It can be done

I've posted many photo's of myself at 80 odd kgs on this site- the heaviest I ever was is 82kgs. For me this journey didnt take place over night. I want everyone who reads my blog to know it took a lot of hard work, sweat and dedication to reach my current goals. I would be lying to you if I said the weight fell off overnight and it took no effort on my side.
There are a few new members who have joined who may not know my story from the beginning, so I would like to give a little back ground to my past struggle with weight - I have tried so many diets, been on lots of different diet pills, tried everything I saw at the pharmacy both here and in South Africa, I've bought books from GI low diet, Dr Phil's diet, Bob Harpers book on diet and training program, I can make you thin, by Paul McKenna, From Belly Fat To Belly Flat, The X-diet, just to name a few...and none worked for me..not that their way or program was not good_ I dont think I was in the right mental space when I tackled each diet. The first two weeks I would be so motivated and promised myself that this time I would stick to it .... yet 2 weeks later I found I had fallen back into old habits and the diet became history, the book got put in the bookcase and so my collection of diet books began. I was searching for something - a way that I could loose weight but not feel deprived. I wanted to have ice-cream, chocolate, chips, Burger King if I wanted to....and with all the diets I tried I kept on thinking * when I'm off this diet I can have the ice-cream, chips etc*
Of course once off any diet and you return to your old eating habits - You gain....there is no other way of saying this...I had read that it takes at least 3 months to break old habits and develop new ones. I needed to find something that I could do - I wasnt looking for something to make me thin overnight, I wanted a *diet plan* that I could do and keep the weight off.

I found something that had all the right elements I was looking for...*the point system* which is the same as watching one's calorie intake, as the values that WW use for POINTS in food are the same as those found in how many calories in foods. Counting POINTS is just that bit easier...well for me anyhow.

It took me at least a month to get into this new way - food wise I was eating very much the same as I had before, but my portion sizes was very different, it was much smaller, it also took a while to get into weighing my food -
Threw out the 12 week program I was encouraged to exercise - with as little as 30 mins a day to start off with. The more I got to learn how these extra points worked from my 30 mins of training a day the more time I set out for exercise...and so I began to lose the weight...at first I could not believe that I could be eating as much as I was and loosing...how was it possible. ( I still enjoyed one scoop of ice-cream, 6 blocks of chocolate, 30g of chips when faced with the craving - I just had to keep it within my point allowence)

Some weeks I only lost .2 - other weeks 1.2kg, but never did I gain weight....weeks I worked so hard at the gym and didnt get the results I wanted - it upset me, but it never discouraged me as I knew that the following week it would be better, only to be weighed and see I had stayed the same...still I never gave up... I continued counted my points and did my exercise at least 4 times a week....I was loosing centimeters, my clothing began to feel loose on me, with each weigh in the .2, .4, .6 started to add up, I started seening a 2kgs loss, 4kg loss and so it went - today I am sitting at 15kgs lost and have 3 more to go to my goal weight.

I'm not stressing about the last few kgs, they will come off when they ready to and I do expect it will take me about 2 months to lose the 3 kgs....I am having to workout that bit harder as I am getting fitter and it takes me longer to get my heart rate up - when I first started my heart rate shot up within seconds of me moving...
I am keen to get a boxing bag and gloves, a trampoline for home so I can do something different to what I am doing at the moment, my body needs new challenges - its far to comfortable when I run...talking about running, I could not run for 1 minute without being out of breath...I started off walking for 4 minutes and running for 1...then slowly I walked for 3 and a half and ran for 1 and a half...that extra 30 seconds killed me...each week I added more time to running and less to walking...now I can run for 45mins without stopping...I hated running, now for the first time in my life I can say I am enjoying it...

I started WW the end of January this year...I'm hoping that as I have been eating differently for over 4 months now that I have developed new eating habits, I intend to always make good choices when it comes to what I put into my mouth. I so believe what one trainer says to all her clients on tv * YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT*
When you are over weight -no one or nothing ( unless medical ) is to blame but you yourself as you are the one who puts what you eat into your mouth...( ask me I am living proof of this)

I have written this entry as I want each and everyone who is reading this to know that it is possible, I have proved it to myself and those who have been following my journey....only you can do this for you, you want to WANT it badly...I wanted this like I have never wanted anything in my life before. I wanted to feel good about myself, walk into shops and try on anything and know it will look good on me...I have a husband who told me not to bother as no matter how hard I dieted I stayed the same - I could have let his words win...but no, I wanted this that even with not having him behind me on this journey discouraged me, I was doing this for myself...no one else! ( he loves the new me today, and is 100% behind me now)
I want to be around for a long time - I want to be a Nana who can run and play with the grandkids, I want to see my grandkids grow up, I owe it to myself to take the best care of myself if I want this...I'm doing it, are you??