Today is a little bit of a longer post. It’s a interview with both me and Ingrid, a great person I’ve gotten to know through Twitter. I’ve been wanting to bring back the Success Stories to the blog, because I love reading about people who have overcome their obstacles and are now living happy, healthy lives. I’m on my way to hopefully being my own success story, and Ingrid already is one. So keep reading for the answers to questions from someone who is in the process and a someone who has already won her weight war.
What’s your weight story?
Mary: In high school I was depressed and gained weight until I hit a high of around 255 or 260 pounds. On a 5’2″ frame, that is a lot of weight. When I first went to college I decided to finally do something about the weight and try and change my life. My freshman year of college I started working out and eating healthier foods and I dropped 60 pounds. It was a very good first year of college. After that I went on a continuous cycle of gaining weight, and losing, and then gaining it all back. With every major change in my life, such as going to university, or moving to Europe, or moving home again, came another cycle of weight gain and loss.
I’m making a huge effort to lose weight again and I’ve lost 30 pounds since the decision to lose weight earlier this year and am continuing my journey of weight loss. Hopefully now that I have freed myself from the destructive habits and environment I was in I will lose the extra weight and find a comfortable place for my body.
Ingrid: For me losing 45 pounds was almost accidental.
After my first year in university I tipped the scales at 165 pounds and size 10 pants. At 5’3 that’s quite a lot. I carried it all in my upper half; chubby cheeks, big boobs, thick arms and a full belly. I wouldn’t think twice about eating heaps of tater tots and a pile of cream cheese on a toasted bagel, followed by my two Mr. Big chocolate bars and a few cans of Coke. I never exercised.
Then I got a job as a gardener. I was outdoors all summer long digging holes, planting flowers, pushing heavy wheelbarrows and walking all over the university campus.
I also moved out of the college dorm and ate healthier and lighter foods, not on purpose but just because when I cooked for myself I didn’t eat much instant or packaged foods. I would have toast for breakfast, soup or a sandwich for lunch and pasta with tomato sauce for dinner.
I wore dirty gardening clothes every day, and since it was summer, and I had a bit of pocket money from my gardening job, I bought new summer clothes for after work.
When the fall came around I put my old clothes back on…and they fell off my hips. When I weighed myself at my friends house I couldn’t believe I weighed 120 lbs.
Without realizing it I’d lost 45 pounds!
What’s your goal weight?
Mary: To be honest I’m not sure what my goal weight is and to me it’s not very important. I’ve never weighed under 190 as an adult so I’m guessing it is somewhere around 175 is my goal, but I’m just shooting blindly and going to let my body figure it out once I get closer.
Ingrid: 120 lbs. I’m where I want to be weight wise, I just want to get more toned. I’m always checking to mix up my exercises so I can maintain my weight where it is.
What’s the secret to your weight loss?
Mary: Secret? Heheh. That is such a funny question. Their isn’t a secret, so hopefully you will never believe someone who tells you there is. For me it was all about making that decision that I wanted to lose weight and be healthier. Once I made the decision and it became part of my mindset I knew I could do all the work necessary to lose weight.
Ingrid: It’s not a secret, but a mind shift. It was a total change of lifestyle that had me exercising daily and eating better.
What’s the one thing that makes weight loss difficult for you?
Mary: I struggle with emotional and stress eating, so for me, weight loss has been difficult because I’ve so often fallen back into those traps and erased all the work I did previously. Not having a good handle on why I used food in the ways that I did made weight loss very, very hard.
Ingrid: I think so many corporate work environments are dreadful for our health. I’ve worked in several offices and the best office environment is one that’s close to home (i.e. I can walk there), and has lots of amenities and walkable areas nearby. That way you can run errands, step out for a walk or go to the park. A commuting lifestyle is soooo horrible for our health, and usually suburban offices are surrounded by fast food joints, they don’t have walkable areas, and you need to drive to get there so you can’t walk to work.
How does weight loss affect your confidence?
Mary: Well, I’m not going to lie – I feel a lot more confident when I’ve lost weight. I’ve been slowly becoming more confident during the last few years regardless of my weight, but I still have always remained below my highest weight ever. And that has definitely helped me build confidence in other areas of my life.
Ingrid: It’s a chicken and egg story. I feel confident when I’m a good weight, but I watch my weight because I’m confident and don’t want to let myself fall into depressing patterns again. They work together very carefully, and one doesn’t come before the other.
Are you on a weight roller coaster?
Mary: I would have to say yes. I think I am at the end of the ride now and the weight is coming off for good, but I’m still on a ride that has taken me up and down weight wise for several years. I would lose weight during college then move back home and regain 30 pounds in a summer or in the year I spent there after graduation. That move out, move home weight fluctuation was a crazy roller coaster but I think now that I’m on my own and moving on I will finally be hopping off and settling at a healthy weight for me.
Ingrid: I was before. After the gardening job I kept on slowly losing weight, and at one point I was 110 pounds. I had big dark bags under my eyes, no energy and was pretty unhealthy. But I was skinny!
Two years later I’d graduated from university and was working in the corporate world. Sitting down all day, surrounded by unhealthy drinks and snacks all day a bit of weight crept back on.
I was about 125 lbs for a few years, but now I’m at 120lbs and that’s where I want to stay. I look fit, but not skinny and I feel great. I eat well, exercises regularly and course correct whenever I feel myself putting weight on again.
How does it feel to get more attention because you lost weight?
Mary: It is a strange feeling. I’ve always dealt with feeling self-conscious and insecure, so having people compliment me often is something I still don’t know how to deal with. I accept compliments and enjoy them because I’ve worked hard to feel and look better, but it feels strange to receive them and makes me wonder why we don’t compliment people all the time. I would have liked to have been noticed and appreciated before I lost the weight, but I feel like I was almost invisible then.
Ingrid: When everyone saw me they would always say “You look so good” or “Oh my god, you’re half the person you were before!”. After a while it started to bother me. Wasn’t I compliment worthy before? Did I have to be skinny to look good and have people notice me? After a few weeks I would cringe every time I’d hear someone say something about how much weight I’d lost.
I was never weight conscious before, but after I lost so much weight, and had internalized the idea that skinny equals pretty I started to watch what I ate more and more.
But now I’m totally comfortable with myself. I love the way I look and I’ll gladly accept compliments.
How’s your relationship with food now?
Mary: Much, much better. I won’t say it is perfect, because I still have times where I want to eat for comfort instead of nourishment, but those times are less often. I’ve learned how to eat mindfully and listen to what my body is telling me. If I’m full I can stop eating instead. I’m much more in tune with what my body wants and needs regarding food now.
Ingrid: I think about food totally differently. I eat to nourish my body, not to fill up. When I’m hungry I always ask myself “Is this a good food choice?” I eat pretty healthy, but it takes a big effort on my part.
For all of you looking to make positive changes in your lives – don’t delay! There is no better day than today to start living your dream life.
Ingrid’s a blogger at Cashmere Clutch who has successfully maintained a 55 lb weight loss. For more inspiring stories check out www.cashmereclutch.com, a women’s lifestyle site that covers anything and everything to do with living a balanced, fulfilling and fabulous life.
You are doing great Mary!
tahnk you for shareing your interview and Ingrid’s as well!
.-= Trish @IamSucceeding´s last blog ..Meatloaf =-.
Thanks! It was a great project to work on with Mary and really interesting to see in words how life has changed.
Great post, Mary! I love hearing people’s weight stories; I find so many similarities to my own experiences, and also some interesting differences. It always makes me feel better to realize that EVERYONE, even thinner people, has a weight story of some kind.
.-= McLauren84´s last blog ..A Wonderful Weekend in Pictures =-.
Excellent post! I love it. Ingrid lost weight because she stopped focusing on food and started noticing how her body felt when she was in an active job. I’m curious if you still prefer an active job? I could never go back to an office/sitting/computer environment – it made me a weight magnet!
Good luck in keeping your weight loss. It is so important to have that goal. 5 years is the marker for permanent weight loss, according to the medical and scientific community. Believe me, it gets easier and easier to maintain the longer you stay at a healthy weight (I lost over 70 lbs. and have kept it off 9-1/2 years now). Of course, it’s most important for your sanity and your health, but you’ll also be a good example for others. People tell me it means a lot when I tell them “it can be done and here’s the proof!”
Pat Barone, CPCC, PCC
“America’s Weight Loss Catalyst”
Hi Pat,
Not thinking about losing weight helps a lot. Let your body guide you for how you feel and if you need to cut back a bit or eat more.
Yes, I still prefer to have a more active job. Ideally I’d work in an environment that allowed me to apply all my education (master’s degree) and still be active. Unfortunately, jobs in North America tend to be “thinker” or “doer” jobs, and there isn’t much of a combination available. And corporate environments are really an assault on our health – phsyical, emotional, etc. etc.
I guess I’ll just have to create a “doer” and “thinker” job for myself!
.-= Ingrid´s last blog ..From Fat to Fabulous – Women and Weight Loss =-.
Forgive me if this is a stupid question (coming from me, it probably is), but were you interviewing yourself, or did someone else interview the both of ya?
Either way, kudos to both of you!!! You’ve rocked this while dealing with whatever has been thrown your way, and that is awesome.
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Status Report: Week 9 // Marathon Week: Final Day =-.
Hehe, that’s a valid question. Ingrid came up with this idea and the questions, so she interviewed me and I guess she interviewed herself!
Ahhh. I love this post! Great to learn more about you, Mary, and now I’m off to check out Ingrid’s blog. :D
.-= Yum Yucky´s last blog .."Tasting!" Keebler Fudge Shoppe Caramel Cookies =-.
Thanks! Glad you liked the post and thanks for checking out my blog.
.-= Ingrid´s last blog ..From Fat to Fabulous – Women and Weight Loss =-.
I love this and hope you do more of these stories. Nothing is more motivating than to see actual people working on it and succeeding.
I think the honesty in your answers is wonderful.
Keep it up ladies you both are beautiful inside and out!
Interesting interviews. There’s something so direct about a detailed reply to an interview question that makes for good reading.
I always find the decision to switch mind set to lose weight a fascinating one. I’d love to prod it a bit further as sometimes people’s mind set is not as fixed later on in their decision to lose weight. Essentially I’d like to ask why do some people stick it out whilst others fall behind?
Mary, thank you for sharing your story with us. Good work! Keep it up! And thank you for stopping by my blog :)
.-= liz´s last blog ..Blueberry Oatmeal Pancake =-.
I agree with ingrid that corporate work environments are bad for your health. The only thing theyre good for is a paycheck, and getting to read blogs (lol). Especially if you live in a place where you have to drive, but even in a place like I live, where you have to walk, you’re still stuck in a stuffy office all day getting cramped and bored with weird time tables for waking up and sleeping, and you can’t go to during the day cool exercise classes!
Also, I wasn’t fat before, but a few months ago I lost a teency bit more weight, and suddenly people started saying wow you look so skinny! Wow look at you are thinner you look good and I was thinking hmm did I look bad before? (and even, do I look too skinny?) Although likewise, I thought the same thing when I got a more dramatic haircut and people reacted the same way, making me think wow my hair must’a suxd before this cut. I don’t think people mean any of that though its just the way we’re trained to talk. Im trying to notice that so I don’t talk the same way.
Good interview!! Ingrid, what do you do now for work?
.-= merri´s last blog ..Folsom Street Fair 2009 =-.
Hi Merri,
I work in marketing. I’ve recently started my own company in the hopes of finding a better work/life balance along with lots of challenges! So far I’m loving it. I can do excercise during the day, and I get to eat all the healthy food in my house and not have to brown bag it to work or buy super fatty work food.
.-= Ingrid´s last blog ..From Fat to Fabulous – Women and Weight Loss =-.
What a great interview Mary!
.-= South Beach Steve´s last blog ..South Beach Steve Showcased =-.
What a fun interview It is motivating to see success stories!
.-= Kat´s last blog ..A successful weekend, in spite of severe allergies…:-) =-.
Great post! I am just now starting my weight loss journey and it was so inspiring to read your story! I look forward to following your blog!
Great interview. I work in a hospital and you would figure it would be a healthy work environment. It’s always someones b-day, holiday celebration or vendors dropping off fatty snacks (cakes and cookies).
.-= yobigmike´s last blog ..Yo, yo, yo, where did it go??? =-.
I can’t imagine “accidently” lose weight. Wow. This really says a log about mind set. Mine is always – diet diet diet. Yeah, hows that working for me? Great post about un-dieting I think.
@laughitoff
Its good to hear weight loss stories that end in success. Don’t let all your hard work go to waste though, with christmas just around the corner.
Keep up the good work!
.-= Keith @ My Body Fat´s last blog ..Weekly Weigh In December 4th 2009 =-.
Great post and interviews. I, too, remember realizing that I was getting more positive attention as I lost weight. Part of me wondered if it had to do with the fact that I looked better, or if it was because I felt better about myself and so put out a different vibe.
.-= KCLAnderson (Karen)´s last blog ..Defining Moments =-.
Things will definitely change as you lose weight in terms of what people say, think, feel and how they react to you. Sometimes fear of this can actually keep us from losing weight. It’s a subconscious fear for many. When we lose weight, in many ways we come out of hiding. My advice is to prepare ahead of time so you know how you’ll handle any situation.
As I lost weight, I had many people say things like “I can’t wait til you gain it back” and “When are you going to eat normally again?” and “When’s this diet end?” I had to learn to handle those cutting remarks in a way that honored what I was doing (I wasn’t dieting – I had changed inside) and didn’t come back to sabotage me later.
But, know what? The lessons need to be learned anyway, whether we’re losing weight or not!
Pat Barone, CPCC, PCC
“America’s Weight Loss Catalyst”
http://www.stoprentingweightloss.com
I love success stories! That’s what my blog is all about. Ingrid is right… it’s a mind shift. Without it, weight loss is so much more difficult, if not impossible.
.-= Nancy B. Kennedy´s last blog ..Fred Schenck: "Avoid the whites" =-.