My Weight Loss Journey

By Prudence Lay –

Picture this if you can.  It is the year 2000 and we have just begun a new century.  In that particular year, I was going to be turning 41 years old.  As I began to take a look at my life, I realized that I was entering uncharted territory as a woman .  I was not a “young girl” anymore who could “get away” with a few extra pounds on my body because that body was young and firm!  Oh, no – this body was beginning to sag and move in places it never had before.

I made a decision to loose the 35 pounds that I had slowly gained since 1981 and the birth of my first child, and my second child in 1987, where I held on to a few more.  Granted, it had been 19 years, but that translates to about a pound and a half a year of extra fat.  I did some research and joined Weight Watchers online in July of that year.  Over the next  7 months, I walked 2 miles almost  every day.  I counted my “points” and Glory Hallelujah, I lost the weight. I felt and looked amazing!  I loved wearing my clothes and I had loads of energy. I would walk past a mirror and think “Wow, Prudence, you are looking good.”

Well, as I am sure you have guessed, my story doesn’t end there.  In early 2001 my beloved Mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  In January 2002, my husband of 16 years announced he was filing for divorce.  In April of that year, I found myself single again and having to leave the home and acreage I loved and move to a new home on my own.  In July 2003, I remarried.   In March of 2004, my Mom passed away.  In 2005, my new husband and I moved to a new town to begin a new life in our dream home. In 2006, I had a complete hysterectomy.  In 2007 my husband lost his very well-paying corporate job and was unemployed for 3 years.  Due to this fact, in January 2009, we lost our dream home to foreclosure.  In September of 2009, my beloved brother passed away from skin cancer.

I tell you all of this, not for sympathy, but because this is LIFE.  It is not always easy, pretty or what we are hoping and praying for.  It has been a roller coaster ride of happiness and heartbreak for the past 10 years.  Like me, many of you probably reach for a snack when you are unhappy or stressed.  I reached for a lot of snacks during that time period.   It is interesting that I really didn’t change my meals very much, I just didn’t pay attention to how often and how MUCH I was eating.

When I first stopped doing the WW program, I managed to maintain my goal weight of 130 pounds weight until 2004 when I lost my Mom.  That event really hit me hard and I began to get sloppy with my eating habits.  It just didn’t seem very important to me any more.

I knew, fairly soon of course, that 130 was a thing of the past. At 5’ 6” this was a healthy weight for me.  As the years went by I avoided the scale at all costs. When I would buy new clothes in a larger size, I tried not to think about all that work I had done to lose all that weight.  Ignorance was not bliss in this particular case.

Now fast forward to January 2011.  This year I will turn 52, and I realize that I need to pay more attention to my health.  I stepped on the scale (with great trepidation) and I weighed 160 pounds. I felt like sitting down on the bathroom floor and crying my eyes out but something inside me shifted.  Instead I said, “OK girl, this is not acceptable.  You know what you need to do, so just bite the bullet and DO it!”  So, there I was once again with 30 pounds to lose.  On February 1, I signed up for Weight Watchers online again.  The program has changed since 2000 but the basic concept is the same.  Since I embarked on this weight loss journey I have lost 8 of those 30 pounds.

I am not going to kid you ladies – losing weight is not the easiest thing I have ever done.  When I see that scale moving in a downward direction, though, I know that I am doing something wonderful for my body and my mind.  It is an “in my face” reminder that I still have a lot of living to do.  I know that with the Lord’s help I am more than capable of this or any other challenge that life may throw my way.

Stay tuned as I keep you posted on my progress.  Until then, here’s to living better at 50!

With more than three decades of home interior design and international travel experience, Prudence Lay has developed a sharp eye for how to create inviting living environments and adventurous travel experiences.  Currently Prudence and her family reside in Sisters, Oregon where she is enjoying her latest adventure as Home and Travel Feature Editor of LivingBetterat50+.