My Exercise History

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Now, having lost 100 plus pounds, I am frequently asked about how I exercise.  I’ve decided to write a few posts about the way I moved then and the way I move now. The road and the reflection, naturally.

To lose, I ran.

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To maintain, I walk. Not particularly fast, not particularly powerfully, and no, not really in a way that most humans would consider graceful.

That last one is unfortunate.

But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

Years ago, when I set about losing fifty thousand pounds (give or take a pound), I joined the YMCA. I know I’ve told the story before, but if you’ll just…indulge me, I like to repeat myself. Think of me like your Nana.

What was I talking about?

Ah yes, the Y.

So it was 2005, a Saturday morning in June, and I had just arrived home from my sophomore year of college. My best friend and I bought cheap memberships to the local YMCA because, as I was fond of doing every summer, I was planning to transform myself by August’s close and go back to school looking great. I walked into the locker room, knowing that I was the biggest I had ever been, and that’s saying a lot because I had never in my 20 years been anything but big. Not a single day of slender to look back on.

I stepped on the scale, because you know, we all need a starting place, and saw a number I was really not ready for.

268.

That’s two hundred plus sixty plus eight. I’m 5’9,” and though that height is forgiving, it’s not that forgiving.

And I…was…terrified.

I can honestly say that I didn’t know if I’d ever actually be able to do it. Lose the weight. I spent my whole life thinking, ‘someday I’m going to do it! Just you wait, and then life will be–perfect.”

But all of a sudden, nearing 300lbs, that canned, prerecorded message wasn’t auto-playing in my head. I saw myself in five years, ten years, only growing bigger, only making the distance between healthy and dying farther.

I suppose I woke up. I blinked, breathed in, and in that one moment at the Y I knew that if I did not start then, if I did not make even one change, that my life might never be what it should. What I wanted it to be.

For the rest of that summer, I took group cardio classes, I used the elliptical, the treadmill, the stair master. I won’t say it was fun, but I will say that like anything new, and like any challenge you embark on, it was exciting at first. I had my best friend with me. Britney Spears was still making music that moved me.

And then, at the end of that 2005 summer, I was 30lbs lighter. I went back to school feeling good about myself. And though I continued to try and eat well, aimed for smaller portions, and maaaaybe walked to classes, I stopped working out. Largely because I never truly liked it.

By December, three months later, I had probably lost another 20lbs, just being moderate about my life. I still enjoyed cocktails and beer and umpteen late night pizzas, because that was a very integral part of college, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. But, overall, maybe I was more mindful. Something told me that two drive through runs within 30 minutes were excessive. Side note: I’m still angry at whatever told me that.

The next month, January, I moved to Rome for the semester to study Italian film. I walked everywhere. No, excuse me, I just need to find my megaphone. Is this thing on? I WALKED Ev-Er-Y-Where.

 

Everywhere.

And when I was done walking to every monument, every antique church, through every piazza, I walked some more.

I suppose I was trying to move as much as possible. I took the stairs when there were escalators available; I walked to class when there were buses; I climbed Mt. Vesuvius on a rainy Tuesday morning when my unbalanced self would have been better suited sitting at its base. And I joined a gym in Rome. You cannot begin to imagine the oddity I was in a little old gym in Trastevere. Me, three middle aged men, four dumb bells, a few weight benches, and a rickety old treadmill, was all that occupied the second floor space. My memories of it are filtered in that grainy, old-timey photo haze, the same dated effect as the photos in my mother’s childhood album. Everything is tinted yellow, blown out from sunlight, dusty almost.

There, in a city, and a country, that doesn’t necessarily believe in formal exercise, I jogged. I worked my way up from walking and jogging for 10 minutes (and half-keeling over) to being able to run for 30 minutes straight. If I close my eyes tight, I can still almost feel the up and down swinging of a body with essentially three filled backpacks of excess strapped to it. That terrible chafing of my thighs. The way pants snuggle up in such an uncomfortable, intimate manner.

Every run felt triumphant, like I was getting there.

I jogged on cobblestones that led to the Colosseum. I cruised by the Vatican and silently nodded to the Pope, who I imagined sitting in that fourth story window, his red velvet slippers propped up on a chez lounge. I took my first bikram yoga class next to St. Peter’s Basilica.

You try doing 26 poses in Italian.

I know.

I’d say I probably jogged for 40 minutes every day I was there. And really, really really really, I did taste all the food. Every last gnocchi, every notable gelateria, every slice of pizza from Florence to Rome to Napoli to Capri. It’s a different way of eating there, though. The portions are smaller, the plates too. The elegance of a meal isn’t in the food alone, but in the way one lingers at the table, the way you sit for nearly half a day outside at a wrought iron table to people watch and sip espresso. There’s a purposeful nature to eating. It’s mindful, it’s celebrated, it’s an activity done three times per day. No more. No less.

And between moving around all day and exploring the city, exercising at my dusty little Roma gym, and eating fresh, whole foods- the heart of true Italian cuisine- I left Rome at the end of May 60 lbs smaller.

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I stepped off the plane a new person. I felt new. Alive and afire.

It was June again, and I rejoined that old YMCA where I’d spent the previous summer with my best friend. In no time, we were at it again: taking aerobics classes with the rowdiest of fifty-year-olds, Jazzercising, being debaucherous with exercise balls and an open weight room. Laughing. Laughing. Laughing.

I’d almost call it fun.

I said almost.

I lost another twenty pounds over those next few months.

And on the final day of summer, just as I was saying goodbye to my best friend, Sweet sayonara to the Y, and heading back to school for my final collegiate year, I saw a number I didn’t think I’d ever see.

135.

One hundred plus thirty plus five.

Read part 2 here…

Read part 3 here…

95 thoughts on “My Exercise History

  1. Lynne Baker

    I recently lost over 70 lbs, so I know what you went through. i love to cook and bake and eat, still have my Sunday dessert, but only that day. I learned to eat the right foods, more vegies and fruits and a lot of whole wheat and whole grains. I love your recipes and blogs. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  2. Mariko

    This is inspiring, but most importantly, it’s well written.
    Thanks for that.
    And you are just so darn cute I have a hard time believing what you are saying.
    Really?
    If you can, then I can lose 30 little piddly pounds, right?

    Reply
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  4. Malissa Arnold

    I found your site from a weird link-to-a link-from a link and i have come back everyday for a week. I love your writing- can’t wait for the book!- your inspiration and your recipes. I decided to comment on this post because I have been overweight all my life like you, lost some, then gain it back, but the weird thing about me is that I can go totally OVERBOARD on excercise, but getting the mental game of food KILLS me everytime! you give me inspration to try and pay more atention and to put better quality and not QUANITITY in my mouth!

    Reply
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    1. Kingpin

      i truly know how you feel my frined i lost my mom 2 yrs ago to cancer its not easy but she gave me and still does give me inspriation we have the answer within us we just have to look a bit deeper its there … =)Good Luck in your life

      Reply
  6. Anne

    Just found your website through HLB. Love your story and writing style! You look amazing and congratulations on finding that happy place!

    Reply
  7. Caroline

    You are so inspiring. Truly. I had a similar epiphany to you – I hit 28, realised my 30s weren’t that far away – and decided I did not want to spend my 30s the way I’d spent my 20s, overweight, miserable, stuck in a rut.

    I’ve been on a diet for the last year, the first diet I’ve ever stuck to. I’ve lost 75 pounds so far – and it’s been an uphill fight the whole way. Am I eating too much? Am I eating too little? Am I exercising enough? I still have to constantly remind myself that it’s okay, there’s no deadline, there’s no punishment if I slip, if I put on a pound one week. And I still find that my whole world is defined by food. And that’s the hardest part, I think – to stop thinking about food.

    Reply
  8. Lorna McAllister

    Hi there….just found your blog tonight. Love it. I have struggled with my weight my entire life, and I am 47. A few years ago I went on Atkins and lost 70 lbs in 9 months, but have gained it back. I have no motivation and cannot stick to exercising or healthy eating. So far my health is excellent, I have never smoked and hardly ever drink. But I am afraid if I don’t soon lose weight, my health will suffer. Just wondering if you have any before pics? Thanks.

    Reply
  9. krystina

    i love this blog. i have visited every day for a week and reread and reread. i have cried.i have smiled. i hope you send your book to australia when it is done. i have dreamt about starting my own journey (again for the 3000th time) to lose the 40 kgs at least that need to go. you write abit weight and the misery and the weird elation of over eating like only someone who has walked this jouney. I cant wait to see your jouney and share mine with you. you have inspired me, touched me and given me a new sense of realistic hope. thank you Andie xxxx Krystina

    Reply
  10. lorieann

    You are an inspiration! I have recently come to the realization that time just keeps ticking by and I need to stop thinking about how to lose the weight and just do it. I started out 120 lb had 2 kids and 9 years later, lets just say that the beginning number now starts with a 2. I always think there is no way I could ever shrink down to what I looked like before and I don’t even want to get that skinny but you have really inspired me and helped me to see that it is possible. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

    Reply
  11. Christy

    Wow. I just found your blog and I found my self almost in tears reading your story. I couldn’t help but think you’re exactly who I want to be some day. I’m in the middle of a weight loss journey that, let’s be honest, is weighing me down mentally. Your story has reminded me of how I felt when I first started my journey a year ago. I want to some day not worry about the number on the scale or how much I exercised each day or even how many calories I ate, I want to ask myself if I am living a healthy lifestyle and treating my body with respect. Your healthy relationship with food and your current weight is such an inspiration!

    Reply
    1. Katherine

      I agree, I have never read through a whole blog, but this was so well written I can absolutley relate!

      Reply
  12. Ainslie

    Your blog is beyond inspiring. I have recently started working out (every other week) and there are days where I would rather eat an entire bowl of ice cream, or anything for that matter, anything to keep from walking to the gym…but I push myself and you are one of the reasons why I do this,why I push myself. such an inspiration. thank you so much for this blog!

    Reply
    1. Xasan

      Suggest working out tghteoer, cooking healthier dinners tghteoer, or eating out at healthy places tghteoer. It should befor the both of you.Hey if you want her to lose weight you should be fit too. I get irked when a tub of lard has these type of expectations but sits on the coach eating twinkies.

      Reply
  13. Becky

    I came to your blog via Pinterest to look at the recipe for your lasagna cupcakes. And I started reading. I am where you were 135lbs ago–overweight my whole life, struggling with the issues it causes, worried about the effects it is having on my health and longevity, with the added bonus of possible infertility issues as well. But I’m coming away inspired. I’m printing this out. I’m posting your journey as a reminder to myself that, dammit, it can be done. I don’t have Rome to explore, but that doesn’t mean nightly walks through my neighborhood aren’t a good place to start. So, I guess, in my long-winded way, I’m just saying thank you–for the recipe and the inspiration. I needed to find this.

    Reply
  14. Anny

    How can you answer “no” those people’s questions? You did all of them. Congratulations on reaching a place where you feel happier with yourself, but the honest truth of your story is that you did exercise and work.

    Reply
  15. Kate

    Found your blog via pinterest. I’m not a dieter and am one of those hated naturally thin people who enjoys working out a few times a week.
    I’m here to tell you you should become a writer. I know literature. I know good literature and bad literature and you can make your life writing this down in novel form of some sort. The blog is well-written, and I rarely read blogs, more rarely reply to blogs or give random compliments. That is all.

    Reply
  16. Amy

    After reading your blog, I yelled out to my boyfriend.. “Babe, if you walked alongside me with Missy [our dog], would you come with me while I went for a jog?”

    I have been searching for the perfect motivation. Thank you for giving that to me.

    -Amy

    Reply
  17. NIchole

    Your words are beautiful and your story inspiring. I am so thankful to have stumbled upon your blog via Pinterest. The internet can be such an incredible thing. Thank you for sharing your story and letting people know it is possible :) I am a new fan!

    Reply
  18. Lindsey

    Wow! What an inspiration…. I have tried and failed 100x over attempting to lose weight. I am so glad I saw your blog mentioned in a post on Facebook. I can’t wait to read more. :)

    Reply
  19. nicole

    just wanted to thank you for writing this. i was 40 lbs overweight for about five years, which is a lot when you’re only 5’1″! i carried it well but i hated it; i hated being uncomfortable all the time. long story short, my life goals changed and required me to be fit, which got me on the road. i’ve lost 25 lbs and the end is in sight, with 15 more to go. i feel better than i have in years. what i really wanted to thank you for was what you said about running. i do run, because it is a requirement for the job i’m hoping to get. but i’ve known women who’ve lost large amounts of weight as you have: they suddenly go through this weird metamorphosis from normal person to gym junkie, claiming to just loooove running and tofu. well, darn it, i HATE running! and i don’t much care for tofu either! i’ll be glad when i can put away my running shoes and find an activity i actually enjoy, so it’s nice to hear someone else admit they don’t like it either!

    Reply
  20. Lindsey

    I just started this Monday. I am down one pound and feeling great, besides my thighs, they hate me. I keep re-reading your story and telling myself I can do it over and over, that six months from now my life is going to be different. A year from now it will be something completely different. I am excited to say that I too have a lame attempt at a blog but it’s motivating to post things, even if its just me reading it. I plan on stopping by often, but just wanted to let you know, like so many others before me have, you are a true inspiration.

    Reply
  21. Lindsay

    Thank you so much for your discussion of the exercise issue. I have recently lost 42 pounds (from 216) in 8 months after a scare with some health complications due to borderline blood pressure (which is embarrasing to admit, seeing as I am only 25!). As soon as the weight started coming off, the health issues subsided. Running has played a huge role in my weight loss, but I realized a couple of months ago that even with maintaining the same healthy eating habits that I have adopted, as well as running close to 15 miles a week with 1 hour of other cardio on my non-running days, my weight loss had become stagnant. I have also recently completed graduate school and am within the first few months of a career that I have been working towards for 7 years, and as I am getting busier the running is no longer a priority. I could not have come across your blog at a better time, because I have been feeling overwhelming GUILT about not being as faithful to my running as I used to. I enjoy it on the days that I am ready to enjoy it, and I do still intend on working towards running a half marathon in 2012 (I am up to a max distance of 7 miles at a time). But there are days when the thought of dragging myself out the door to hit the pavement after a long day of work makes me want to cry. I feel like I have been the only person out there feeling this way and it embarrased me! After reading your blog, I have the sense that I am not alone, and that I need to find the balance of my newfound healthier lifestyle and my sanity. Thanks for helping me to feel NORMAL!

    Reply
  22. Wendy

    I love this! My boyfriend is currently trying to loose weight, I find this very inspirational. At the moment he’s kinda loosing hope, hopefully this will get him back on track again. Congrats this is awesome!

    Reply
  23. Megan

    I love your blog and your story!! I just fell in love with your account of Rome. My fiance proposed to me in Rome and it was magical. I’d love to spend so much time there. Walking EVERYWHERE was no joke!

    Anyway Congratulations on your accomplishment and positive outlook on life! I’m recently down 20lbs in the last two years an have kept it off. Being mindful helps. I’d love to lose another 10 and I think you just gave me the motivation to do so! If you can lose that I can lose another 10! You are also a beautiful writer!

    Reply
  24. Maysha McKie

    Thank you so much for sharing your story, I’m on my own weight loss journey and I find reading yours encouraging. I like that you have love for yourself with or without the weight. That is the way I want to feel.
    Here hoping for good things in your future, thanks, Maysha McKie.

    Reply
  25. Ellie

    I just found your blog on pinterest and I am so glad I stumbled upon it! I am 24 and lost 55 pounds a little over two years ago (and have kept most of it off). And though it wasn’t quite the amount of weight you lost, your story reminded me of mine so much… except I haven’t quite found peace with my weight, with food, or with exercise. I think your blog is going to help me find that… hoping and praying! I love the way you write and you are such an inspiration.

    Can’t wait to read more :)

    Ellie

    Reply
  26. Kelly B.

    So if I really want to lose the weight, I need to move to Italy? :)
    I am sooo hooked on your blog and adore your writing style. You are so REAL. Thank you for including in your writing the little details that we can identify with, the unspoken things we feel, being overweight.
    I found your blog through your recipe post on Pinterest for Passion Cookies, which I made for a cookie exchange and WON best cookie!
    Keep on with the great (real) writing and encouragement!

    Reply
  27. Brittani

    My favorite part about this is that it’s realistic. You don’t have to starve yourself or spend ridiculous amounts of time in a gym to get fit. I’m a college student so I understand the real limitations on routine.

    Reply
  28. Becca

    “There’s a purposeful nature to eating. It’s mindful, it’s celebrated, it’s an activity done three times per day. No more. No less.”

    When I spent a semester abroad in Spain, I noticed this… People there LOVED food, and their life literally centered around daily meals. It’s amazing to think that even though food is such an integral part of their everyday life, there isn’t an obesity epidemic in Europe as there is in the US. I love how you can put into words what I derived from European eating habits. Instead of taking food for granted and abusing it, the mentality in Europe is much different in that they have a distinct passion for food.

    Love what you’ve written so far! You have a way of putting ideas into words that many of us feel but are unable to express… Thanks!

    Reply
  29. Pingback: Check it out: An inspiring blog about losing 135 lbs and keeping it off « He Has Eyes

  30. Laura Brown

    Enjoyed reading about your experience in Rome and having been there myself, I can totally see how you were able to “walk it off”. I wore out shoes over there and that was just from leisure walking! Everyone walks over in Europe. You don’t have to make yourself excercise like we do in the US. If one just walked more and ate smaller portions, we could all be closer to our goal weights. Congrats, sounds like Rome was a trip of a lifetime for you as well as me.

    Reply
  31. Brandi Collins

    Thank you for sharing your story! It is truly inspiring! I have lost 191lbs in that last 14 months! I totally can relate to that moment of standing on the scale, and that voice telling you that you will never be able to get this off! I had been overweight my entire life, and as I stood on the scale, deciding whether to continue to eat myself to death, or to finally make that change, I envisioned everything that I had missed out on in my life because of my weight. It was time to make a change! I started my journey at almost 400lbs! I still have a some work to do, but I joined the Y last month and have since become addicted to working out! It really makes a huge difference!

    Thanks again for sharing your story! And congratulations on your new life!

    Reply
  32. Angie

    I am so happy I found your blog. Thank you so much for honestly sharing your journey. You are such an inspiration!

    Reply
  33. Jennife

    I’ve lost 150lbs myself and I think it is so great you are putting this kind of positive and inspirational material out there for others to educate themselves with!

    Reply
  34. Tish

    “I saw a number I didn’t think I’d ever see.

    135.

    One hundred plus thirty plus five.”

    This just made me cry. You. ARE. AMAZING.

    Thank you.

    Reply
  35. Alex

    You are such an inspiration and it is incredible how similar we are! I too spent a semester abroad in Roma and know what you mean about walking EVERYWHERE! I’m so glad you have chosen to speak out and share your story with the world, it inspires me to become a better, happier, and healthier woman! I have a question though, I’m finding it to be a struggle to be in college and to lose weight while still maintaining my social life. I enjoy going out with friends and I love to have a few drinks, but seeing they are so high in caloric content but I love to indulge sometimes. Any advice for a social butterfly trying to lose weight? Thanks so much!

    Reply
  36. Cathy

    Wow! Thanks for the candid and honest weight loss story. You made me laugh and cry. I too have a good 135lb. to lose and with 20lb gone for good, you have given me a good kick in the patootie to continue on my journey. It is refreshing to hear from someone who has been in my shoes and succeeded with such a large amount of weight to lose. Your inspiring story is a motivation and I look forward to trying your recipes and following your blog!!

    Reply
  37. Laura@mypurposefullife

    You have a truly amazing blog. There are a lot of great blogs out there but your writing style, your story, and your sense of humor have really captured me. I know I will be stopping back here again and again. Thank you for such an inspirational and relatable blog. You are an amazing woman.

    Reply
  38. Milla

    I am currently reading your blog whilst sitting in my apartment just off Campo de Fiori in Rome. Essentially just over the river from your tiny gym in Trastevere.

    Your blog has really resonated with me. I think because I can hear myself if your words. Especially what you felt like before you lost the weight. The ‘After’ feeling is what I am working towards!

    I moved to Rome last August, with intention to start over, be happy, find new people, lose 40 lbs, and practice my Italian. All of that has happened apart from losing the 40 lbs. But I have recently started an exercise regime that has me walking/running half the city 5 times a week and a diet that doesn’t consist of gnocchi, pasta, cornetti etc.

    So just wanted to say thank you for making all this hard work a little easier for me! And wish me luck, or ‘in bocca al lupo’ as they say here in Roma.

    Reply
  39. Amanda

    Congrats on your successes! That is a truly awesome accomplishment! I am currently going through my weight loss journey your story is an inspiration to people that want to loss weight. Thank you for the yummy recipes and inspiration!!!

    Reply
  40. Jen

    You are INCREDIBLE!!! I stumbled onto your blog looking for a recipe and discovered an amazing woman with a fire for life! Way to go :)

    Reply
  41. Shannon

    I found your site through stumbleupon and I am so thankful I did, I love the way you express yourself. Thank you for the time you take/took to allow us into your life.

    Reply
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  43. Alara

    You lost all that weight and you didn’t sag at all. I’ve lost 60 pounds, but I’m way more saggier than you are. How is that possible?

    Reply
  44. bria

    your story is so inspirational!! made me cry!! you go girl!! i am working on losing about 30-40 lbs and this gave me hope xoxoxox

    Reply
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  46. Mary@FitandFed

    Wow. You are such a good writer– your post reads more like a good published memoir or essay. Congratulations to you for getting where you wanted to be. Interesting that the Italian lifestyle with walking everywhere, and even with good meals, probably a lot less snacks and fast food, helped you. And you did your part there, too, at the gym and elsewhere. I’m imagining there’s a lot less obesity in Italy.

    Reply
  47. *cassie*

    You’re an inspiration and example, and I want to thank you for sharing because it gives people like me hope. Of all the days i could have needed to read this, today was the day. I’ve been so frustrated and scared that i’ve gone too far and that there’s no hope of getting healthy.
    i’m 5’10, i wear a size 16/18, and this weekend I got on the scale and it read 260. After that I wiped the tears from my eyes then proceeded to change my clothes and went to sign up for the gym. I also drove around the area on my way home and found all the walking trails. I do have Thyroiditis, but i can’t let that be an excuse any more. It doesn’t dictate who i am, how i live or make it so there is no hope. I do.
    My Husband and I are going to Disney Land in a month. i have no expectations of being any amount of weight lighter then i am now, but at the very least (for now) i refuse to be tired the whole three days from walking around. So, even if i hate it, i am going to walk every day, and exercise 4 days a week until then. And then after we get home i’ll keep doing it.
    Thank you for giving me motivation and hope. You’re amazing.

    Reply
  48. Ruth Lucas

    I just found your page on pinterest!!Can’t wait to read everything and try to find your books. I need dto lose 100 lbs.

    Reply
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  50. Ashley J.

    I am so inspired by you. I was small as a child and it seemed right when puberty hit I started gaining weight. up until I was 13 I was a normal size then at 14 I started gaining a ton of weight. I am now 24 (25 at the end of this month) and I am 214 pounds. I would ideally love to be at the 140-150 mark. Reading this and reading your stories help me realize that I too can lose the weight. For the last month I have been watching my portions and what I eat and on occasion (when I can talk myself into it) go to the gym. I have lost 11 pounds ( I was 223) Thank you so much for this blog. Going through your pages and recipes have been so helpful. I am looking forward to a new lifestyle and a new way of life for me and my husband. Thank you!

    Reply
  51. Stacey

    I am just starting with a journey nearly identical to yours. My friend sent me the link to your blog and I am so thankful. I shared a quote of yours today and I can’t wait to read more inspiring posts.

    Thank you.

    Reply
  52. Luna

    Hi,

    I just want to say that not only are you so sweet and funny, but you’re the best motivation anyone could ask for. I lost quite a bit last year, but I want to do what you’ve done I want to go all the way and now I know that I can (as ridiculous as that sounds) and I kinda want to thank you for giving me the extra little push I needed.

    You’re absolutely amazing!

    Reply
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  54. Kim

    I came across your blog through pinterest. I’m challenging myself this summer to eat healthier, take up a regular exercise routine and lose some weight. I’m at the heaviest I’ve been for me (175 lbs) and would be thrilled losing 35-40 lbs over the summer. Thanks for letting me know it’s doable and I only hope I’ll have the same successes you did!

    Reply
  55. Saija

    Your Mediterranean Chicken and Artichoke Salad recipe popped up in my Zite app. I followed it here and started reading. You are such a good writer–just the right amount of humor and candor–and a beautiful woman. I’ve lost 45 lbs. so far and am hoping to lose quite a bit more and keep it off. You are indeed an inspiration–especially the keeping it off part.

    Reply
  56. Judy Silk

    I love the sight. I found it through Pinterest. I think I’ll check in from time to time for inspiration and ideas. I know what I’m supposed to do to lose those creepy 30 pounds (I’m only 5’1″, so those seem to be very pronounced on me), but it’s getting the momentum going to 1, exercise and 2, hold back on the really bad, ie wasteful foods. Thanks for posting your experiences.

    Reply
  57. Amanda Trask

    Thank you for this. I started reading about your journey here and have since started clicking through and reading everything else.

    I too am on my own journey. I went to the doctor October 2011 and weighed in at 249.8 lbs. At 5’5, that is the most I had ever weighed. I tried for a couple months to do it by myself, it didn’t work. I lost 10 lbs, and gained it all back. By December of 2011, I had only changed the scale by a couple of pounds. I joined a bootcamp and have since gradually lost a couple pounds here and a couple pounds there. I’m down to just under 220 right now and I’m still pushing through. I too am using jogging as a weight-loss tool and I too HATE it! I’m not crash dieting, obviously with my slow weight-loss I’m not doing anything crazy at all, just eating healthier most of the time and working out.

    I have a love for food as well, baking, cooking, tasting, Pinteresting : ), which is where I found your blog, I think. I’m not really sure as once I started reading it the morning became a fuzzy blure.

    I post about my journey as I go through it as well. I’m not as funny as you are, but I’m just as honest about my ups and downs. You can read about my story here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/373740089307298/

    Thanks again for your blog, your humor, your story. It’s inspirational, which is exactly what I needed today.

    Reply
  58. Kathy

    Wow…I love this! I have lost 54lbs for good by following Medifast. I was kind of starting to slide on that plan too much so now I am going to try WW again b/c I was mising the variety and because its summer I need the flexibility.
    I love your story. People ask me if I would recomend MF etc and I tell them that I don’t recomend anything to anyone because its more about where your head is at then what plan you follow. I believe that if you are ready, the plan is a kick start to get you going and you will get there.
    I agree that people sugar coat how thier old life was horrible and all the food it sludge etc. The truth is if that if it didn’t make us gain weight we would all eat as much of that sludge as we could. But Alas not the case.
    My Husband died 1/19/2011. I was 42 left with two little ones I am raising without that awesome guy. I am doing this to be the best Mom I can be and because I am embarking on a new career in Occupational Therapy and want to be a good example of overcoming the bad stuff life throws at you and thriving. I woke up when the scale at the Dr’s office say 304 last september. I lost a few lbs without a plan but now I see 244 and know I haven;t seen that number since 2002.
    You have to find excercise you “enjoy”. I love to hike and I love Zumba and I want to start running(but I’m scared of that for some reason).

    Reply
  59. Aimee

    What a beautiful writer you are. I stepped on the scales this very morning and saw the largest number I’ve ever seen. I immediately signed up for weight watchers and then stumbled onto your blog via pinterest. You are such an inspiration and I can’t wait to read more of your posts (P.S. the recipes look fab too!).

    Reply
  60. BodyBeGreat.com

    This is a fantastic story! I’m so glad to hear that you were able to successfully lose all that weight.

    Walking is one of the best ways to lose fat. 30 minutes a day to an hour every single day will do it. Not only will you lose fat, but you get fit and healthy at the same time. Can’t beat it!

    Reply
  61. Kathryn

    Just wanted to say that your part about Rome reminded me of my semester there this Spring. Went to school at John Cabot in Trastevere, enjoyed every bite of food, was much healthier. Couldn’t have summed up their food mentality better and I wish I could be back there now!

    Reply
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  63. Vivian

    Hi there! I just wanted to tell you that you have inspired me! I have been overweight most of my life and started the insanity program about a month ago because I was committed to losing all this weight I carry around with me but I soon found out I was pregnant. After being ecstatic about my pregnancy, I soon realized that I could no longer keep doing these intense workouts. I felt bummed and back to square one but reading your story, I have learned that I can keep healthy and maybe even lose some excess weight during this pregnancy. I want to keep active and eat healthier because I have two children and after gaining the weight I did with them, I haven’t been able to get rid of it. It’s very hard to lose the baby weight and it just keeps piling on. I have decided and am committed to not putting myself through this once again. I want to stay active so it will be easier for me to keep active post-baby. Thank you once again for inspiring me :o)

    Reply
  64. Rosanna

    Absolutely inspired by you. Your blog is so well-written and I feel as though you genuinely know how hard it is to lose weight and then keep it off unlike some other health websites, recipes sites etc… 50lbs to lose, no more trying, more ‘doing’ just like you. Thank you for such a great and profound look into your life!

    Reply
  65. 100%H

    I am very impressed with you and like most other commentators feel like I can completely relate to you and your story. I am 5’10” and weighed 278lbs. @ age 27.I lost 100 lbs. by the time I was 29. Now at 39, I have put it all back on and more, 282. I am ready to get it off, and face the biggest issue and the part of your story that resonated with me. Balance. I want to live a new lifestyle that I am in love with 100%. Please continue sharing, I can’t get enough.
    P.S. I read very few blogs and never comment :) You are so inspiring.

    Reply
  66. Anne Marie

    I love, love, love your blog.

    I just want to keep it open in the browser and never shut my computer down again. What if I bookmark it and never find it again? What if I bookmark it twice just to be sure? Is it safe, so I can find my way back.

    Okay, I’ll write it down in my journal. It will be safe there. I will subscribe knowing that email will always get me back here. Oh yeah, I pinned it in my Pinterest Healthy Journey Board. K, I think I’m safe now.

    If the world really ends in 2012 (which ya know it won’t silly people) and I am the only survivor, and the Internet is still alive cus whomever fell off the edge of the world didn’t turn it off, I will be here. Promise.

    Lost 60 pounds to date. Have 60 pounds to go. You are my inspiration now.

    Reply
  67. Stephanie

    You have inspired me more than any “10 exercises to be the fittest”, “5 foods to make you skinny”, or any other article of that matter has. I’m only 145(I was 150 but have recently lost 5 pounds), but I’m not the happiest with my body because I was 15 pounds lighter last year. Each day I dread going to work out and I make up excuses as to why I can’t, but seeing how much determination you have and how much it has changed your life makes me want to do the same for myself. Thank you so much

    p.s. random question: What is your favorite healthier food that also allows you to indulge?

    Reply
  68. Conni Barber

    I love how you write! I love that you are so raw and open and that I can relate to you although I’ve never met you personally. Thanks for sharing your life with us all. Keep writing and sharing!

    Reply
  69. Lisa

    I started my weight loss journey when I was 250#, after having 5 children. Ive lost 32 lbs since January, 2012. Now I am at that point of disappointment. I walk 4 days a week. No weight has come off in months. I still have 48 pounds to go. Weight loss is such a emotional game!
    Love ur blog!

    Reply
  70. Donna Baumgartner

    I just had to say, I find you to be delightful! I started reading because I want to have a healthy attitude towards food and exercise and I want to lose weight.
    Your food looks wonderful and sounds amazing and I love oatmeal! It was all fun and games until I saw how cute you were and that you were only 27. I then wanted to hate you :)
    Being in my LATE 40’s and its been 400 years since I have been cute ( it was only 1 day and I didn’t wear a bathing suit- hindsight)I thought surely I should hate this girl!
    I can’t hate you! You are so funny and refreshing! I wish I could go have a donut with you! I look forward to reading everything you write! I feel better after reading what you write, so optimistic! I want to enjoy life more!

    Thank you!

    Reply
  71. Jen

    Thank you for sharing and your store is well written. I moved to London after college as well and walked EVERYWHERE and indulged as well and came back about 20 pounds lighter. I’m looking forward to reading your website and recipes to help myself take those 20 pounds off again I have since acquired because of American-size portions and work stress! Thank you again for sharing and helping motivate us all with your inspiring story- you’re hilarious as well! Best, Jen

    Reply
  72. Rebecca

    Your story is so utterly inspiring. I’m actually living in trastevere now studying italian and creative writing. You’re story makes me see hope that I can go from my current 200+ pounds to a healthier weight even though it’s honestly hard to even comprehend being thin.

    Reply
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