About me
I am a Emma and I am 26 years old. I am a married stay at home mum (SAHM) to two girls aged 7 and 2. We live in a small village in Yorkshire with our kitten River.
I have ever since I could remember been teased for being 'fat'. I was even nicknamed Beefcake after the South Park character Cartman by a bunch of kids at school. Nice huh? Looking back at pictures I wasn't skinny but I was by no means 'fat' or at least the fattest I would become.
I remember leaving Secondary School in 2004 at 16 and during the summer between finishing school and starting college I joined Weight Watchers for the very first time, Both my mum and older sister were members. My elder sister is still a gold member and has been for years now! I remember weighing over 16 stone but the exact number is hazy. I think I lost between 7-10lbs but once I started college I could no longer make the class and stopped going, Inevitably the weight crept back on and a lot more.
Jump forward to January 2008, I had just had my eldest daughter at the end of October and waited to get the Christmas festivities out the way before deciding I needed shift the baby weight as a kind of New Years resolution. I was depressed and deeply unhappy with a lot of things in my life. I ended up diagnosed with Post Natal Depression and gave weight watchers up, yet again as I felt like I needed to get my mental health in order before working on my weight issues.
I got married in May 2009 and at this point me and Gary decided we wanted to try for a second baby. I came off the birth control pills and by November 2008 my period still hadn't shown up. After a load of tests I was diagnoised with Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in March 2010. A lot of things made sense about my body with that diagnosis and I was told in no uncertain terms the cysts on my ovaries were blocking one side and the other side wasn't much better and no to expect lightening to strike twice.
I was told if I lost weight, things might improve and if I lost enough weight I would be given clomid to try and help me Ovulate and get pregnant. On the 10th of March 2010 I joined Weight Watchers again for a 3rd time. This time I weighed 19st4lbs and I stuck it out and got to my lowest weight of my adult life (at the time) of 16st and then I find out I was pregnant after my third round of clomid.
Baby number 2 was born February 2012 and I joined the gym 6 weeks after she was born. I went to the gym a few times a week but didn't really change my diet. You can't out exercise a bad diet no matter how hard you hit the gym - fact. In July '12 my Husband got a new job that required us to move 50 miles from our friends and families and away from everything we knew.
As the summer holidays came to an end I had to take my head out thr sand and acknowledge our eldest was about to start full time school. The thought filled me with dread. A new school, A new town where I knew noone. I wasn't scared for how my daughter was going to adjust as I knew she'd do fine. I was scared for ME. I was scared my eldest would get teased and bullied for how I looked. I am just under 5ft tall I weighed 19st10lbs. I was creeping up to the 20st bracket and I didn't want that. It felt like I had an epiphany. I had always said by the time our eldest started school I wouldn't be the fattest mum in the school yard picking up their child and I was. Something in my head clicked and I knew what I needed to do.
I looked up my nearest weight watchers class and found there was one across the road from my daughters school - Perfect. I had to take her to school every weekday so I had no exuse not to go to weigh in. On Wednesday September 5th 2012 I joined weight watchers for the very last time. I was in the right place mentally and I knew this was MY time to change. I wasn't doing it because of people calling me names, I wasn't doing it because the doctor recommended I do something about my weight.. I was doing it because I wanted to change my lifestyle and to me, I do believe that has been one of the key factors in doing so well.
As the summer holidays came to an end I had to take my head out thr sand and acknowledge our eldest was about to start full time school. The thought filled me with dread. A new school, A new town where I knew noone. I wasn't scared for how my daughter was going to adjust as I knew she'd do fine. I was scared for ME. I was scared my eldest would get teased and bullied for how I looked. I am just under 5ft tall I weighed 19st10lbs. I was creeping up to the 20st bracket and I didn't want that. It felt like I had an epiphany. I had always said by the time our eldest started school I wouldn't be the fattest mum in the school yard picking up their child and I was. Something in my head clicked and I knew what I needed to do.
I looked up my nearest weight watchers class and found there was one across the road from my daughters school - Perfect. I had to take her to school every weekday so I had no exuse not to go to weigh in. On Wednesday September 5th 2012 I joined weight watchers for the very last time. I was in the right place mentally and I knew this was MY time to change. I wasn't doing it because of people calling me names, I wasn't doing it because the doctor recommended I do something about my weight.. I was doing it because I wanted to change my lifestyle and to me, I do believe that has been one of the key factors in doing so well.
My journey hasn't been plain sailing and there has been times where I could have thrown in the towel but I think back and remember the person I was and I don't wan't to go back to that - ever. The person I was is now just a memory I never want to go back to. Struggling to fit into a pair of size 28 jeans, Struggling to get up off the floor after changing the little ones nappy, having the backs of my legs hurt as I walked short distances and forget ever being able to run around after my kiddies . I was 24 years old and felt like an 80yr old woman.
As I type this I have lost to date 102lbs and I still have about 40lbs to go till I get to my goal weight. Here is my most recent before and during picture...
I started this blog as a way to show other people it is entirely possible to do this program on a budget and that you and your family can all eat the same foods. I want other people to know that just because budget is an issue or you want to save a few ££ as well as lbs doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your health and what you put into your body After all, Weight Watchers is about doing it your way and this is my way.
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