My Weight Loss Journey

I was never a small or petite girl, even as a child...you could say I was a bit scrawny as a younger girl but as I grew into a teen I started to gain weight slowly.  We (my parents, brother and I) moved a lot while I was growing up.  My dad was a pastor and a truck driver and we moved where the churches and jobs were.  Around my 14th year my moms mom was diagnosed with cancer so we moved from California to Oregon to take care of her and manage their trailer court.  

It was the first time I was in a public school and things just kinda spiraled from there for me.  I got into the more secular part of life and soon learned some very hard lessons.  I don't regret where I came from because it helped make me who I am today.  

I got married at 20 and my husband and I  had our first child ten days before our 1st year Anniversary.  Our second child came almost exactly 2 years later and I had not lost all the baby weight (42lbs) I gained from our first.  Apparently you don't have to eat for two when your pregnant, who knew...lol.  The third child came 18 months later and finally the fourth 3 years after that.  I gained and lost, 4 times and never ever got back to my pre-pregnant days. 

When our 4th child and only daughter was about a year old I was diagnosed with Thyroid disease and in the following few years developed two other thyroid disorders.  Finally I was diagnosed with Thyroid cancer, had surgery, treatment and went through recovery.  The cancer was so bad it took a lot longer in surgery than the doctor had anticipated and I lost a lymph node in the process.  At the time I was overweight, sick and very out of shape.

After recovery and getting the all clear I decided that if I could beat cancer I could become a runner.  So I found a C25K program on the internet and started running.  At first I could barely run a minute without having to stop but here I am 3 years later and training for a half marathon.  Weight loss came with the running but not as much as one would think.  Apparently running makes you hungry...strange.  A few months ago I got more serious about losing the weight and here I am almost 30lbs lighter and smaller, more fit than I have ever been.  

To date I have lost 74+ pounds and am just about ready for maintenance and then I will be building more muscle to tone up some more.  I do weights now but will be doing a lot more from here on out.  I am so thankful that I am healthy and still in remission.  I plan to continue my journey of healthy living and I am so excited to see what the future holds for me.

After and Before

 

"Limitations only exist if you let them"

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck.

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

Update On My Recovery After Surgery

First off let me start by saying, thank you so very much for putting up with me during the A-Z Challenge.  I was glad to figure out my theme early on...fitness, and it seems to have worked out pretty good. Again, thanks from the bottom of my heart.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming... 

I had surgery Friday and ended up having to go under twice in the span of 20 minutes.  Let's just say things didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped.  The Denturist actually messed up my partial, in that he forgot about one tooth that was being pulled.  The partial fit pretty good so it all worked out.  He saw me Saturday and spent the next hour adding material and making it to fit my mouth much better and since he is such a great guy it really was no biggie.  I not the kind of person to let things like that get me mad, life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

I will go back to see my Denturist on the 1st to make adjustments and possibly have another impression made.  I am doing well as far as healing goes, my left lower jaw is very swollen and I look as if I have a golf ball in my cheek...it's all good though.  I was able to eat noodles and shrimp last night for the first time since Friday...I had been surviving on pudding, yogurt, mashed potatoes and soup.  A person can only eat so much mush...know what I mean!  

Unfortunately I cannot exercise yet...believe me when I say, I'd rather be running then recovering from surgery...lol! I had visions of having surgery and running the very next day...that did not happen, in fact the only thing that comes close to exercise for me is getting out of bed to rinse my mouth and get another ice pack for my jaw...ha ha ha!  Oh well, such is life.

I want to hear all about what YOU have been doing so drop by and tell me all about it!  Blessings and may sunshine find you today.  

Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.