First off I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Dana, I am 28 years old and a single mom to a 10 & 6 year old. We live in Victoria, British Columbia. For as long as I can remember weight has been an issue for me. It has truly been a roller coaster ride since my teens, my weight was always up and down. I had never been truly happy with myself, it was something that I struggled with everyday. No matter how many times I heard “you look great or you’re doing fantastic” there was still that little voice in the back of my mind putting me down. The summer before going into grade ten I spent everyday on my bike, riding a crazy amount of miles to and from the river as well as swimming for hours. I was so stressed about going into high school over weight that I wasn’t even eating properly. I would skip breakfast, eat a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and hardly eat anything for supper. I still don’t have a clue how I survived. I lost a bunch of weight and went into grade ten skinny and to be honest, it didn’t matter. Even with all of the compliments and the attention I still didn’t feel like I was good enough. I started dating a really nice guy, we had a lot of fun together and enjoyed each others company. I was comfortable, in love and food suddenly didn’t feel so much like the enemy. I know in my heart that if I had been truly happy with myself I wouldn’t have gained that weight back, and unfortunately, I did. Skipping forward to 2005, the year my son was born and I was at my highest weight, 233 lbs. I managed to lose 26 lbs within the first few months of having my son. I then decided it was time to make a change, joined Weight Watchers and was running right out of the gate. Lost over 60 lbs in six months and was thrilled with myself! I worked my ass off to lose that weight and was in a size 9. Unfortunately, I never stopped to take the time to work on me mentally. Yes I had been successful in losing the weight but I had never once stopped to think about WHY I had gained that weight in the first place. Moving forward, a couple of years later I was going through some massive changes in my life that rocked my whole world. Slowly the weight started to creep back on and in all honestly, I never stopped to do anything about it. Which brings me to January 2011. I may not ever know what it was about THIS year that made something click for me but I am so very thankful that it did. Not only have I successfully lost 41.5 lbs but I have also taken the time for ME, time to take a look at my own life, to reevaluate everything. I have come to realize that this is a lifestyle change, not just a lose weight and I’m done change.
There is a reason why it’s called a journey and this time around I plan on sticking it out for the long haul.
Not only have I made such positive changes in my own life but also for my two children. My daughter who is ten and was in a size 14 only a short six months ago is now in a size 10!! How amazing is it for a child to be wearing their age in size also?! I know that means the world to her. She looks amazing and has a confidence in her that took me years to find. Also the support system that I have formed on my
Facebook Page has kept me on track, motivated, inspired and encouraged me every single day. I am extremely blessed to have such an amazing group of people from all over the world to call my friends. I am excited every single morning to wake up and check in with everyone. There is always someone new looking for encouragement or a few works of advice. I can honestly say that I’ve found my calling! I have never been THIS passionate about anything in my life. To be told that people look up to you and that you inspire them on their journey is such a huge reward. I look very forward to sharing so much more with every single one of you. I feel honored to have been given this opportunity to share my story and thank James SO much!!
I’d love to share a few things that have helped aid in my success thus far. Number one would have to be portion sizes and making better food choices. Making the change from eating pizza, hot dogs, french fries, fish sticks … (the list goes on and on) to whole wheat pasta, tons of fruits and veggies, lean meats, etc has made a huge difference!! It’s amazing how different you feel. I know when I’ve had a GREAT week food wise and when my week has been an epic FAIL! I guess it just comes down to wanting to feel great all the time, why put junk in your mouth and have your body wage war? Number two is exercise. I started my journey with three herniated discs as well arthritis in my back. Do I still have those problems? Yes! But that hasn’t stopped me! Walking for me has been key. It helped kick start my weight loss and I haven’t stopped. I love the outdoors, love walking in the fresh air but I also really enjoy Leslie Sansones walk at home dvd’s. They are awesome, easy to follow and best of all, a great workout! I incorporate Leslie’s dvd’s into my workout schedule five times a week. Another workout that I love is Biggest Loser Challenge for Wii, I love that you can choose your intensity and the duration. I look forward to my 6am morning workouts with Bob & Jillian. Number three is having a support system!! Everyone needs someone to be accountable to. I am fortunate to have friends as well as family that I check in with everyday, a little hard to fall behind when there are so many people helping to push you forward. Having people in your life that share the same passion absolutely helps keep you on track. And a swift kick in the butt never really hurt anyone either, ha ha! The best advice I can give is surround yourself with POSITIVE people!! There’s nothing quite like being around like minded people to keep you on track and moving forward.
I wish each one of you all the success in the world!! Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Much love,
Dana
By far one of my favorite quotes! There is so much truth in this statement.
