Weight Loss

I've always been a chubby kid. Not fat, just chubby. I was a very picky eater when I was younger so my dinners were usually chicken nuggets, mashed potato, peas and corn. By the time I was 13 I knew I was a little bigger than most of my friends. My mum would often pressure me to eat an apple instead of a packet of chips and I slowly became more rebellious when it came to food. I would sneak food and binge eat and my disordered relationship with food gradually developed.

I have tried every diet possible. I have done very unhealthy things to try and lose weight. I succeeded at times with a rapid weight loss, only to put it all back on when I started eating 'normally' again. My weight was something that defined me and I could still tell you what weight I was at most of my birthdays or significant events.

A couple of years ago, I started to branch out with the food I ate. I started to try more vegetables and refused to continue to damage my body with some of the unhealthy practices I was doing. I would say my diet has been fairly healthy for the past 2-3 years, however the weight really didn't budge at all.

At the start of 2010, I was at my heaviest weight - 80kg (176 pounds). I had been reading healthy living blogs for a couple of months and was inspired to start running. Other than a few months here and there at a gym, I hadn't done any exercise since quitting hockey a few years back. I started to feel good because of the running and the weight very slowly started to come off.

I thought I was eating really healthy and I had definitely increased my exercise levels so I was confused about why my weight loss was so gradual. I started keeping a food journal and after a few weeks I realised that although everything was healthy, I was just eating too much and I was eating out of habit rather than because I was hungry. I reduced the portion sizes and was never hungry - a good sign I was eating more than I needed.

The focus of my new lifestyle was around the running and gradually increasing distance and duration. The weight loss ended up being a bonus!

As of January 1st 2011, I weighed in at 65kg (143 pounds). I'm so proud of the weight loss so far and 65kg was actually my initial goal weight, however my body doesn't look the way I thought it would at 65kg so it's continuing as a work in progress. I remain focused on running and fitness and know that this will help me to achieve my best and healthiest body.