'I Lost 68 Pounds And Fit Into My Pre-Pregnancy Clothes With WW And A Jillian Michaels DVD'

From Woman's Day

In 2015, I saw a picture of myself when I was at my heaviest: 197 pounds at 5-feet, 5-inches tall. But I didn't recognize at first that the woman in the photo was ... me. I had lost touch with my body and health entirely.

I was overweight. I also had high blood pressure at age 26. I didn't exercise and I ate a candy bar almost every day. I thought to myself, I want to lose 40 pounds. But that goal seemed so overwhelming to manage by myself. I had two kids and had already mentally accepted that I would never fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes again. But I yearned to be a different weight, and more importantly, I wanted to be healthy overall.

Seeing that photo got my going, but I knew deep down that I needed support to keep the weight off long term.

I tried various diets and found I was able to lose about 10 to 12 pounds on my own, but only temporarily. As soon as I would get close to my goal weight (or sometimes I would even reach my goal weight), I would quit. Eventually, I would gain all my weight back because I felt deprived.

So, I joined WW (formerly Weight Watchers) on April 11, 2015, at 185 pounds. I couldn't afford to go to meetings at that time because I was a stay-at-home mom, so I signed up as an online-only member and sold clothes on garage sale websites to help pay the fee. I wanted to do whatever it took to stay committed.

When I joined WW, I made sure I measured all of my food intake and counted all of my points.

I also was adamant about staying within my daily points, which is essential if you really want WW to work. After the first week, I knew I had to start making some changes and eat more nutritious foods because my points would be gone by lunchtime.

A couple of habits that helped me? I would split restaurant meals with a friend to make it a more appropriate portion size, and I skipped the bun whenever I ate a burger so I could still enjoy them and not deprive myself. Here’s what I eat in a day now:

• Breakfast: Hard-boiled eggs or yogurt and fruit (blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries), plus coffee.

• Lunch: Something with ground turkey! My fave meals right now are a turkey burger salad with blue cheese dressing, a turkey burger with a lettuce bun, or turkey tacos or meatballs and a side salad.

• Snacks: Caramel rice cakes with PB2 chocolate and a banana sliced on top, string cheese, or a banana with PB2 chocolate.

• Dinner: Right now I'm not eating a traditional dinner, as I'm trying intermittent fasting.

When I began my weight-loss journey, I also bought Jillian Michaels' workout DVD set Body Revolution. I modified almost every move, but I was so proud that I tried and did what I could. I kept up with Jillian's workout DVDs for over two years. After that, I needed a change, so I created workout routines for myself.

Right now, I stay active but don't have a carefully crafted workout routine. I jump on the trampoline with my kids, go to the park, and do housework and home improvement projects. I recently got a lot of activity in because we did a ton of home renovations that required lots of steps and heavy lifting. I also go for walks and go fishing as much as I can (it's a great arm workout!). It's all about finding what works for you and weaving activity into your day via the hobbies you love.

My journey was not perfect. I almost quit WW after I lost 20 pounds, but I used the following mental trick to push onward.

After losing 20, I wasn't losing weight anymore. And I tried to convince myself that it wasn't my fault; the program just didn't work for me anymore, I told myself. The truth? I had just gotten lazy about tracking, measuring, and eating healthy in general. I had accepted where I was and decided I could just settle there. It seemed too hard to keep going.

But thankfully I had my "aha" moment right as I was going to cancel my WW account. I asked myself another question: "Will quitting make you happy?" The answer was easy: No. I made a promise to myself that I would commit to WW as a lifestyle — not a quick fix.

It took me almost two years to lose 60+ pounds, and I'm totally happy with that.

I lost 1.6 pounds in my first week, 10 pounds in my first month, 33 pounds in my first year, and 20 pounds in my second year. My blood pressure is normal, my BMI is normal. I am living a healthy, active lifestyle. I fit into the clothes I wore before having babies. That didn't happen without some challenges (yes, gains!) in between, but that's okay, because I'm human.

I have been a WW member for over four years, and I will be for life. Slow-and-steady weight loss was necessary for me to make it a long-term thing. I was never able to successfully maintain my weight loss — until now. WW worked for me because it's *not* a diet. You can have what you love and still lose weight or maintain your weight loss.

This journey takes time, strength, perseverance, and patience. You will skip workouts and eat junk food instead. Your weight will fluctuate up and down. You will go over your points. But thanks to WW, I now have the tools to succeed, and I feel confident and empowered to live my life in a healthy way.

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