Future PriorFatGirl

Future PriorFatGirl, #9

by Jen, a priorfatgirl on April 12, 2012

Introducing Liz…

When I saw the call for nominations for the next member of the Prior Fat Girl family I had mixed feelings.  I’ve already applied twice and didn’t get enough selected.  I won’t lie: it hurts when you make yourself vulnerable and people don’t think it is enough, as if YOU aren’t enough. The reality, however, is that not getting chosen wasn’t about the voters, it was about me.

I was applying because I needed something, anything, to get me started.  I needed someone else to provide the motivation that ought to have come from me.  I was desperate to not be fat any more, but I still looked for external reasons to make me do what I know I needed to do.  I believed if I became a PFG then I would finally have that reason.

That is not where I am at now.  I’m on my way.  I’m down 30+ pounds in 11 weeks and my head is already in the game.  Here are a few of the things that are different with me this time:

  1. My motivation – my reasons for wanting to lose the weight are the same – my health, my family, my son – but I perceive them differently.  I am motivated to become all that I can be for my family.  The change and the energy come from within me, and not from the outside.  I’m doing this for me.
  1. Anti-depressants – Yes, I’m on a happy pill.  But you know what?  Who cares!  For the first time in my life I am not living with the constant anxiety, shame, and desire to be perfect that I lived with for most of my life.  I hope not to be on anti-depressants my whole life, but for now they provide a sense of balance and perspective that I’ve never had before.  It is just enough help to stop myself from giving up when things get hard.
  1. My Commitment – I’m currently tracking my food everyday, going to a Weight Watchers meeting every week, and getting to the gym 3-5 times a week.  My husband and I are committed to this together and we make sure that we keep working toward our mutual goals of health.  I am already doing what I need to do to lose weight.  I’m committed to the process, no matter how slow it may be.

If I am already doing so well, then why do I want to try be a PFG?  Why put myself out there and be vulnerable again?  This is why:

I owe it to myself to take on every opportunity that comes my way that might help me become healthier and lose weight.

That is the bottom line.  Thirty pounds is a great first step, but it is just the first step.  I have another 150 lbs to lose at least.  That isn’t easy.  The more I surround myself with people who are working on their health and who are supportive of me, the better chance I have of keeping things up when they get challenging. And maybe something about my story resonates with others.  If I could help one person find the courage to start then my own journey is even more meaningful.

Finally, I am not ashamed of myself any more.  I refuse to let my worth be based on the number on my scale.  I’ve lived that way before and there is nothing healthy about it.  I am trying to embrace myself and love myself no matter my weight.  Only then will my weight loss goals be something achievable.

There are too many people willing to shame you/me for who we are, so I refuse to be a part of it any longer.  I am learning to be my biggest cheerleader, not my biggest critic.

This all seems to be working for me.  I WILL make it to a healthy weight, but I’d love to invite readers along if there is something valuable for you in my journey.  I know there would be value for me in sharing it with the world.

Either way it is time to get moving and make it happen, one step at a time.

Before: 338lbs

Current: 306.2lbs

{ 20 comments }

Future PriorFatGirl, #8

by Jen, a priorfatgirl on April 11, 2012

Introducing Angela…

Hi fellow Prior Fat Girl readers. My name is Angela and I just turned thirty this month. This means that I have been overweight for twenty-one years, since I was in third grade. After twenty years I know the difference between fad diets, I have tried plenty, and eating healthy. It is sticking with eating healthy that is a challenge. Also sticking with exercise. I know that it is about calories in and calories out. But, as you probably all know this is a daily challenge.

 


My highest weight was 315. I lost 63 lbs back in 2010 and got down to 252. After that I don’t know what happened, life I guess, nothing specific. In the last two years I have maintained a weight around 270. My biggest issue is not including enough fruits and vegetables in my diet. I have lately been flirting with the idea of being vegan because natural and whole grain foods are better for the body but I can’t seem to stick with it. So now I am working on a mix of adding more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in my everyday diet. This plus trying not to eat so many processed foods.

 

I do not want to loose weight to be a certain size. I want to loose weight so I can buy clothes in a regular store. I want to be healthy enough to have kids one day. Healthy to live long into their lives, my mother died when she was 47 I was twenty at the time. She died of a heart attack due to diabetes. I say this because it is my reason for getting healthy. When I am exercising and it is getting tough I look at pictures of my nephews to inspire me. I want to live to see my youngest nephew graduate which won’t be for another thirteen years.
My physical goal is 160 lbs, which means I have 110 lbs to shed. But really it isn’t about a certain number but where my body will land. It is more about being healthy, eating healthy, feeling healthier. When I am eating natural foods and exercising I feel better. I have more energy and I sleep better. That is what my goal is. Mentally I want to find healthier ways to handle stress. Like most people I eat when I am happy, stressed and everything in between. There are healthier ways to handle my emotions and I try to go to those but of course that is never easy.

 

I can’t say that I will be perfect at this. I can’t promise that I will loose amazing amounts of weight. But I can say that I just keep trying. I fall off the preverbal wagon and just keep trying. I know that I have done it in the past and that I can again. I want to be a priorfatgirl because I would love to one day say that I am a priorfatgirl. (That is why I have read the blog for years.) But really I would hope to inspire others and in return receive positive and inspiring comments in return.

{ 18 comments }

Future PriorFatGirl, #7

by Jen, a priorfatgirl on April 10, 2012

Introducing Katie…

Hi!  I’m Katie from Austin, Texas.  I consider myself an honest, though blunt, girl who tells it like it is.  When I started to blog about my struggles with weight loss, I realized I have trouble being so blunt with myself.  Though I’m self-reflective, I don’t always know they ‘why’ to my behavior, and my blog has been an exploration of that on my journey to size 8 denim.

I started my weight loss journey at 271 pounds and a size 22.  I started my weight gain as a kid.  I was consistently one of the largest girls in my class.  I’m sure my parents saw my chunkiness, but thankfully decided not to make a fuss about it.  In doing so, they instilled a tremendous amount of self confidence in me that persists at any size or weight.  Out of love for me, and always intentional with their parenting, they made a decision together at some young, chunky moment in my life, to NOT give me a complex about it.  They didn’t harp on my snacks or meals, but instead encouraged activities I showed interest in (dance, tennis) and other healthy habits I’m likely not even aware of.

After what I will sum up as a very rough year attempting a career in teaching, I found myself back in Austin, back in a career in market research, with more time and resources to focus on myself.  I took up tennis for the first time since high school, made my way to the gym, and last fall, started my blog.

Unexpectedly, my blog has been the one weight loss “tool” that has really stuck.  I know it doesn’t burn calories or add protein and fiber to my diet, but there is a certain truth serum to it that keeps ME from obliviously gaining weight.  Because of the blog, my goal is always front and center in my mind, and I have a new sense of accountability I’ve never had before. And to date, I have lost 23 pounds!

I am losing weight because I want to become a parent one day soon (not that there are any prospects for a husband at the moment!), and I want to be an inspiration of health and fitness for my kids. I want jog around Austin’s Lady Bird Lake with the stroller, and look good in my yoga pants doing it.  I want to stave off diabetes and other weight-related diseases that plague my genetics.  Above all, I want to be an inspiration to myself, instead of looking to others for inspiration – and I want to inspire anyone I can in the process.

I am sure there will be some fantastic bloggers vying for this spot on Prior Fat Girl, and I’m confident Jen has whittled it down to some great choices.  What I can offer is sass, humor, random metaphors, dating anecdotes and above all else, honesty.

{ 43 comments }

Future PriorFatGirl, #6

by Jen, a priorfatgirl on April 9, 2012

Introducing Lynne…

My name is Lynne and I have 126lbs to lose. I am a single 30 year old gal who loves photography, scrapbooking, blogging and the outdoors but whose weight holds me back from really living my life. Growing up I had two desires, the first was to be married to a lovely man with a house full of children and the second was to help other people.

Towards the end of last year it really started to hit home with me. If I don’t start being intentional about my actions and start making real changes to my lifestyle, I won’t be in a position to see those desires come to life.

Each year I pick a word to focus on and this year my word is “wholeness”. My goal for this year is to find wholeness in every area of my life; in my eating, my body, my spirit, my emotions and my outlook on life. These past few years have been difficult ones, and have greatly contributed to the weight gain, but the thing that I am finding more difficult to live with on a daily basis is not so much the extra weight (although that is clearly an issue), but rather the lack of self-confidence. This affects how I see myself and the things that I do, or often don’t do, in life. I love dresses but never wear them, I shy away from meeting new people, I find myself trying to be invisible in a group of people and I don’t stand up for myself the way that I know I should do. I can’t let this go on – it simply has to change no matter what it involves.

Health and being healthy is very similar to my one little word for the year, wholeness. For me, being healthy not only means eating well and moving more but it also means following my dreams, learning to love myself and taking an active part in my own life. For me, the first step of this journey begins with the physical. My goal is to lose a total of 134lbs and I know that I am the type of person who not only needs a structure to it, but who needs flexibility within that structure. In line with my personality and what I know I need, I have signed up to WW online. I have started moving more since January, and my aim is to keep that movement up and improve on it. Three to four sessions per week has been built into my schedule as I know that that is the only way that I will get it into my daily life. 134lbs is a lot of weight to lose but I know that this process is one which will probably take me twelve to eighteen months – and that is alright with me. A pound a week, even half a pound, will be considered a victory and will bring me one step closer to my healthy self.

I have also started on building my confidence again. This confidence journey is also going to take a lot of time and effort, but it’s such an important step in this process. Once the weight begins to come off and the confidence grows, I hope to be able to make new friends and meet my man, I would love to open up my own business and I above all else I want to be enjoying my life.

If I am to be successful at becoming a priorfatgirl, I would be so honored. It would not only give me the opportunity to help other people (my second heart’s desire) but it would also help me to stay accountable. This journey is such a difficult one, but I really believe that by being real with how things are going and acknowledging the highs and lows, that this journey will be the best one yet. The thing is, even if I am not successful with joining the priorfatgirl family, I know that this is my time to make the change. I will succeed.

 

{ 18 comments }

← Previous Entries