Feeling hopeless about her weight, Leah confided in a close friend. The friend gave Leah advice that motivated her to take control of her lifelong battle with weight.
Rock Bottom
After years of yo-yo dieting, I topped out at 225 lbs. I hated going anywhere, having pictures taken, attending family functions and shopping for clothing. I was disgusted with myself for letting my weight get so out of control. The worst part was that I was in physical pain every day from the additional weight. My knees ached every night, and I was out of breath climbing stairs.
Still, that was not enough to wake me from my denial. One day, while traveling with my husband, I boarded a plane for a long flight. I wrestled to get into the seat and continued to struggle to just get my seatbelt around me. The woman sitting next to me casually said, "Well, this is going to be a long flight for you now, isn't it?" I was shocked and horrified. It felt like someone threw cold water on my face. That was the moment I decide to lose weight.
A good friend of mine recently lost weight and looked fabulous. Slowly I worked the courage up to ask her how she did it. She said she joined Weight Watchers meetings and started following the POINTS® Weight-Loss System. I tried Weight Watchers before, but never stayed for the meetings. When she told me the meetings were crucial to her success, I decided to give Weight Watchers another try. Here I am, 18 months later; I've only missed three meetings and I've lost 83 lbs.*
I can do this.
The plan seemed easy and straightforward at the start, but I had a tough time getting my fruits and vegetables in and drinking my water. I relied on the meetings and my Leader for suggestions. They helped me discover great tips—like using ranch dressing to disguise my vegetables—until I could develop a taste for them. Believe it or not, I never tried a lot of fruits and vegetables before joining Weight Watchers. Now I love them.
Drinking enough water was a habit I needed to focus on. I carried it with me everywhere, until it just became a part of my day. These days, I don't keep track of how much I drink, but it's a lot!
Activity Addiction
At the time that I started Weight Watchers I was completely inactive. I would have told anyone that I hated exercise. By the third week on plan I thought that adding exercise would enhance my weight loss. I didn't know where to begin. I had another good friend who had just started Weight Watchers. We teamed up and decided to walk together for 40 minutes, three days a week.
In the beginning there were days when she literally had to drag me out of bed. It was painful for me to even climb the steps that led up to that track we circled. Soon we gained stamina and speed. As time passed, I decided that I should try new activities. I enjoy biking, hiking, Pilates and weight training.
Now I love exercise. The days when I have the time to fit it in I feel better and sincerely think I look better. I have a theory that my clothes even fit better on the days I work out.
Life is certainly different for me now. I exercise without knee pain. I love going to family functions and enjoy shopping for clothes. I truly feel like Weight Watchers gave me my life back. I will always be grateful—and will always attend meetings!
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