Fitness

True to his word, Will was a fantastic coach! He still managed to make his mouth-watering meals but cut the amount of fats he used. I started taking more of a role in our menu planning which gave me more control of what I was eating. We started eating a lot more vegetables and fruits and eating less junk food and more balanced meals.

We started walking again: miles and miles of walking. Will would set the pace of our walk and I would set the distance. Before long we were up to doing five miles a day. I also stopped taking the elevator at work. The stairs became my new best friend.

I was so proud the day that I came home with my first 10 pound ribbon - ten pounds lost! Will was with me all the way. It wasn’t always easy. I know that I could lose the weight on my own but knowing that your spouse is supporting you all the way makes such a big difference! He was my biggest cheering section.

By the time I lost my 55 pounds I felt like a new woman! Wait a minute–I was a new woman! I was in love with life again and I actually liked myself and didn’t mind looking at myself in a mirror. What a difference from the year before.

Will went with me to the meeting when I was to receive my lifetime ribbon and when I spoke in front of everyone at the meeting I could tell that he was as proud of my achievement as I was.

Christmas, one year later, found us at a Danier store and instead of sitting on a bathroom floor and crying my heart out, I was modeling leather skirts and jackets for my husband! I wore my new leather suit to all the Christmas parties that year and was proud to show off my new body.

I managed to keep the weight off for 12 years before a few pounds re-found themselves to my hips and butt. The onset of menopause is going to be another hurdle that I will have to figure out.

I’m in better shape now than I have ever been and I plan on keeping it that way to look fit and foxy by the time I hit fifty!

I tried different fad diets to lose weight on my own and although I would lose a few pounds, I always ended up putting it back on.

I remember going away for Christmas 1991 and having a fantastic time but when returned home and I happened to get on the scale, I found out that I had gained 7 pounds over the holidays. I remember sitting down on the bathroom floor for 3 hours and crying my heart out. When I couldn’t cry anymore, I dried my eyes and vowed that I would NEVER be in the same place ever again.

I went downstairs and asked Will for a hug and told him that I had gained 7 pounds and that I feel that I had hit ground zero and that things had to change and I needed help.

I loved Will so much at that moment. He didn’t pooh-pooh the way I felt or berate me for gaining weight. He listened to everything I had to say without interrupting and promised that he would help me in anyway possible to achieve the goals that I set for myself.

I had decided to join Weight Watchers. I knew that they were starting a Weight Watchers lunchtime meeting at my work place. He promised that he would make any changes necessary to make his cooking more health and weight conscious for the both of us. He even agreed to the reward that I would get when I achieved the goals that I had set for myself: a Danier leather suit! I had wanted one for years but felt it was too expensive for me to buy. This would be my incentive to keep me going when the going got tough.

I started Weight Watchers that week and found that we didn’t have to stop eating any of our favourite foods. Portion control was half of my battle as well as getting back to a fitness regime.

After a few years of living with Will and his mouthwatering meals, I began to lose the battle to keep my size five shape. Then I watched size eight come and go as well as size 10 and soon I was into a size 12. As much as I loved to eat Will’s sumptuous meals, by the time I was inching to a size 14 I began to re-evaluate my life. I knew I wasn’t as active as I had been when I first met and starting dating Will. Life gets busy and it seems to me that when our social life got hectic my fitness activities were the first casualties.

I remembered back when Will first started cooking for me, I would barely be able to finish a quarter of the dinner he served me but by the time I hit size 12, I was eating almost as big as plate as Will did. He played sports, I didn’t. Not that I didn’t like sports - I was just wasn’t good at any sport.

Will hadn’t said anything about me gaining weight but he could see that I was not happy with the way I looked. He probably was a little alarmed at the weight that I had put on, but to his credit he never had a negative word for the way I looked. I had always been thin when I was younger and never had to worry about weight but it seemed as soon as I hit the age of 30, weight was becoming a problem. It’s funny when I was younger I had vowed I would never be one of those wives who let themselves go. It just kind of happened.

As for Will, Will never changed. Will had always been lean and fit. He played sports all year round.