I felt discouraged and hopeless at 343 pounds. My whole body was sore, I was constantly exhausted and as the pounds crept on it became harder and harder to function in my day to day life. The weight gain was gradual, caused by hypothyroidism and stress.
My journey began when I went to a friends birthday party. He asked me to make him a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting as his birthday cake. When it came time for him to blow out the candles, he jokingly took a big breath and I reared back, sticking out my stomach, and displaying all 4 chins. At this exact moment someone snapped a picture which they put on Facebook for everyone to see. I was completely mortified. Seeing that picture magnified my weight, it was staring me right in the face. No more excuses, no more reasoning, what I had become was right there in front of me. I knew in this moment it was time to make a change.
My family didn’t think I was serious. They figured it was a phase and that I wouldn’t stick with it. My mother also worried that a low carb lifestyle was harmful to my health. Her fears didn’t phase me, I knew low carbing couldn’t be any more harmful than being 343 pounds.
I followed a list of acceptable low carb foods and found lots of low carb substitutions for the foods I love. The Low Carb Grocery made the switch super easy, I didn’t have to cut out anything I loved! I could still have pasta with Miracle Noodles, and favourites like ketchup and raisin bread. I love the preserves as well! Fruit was the hardest thing for me to cut out of my diet.
My weight now? 220 pounds! I’ve lost 123 pounds since I started my journey 10 months ago. I’ve hit plateaus and had a couple of ups and downs, but was able to push myself forward. I can run again! I found that exercises that uses the body’s own power and strength have really appealed to me. I have been doctor approved to discontinue my blood pressure medication, and all in all I feel like a million bucks!
It’s important to find your focus and remember to take time for yourself to commit to a healthier way of living. I’ve learned so much about health and it’s importance. When I weighed 343 pounds I felt such despair. It was painful to climb stairs, I was winded and looked and felt awful. The most important part is to take the first step, if you mess up, take another step and then another.
I’ve never wanted to quit, no matter how hard things got. I talked about getting healthy enough, and if you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk!
Susan P.