Since I was a child, weight has not been an issue for me. I was always a skinny child. Growing up, my aunts and uncles would show me pictures of kids starving in Africa in an attempt to get me to eat.
Fast forward to my teen years when my self-image started developing. I started gaining weight and by high school, was highly self-conscious of my body.
Then I got into my early 20s, where I started making my own journal of self-improvement (today called the bullet journal). I wanted to be/do so many things. Top on that list was weight loss and self-care. By 23 years of age, I had weighed an unhealthy 136 lbs and seen even my family members who've had weight struggles their entire life "grow thin" before my eyes.
My first tour in Ottawa at age 24, 2001 was when I successfully lost 24-25 lbs and was an Extra Small (XS) size. I had a before/after picture done at Goodlife Fitness but ended up using a different gym. Those who knew me then would have seen the transformation. I saw a few personal trainers, logged my food and also saw a dietician who taught me how to portion my foods and if I over-ate to cut down on my next meal. I was able to maintain this weight by the time I got to Paris and was there from 2002 to 2004. I think the key was staying healthy and finding gyms and a person to help me in my journey.
I met and Married Jason in 2005 where my weight was still OK, not fluctuating too too much. The problem all started again after my pregnancy in 2008. The weight and lack of activity also contributed to the weight gain.
I was assigned to Florida when I decided it was time to take action. At this time I wasn't entirely overweight but I had an ideal image to follow so I went to the gym again and found a trainer who helped me meet my goals, along with going to Weight Watchers. By 2012, I was back down to XS again.
Then came my assignment to Swaziland and after a year into the assignment my weight crept back up. I returned to Florida again after the stint to Swaziland and Baghdad (no success with weight loss too much free food access). I was probably a size Medium/Large I sought training and this time tried Quick Weight Loss. In three months again I was back down to XS.
Moral of the story -- My weight in life has gone up and down a lot due to the adaption and stressors in my life. Weight loss success stories happened 3 times and I wouldn't say all of them were easy. The Quick Weight Loss was the hardest but I also LOST the most in a short time and gained it all back in about 9 months to a year's time. I read a story of another gal who logged food, tracked every morsel only to find happiness in being a little heavier, if she could enjoy her foods and time with her family.
Now at age 47, I'm just hoping I have more energy to stay fit and the discipline to not turn to comfort foods for happiness. Let's face it, as babies, when we cry we are fed. Food is a solution to stress and discomfort, always has been. Some people are more luckier and either have lucky genes or don't use food for comfort.
So for those people trying to keep a New Year's resolution, don't lose heart. Weight loss success is easy -- keeping it off (or as they say 7 Habits Author Steven Covey, "Sharpening the Saw") is the hardest. I would say, keep your weight goals realistic and think long term.
Weight Watchers and personal training 2012, 1 year to lose weight, 5’3” size XS
