“The kids used to say ‘Look out, Pudge is having a big mac attack, get out of her way.” Andrea Green can still recall the cruel taunts from her childhood. Considered almost morbidly obese from a young age. Andrea grew to be an adult who lived in her body, but didn’t live for it. Then, a scary health diagnosis for her husband and an inspiring chance encounter at a wedding convinced her to change her lifestyle.
Now, 136 pounds lighter, Andrea is doing things she never thought possible, like completing a short course triathlon.
I lost 10 pounds the wrong way by under eating and over exercising, which damaged my metabolism.
Over the years, Andrea tried to lose weight on her own, but she pursued the quick fix instead of the long haul approach. By the time she married her husband, she’d gained another 90 pounds. “I used being busy as an excuse to eat takeout and convenience food,” she admitted. “I used to work two full-time jobs. I never packed meals so I ate out twice a day. Then when I got married, we ate a lot of pre-packaged foods.”
Before when I saw people succeed at this kind of weight loss, I thought they were somehow super human, had personal chefs or didn’t work.
When Andrea’s husband was diagnosed with diabetes, she realized that both their diets needed a huge overhaul. To lose weight, she considered gastric bypass surgery, but then she remembered the friend she had seen recently at a wedding. He was also busy with work and famil, but still managed to lose 100 pounds just by changing his lifestyle.
Before having the surgery, Andrea decided to give herself five months to see progress on her own. In that time she lost 60 pounds!
This is how she did it:
- Joined the Shrinking Friends Facebook page for support.
- She bought a treadmill so she could exercise even in the winter. No excuses.
- Started a food journal to track every scrap of food she ate.
- Gave up all takeout and prepackaged foods.
- Realized through food tracking that she was over feeding but under nourishing her body.
- Started walking and running in intervals until she built up her endurance and stamina.
There are times when Andrea struggles with the frustration of hitting a plateau or the temptation to eat something she shouldn’t, but she knows she’s stronger (mentally and physically) than she’s ever been.
Among her accomplishments: Completing a short course triathlon, running a half marathon distance (with hills), going on a 90 mile bike ride and buying clothes in a smaller size than she wore in high school.
Andrea’s advice for others struggling to lose weight:
- Make one good choice at a time.
- Don’t let life get in the way of your goals.
- Do not reward yourself with food. You are not a dog.
- Take up a new sport, join a Facebook Fan page. Whatever it takes to help you make that one good choice.
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