In May 2006, I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life and was not exactly feeling good about myself. I was enjoying the life of eating out and overeating carbs when I got stressed out over papers and tests. I was in my second semester of seminary and had been dating David (now my husband) for six months. As I look back, I met the man of my dreams when I was at my heaviest and he was still attracted to me. I had always told myself that no one could possibly love me until I weighed the ideal weight for my height.
On May 5, 2006, I joined Weight Watchers and weighed in for the first time. David had been on the Weight Watchers Program before and said he would join again if I wanted to join. While I was not happy with my weight, I knew that this was the beginning of a journey toward better health. Over the next fifteen months, I lost almost 40 pounds on WW. It was not always easy, but I had some great women who got up with me at 5:30 am three mornings a week and we walked briskly around the sidewalk track on the campus of Saint Paul School of Theology. I had another friend who walked with me a couple other days in the week. I felt a sense of freedom as the pounds came off. I felt better about myself.
I kept loosing some after I got married, but I let the stress of my last year of seminary get to me and I cared less and less about staying on WW Program. By the time I moved back to Alaska I had gained back all but 17 pounds. Over the next two years I lost 10 pounds and then gained it back and then a little bit more. I was not liking how my clothes were fitting me. I was no longer feeling good or the freedom I enjoyed.
Finally at the end of August 2010, I was ready to get back on Weight Watchers online and really loose some weight. I would like to get pregnant at some point in the near future and could not imagine being any heavier. Fortunately David was ready to be in WW program again too. It really makes a difference to have your partner on a similar journey. I went to the local diabetes prevention department at the hospital and joined their "Step-by-Step" program. I bit the bullet and weighed in. They agreed to weigh David and me each week, because that accountability is what helped us to be successful in the past. I have lost about 17 pounds over the last four months. I have been feeling the same sense of freedom that I have felt in the past when I have lost weight. I am enjoying this journey despite the holiday yo-yo.
At Thanksgiving, I found out that my sister-in-law will be running the Boston Marathon in 2011. I want to be there for her as she finishes. Before I found out about her challenge, I had been thinking that one of my short-term goals is to do the running leg in our local triathlon. To accomplish that goal, my even shorter term goal is to run a 5k. I just began this week training using the couch-to-5k program as outlined online. I got inspired the other night when I looked online for touristy things to do in Boston, should I actually go to watch my sister-in-law finish the Boston Marathon. I noticed that one of the touristy options was to do a tour while running a 5k. I thought, "What an amazing way to see a city I have not been to in 19 years!!" So here I am training. I have since found out that there will be a 5k in Nome at the end of August this year. There are many reasons to train for this 5k. The greatest for me is the sense of accomplishment and to continue my journey to better health. I have been overweight most of my life and really want to be a much healthier weight.
This first week, I have been running on a treadmill at the local recreation center in the evenings. Did Day 1 on Tuesday and Day 2 tonight. Day 3 is Saturday. Five minute brisk walking warm up followed by 20 minutes of jogging 60 seconds & walking 90 seconds. I cool down for another 5 minutes. It feels good so far. As I have been doing my workouts, I have been listening to sermon podcasts. Both my body and my spirit are getting challenged!! Worship & exercise together!! What an awesome combo! God is there on the journey too!
Join me on this journey...
1 comment:
Julie thanks for sharing. Your post on Facebook about the couch to 5k program led me to discovered that workout schedule. I, too, started last week. I had used WW to get down to my goal weight a year ago. Sadly, I have put all the weight I lost back on. I decided that this year I needed something to motivate me to lose the weight and keep it off. 5k races are how I hope to get and stay motivated in 2011. Thanks for sharing about the Couch to 5k program, and blessings to you in this journey!
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