Sunday 26 January 2014

Moments that mattered in 2013

Away with the Fairies has a fantastic prize up for grabs: http://www.awaywiththefairiesblog.com/2014/01/competition-win-ipad-mini-moments-that.html

And I love the concept of the competition. It is moments that mattered in 2013. Too often life just takes over and it is easy to dwell on the negatives rather than on the good things that happen in our lives. Even if I do not win this competition it gave me food for thought.

Since 2009 things have been hard for my husband and I. Our son was thrown out of so many different nurseries and finally, his school, for violent behaviour. He is intelligent, sociable and loving. However, he acted out and we became bogged down with all the negatives. Finally, in 2012 we were offered support and help from a team around the family who saw our struggles. Our son was given a statement of educational needs in April 2013. Before all of this there was a lot of finger pointing at our parenting and we were left scrambling for answers. With the statement we finally got some acknowledgement that our son needed help.

Still, we were left feeling bad. Was it something we did? Was it our parenting? We love our son to bits. Maybe we spoil him too much? And we could only see the bad points in our son's behaviour. That is until last October. He was assessed by a panel of specialists and we found out our son is autistic. How can he be autistic? Autistic children do not laugh, tell jokes, are very warm and loving and he is a chatterbox with a vocabulary years above his age. Plus, he is in a class with older children (he is only 5) and is able to keep up with them!

I started to appreciate the quirks that comes along with my son's condition. He is honest to a fault. He tells me EVERYTHING. Even when he is wrong he admits it. He also has a fantastic eye for details that I miss. He also takes no rubbish off of anyone. He enjoys being with people. Just before his 5th birthday he asked my friend's daughter to be his "girlfriend" and to this day he is devoted to her. He has asked me to help him buy her flowers, he makes cards for her and buys gifts. He also opens up doors for anything female! Now knowing about his condition I am able to understand things more and how he sees things. I am grateful for the help our family got from the professionals who listened to us and assisted in getting him diagnosed. And I now appreciate my son's difference without just looking at the negative side of his behaviour. And I would not change anything about him.

For me, the biggest moments that mattered was learning to appreciate my son just as he is.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Just another day

All went well yesterday. I dutifully took my Slim and Save stuff with me into work and followed it. By the evening I felt like my stomach was going to explode from the acid. I ate an extra 2 packs from the Slim and Save and it still did not help. I am ashamed to admit that I ate 12 Scottish oat cakes. Ah well...

Anyway, today is a new day and I am not feeling hungry...yet. But, I think it will take a few days for my body to adjust and hopefully I will shift this weight once and for all. 

Sunday 12 January 2014

Weight loss journey - part 3

The more weight I lost the more controlling and nasty my ex became towards me. He stopped complimenting me. I changed my wardrobe and started to wear clothes I always dreamed about such as flowing gothic dresses. I changed my hair and experimented with different colours. I also got my nose pierced and eventually, my lip pierced. I was always a rock chic, but with the weight gain I was unable to wear the things I wanted.

It was thrilling to go be able to wear a shirt that said large instead of 2xx and to shop in regular places. I was not slim, but was acceptable. I still could not wear mini skirts or anything like that, but I was able to wear corsets and look good. I began going out to the rock clubs and made many friends who are still friends to this day. Yet, somewhere in the back of my mind I always saw myself as the unacceptable fat girl. As soon as it was known my relationship was over I had male attention. Because my self-esteem was so poor I also went to counselling to work on myself. I knew my issues were more than just my weight, but how I saw myself. With intense counselling I began to see myself in a different light. People used to compliment me, but I shunned from the compliments due to my self-esteem. With time, I began to accept myself and not look in the mirror with hate and loathing.

When I met my husband he told me later into the relationship he used to see me out in the clubs and liked what he saw, but he was with someone else at the time. He pursued me. He was exactly the type of man I wanted; gothic, into the same music and enjoyed going out. I also took up photography and got to meet some famous and not so famous musicians. I had a few come on to me, but I treated them with professionalism. One well known musician emailed me and apologized for his behaviour. And then told me he was married!

When my husband met me he was shocked to find my fridge and freezer was turned off. And there was very little food in the house. I worked hard on losing my weight and half lived off the Cambridge Diet packs and closely watched what I ate. Plus, I had a very active life between working, going to counseling, doing kung fu 2x a week, going out with friends on the weekends and photographing bands for a rock magazine as well as some rock clubs.

I had been infertile and did not expect to have children. I was also against marriage. Been there, done that. And it did not work. I made it clear to my now husband that I would maybe get married after a 20 year engagement. He went out and got me an engagement ring. I also told him that if he wanted children it would not be with me as I was told I could not have children. He is 7 years younger and I was 38 and he was 31.

A year into our relationship I broke my foot and was unable to do anything for a few months. I was not able to do my martial arts training and right after my cast came off I found out I was pregnant. My thyroid disease also went out of control and I was put under the care of a consultant. And the weight piled on until my disease was under control. I did not care. I was having the baby I always wanted. I would worry about the weight later.

My son was born and we were in hospital for a week as he had jaundice. He was back in at 3 weeks old for an upper respiratory infection. And then a lot of upsetting things happened in our lives. My son kept getting thrown out of different nurseries and he was recently diagnosed with autism. Life has been a roller coaster for the past 5 years. I feel like I have been living under a dark cloud that is just starting to go away. My son is now settled in a special needs school.

I used to get my nails done and had regular facials as well as pedicures. My beautiful gothic clothes remain in my closet. Each time I see them I give a sigh. I have not felt the inclination to lose the weight until recently. I had a few false starts and would lose around 15 pounds, but then gained it back. I have been sedentary for a long time. And I have let myself go. But, there is one major change. I am now as fat as I was at my heaviest. My husband would prefer me to be what I used to weigh, but he has been clear he loves me just as much now as he ever did. My weight has made no difference to how he feels towards me.

But, I have changed. I do not give a damn what anyone thinks. I do not see myself as the fat girl out anymore. And I am comfortable in my skin. I also do not hide myself. I even joke about my weight and tell my husband he has his Star Wars dream...not Princess Leia, but Jabba the Hutt.

And now I am ready to lose weight not to sort out my feelings of worthlessness, but because I want to have the energy to keep up with my 5 year old. And my clothes deserve to be worn. I refuse to get a new wardrobe. I am also getting older and know with the risk of heart problems and joint issues I need to drop the weight. And I truly do not care what others think of my weight. No matter my size I am the same person.

I am starting on Slim and Save. I know how to eat right due to my years of Slimming World. I am a lifelong vegetarian, but my portions is the main issue along with a sedentary lifestyle. Tonight I am having a final meal, which is a take away. I will be documenting my journey as a way to keep me motivated. I do not know who will read this, but it will serve as a reminder to me to keep going. So, here is to the new year and the determination to wear my lovely clothes again.

Weight loss journey part 2

I met another lost soul and we clicked. She told me she was moving to a military base and said it was a great place to live. I was not happy in the small town I was living and my choice of university. I went with her on a visit and decided to move with her there. Although I was now average size, I still felt like I was a fat girl. I had trouble handling any male attention and pushed the men away. My friend got a job as an exotic dancer and I was looking for work, but there were hardly any jobs except working in a strip joint. The money was good and easy to come by, as well. So, I got a job where she worked.

I remember the first time I went on the stage. I had danced in my living room and I knew how to shake my booty, but this was something entirely different. I slowly went on the stage and felt all these masculine eyes on me. And then I heard the music. One thing that can get me going is some damn good rock music and they were playing something I can handle. I closed my eyes and danced, but was mindful that my body must look awful. When I left the stage some of the men were trying to talk to me, but I shunned them. I did what I was paid to do.

I decided not to go topless as I had issues with being busty. To me, my breasts were horrible like the rest of my body. Even though I lost a lot of weight I still had issues with my looks. I saw myself as ugly and no matter how much weight I lost, I was still the fat girl out in my mind. I overcame my shyness and danced in several other strip joints. Eventually, I joined a dance troupe who traveled around the state giving shows and did some bachelor parties. Yet, I was never fully comfortable in my own skin. On the outside I was this confident stripper, but on the inside I was the ugly fat girl.

I gave up stripping and decided to go back to school and enrolled in the local community college. And eventually I moved to another state. I still kept the weight off, but not in a healthy way. One thing I did take up was jogging and got up every morning to jog 3 miles, but the weight never came off. I got toned up, but still saw myself as fat. I look back on the pictures now and cannot believe I thought I was fat. I was average size - about a size 10/12! I was not skinny like some of the other women, but I have a very small waist, large breasts and hips. And I was able to find clothes that were not in the "plus size" range.

I got involved in a bad relationship and thought, 'What is the point?' And stopped jogging and ate whatever I wanted. All discipline went out the window and the weight piled back on. After keeping it off for 5 years I was not only back to where I started, but gained another 70 pounds on top of my original weight. I stopped concentrating on my weight and decided to return to university full time and get the degree I always wanted.

I went through another university as a mature student although I was only in my mid-20's. I did not worry about my weight although I was aware of it. I did not care about getting into another relationship, but wanted to ensure I got my education. And I made friends. I also traveled to other countries with a fellow student. I met a man from Sweden and he would fly me back and forth to visit. He also had issues with his weight and like me, went up and down the scale. But, I will never forget the day he told me I need to lose 50 pounds and bragged how beautiful and slim his ex-girlfriend was. Never mind the fact she cheated on him and put him into massive debt. And totally screwed him over. All that mattered to him was that she is slim. I was so incensed that I grabbed his belly, which jiggled, and said when he shows me how easy it is to lose weight I will follow suit. We broke up after that.

I finished university and met another man from Scandinavia and moved to Norway to be with him. We did not have a car and I biked everywhere. I still did not lose weight. I joined a program called Grete Roede that was old fashioned calorie counting. I did not lose weight and they had to keep reducing my calorie intake. I found that if I went over 1350 calories I gained weight even though I worked 3 jobs and biked everywhere. I felt better, but was still having trouble with my weight. My ex never cared about my weight, though. I was fat when he met me.

We moved to the UK and I embarked on losing weight and getting fit. I joined a gym and got a personal trainer. I also started Tai Chi and did water aerobics as well as working with the trainer. I got fitter and started to lose some weight, but not enough. While the scales said I lost a little bit of weight, my clothes showed I dropped two dress sizes. And I felt good. Until one day I was walking with a friend and some men yelled out, 'FATSO!' from a car. I was humiliated. It did not matter I worked out on a daily basis and probably did more exercise than they did and did not even own a car, but biked everywhere. I was still the fat girl out.

I moved again to another part of the UK and started working. I hid under over sized jumpers and dressed in typical, unstylish fat clothes. I decided to do something about it. I continued working out at the gym and hired another personal trainer. Although I was still a size 20, I knew my stuff. Eventually, I was asked by the people who worked there to help them out with some newbies and show them how to work the equipment. And I garnered a lot of respect. I was the fat girl who worked out 6 hours a week.

I joined Slimming World and slowly lost more weight. I also began training in Wing Chun Kung Fu. I found it hard as I followed the plan, but lost weight slower than the others in my group. I was told it was most likely due to my thyroid disease and others who had the same problem had to work harder and longer to lose the weight. After two years and now down to a size 16, I stopped Slimming World. I wanted to get rid of the rest of the weight and did the Cambridge Diet. The weight dropped off of me and within months I was feeling better. I kept my martial arts training up in earnest even when my relationship broke up

End of part 2

Weight loss...how it all began....

I have read other people's blogs and did not really think to start my own until recently. This is partially as a weight loss diary combined with my other interests.

I've always had a weight problem. As a child until my teens I had trouble gaining weight and ate like a horse, but stayed slim. In my teens I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, which is a thyroid disease. And then I started to gain weight. By the time I was 17 years old I weighed 200 pounds. My mother always told me to accept myself as I am and not worry what others thought. But, I was not happy. My large appetite remained, but my body now showed the effects of it.

Clothes were hard to find and I found myself hiding underneath outfits that did not really fit who I was. Most of the clothes back in those days (1980's) were designed for much older women and there was certainly nothing gothic available in my size.

I never lacked male company, though. I am lucky to have large breasts, a medium frame and no matter how much weight I gain it never shows in my face. No matter what, my self-esteem was in the pits. I saw myself as less worthy than other women who were slim. They were able to find nice things to wear and if a man showed any attention my only thought is they were out for an easy shag. I shunned a lot of the men who did come onto me and the more attractive they were, the more I pushed them away. Why would any man want to be with a fat woman? I did not accept myself as I was despite my mother saying I should.

I was spurred to go on a drastic diet after I was completely humiliated. I started university and went on spring break with some fellow students to Florida. I was sharing a room with 3 other girls I never met before, but was looking forward to a big adventure. The Beastie Boys were playing at the hotel next door and MTV was there. It should have been a blast. At 18 years old I should be having fun and not worrying about what I weighed.

The girls I shared the room with decided to shun me and my time was very lonely. Another student who was in a room next door befriended me and he paid a lot of attention. Of course I latched onto his attentions and after we had sex he changed. He accused me of taking his virginity and said he was soooo confused that he needed time to himself. I was very hurt and felt I did something wrong. In hindsight he saw me as easy pickings and did not want his mates to know he was with a fat girl.

The day after there was a party and my roommates were talking about it. It was an open invitation to everyone and I was very keen on going. I was sick of walking around in the shops by myself and having no one to talk to. It was supposed to be fun, but it felt like I wasted my time and money. I joined in on the conversation and said it should be a fun party. As soon as I opened my mouth the girls became quiet and looked at one another. I asked what was wrong and was told that I am the only one who was not allowed to come to the party because the hosts said they did not want any fat girls there. I was hurt and humiliated. I stopped talking to my roommates after this.

Later that evening I heard the party going and it was obvious everyone was having a blast. I decided to take a walk and go to one of the many nightclubs in the area. I started talking to two men who were on leave from the Navy. They treated me like a human being and neither of them were trying to do anything sexual towards me. I think they knew I was feeling down and lonely. We met up a few times until they had to leave, but I was grateful for their company. It is not nice being the fat girl out.

I made a vow that when I returned home I would make a drastic change. Within hours of my return I cleared all the food out of my kitchen. I began to live on cups of tea and limited myself to one yoghurt and a can of tomato soup per day. I also began to exercise by dancing in my living room. Soon, the weight began to drop off.

End of part 1