I’ve been on a journey for self improvement for 35 years now. Yes I’m still counting. In reality, my journey has been ongoing since I was a teenager. I’m sharing this today, publicly, so my readers will know that I have walked the walk. I not only understand the challenge of weight loss, I have lived it. Here is my story on why I transformed myself from an insecure, withdrawn Chubster to the confident Cougar that I am today.
I started to put on a lot of weight when I was 14. I was never a Sporto Girl so I NEVER did any exercise. The most I would do is walk home from the bus straight to the frig and grab not one, but TWO Snack Pack chocolate puddings, then collapse on my couch to watch another episode of General Hospital. Edge of Night would be next, and I would polish off a BAG of Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies. I’d say that was quite a snack!?! My Mom would make dinner and I’m sure I had seconds. Of course, I never missed dessert, so I’d put down a pint of Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut butter ice cream. My breakfast most likely was either TWO Entenmann’s blueberry muffins with plenty of butter or about 6 mini Morton’s glazed donuts. No wonder I quickly blew up to 142 lbs with this miracle 4,000 calorie a day diet! 🍕🍩🍨
When I was a senior at DHS, I was believe it or not, somewhat on the quiet side. My weight had created a massive insecurity in my self-confidence. I had just a few friends, and didn’t get the invite to the parties, nor did I have any boyfriends. At the time I had a HUGE crush on this super cute guy, who had 17 was already a master flirt and was well liked by many girls in my high school. Let’s call him MW. I knew that if I didn’t make some changes, I would continue to be invisible to MW and the other boys in my school. The Senior Prom was 5 months away and I didn’t want to be left out. I had already been overlooked for my Junior Prom the year before. I was so tired of hearing, “Oh Tricia would be so pretty if she just lost some weight.”😥 I didn’t know how to go about losing weight and turned to my Mom one day upset and depressed. She had heard of a place in town similar to Weight Watchers, called The Diet Center. Not only would she sign me up, but she would join with me, and we’d take it on together!! I wanted something that I had never had before.
For the next 5 months, my Mom and I learned so much about nutrition and the importance of daily exercise. We took to it like a fish to water. We ate a clean low carb diet packed with protein, fruits and veggies. Oh and A LOT of water. I bought myself a bike and went for a daily bike ride to get my body moving. My Mom and I each lost 25 lbs. I was an entirely new person, with new found confidence and boundless energy. I will never forget the day when MW came up to me in the library and asked me to the Prom. I was euphoric. I was no longer the forgotten girl. I ran home to tell my Mom my good news and she said to me, “You were always the crocus in the snow.”
That Fall I was off to college, which presented another set of challenges for me. I had decided to attend an all girls school, which if you know me, wasn’t the best match for me. Since the social life was on the uneventful side, and I missed my high school friend terribly and I quickly started to regain the weight. It was as if I had forgotten all that I had learned. I stopped exercising. I used my depression and punished my body with food. I had developed a very unhealthy relationship with food yet again. With this emotional eating, I could no longer fit into my clothes. I was frightened to look in the mirror. By the time I came home for Thanksgiving break, I had ballooned up to 177lbs. My brother called me “The Butterball Turkey”.
During the course of my life I have lost that 50 lbs, and I have maintained my 125 lbs (give or take a few lbs here and there) through 4 pregnancies. This feat has NOT come easy to me by any means. I simply can look at food and gain weight. I am from Irish potato farmers, so we like to eat!! We are naturally heavy people. My biggest dream isn’t to be a millionaire, it’s to eat whatever I want without getting fat!!! My former chubby self is constantly talking to me on my shoulder, asking me to eat that donut, or get that double scoop ice cream cone or try that chocolate eclair. You know how some people say, “Oh I forgot to eat”, yeah that has NEVER happened to me before. I CANNOT remotely relate to that. I’m the type who just finishes breakfast and I’m already wondering about what’s for lunch! But I keep tight to my discipline and say NO to myself every day. Why?? Because I like how I feel with my body more than the food. Because nothing tastes as good as being fit feels. I do not “Diet” I have made a lifestyle change and I stick to that commitment. And that’s on most days, of course I have my treats here and there but it’s not everyday. That’s the difference. I also have a strict dedication to my exercise routines.🏋️♀️ You can see my Weight Loss Advice and Exercise Ideas under my Health Tab.
If you want to make a change, I hope my story inspires you. This physical transformation of mine has changed my life in many, many ways. I want to defy what society thinks a 52 year old woman should look like. I want to help raise that bar. It is never too late to change your life. Make it happen and shock everyone. When you lose all excuses, you will find results. There is no doubt that losing weight is hard. But being overweight is hard. Choose your hard. If I could do it, so can you.
Please feel free to leave me a comment on your weight loss journey or any struggles you may be facing! I love to chat about this stuff!!
Stay EXTRA!!!
