Week 25 and 26 - I Don't Believe It!
At the end of August 2005, I returned from a family holiday in Devon. As I was in Devon, and as my eating habits were totally out of control at the time, I had devoured enough cream teas in a week to sink a small merchant vessel. I had gained so much weight that I had to buy 2 new pairs of trousers, just so that I had something to wear when I took the children to school at the start of term.
After unpacking, I stood on the scales. They tipped over 200lbs. I could hear the American cop show actors of my youth: "Suspect is a white female, 200lbs. Likes cream teas. Wearing impossibly large trousers."
Standing on those scales made me thoroughly miserable. I got off them and thought about me. I was going to be 40 in November 2006, I had been fat for the majority of my 30's, I was expecting my wonderful husband to put up with it, setting my beautiful daughters a terrible example and worrying my parents sick. Before all this I had been very fit, eaten well and been extremely proud of my appearance. What on earth had gone wrong? I have struggled with my weight since I had our 7 year old twins. To be fair, I'd struggled with my weight before I had them, but with exercise and restraint, had always managed to pull myself together before it got out of hand. Since my pregnancy, I had tried everything and I had yo-yoed up and down like a diet junkie.
I'm well educated and intelligent - why was I allowing myself to walk around looking like a blond, clean shaven Pavarotti? To top all of this, I am a swimming teacher! I spend my life in a swimming costume (Any normal person would think that would be incentive enough to keep your body in good nick!) and I encourage young children to be fit, active and healthy.
Clearly action needed to be taken. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am an all or nothing girl (obviously it was the nothing side of my personality that had allowed me to grow to the size of a pregnant horse - NO self control). I NEVER shirk from a challenge and simply will not allow myself to fail at anything - if I have made my intentions public. I went to work the next day, feeling only slightly smaller than a blue whale and spoke to Jason, my manager: "The pool always needs money", I said. "I want to go on a sponsored diet, lose 42 lbs in 6 months, and give all the money to the pool." He looked at me, thought about it long and hard for about 0.05 of a second and agreed. The deal was the pool would do the admin and support and I would just get on with it. Wendy and the Reception Girls set up a Pounds for Lbs board, and Jason delighted in taking pictures of me resembling a pool inflatable and displaying them on the board. Ruth, our resident coach started training me, and Fireman Dan - Top Lifeguard - organised a gym programme. I was banned from having anything remotely naughty in the cafe, and everyone - pool staff, family, friends, total strangers - was under strict instructions to ensure that I didn't scoff Mars Bars on the quiet. We then asked anyone we could think of for money!
The stage was set, and if you have been following my Blog, or reading the Stanley Infant and Nursery School News Letter, or looking at the Pounds for Lbs board, or reading the emails I have been sending out, you will have followed my journey and know most of the story. Except the end....
On Friday 3 March I weighed 157lbs. I had done it with 4 days and 1.5 lbs to spare. If everyone gift aids their sponsorship money, I will have raised nearly 2,500 big fat money pounds for Hampton Heated Open Air Pool.
After walking, swimming, rowing and cycling hundreds of miles, and throwing myself around the gym for what seemed like hours at a time, I have achieved my first goal, in the long and ongoing process of beating MY weight problem forever. There has been no magic solution. Sorting out out your weight and fitness is as simple as this: Don't put rubbish in your mouth, eat less of the right things, move around a lot more!
THANK YOU to all of you who have helped me over the past 6 months with such generosity of spirit. You have given me your time, knowledge, encouragement, kindness and money! You have kept me going. I still have another 14lbs to lose, but that is just for me!
If you were kind enough to sponsor me, I'd like your money now please! If you, or someone who will pay on your behalf, is a UK tax payer, please Gift Aid your money. All you have to do is write a short note and enclose it with the payment. The note has to include your name and address and a sentence saying, "I am a UK Tax Payer and wish you to use all donations I make to Hampton Pool, on or after the date of this Gift Aid Declaration, in support of the the work of Hampton Pool." Please ensure you sign and date the note.
You can give your money to me at school, hand it into Reception at Hampton Pool, or post it to:
Lisa Keech c/o Hampton Pool Ltd., High Street, Hampton TW12 2ST. Please make cheques payable to Hampton Pool Ltd.
You don't have to have sponsored me to make a contribution - if you think that losing 84 packets of butter in weight is worth something, you can just send me some money for the pool!
Finally, to anyone who feels unhappy about how much they weigh. If you want to - please do something about it. Don't wait, or waste, another precious month thinking about it, or worrying that you can't achieve your dream. You can. Just buckle down and do it! It's not easy, it can be boring, the weeks when you don't lose weight will be hard, but in the end you will DO WHAT YOU'VE SET OUT TO DO and you will be so much happier.
Thanks again to all of you.
Lisa - 3 stone lighter, 3.5 dress sizes smaller, immeasurably happier and healthier.
posted by Lisa Keech @ 10:22 PM
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