Hey everyone, it has come to my attention that some people who are along with me on this journey have no idea how it really started. I said it would be a great thing to blog about so here goes.
My journey started with me at 243 pounds in July 2009. At that point I didn't think I had any weight problems so losing weight wasn't something I was considering. My friend next door emailed me at work asking if I would do an aqua size class with her at the pool. I said sure as I've always wanted to do something in the pool but was too afraid to do it on my own (at that time I wasn't into doing things on my own, especially new things). It wasn't until I thought about it for a bit that I got nervous. I would have to be in a bathing suit in front of all people, and my friend too. Would they all look at me, would they laugh, would they make fun of me, what would they say? Hell....did I even have a bathing suit big enough to fit? Ugh...we'll I gave my word to my friend and my word is something I never go back on. If I say I'm doing something then I'm doing it. I found my bathing suit and although I didn't look good I put it on and off I went. To my surprise nobody looked at me, said anything or made fun of me. They (well...most of them) were in the same spot I was. About half way in the workout I realized something...even though I had no idea what I was doing, didn't know the moves etc. I was actually having fun, most importantly...I was moving and I WASN'T dying!! It really made me wonder what else I could do. That is where the weight loss idea came in. I decided that I was going to lose some weight. Yeah, 100 pounds sounded good. Hey, that seems to be "the" number on The Biggest Loser so why not. I decided I would do more Aqua size classes with my friend and walk with Graham. Yup, that's how I was going to lose all my weight. I played around for about 7 months on my own. I lost about 30 ish pounds so I guess for someone who had no idea what they were doing I was doing ok. That Jan. there was an article in the local newspaper about the National X-Weighted Challenge and how they were looking for participants. All you had to do was measure your inches, add you height and weight in on their site and they would tell you how much you had to lose. I decided that I was going to do this, what did I have to lose by doing it?? The number I had to lose shocked me, I think it was about 66 pounds. I had to record all my activity everyday and record my weight once a week. Did I think I'd ever follow through with that....nope...not a chance as I usually have big ideas for a while but they grow old quickly. But I signed up anyway and decided to give it a try. I lost on an average about 2 pounds a week but there were also times when I'd lose less or even gain. I kept going regardless of the results on the scale and I think that is very important for everyone to know....never give up because of what you see on those scales. You can't have a big loss every week and there will be weeks that really suck...trust me!! It's worth it in the end though. It's almost 3 years later and I'm at my goal but I'm still a very active member of that site and I don't plan to leave it any time soon.
So...on to the part I'm sure EVERYONE knows!!! I followed the X-Weighted Challenge site very closely and one day I seen that Paul Plakas was doing a bootcamp in Cambridge. My first thought was that of excitement, but then I realized that it was probably somewhere in Ontario as "tv stars" never come to NS. Upon finding out that he was actaully coming here, about a hour from where I live I was SUPER excited!! I started asking all my friends if they'd go with me but unfortuantly they didn't share my excitement. Graham said if I wanted to go that he'd take me up and do his own thing for the 3 hours and then come back to pick me up. He has stood beside me 100% and this was just another way for him to show that. Now I was excited, scared, and nervous all at once. I finally decided this was something I wanted to do for ME and if nobody else wanted to do it with me that was ok. I think I started to realize then that I had to do this journey for myself and nobody else. I actually tried avoiding Paul at the event. What if he talked to me, asked me a question I didn't know the answer to, what if he made me feel bad because of my weight (my own insecurites...hell...the man worked with people just like me)? So many fears went through my mind that day that nobody will ever know. As I was sitting there listening to Paul I guess I was surprised by his level of passion. He wasn't there to be mean to people but to help them. As the seminar went on I was less nervous. He allows people to ask questions as he goes and I was brave enough to do that. Again, never something I would ever do!! I didn't like some of his responses but it was stuff I needed to hear. We had a workout afterwards that was intense but at my weight I didn't expect anything different. I should add that I really wanted to be under 200 pounds that day and I was 200.2 so I was so close. Anyway...after the event I went over to have my book and DVD signed and got to chat for a bit. He didn't make me feel bad about my weight (I didn't even feel like he noticed although I'm sure he did), and guess what...at this point I wasn't nervous anymore at all. It was something in the way he delivered what he was trying to teach us. As I thought about it the things he said made perfect sense. I asked if I could touch base with him from time to time to share how I was doing and he said sure. I left that day knowing that I wouldn't get to speak with him again. It was so easy to tell me sure to my face but he was too busy to deal with someone like me. I was ok with that though as I walked out of there for the first time knowing the direction I wanted to go in, knowing what I wanted to do and how to do it but most importlantly I knew I COULD AND WAS GOING TO DO THIS!!! As time went by Paul was true to his word, returning every email I ever sent him and he's still true to that today..
I moved onward and upward from that day. I am 102 pounds lighter and now I am doing things that I never thought possible. I do things on my own, I'm not afraid to take on some new challenges although sometimes it's tough. I learned there is no such thing as quick fixes. The only way to do this journey folks is through hard work, dedication and some tears (hopefully no blood..haha). You may not want to believe me but it's true. There were times when I didn't want to do a workout, I wanted that extra snack or I just wanted to sit on my ass and do nothing but if you want the results you have to work for them. The easy things don't usally have lasting results. There are even times even now when I hear certain things I drop Paul an email thanking him for keeping me on the straight and narrow, never allowing me to get caught up in the fad diets or the easy way out. Giving up was never an option for me. I seriously live by the quote "Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever". Yes, there are times when I get back from a workout and my entire body aches (in a good way after a workout) but I feel so much better for doing it, and not letting anything get in the way. I am much stronger than I ever thought possible and it's becasue of what I learned that day back in April 2010.
