Quote Originally Posted by ladyjai
thank you V. How did you come to be happy with yourself? that's a story I want to hear! or did you just wake up one day, and go.. duh! silly me! ?
I have always been fairly active, but not slim. I was distance swimmer in college and a lifeguard. When I started teaching I got less active and the pounds crept on. As long as I was in the 160s and could wear a 12, I was unhappy with myself, but figured that's what happens as you age. The school year of 2000 - 2001 was very difficult for me. I had a good class, but I had a lot of other responsibilities and I wasn't getting a lot of support from administration and I was totally stressed out all the time. In retropsect, I suspect I was depressed. I ate - a lot. I would eat an entire bag of minature hersey's candies in a single sitting. By the summer of 2001 I weighed 180 pounds and could not fit in size 12s anymore. I gained 20 - 25 pounds in that one year!

For my body, having to buy 14s, meant I was fat. I was okay with plump, but fat was not okay. There is a thread called Losing Weight where I talk about what I did to get the weight off. Now I wear an 8 or a 10 depending on the cut.

But it's really been in only the last two or three years that I have really become content with what I've got. I would love to have a figure like akaKim. Which I'm sure cracks her up. But I don't and I can't. Yet I know that I am strong, not just in my body, but determined. Some would say stubborn. I've ridden to the top of mountains when I feel like puking and with saddle sores that are bleeding. But I also know enough about my body to determine if this is pain I should stop for. I may not be the sveltest or the fastest. I have yucky bulges in spots when I wear lycra. But too bad... I'm riding my bike and having fun. I know I'm making the most of what I've got and that's all that matters.

It helps too to have a totally loving and supportive husband. He's always been there, cheering me on.

V.