The truth about my 100lb weight loss!

I am almost there! I have only 21 pounds to go before I reach my lifetime goal at Weight Watchers! I have officially lost 100lbs on the Weight Watchers program and this great achievement is one that is filled with mixed emotions. I am excited to have lost that much weight, but at the same time sad that there was ever a need for me to .

I have been thinking about this blog post for a long time. I keep going over in my head how far I have come and where I will go. I feel like I need to just lay it all out there. So here are the facts:

• Starting weight was 270lbs when I signed up for WW online and 267 when I attended my first meeting. 
• In the weeks before I joined WW I was busting out of my clothes. I didn't want to face the music and go buy clothes that actually fit. I didn't want to admit I was that big.
• My pants were a size 20-22 and my tops were a XXL. 
• We have never lived in a house with a fancy tub, just your standard bath tub shower combo. When I would take a bath my thighs would touch the sides of the tub. I would squish in there. 
• I turned to food when I was stressed and that was okay because I was the fat girl and that is how I coped. 
• TJ used to talk about us climbing Petit Jean in Arkansas and I couldn't even walk around the UCO campus without getting winded, so I manged to avoid ever going. 
• When I did the Weight Watchers 5K in May of 2011, I was winded and angry that the distance was farther than 3.1 miles. My body hurt and I only walked it. 
• I became worried I wouldn't be able to get pregnant someday. 
• I weighed more than all the women on this season of the Biggest Loser expect for one.
• I weighed 80lbs more than my husband. 
• I worked in sports and looked like I had never spent a day in the gym.

100 lbs ago I was a different person. There were limitations on my life. I couldn't do anything and everything that popped into my mind.

I sometimes wonder what my friends and family thought of me. No one ever mentioned my weight. I know they saw it. Maybe people are really so focused on themselves and their situations that they don't pay as much attention to other people as we might feel like internally. My mom said you don't see the people you love and care about with just your eyes. You see them with your heart and feelings. I think she is right. So many people don't remember me looking like that girl in the picture above. I do though. 

I have been watching the Biggest Loser this season. This is the first time I have watched it in years. Who wants to see people who weigh less than you lose extreme amounts of weight? That show is supposed to make you feel better about yourself, right? I mean you can always say, at least I don't weigh as much as those fat people. You're not supposed to think to yourself...maybe I should apply for that show. I know that the way these people lose weight is not normal and it is unrealistic, but I really get it now. I get why these people are crying and struggling. I can relate. I have been there. I understand that there is usually something more going on than just overeating. For most of the people who are overweight it's not black and white. You can't just quit eating one day and ta da you magically have the answer to losing weight. I need the support of the meetings. I need the parameters of the Points Plus system. I need to have limitations and controls put on my food. I can't do it by myself. 

So here are some present day facts about myself:

• Current weight is 166 and my goal weight is 145. 
• I went from an18 to a 10 pant size in 2012 and an XL to a Medium (depending on the clothes) in a top. 
• I am training for a half marathon!!!! I have run HUNDREDS of miles in the last year. I am slow, but I don't care. I just keep running. 
• I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro before I am 40. It is the highest "walkable" mountain. I don't want to do a technical climb or anything so this one would be perfect and you can take guides and all that jazz. Now I just need $10,000! LOL! (even thinking I could do this is a miracle)
• I learned there are no quick fixes. I have been doing Weight Watchers without stopping for over 2 years. There are no overnight miracles. You have to be your own miracle. You have to believe in yourself and dig down deep and find out what you are really made of. 
• I was never skinny growing up. This is the lightest I have ever been, so I had no clue what this Leigha would look like. No one has ever seen her before. You know when you get your drivers license for the first time and they put your current weight on there? Mine said 185 and that was low balling it then.
• I am much more confident and truly believe in myself and my capabilities. 
• My friends call me Jillian Micheals. Apparently, I can be a little bit bitchy when it comes to them tracking their food and working out! :)
• I finally look like I belong in my field of work.  If I am going to be in sports I might as well look like I at least played some kind of sport .
• I work out in some form or another 4-6 times a week. I love a good dance session on the Kinect! :)
• I can feel my tailbone when I sit down. Why you ask is this important? When I was 8 or 9 I was playing at my Mema's house. She had a cellar and the door to it looked like a slide. So one day when no one was around I decided to flop my butt down on it and slide. Well I flopped my butt down so hard on the handle of the cellar that I am pretty sure I broke my tailbone. I rolled around in the grass in pain for a while before I hobbled into the house. I couldn't sit normally for a long time!! I never told my parents and they obviously were too concerned with my other siblings to notice me sitting funny! All these years later it's still broken! :)

I refuse to forget how far I have come, what I looked like before, and how I felt. I know what it is like to be the fat girl working out at the gym. You think people are looking at you and judging. You get frustrated when you see those skinny people running around like it's easy to workout and you are hanging on for dear life trying not to die. Now when I see people working out at the Wellness Center who are about my former size I want to go up to them and say, "Don't give up. I used to look like this (show them a picture) and now I am training for a half marathon. You can do it. Don't stop. Be strong. And ignore those skinny girls working out with their perfect make up. They aren't looking at you like you think they are." However, if current Leigha had come up and said that to fat Leigha, I probably would have smiled, said thanks, and called her a bitch under my breath! LOL! 

I still look in the mirror some days and see the 270lb me. I struggle. There are days that I walk down the hall and see my reflection and see that bigger girl, but then on other days I walk around and catch my reflection and wonder if that is actually me. It is hard to get used to how I look. I will see myself in pictures and wonder if that is really me.

This moment in my life is emotional. For the first time in this weight loss journey I have broken down and cried. I didn't care what I ate and how much I was destroying my body. I didn't care about myself and my future enough to make a change. I couldn't walk let alone jog/run. I couldn't dream about activities that involved me being overly active. I had a complete disregard for me. I cared for and loved everyone and everything else but me. It's okay to be selfish, it's okay to take care of you.

My half marathon is March 24. The last stretch of that race I will play the song Hall of Fame over and over until I cross that finish line. This song is me right now. I am my own champion. I have won my own personal gold. I refuse to let the world and circumstances dictate to me my health and well being. I can do anything and will do anything. Listen to the words. The world may not know my name, but I can promise you there are some people who will and if my journey can inspire them to take that first step in taking back control then I feel I am doing a small part to change the world.

No one really knows the demons someone struggles with personally. Not everyone will be able to relate to my story. Some people will probably be negative and say I shouldn't have done this to myself in the first place, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I believe in myself and the power of one person. I believe if we dig down deep and be kind to each other we can change the world. I believe that whatever you are struggling with it's not over until it's over and you can overcome. Life is too short. Live it and love it. Whatever it is holding you back; weight, alcohol, drugs, debt, etc. take your life back. I took my life back. I will not let food be my crutch for life's circumstances. Instead I will get on the treadmill or go for a run and come back ready to figure out whatever problem I may be facing. I am in control of my actions. 

I want to say a big Thank You! to all of those that have been encouragers through this life change. I was lucky in that I didn't have to do this alone. I have been very open about my weight loss and my friends and family have been there the whole way. Many of them have even joined Weight Watchers. 

I still have a little ways to go and I will reach my lifetime goal before June of this year. Then I will see what is next! I will have spent 2 and a half years focused on getting healthy, I wonder what I will put all my energy into next... :)

Until next time,
Leigha Dene'e 

On the road to a healthy life...

 It wasn't that long ago that I started this weight loss journey. I checked back and I had signed up for Weight Watchers on December 28, 2010. So one year and a few months later I have lost 60.8 lbs. My life has changed drastically when it comes to my activity level and how much I do care about living a healthy lifestyle. I want to be healthy, I want to try new and fun things, I'm not afraid that I can't do something anymore. So let's recap:

December 2010

September 2011 -35 lbs

November 2011 -40 lbs

January 2012 -50 lbs

March 2012 -60 lbs

Thanks to Cheryl for coming up with the idea to document this weight loss with a picture every 10 lbs or I wouldn't really have any good examples!  My goal is to reach my Weight Watchers goal by next April. I have increased how much I exercise each week and if I stay on top of my tracking I should reach this no problem. I have no clue if what I am about to say next is even possible, but once I reach lifetime at Weight Watchers I want to either be in a WW commercial or be in the WW magazine or both ;).  I wonder what the process would be to make this happen? I'll let you know when when I reach lifetime! :)

My newest motivation is this:

 5K's are my new hobby and I want to get better times with each one I do. I often think back to the Weight Watchers 5K that I did last May. It was so hard and all I did was walk it. No running whatsoever. I have come along way and with each 5K I complete, I feel a little bit stronger. I wanted a way to display my bib numbers. They encourage me and remind me of where I have been and where I am going. I found this online for photos and decided it would work nicely. There are fourteen spots to hang bib numbers and I plan to fill it up! It hangs in my closet so each day I am reminded to stay on track. My new thing is doing crazy 5K's. I signed up for the Dirty 30 in May. It is a 5K mud run with 15 obstacles along the way! It sounds like so much fun!!! Then in June I signed up for the Color Run in Tulsa! This one they throw a different color of paint on you at each kilometer! Again, SOOO excited about it! I am sure as the year goes on there will be several more, probably not as outrageous as these two but fun nonetheless. 

I am lucky enough to have a husband that supports me in each of these crazy ideas I get. He  has been to each race and plans to be there for every other one as long as he is town. Some days I get overwhelmed with how thankful and grateful I am for the life I have. I feel like by being healthy and active I can truly live this wonderful life I have been blessed with and appreciate every minute of it.


Until next time,
Leigha

43.8? That's how much less of me there is!

Guess what folks? As of today, I have officially lost 43.8lbs! I am so excited for so many reasons! It has been a long year and I have tried hard to get this weight off. Now, don't get me wrong I still enjoy all the yummy things in life and I am sure if I had given it all up I could lose weight more quickly. However, I am not looking for a quick fix, I am looking for a lifestyle change and I am on my way! I have SEVERAL more pounds to lose and that is not an exaggeration, but my short term goal is to make it an even 50 before the end of the year. HA! Yep,  I want to lose 6.2 more pounds during the "most wonderful time of the year"! I think I can do it and this is my plan. I will stick to my points rigidly except for the major days. This means I can go over on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and two holiday parties. I don't mean eat all I want and not count either, I will portion control. I will also pick back up my regular workouts and maybe try to throw an extra one in there when I can. I can do this and I will. I will quote Thomas the train "I think I can, I think I can...".  I tell you all this in hopes to keep myself accountable. The world (i.e. my handful of readers) knows my plan therefore I have to complete the plan!!!

In other news:

My mom and I took a quick trip to Nashville in October. I just love going places with her! We always have so much fun and see some new things! Plus, even though I am a grown married adult, I like to have mom all to myself sometimes! :) We get to bond and have girl time. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything!

Did you know this was in Nashville?

My favorite lady in the whole world!

Too Cute!

TJ and I went to his high school reunion at the end of October as well! It was so nice to meet so many of his old friends. Everyone was saying how sweet he was in high school and how much they had missed him over the years. It was really neat to get a glimpse into a time when I didn't know him.

TJ and I also had the pleasure of attending our friend's Lindsay and Bill's wedding. It was beautiful at the Thunderbird Chapel. We had fun and danced and visited. The best part though is they played our first dance song from our wedding at one point so we danced of course! I will admit, I got a little misty eyed. I am kinda in love with that guy! ;)

Aside all that other stuff! TJ and I are settling into our new home wonderfully! I love it here! I just painted our master bathroom and I have caught the bug. I now plan on painting our kitchen just as soon as I pick out the color. In my world this means it will be done over the Thanksgiving weekend or before Christmas! :) Once I get and idea in my head I usually don't rest until it's followed through. TJ has the kitchen floor finished and the entry way. We laid laminate wood floors. I love them. They made such a difference. Next up are the bathrooms.

The drive to and from work is not so bad. I am enjoying setting the cruise control and relaxing a bit before I walk into work or into the house. I can't wait for next weekend because I am pulling out all the Christmas decor and it will be so fun decorating OUR home.

Not much else is going on at the moment. Every  Tuesday this month I have spent with girlfriends catching up, which has been a delight! I am not really sure why the plans are always for Tuesday, but for some reason that day just works for people! :)

I'll post pictures of the house once it is decorated for Christmas. I keep finding projects I want to do around the house, so I keep telling myself "after that is done I'll post pics". Turns out if that is the case no one will ever see the house. I need to have a gathering of sorts and invite people over. I just don't know who would be willing to make the long drive out here! LOL!

Well, I hope every one is having a happy November!

Talk to you all soon,
Leigha

We Bought A House!!

Oh my goodness! Where do I even begin! The month of September was a crazy month full of tons of excitement and life changes! I guess I will start from the beginning.

On September 10th Cheryl and  I attempted to run our first 5K race! It was called Heels for Hope and it benefits ovarian cancer research. I must say it was pretty intimidating setting off to actually run the race. I was quite nervous when we started and by the end of it I just wanted to finish! It felt great though. I really enjoyed the race and we are going to do another one this weekend, the Race for the Cure. I wish I could find one 5K a month to run in, in order to keep my running momentum up! My goal is to continue to run/jog 3 times a week. I have kept up maybe twice, but have gotten really busy! The day of the race my mom and TJ came to cheer us on! I will say it makes a huge difference knowing that the people who love you are there to support you!

The day after we ran our race TJ and I made an offer on this cute little blue and white house that sat on 7.5 acres. This house had everything we hoped for. It was on land, it had a large garage that could be converted into a man cave, three bedroom, two baths, you can't hear the train AT ALL, and most importantly a porch!!! After we made the offer we found out that another couple and put in an offer on the house as well, so it was up to the seller. I had to leave for our work retreat that same day and left it all to go float down the river and get some work done! While I was gone we found out they accepted our offer and we had to finalize our loan paperwork, get a home inspection, well and septic inspection, appraisal, and get it all done before the 1st so we could tell our landlord we were moving out! But I am getting ahead of myself.

The weekend after the retreat Kaytie and I went to see Katy Perry in Tulsa! It was soooo fun! I love going to concerts with my sister! We always have a blast! Katy Perry puts on an amazing show and we sang practically the whole concert! I adore my sister even though I know I annoy her and vice versa.  I think the saddest part about moving to the country is that I had to move farther away from her. I found a journal I had written my senior year of high school and I talk about how she was my best friend and a no one could take her place. I am glad somethings never change!

Before the Concert!

So it has become a tradition to eat at this Mexican Restaurant two blocks from the BOK Center when we see concerts!

That tradition also include the yummy tiki man margaritas! 

and this table is where we have set both times!

lol! We bought cotton candy in honor of Katy Perry's obsession with  candy!

It was raining when we left so we made a mad dash for the car!

Silly heels!

The week after Katy Perry, I had to hop on a plane and head to Colorado Springs for four days for work! In case anyone has forgotten we are still attempting to buy a house in all of this! Colorado was great! We had several meetings and went to a really cool dinner where we heard Bob Costas speak. While he was really awesome to listen to, an Olympian from the 1936 Games in Berlin stole the show. He was living history. His name is Adolf Kiefer and he was a simmer for the USA. He talked about how they had to take a boat 5 days to get from the US to Europe. He also met Adolf Hitler! It must have been a scary place to be in Nazi Germany all those years ago. It was crazy to think about the world coming together for the Olympics, an event to unify the world in peace for two weeks, in a place where so many horrible things were happening that the rest of the world had yet to find out about. I could have listened to him all night.

You can't really tell, but this is Olympic Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek!

 So we get back from Colorado and get all the things moving with the house. We finally get a closing date for October 7th. I call our landlord and let them know that October is our last month and start to pack. Mom and I had decided to have a garage sale the weekend before we close and move. I got rid of three truck loads of stuff! Who knew I had so much stuff! I will admit I did sell almost all my house decor. I want our new home to be ours not "Leigha's". Luckily, we made $479 during our two day sale and were able to put that money towards a new couch!

In the middle of all of this I have my first Leadership UCO class. This is a group of UCO employees that are selected from applicants across campus. This group meets once a month and allows employees from a wide variety of areas to learn and develop leadership skills and get to know each other better in order to work better together. Well our first class was the Challenge Course on the Thursday before we close on our house. Pretty much I am stressed to the max and now I am going to climb up a pole and hope a rope holds me in case I fall. Awesome! Well I made it up the pole and to the ropes that you had to walk across while holding another rope above your head. Me + zero upper body strength= a daring rescue by one of the facilitators! I would say I fell off the ropes, more like set down on them when my legs gave out from under me! So here I am swinging from a rope and harness waiting for my rescue! Once I was pulled to the next section of the Challenge Course I proceeded to finish with out incident! I must say this for all those who might be nervous doing this....it is very safe! So if you can just remember that your harness will hold you, it really isn't that scary. Even if you need to be rescued! LOL!

LOL! Hanging out waiting to be rescued!

Woo Hoo! I finished!

After surviving the Challenge Course I head home to finish packing! Turn out I was too tired and ended up finishing packing on Friday! LOL! TJ and I went to closing on Friday and signed our life away. It was such a relief to sign those papers and know the house was really ours. We met the previous owner and closing and he was so nice. He wanted to make sure we would be nice to Morgan, the neighbors dog who likes to sleep on the back porch and be loved on! He even left us some treats for him! After the paperwork was signed we came out to our new home and we were just totally and completely happy. The previous owners left us a list with all the number to call and set up everything so I called the electric (which is a coop...we are really in the country!), the internet, the trash, ADT, and Direct TV. Then we headed to Mathis Brothers where we picked out our new couch and KING SIZE mattress! Needless to say we were worn out by the time we got back to Edmond and still needed to pack a few more things.

Saturday morning came and we loaded up the UHaul with the help of my family and unloaded with the help of both our families! It was a crazy day and my family was impressed I didn't have a nervous break down or yell at anyone! LOL! My wonderful mom helped get my kitchen together before she had to head back to her house which was a miracle! Sunday our bed and coffee table was delivered, but no couch. Currently, we are sitting in camping chairs in the living room. I took Monday off to get everything put away and be here for the cable and internet people since TJ couldn't. While he was gone I managed to get the rest of the house squared away for the most part and start making my list of things to update! :) The bathroom needs paint and we would like to put down new flooring in the bathrooms and kitchen.

To sum up this really long post, living out here is going to be an adventure. It is amazing how happy we are right now. Moving out of that rent house into a home that is ours is the most wonderful feeling. TJ can hunt in his backyard and I can sit on the back porch and read my book. We have our own little piece of the American Dream and I am so thankful and grateful for it. Hey, it even came with a dog! It's perfect for us and this next chapter in our lives.

Home Sweet Home

Our new best friend!

Oh in case anyone was wondering! I have lost 38.2 lbs! I can't wait to get to -40 lbs!!

Talk to you sooner than later!
Leigha