Success Files: Heather

It’s inspiration time again! Heather is truly a weight loss diva. Her journal is addictive and will definitely hit home with others on this journey.

Congrats on your accomplishments, chica. Thanks for the support!

1. When did you start your weight loss program?
Mentally – I started in the Fall of 2000 shortly after an illness that left me unable to walk for a month. That experience gave me plenty of time to imagine what my life would be like if I were completely immobilized by my weight. Frankly, it scared the hell out of me and I knew I had to do something to change. I did a lot of research on WLS and different diets before I finally took action in January 2001.

2. With all of the weight loss programs/diets available, what made you choose your program/method?
Weight loss surgery was a last resort for me, and I needed to find out if I could do it on my own first. Basically, I knew I had to choose something I could live with or I wouldn’t stick to the plan. I am a girl who cannot live without pizza or the occasional chocolate bar which is why the low-carb programs seemed impossible to me. I didn’t have the funds to start Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, or any other fancy program at the time, so I did the only other thing I could do – I counted calories. It worked great for me because it left my menu open for any food I wanted, as long as it was “budgeted” into my allotment for the day.

3. How much weight have you lost?
To date I’ve lost 115.5 pounds and I’ve been holding that weight for over a year now.

4. What is your favorite aspect of your method/program?
The versatility is definitely the biggest plus for me. As a child and young adult I was forced on very restrictive real-food and liquid diets that left me shaking and exhausted. I have bad memories associated with those types of severe limitations so I vowed to make my diet virtually limitless on what foods I could eat.

5. Favorite low calorie/low-fat snacks?
I love Guiltless Gourmet Spicy Black Bean tortilla chips w/ Tillamook fat free sour cream or Trader Joe’s fat free bean dip. A very filling snack is an open-faced Boca Burger (90cals) on a slice of light bread (40 cals) w/ spicy mustard, slice of tomato and lettuce. I also like half a banana on a slice of light bread w/ 1 tbsp of peanut butter.

6. What was your weight loss “turning point”?
My turning point was actually a culmination of events in my life which included counseling, illness, a Jerry Springer special report, and one after another humiliating circumstances that left me embarrassed and frustrated about my size. But the actual epiphany happened after receiving a letter of concern from my aunt who hoped I would seriously consider Weight Loss Surgery. I began to research it on the web when I stumbled across sites of women my size who were losing weight without the surgery. That gave me the first inkling of hope that it wasn’t an impossible dream…but that it could be a reality. I started my first calorie journal a few days later and the rest is history.

7. Favorite weight loss moment?
A moment that stands out in my mind is competing in my first real marathon walk. The first 2 ½ miles were all uphill and it peaked at the top of the Fremont Bridge. The view from up there was nothing short of spectacular. For a moment, standing far above the tallest skyscraper with the morning breeze cooling beads of sweat from my face, I felt so proud. There I was, alive and free and happy and proud for pushing myself. I looked around me then, taking in the view of not only the city and the Willamette, but the people too. With the exception of one lady, I was surely the heaviest person I’d seen participating. And that totally rocked. I wanted to shout from atop that bridge, “Here’s to all of those fatties out there who think they can’t…I’m Fat and Proud and still kicking butt!”

8. What is your typical exercise program?
When I started, I was alternating walking, walk aerobics, and step aerobics 6 days a week. When I began to plateau, I added weight training, swimming, and the elliptical trainer to my normal routine in hopes of breaking it. I continued this until July 2002 when I landed in the hospital and (to be very honest) I’ve been struggling since then to maintain a consistent exercise program again. Some of this is just simple recovery from surgery and illness, but some of it was pure laziness!!

9. What tips would you like to offer weight loss newbies?
Make your plan realistic and something you can live with long-term. Quick, fad diets might drop the pounds but you’ll more than likely pack them back on unless you’ve truly changed your behavior and your eating habits. Try to set specific and measurable goals that challenge you but don’t set you up to fail. Make sure they are actually attainable and that you can achieve them after some time and effort! I was very hard on myself (like a dictator with no compassion) and I often set myself up for failure by expecting too much, too fast.

10. How do you plan to reward yourself for reaching goal weight?
I haven’t really considered a reward for reaching my goal weight, but my mother is going to take me on a cruise when I hit 199lbs does that count?! Ha ha! In truth I think there is no reward that could match the feeling of accomplishing such an intense goal. I’ve learned so much about myself on this journey and I have a long road of high’s, low’s and lessons ahead of me still.

Seeing is believing…

Heather’s work badge picture…2 years apart

Visit Heather at A Mouse in the House