The Weight Just Came Off

Every time anyone new comes into my life and finds out that I have lost over 140 pounds, they always ask me the same question.

How did you do it?

Honestly, every time I am asked this question, I feel like a fraud. See, I never felt like I had to work hard to get here. Now, don’t get me wrong. I did lose weight without surgery. I get that it sounds like hard work. The truth is, and yes, this is what I tell people. The answer surprises people because it doesn’t fit the story they expect. 

I got a job. 

Now that is not meant to sound condescending or anything like that. In reality, I was dealing with some big health issues that actually made it hard to hold a job down. I was in pain all the time, so I gave up and moved in with my parents. 

When I had my ectopic pregnancy in 2018 ( You can read about that here), they almost sent me home. A different doctor walked by, saw my ultrasound, and knew I needed emergency surgery. That doctor is my doctor now. He was the only doctor who ever really listened to the pain I was having. He had planned to do a hysterectomy, but due to a new medication, he had to try that first… and it worked.

Once I was on the right medication, I was able to start working and hold a job down. I have been at my company for 5 years. My body didn’t suddenly become disciplined overnight. It finally gave me the chance to move again. 

The misconception many people have is that all overweight people can’t control what they eat. For me, that wasn’t true. I always ate very healthily. I was just in so much pain that I was in bed most of the time. Therefore, my issues weren’t with eating; they were with movement. My body needed to be moving and active. Most of my previous jobs were sit-down jobs. I am in a job where I am up and down stairs, walking aisles ( I hang tags), and lifting heavy items, while in other departments. And here we are now. Minus 140 pounds later. Everyone’s story (and body) is different. 

With my body getting the movement it needed and the weight coming off, my energy levels increased quite a bit. I used to spend most of my day in bed, just watching T.V., sometimes on many different medications, because before finding the right doctor, all the other doctors just wanted to throw painkillers at me. They made me a different person, and very unhappy. 

Now that the pain is controlled in a way that doesn't restrict my movements, I am able to keep up with so much more than before. I have more energy to keep up with the family, keep up a job (Now my asthma is my biggest issue, and that has been the only thing that holds me back), and IF I wanted to compete in a 5K race, I wouldn’t win, but I would get to the finish line. ( WITH MY INHAILER) 

Losing that much weight will cause major changes to your body. You will see both advantages and disadvantages. Although I do have more energy and it is easier to move around, having loose skin can contribute to a bit of discomfort. Sometimes the skin tugs and pulls. Skin removal surgery isn’t something I am interested in. 

With the loose skin being the only thing I didn’t like about myself, I started to look at everyday movement differently. I knew with not having full-on childcare and my husband working, there wouldn’t really be any time for me to go to the gym. I decided to make my daily routine work for me. 

At work, while hanging tags, instead of bending over to hang a tag on the bottom shelf, I would do a squat instead and try to hold it for as long as it took me to hang the tags on that shelf and maybe a few above it. If I have a box to lift, I am making sure I am using proper form. Even pushing my cart is an opportunity to stretch, and walking up and down the stairs and thousands of steps through aisles are cardio on their own. I wasn’t adding hours of exercise to my day; I was simply making the movements I was already doing matter. 

I feel like my body changes every day. It still hasn’t settled on what shape it wants to be. One day I have an hourglass figure, then the next I look like a potato. 

There are still things I need to work on. I still see myself at 340 pounds. When I go shopping for clothes, I still grab for a 4x shirt or 3x pants and can't figure out why they’re too big. My husband has to remind me that I am now and XL shirt and pants. 

It might not seem like much for some people, but losing the weight gave me so much more than the weight I lost. I was able to have more freedom to do the things I wanted with my family. I can make new memories with my family, build a career, and do so much more than I could ever have imagined 5 years ago. To me, those are major accomplishments.