Monday 3 February 2014

A quite personal post: my weight loss journey so far

13 kilos, just over 2 stone.

Like many women, I have a struggle with my weight. Actually, I should say like 99% of the women in the western world, as no one ever seems to be happy with theirs even when it is pretty perfect. 
I remember feeling fat since my preteens even though I was rather skinny until I turned 20, but with my height ( I am just over 5 ft tall! Tiny!) and my bone structure (proportionally big) I was never happy.
Since my early twenties I started to put weight, not too much and gradually. Then when I hit 28 I started to put a lot of weight very fast. I knew that, I wasn't blind or oblivious to the fact, but I also did not care much. I have never been someone with a strong will power, I knew I needed to loose weight but could not actually make myself do it. I hate exercise and I love my fatty and unhealthy food, and tasty food has always made me happy.

At the end of 2011 I started to feel unwell, getting extremely tired, with excruciating joint pains... and my weight kept piling on. My GP diagnosed me with some mild hormonal issues and sent me on my merry way, but all my health issues kept worsening, so much so that I started to question if I could do my full time job at the time at Sizzix. Finally, in late 2012 I felt had to leave the full time dream job at Sizzix because I personally felt my body was letting me down. It was probably the hardest decision I had to take professionally as I loved working for the European division of Sizzix, from my my boss, to my wonderful colleagues - specially Pete Hughes - to the products... It really was a dream job for me. But I needed to get better and not being a good multitasker, I knew I wanted to concentrate in getting better.

And that was what 2013 was all about. It took me over a year and a half to get my GP to refer me to the specialist, an endocrinologist. But I am so glad I persisted on my quest because a couple of visits and tests after, the endocrinologist had diagnosed me with some strong deficiencies and further mild hormonal imbalances that have no serious consequences but that can be monitored and helped a bit. The main way to help them is to loose weight.

At the end of September 2012, the specialist gave a simple system to diet, exercise rules (minimum 2 hrs of cardio a week), and periodic check ups in which my weight and blood levels would be checked.

The weight started to come off. And today I have reached my initial weight loss goal which looked so far away and impossible to reach when I started this journey.

13 kilos, just over 2 stone.

Later I am going to post about the five reasons why I think I have succeeded in reaching my weight loss target.

My friends and family think I should be very proud of myself, and in a way, I am. But it has been very hard, and still is, and it will be always hard to make those healthy choices I will have to make everyday.


13 kilos, just over 2 stone.



Ps. I am still part of the Sizzix team on a freelance basis, I love the company and people so very much and they have been awesome to me. And I am happy to say that there are more projects with them in the pipeline! I just couldn't do it full time and they were very understanding and supporting.

5 comments:

Lou said...

I would never have thought that you needed to lose weight, but I'm very glad to hear that you're feeling better for losing some. I'm truly sorry to hear about you having to part with Sizzix- I always found your projects inspirational.
Well done & all the very best for whatever you decide to work on next.

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

What an inspiring read, huge huge congratulations. Your hard work has paid off, so thrilled for you. Hope your health improves too and that you can maybe pursue your love with Sizxix part time. Very best wishes and hope you have a wonderful 2014. Tracy x

Mariangeles M said...

You go, girl!
Sé que es muy difícil pero tú puedes hacerlo :)

Unknown said...

Well done Paula, it's very difficult losing weight with other health issues.
I lost 11 lbs & then another 10 lbs in 9 days after struggling for years, why? When hungry our body holds on to its valuable energy source which is fat and a build up of toxins hinder absorption of nutrients. Toxins will contribute to being overweight. This video explains how to naturally remove these poisons before the body can benefit from a healthy regime: http://goo.gl/6Aj2Wz

Scrapmate said...

Wow Paula you have done well. I have recently discovered that I also have hormonal issues which has meant that my attempts to lose some weight have failed. This year will be the one I sort myself out and your post has inspired me. Thanks! It's good that Sizzix are such an understanding company to work for.

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