, motivated me to stay on the right path. I rewarded myself with things other than food for when I did well and when I didn't, I learned to get over it. Each of the milestones meant so much to me.....25, 50, 75....but I really took it 5 pounds at a time. I continued to lose very quickly and after just 7 months on the program I was down 100 pounds! Although I was moving alot more, and walking some.... it was around this time I decided to really get serious about exercise. I walked more and more each day and found ways to get my body to move more....even if it was just an extra step or bend here and there. I found that my body would get used to me eating a certain way, or doing the same exercises, so I had to learn how to 'shake-it-up' a bit in order to continue to lose well. After just 2 years I was down 160 pounds!
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Never had I imagined just how much this would change my life. To have so much energy.....to be able to breathe.....to be able to move......to WANT to move. I was no longer just existing to get through each day.........I was now living my life. I felt on top of the world....like there was nothing I couldn't do....even with over 40 pounds left to lose. To have control over your own life and to have the power to believe in yourself is priceless.
It was around this time that we suffered the loss of my father, who was just 51. We are a very close family and he worked hard to stay in shape so this was quite a shock. He was also the greatest supporter of my efforts to lose weight. Although I knew this well......this is also the time I started slipping back into some old behaviors. Life changed drastically, and once again it was hard to keep focused. I still felt empowered and still believed but it was alot harder to fight for it. Over the months that followed alot more changed and things became even more difficult for me. I kept attending my meetings but it was so hard when I knew I wasn't doing what I should be doing. I knew that if I stopped getting the support that I would fall right back into my old ways and would have that 160 pounds back on in alot less time than it took to lose it. I proved that to myself by not going for just 4 weeks, and gaining 10.4 pounds in that time! In all....the scale slowly crept back up 25 pounds.
I have such a passion for this because of what it has done for my life and I am always the first to give advice to help anyone else out...even when i'm not doing so well myself. During one of our meetings our leader, Andrea, put her hand on my knee and told me to 'listen to my own advice'....she hit the nail right on the head! I knew what it took to make things happen and I knew what I needed to do.....I just wasn't doing it. That night I came home, took my books back out and read through them again, I made sure that I wrote down what I was eating each day and I started writing in my journal again. I set daily goals and began to treat myself with kindness instead of pity. I found places to visit online that helped to inspire me and started talking to others who face these same struggles. I started sharing my story and pictures online as a way to help encourage those who have alot of weight to lose as I did and I learned that nothing helps my own efforts more than being able to make a difference in other people's lives.
" I've realized that the only person who can stop me.....is ME.....and I can take her! "
Getting2Goal is now a huge source of strength for me, as well as many others. The 25 pounds I put back on are gone again and I am on my way to reaching my ideal goal weight and staying there....forever. This has changed everything about my life and there is nothing anyone could give me to replace how good it all feels. It's not been an easy road...but I wouldn't change a thing........because I've learned my most important lessons by facing the challenges. I am not, nor will I ever be perfect...I'm not suppose to be. No matter what happens in my life, or how far off the path I roam, I will never stop believing in my ability to set myself straight. I've realized that the only person who can stop me.....is ME.....and I can take her!
