Who I Was (Pics)
So….I was an active kid….blah blah blah….fast forward to those awful teen years. I was always active played sports, swimming, I was even a lifeguard for years but I just never knew where I fit in so food became my friend…the one I could turn to when things were not going great for me.
At 18 I left home and headed for Florida and Navy Boot Camp and who knew that would be where my weight problem would really begin. I was a little heavy when I started boot camp but lost those few extra pounds during those super fun 9 weeks of training, and I went home feeling pretty good about my accomplishment not only with my weight but the fact that I was now a U.S. Sailor. Then off to school I went. I was in a very technical field so I had to go to school for a very long time as far as military standards go, 15 months of school just to have a job in the Navy. I went to school from midnight till 6 am Sun-Thurs for about 12 months. Not good!!! Ate like crap, no exercise, why too much of everything and I really started to pack on the pounds. You do have to maintain standards in the Navy but I was always borderline of being out.
Then off to Japan, then Diego Garcia, then Cuba, then Florida and the list goes on and on…..
I was a Sailor…so lots of ports and food and of course drinking…lots of drinking!! My weight was crazy through the years…I would pack it on….then peel it off….on and off for years. I would train for an event like a marathon or a Ball or whatever…just to turn around and put all the weight back on and then some….constant battle.
Then there was the sea duty….in and out of port working crazy hours, standing watch, 6 month deployments…..bad bad food…more ports….not too much exercise and I was getting older so it started to get harder to get control. On deployment in 2003-2004 I misplaced about 55 pounds, I say misplaced because as soon as I got back….I found them!! Then on deployment 2005….I gained and gained and gained some more. Small ships don’t really offer too much as far as a place to workout and I was working 18-20 hours a day for months….I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was tired, stressed, unhealthy and very unhappy with where my life was….so something had to give. I was great at my job….I was told by everyone I worked for that I was the best First Class (my military rank) they ever had…but because I my weight I would never go any higher in the service. I got sick of being judged only on the size of my butt so after 16 years of service….I left.
Leaving the Navy was the best thing I could do for my mental and physical health. Today I work for a large government contractor so I still get to be around the Navy that I know and love…but it is so much better for me. I am evaluated only on my ability to do my job….finally.
So now enter Weight Watchers. I was free of the Navy and I had control of my life for the first time in 16 years…it’s a little much to take in a first…but it was just what I needed. So the first thing I had to do is take control of what I was doing to my body and my health. I hadn’t stepped on a scale in a long time but that first night I went into my meeting in my size 24 jeans feeling like crap and I saw 270.4…I knew it was time for a change…and change is what I have done. Today March 6, 2008 I have lost 53 pounds but I have gained the knowledge to know what to feed my body and how it should be treated. I have found the energy and motivation to run and get my heart back in shape and I have found peace with the things in my life that have made me who I am right now. I won’t look back anymore…there is nothing I can do to fix the past but I am taking steps right now to make my future better.
This is Me and My loving and very supportive Husband in our Uniforms (Nov. 2004) Approx: 220 pounds
Christmas same year:
My sisters wedding 15 Sep 07. One week before I started WW 270.4 pounds the most I have ever weighed.
I don’t have any current photos right now, and I will try and find some better copies of these…stop back soon for updates!
Thanks,
Rhonda