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My wake up calls to begin my journey!
What does this all mean to me?
This journey means that I will be able to go outside and play games with my family...this means I will be able to an amusement park and ride a roller coaster...this means I will be able to comfortably sit down at a booth in a restaurant...this means I will be able to wear heels, shorts, and a bathing suit!!!!...this means I will be able to love myself for who I am and from where I will have come from.
My name is Angela - I have been on this journey a couple of times before with great success. I have celebrated in a 63lb weight loss back in 2007 and unfortunately got off track due to some emotional issues. That is in the past. Today and every day from now on...it is about me and my future.
So, what was my wake up call?
My first wake up call was one day on a trip with my church to Busch Gardens in Virginia. We were so excited to ride the new roller coaster and after getting on and ready to go, the operator came on the intercom and said, "we cannot take off just yet...please be patient". The operators came down each row one by one...I had no idea what was going on. They got to me and started trying to adjust the pull handle toward my waist. Then, the alarming news - "I'm sorry ma'am...you have exceeded the maximum weight limit for this ride". I was mortified...embarrassed...in front of half the members of my church, my best friends, the youth group. Everyone knew that the holdup for the entire roller coaster laid in the hands of my weight.
My second wake up call came more recently this past summer when I went shopping for new "teacher" clothes. I was so excited to begin my first teaching job after graduating college. Most stores like JCPenney and Belk carry up to a size 24 and I usually always fit into their 22 or 24 clothes. Dressing room after dressing room, I came out with nothing. They didn't fit. I had gained so much weight, I couldn't even fit into the biggest size of the plus size section at the mall. What am I doing to myself? So, I went to Lane Bryant which carries up to a size 28. I tried on a 26 and they fit comfortably. A month later, back shopping at Lane Bryant, those size 26 pants were no longer comfortable.
My third wake up call came this past summer as well. I went to the doctor with some irregular heartbeat. After running an EKG and checking my blood pressure, they discovered that due to primarily my weight, I was having heart palpitations and I had high blood pressure. Due to my family history of diabetes, the doctor decided to do a complete physical and do several tests to see if anything else was going on. He did bloodwork for an A1C...a test that detects whether I was diabetic or not. When the results came back I was 1 point away from being statistically considered "diabetic". With my father having an insulin pump for many years, I know exactly what those numbers could turn into.
I have had several more wake up calls. Ones like, having trouble tying my shoes, not being able to paint my toenails, not being able to go outside and walk around like I used to, not being able to even go SHOPPING like I used to. I am broke nowadays because I can't buy clothes at just any store.
One more confession I have to make - I smoke. Today is the day that this habit ends as well. Yes, I am partaking in one fully rounded journey - a journey to better my health my loosing the weight and laying down the cigarettes.
I have dating my boyfriend for 5 years and I honestly believe the reason that I don't have a ring on my finger is because of 1. my smoking habit and 2. because I am just no longer active anymore. I want to be able to go outside with him fishing or hunting or just to help him work on things outside like I used to. He loves me unconditionally; however, I know these things really bother him. He worries about my health and he is there to support me.
With all this said - today is the day. It is the day I start my journey. I am so thrilled to be able to share it with you all. Without this website, I don't know what I would do because it's a way of going - I'm not the only one struggling here. Before pictures should be posted tomorrow. Follow me along!
This journey means that I will be able to go outside and play games with my family...this means I will be able to an amusement park and ride a roller coaster...this means I will be able to comfortably sit down at a booth in a restaurant...this means I will be able to wear heels, shorts, and a bathing suit!!!!...this means I will be able to love myself for who I am and from where I will have come from.
My name is Angela - I have been on this journey a couple of times before with great success. I have celebrated in a 63lb weight loss back in 2007 and unfortunately got off track due to some emotional issues. That is in the past. Today and every day from now on...it is about me and my future.
So, what was my wake up call?
My first wake up call was one day on a trip with my church to Busch Gardens in Virginia. We were so excited to ride the new roller coaster and after getting on and ready to go, the operator came on the intercom and said, "we cannot take off just yet...please be patient". The operators came down each row one by one...I had no idea what was going on. They got to me and started trying to adjust the pull handle toward my waist. Then, the alarming news - "I'm sorry ma'am...you have exceeded the maximum weight limit for this ride". I was mortified...embarrassed...in front of half the members of my church, my best friends, the youth group. Everyone knew that the holdup for the entire roller coaster laid in the hands of my weight.
My second wake up call came more recently this past summer when I went shopping for new "teacher" clothes. I was so excited to begin my first teaching job after graduating college. Most stores like JCPenney and Belk carry up to a size 24 and I usually always fit into their 22 or 24 clothes. Dressing room after dressing room, I came out with nothing. They didn't fit. I had gained so much weight, I couldn't even fit into the biggest size of the plus size section at the mall. What am I doing to myself? So, I went to Lane Bryant which carries up to a size 28. I tried on a 26 and they fit comfortably. A month later, back shopping at Lane Bryant, those size 26 pants were no longer comfortable.
My third wake up call came this past summer as well. I went to the doctor with some irregular heartbeat. After running an EKG and checking my blood pressure, they discovered that due to primarily my weight, I was having heart palpitations and I had high blood pressure. Due to my family history of diabetes, the doctor decided to do a complete physical and do several tests to see if anything else was going on. He did bloodwork for an A1C...a test that detects whether I was diabetic or not. When the results came back I was 1 point away from being statistically considered "diabetic". With my father having an insulin pump for many years, I know exactly what those numbers could turn into.
I have had several more wake up calls. Ones like, having trouble tying my shoes, not being able to paint my toenails, not being able to go outside and walk around like I used to, not being able to even go SHOPPING like I used to. I am broke nowadays because I can't buy clothes at just any store.
One more confession I have to make - I smoke. Today is the day that this habit ends as well. Yes, I am partaking in one fully rounded journey - a journey to better my health my loosing the weight and laying down the cigarettes.
I have dating my boyfriend for 5 years and I honestly believe the reason that I don't have a ring on my finger is because of 1. my smoking habit and 2. because I am just no longer active anymore. I want to be able to go outside with him fishing or hunting or just to help him work on things outside like I used to. He loves me unconditionally; however, I know these things really bother him. He worries about my health and he is there to support me.
With all this said - today is the day. It is the day I start my journey. I am so thrilled to be able to share it with you all. Without this website, I don't know what I would do because it's a way of going - I'm not the only one struggling here. Before pictures should be posted tomorrow. Follow me along!
) and I have discovered it was one of the best things I have done to date.
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