determined fat girl on a mission...
© 2003-05 CNG
 
Turning Point

People ask me after years of being overweight, what made me finally decide to do something. I never experienced the childhood taunts or social trauma that cause some people to take control early on. My turning point happened this year, at age 23.

I went to New Orleans with some friends in February for Mardi Gras. While I admit that I did have a good time, the physical aspect of the trip took it's toll on me. We stayed at the Hyatt, which was a few blocks from St. Charles Street (prime parade route location). The morning of Fat Tuesday (how fitting), we headed out early to get a good position on the parade route.

The walk there left me winded. Once positioned on St. Charles, we then waited about 2 hours for things to start. Although there are small sets of bleachers for ticket holders, the majority of the people stand during the entire event. The sun combined with too much weight being put on my feet, forced me to leave early. I didn't want to ruin anyone else's fun, so I walked back to the hotel by myself. At this point, the sun was out and full force. The walk was painful for me...both mentally and physically.

Once at the hotel, swollen ankles were added to my exhaustion and soreness. At this point, I knew something had to change. I was 23 years old and missing out on some things because of the trauma I was putting my body through. I didn't inform any friends or family of my weight loss plans, because I'd yet to figure out exactly what action to take.

A couple of weeks after Mardi Gras, I had the pictures developed(my before pics on the photo page). I cried that afternoon and the reality of how out of control I was, set in. Two weeks later, I joined Weight Watchers.

I am *not* a shy person, but I was terrified to walk through the doors and get on a scale. My starting weight, (which I will post after I hit a certain milestone and feel more comfortable), was shocking, to say the least. I think most people who join WW find their start weight hard to believe. I knew I was big, but not *that* big. I'm a tall girl (5'10"), but whoever told me that I carried it well, lied like a BIG DOG. *LOL*

I'm writing this at 82 lbs lost in less than 8 months time. Did I ever think I'd be this successful on the program? Absolutely not. A few weeks ago when I was disappointed at some aspect of my journey, my roomie reminded me of how far I've come. She made me remember the struggles I had during Mardi Gras and reminded me of the fact that I've done two 5K walks since then. If you're reading this...thank you, Alana. I needed to hear something great that day and you knew exactly what to say.

Anyway, thanks for reading my turning point. Weight loss is a very personal thing, but I hope sharing different aspects of my adventure will help someone else. If you don't have a website to document your journey, I highly recommend one. Having to update my stats every week holds me accountable, and the feedback I receive in my guestbook is priceless. Total strangers have the power to accentuate your accomplishments, provide a *kick* in the pants when needed, and offer great words of encouragement.

– Courtney, November 8, 2001

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