Here at the Sisterhood, we LOVE to pick the brains of our Biggest Shrinkers! Our Biggest (female) Shrinker of the Shrinking Days of Summer challenge was Sarah, from Washing Away the Gain and she is wonderful enough to let us in on some of her wisdom and tips! Thanks, Sarah! We are so proud of you!
Height: 5′ 7”
Starting Weight: 194
Current Weight: 139 .4
Pounds Lost: 54.6 lbs
How long have you been overweight and what made you decide to take action? In 2005 I was 25 lbs overweight and lost it for my wedding by going to Weight Watcher meetings. After my wedding I went up and down 5- 15lbs. Then July 2008 I found out I was pregnant and gained 64 lbs. In early April 2009 I started losing weight again. I didn’t like how I looked in pictures even though I had just had a baby, in fact most of the first couple weeks of my son being here I stayed out of the pictures or did only face shots with him. I had originally decided that I would wait a couple months after he was born to do something about it, but I think I started 3 weeks after he was born instead. I really wanted to have lots of memories captured on film with him, so one day we could look back.
Do you follow a specific program or are there certain web sites that you love? I decided that since I had success with Weight Watchers in 2005 that I would just follow that plan again. One thing about me is that when I decide to do something I really try to stick with it and go for it! The only difference this time was I didn’t actually go to meetings like before, I just tracked my food (counted points) at home instead.
How soon did you begin adding exercise? I started walking right away. At first I was so out of shape that my walks only lasted 20 mins, but not long after I was walking 30-60 min depending on the day. I was walking about 5-6 days a week.
Describe your workout plan. Just walking, but I’ve started to include running. I also plan to go back to the gym soon to start working out in the weight room. Before I was pregnant the weight room was my favorite thing at the gym, and I’d really like to have my toned arms again.
What is a typical meal plan for your day? I pretty much eat the same thing everyday. Every morning I have 1-2 pts worth of either oven fries or hash browns, 2 slices turkey bacon, and egg beaters. I got really addicted to that meal (but real eggs) while pregnant. I find it to be very satisfying, and it keeps me full and going for a good part of the morning. Lunch is either a Lean Cuisine or sandwich, dinner is usually something with 98% fat free ground chicken. I like the taste of ground chicken better than the turkey. I find it isn’t as dry. I also drink milk and lots of water through out the day.
What food can you not live without? I can’t think of any food I can not live without, but I do carry Luna Bars in my diaper bag, and I have a big box of them for snacks or quick fixes when hungry. The white chocolate macadamia nut is my favorite.
Do you ever splurge? Of course! Who doesn’t? I really like to bake, so MOST of the time I try to make my baking day on my weigh in day, and even then I limit myself.
What was the hardest thing to give up? The hardest thing to give up is Mexican food, and I mean real greasy bad for you Mexican food. We make healthy version tacos with the ground chicken, but you know it taste good but it’s not the real deal. The one thing I can say is when you haven’t had it for a long time, you don’t miss it so much. I guess the other thing would be sweets. I’m a big cupcake & cookies person. Like I said, I do splurge, but I limit myself! No sense in going crazy! You won’t get to your goal that way.
Does your entire family eat healthier? Yes my husband is also health conscious, and luckily we like the same foods. That makes it easier to plan for healthier eating.
Favorite snack? Pineapple or Luna Bars.
Favorite activity? Weight lifting, but I haven’t started back up yet.
How do you maintain your weight loss? You know I think maintaining is harder than losing. I just try to be conscious of what I put in my mouth. It’s real easy to get “cocky”, when you start to feel good about your weight, and that’s where you can get in trouble again.
Any goals for the future? My future goals are to tone up, and maintain a healthy weight.
What is your favorite thing about your “new” body? My stomach. It’s not flat, and it has plenty of stretch marks, but it is A LOT smaller, and my son once lived there, and that makes me happy.
Anything else you would like to share with the Shrinking Jeans readers? It’s okay to splurge, but the key is to not throw in the towel! Just because you ate a bad meal doesn’t mean your day is ruined! The screw it attitude and going crazy is what gets you in trouble. Just take one meal at a time, and do your very best. You will get to your weight loss eventually. 🙂
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