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Shelburne, Ontario, Canada
Member Since September 2005
My Story
My story is probably typical. A vertically challenged person (61 inches tall) I was always slim in my teens, 20's and early 30's, weighing somewhere between 108 and 112 lbs. If I did add a pound or two, they were easily dealt with using a popular zero carb diet. In my mid to late 30's that began to change, and the low carb diet didn't work any longer. My weight crept up gradually until the triple whammy, retirement, menopause and the illness and death of my husband. I was out of control. I registered at my local Curves at almost 149 lbs. Immediately I lost about 15 lbs and felt wonderful. Life, however, intervened with more nasty surprises and while I kept my membership active, I didn't really use it for about 1 1/2 years. I not only gained back the weight I had lost, I added another 10 lbs for good measure. As my 60th birthday was less than a year away, I decided I had to get back to Curves as the scale was now hovering around 160 lbs.
The road back started in September 08. I was so disgusted with myself, that I wouldn't have a weigh/measure until I had at least gotten back to the weight when I first joined Curves. I set myself a weight goal, 115 lbs, and a target date, my 60th birthday, broke the targets down into chunks that looked closer and more achievable, and kept a daily diary (which is now almost 350 pages long!) With regular exercise, changes in my diet and eating patterns, and support and encouragement from my Curves partners, I achieved my weight loss goal on April 22 2009, 3 months before my birthday!
I have now moved the target a little, to give myself a some "wiggle room" and, with another 1 1/2 lbs to go, will soon be 110 lbs. I am doing the advanced workout and I can't believe the change in my fitness level-a wonderful side benefit to weight loss which I admit was my primary aim. Now I can run up the stairs-before I felt as if I were carrying a 40 lb bowling ball!
The only negative thing...I have had to shop a lot as the size of jeans I wore shifted rapidly from a size 16, to a 14, to a 12, skipped right to a 6 and now is a size 4. The local thrift shop has been doing very well as I donated the oversized clothes after only a few weeks use. Sadly, the bra sizes have shrunken too, but I compensated by buying really sexy underwear! These are problems I can live with!
Weight loss and fitness are goals anyone can achieve-if I can do it pushing age 60, anyone can. What was important was having a mind that was made up, experimenting a little to find out what foods I had to avoid at all costs (for me it is pasta-I can't resist the stuff!) having a reasonable plan, keeping track in my diary of everything I ate and drank (patting myself on the back when I achieved a milestone and beating myself up when I slipped) and the help and encouragement of my Curves club.
The day I achieved my initial weight loss goal, I was so excited I purchased a bottle of champagne and some plastic glasses and took it in to my Curves club. The people who were there at the time joined me in a sip of wine and a celebration of the possible. That is one of the most pleasant aspects of belonging to my local Curves-we all cheer each other's successes and that makes what may seem like an impossible goal, much more attainable.
Thank you Curves!
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