Um well my history with weight discussed in my blog () but basically have had weight problem since I was a child (or at least that was what I was always led to think - looking back at pics from my childhood I was a lot taller than everyone else my age but not particularly big). Anyway, grew up loathing myself and honestly believing that I was the most repulsive creature and that no one would ever want to be with me. As a result, my choices in men in my life time have been pretty woeful. First boyfriend was the first guy to jump me during a relatively slim phase in my life whilst at university (after hitting 130 kgs or 286 pounds in first year uni). I lost about 100 pounds through over exercising and staving myself. But it didn't stick and by the end of my undergrad degrees I was back up to about 286 pounds. I lost weight again, about 66 pounds at the end of uni because I was leaving to live in Europe after graduation. I was away three years. On returning home at nearly 27 years of age, I had regained about 30 pounds. But then I started professional employment, a sedentary life as a lawyer, so not much incidental exercise and too much money (relative to what I'd earned living overseas). Bad eating habits kicked in and I quickly gained weight. In the next few years I had a couple of further attempts at losing weight (weight watchers both times) but would lose maybe 20-30 pounds, only to fall off the wagon and return to bad habits, regaining the weight and then some. I moved cities for work in my late 20s. Shortly after moving, I tried weight watchers again, only to be humiliated at my first meeting because the scales didn't go up high enough (by this stage I weighed about 330 pounds). I didn't try to lose weight again until about a year later when I tried a diet aimed at dealing with insulin resistance. The weight fell off fairly quickly and in six months I went from over 330 pounds down to 253 pounds. At that point I met my now ex partner. He was a former elite level rower and for some reason I assumed that he would have a good influence on me. But unfortunately that wasn't the case. We moved into together about six months after meeting, a move I really should not have made. My weight was always an issue to him, despite that when we met I was the lightest I had been for years. He used to tell me that he would only marry me if I lost weight. It wasn't a good relationship for that type of thinking, but also other reasons that I won't bore you with now. I left him about five years later. At that stage I weighed 170 kgs or 374 pounds. I'd tried a couple of times to lose weight whilst I was with him but each time I'd lose 20-30 pounds and then fail to maintain the lifestyle changes and eventually regain the weight. Once I left him I was free and responsible only for looking after myself. About six weeks after I moved out I started watching my food intake and walking at night round a sports oval near my house (because I was too embarassed to exercise in the daylight). After a month or so I'd lost about 20-25 pounds and I felt confident enough to join a women only gym. I started exercising six days a week and the weight kept coming off. After about five months I started dating someone. In April 2007 I changed gyms to one down the road from where I live and started training with a personal trainer. I also came increasingly involved with the man I was dating and less focused on my lifestyle such that by the time that relationship ended I had regained about 45 pounds that I had lost. I'd kept training but had been sick on and off with chest infections etc so my training was quite interrupted. My eating had slipped too because I'd allowed myself to be influenced in my food by the man I was dating and I'd also gotten comfortable with myself and felt loved for the first time in a long time. So by September 2007, 12 months after I'd started losing weight, my weight was back up to 150 kgs or 330 pounds. But since that point I have not looked back. I'm now 92 kgs (202 pounds). I still train with the same trainer. The biggest change though was that I started training with a good friend of mine who never lets me off easy. I used to need her head-kicking approach but these days it's me that does some of the head kicking. I love spin/cycling classes. I started doing them at 330 pounds and they are bloody hard but they are the best cardio exercise. I can't encourage others to try them enough. In the past year I've also gotten more and more into cycling outdoors. I have just purchased my first proper whizz bang road bike for the price of a small second hand car and I am currently training for 100 kilometre plus rides (sorry - no idea what that equates to in miles). I love being active, having energy, being well. It is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I kick myself sometimes that I didn't do this sooner but you can't regret the past. There's no point. You just have to deal with what you have got before you.
I've still got between 15-20 kgs to lose and I'm excited at the prospect of getting fitter and fitter. Below is a photo montage. The pic on the left is me at my heaviest in July 2006 just after I left my ex. The pic on the right is me at Christmas 2008.
