Laurie McKnight Erhard
During the holidays of 2008, I knew it was time to make a big change in my life. I finally decided that I needed to seriously address my weight in the coming year. So on January 5, 2009 I weighed in at my highest weight ever, outside of pregnancy, at 222lbs and 5’8” tall.
I’ve spent most of my childhood and all of my adult life on one diet or another and in and out of various gyms and workout facilities. I think most of my attempts were never really successful because I spent so much time meticulously scrutinizing, criticizing, and generally hating my body.
As cheesy as it may sound, it was actually something I heard Oprah say on one of her shows about weight that finally made the light bulb click on in my head. She basically said, that first and foremost, we need to thank our bodies for what they have done for us. After years of infertility, my husband and I were blessed with the birth of our beautiful twin girls in November of 2007. For that, I was finally able to stop being so critical of myself and thank my body for doing such a great job of carrying and giving birth to our amazing baby girls.
After a whirlwind year of nurturing 2 premature babies, my husband and I both working full-time, and neither of us ever once achieving the ultimate goal of a full night’s sleep, I realized that I was only able to fit into a handful of my pre-pregnancy clothing anymore. I also realized that out of necessity my only option for clothing was going to be the plus-sized store; a place I had just barely managed to avoid for the past couple of years.
In November 2008, we were finally getting close to the prospect of our girls sleeping through the night, so I knew I would soon have no more excuses for not getting to the gym. I also accepted within myself that losing the weight was going to take focus, dedication, and a significant amount of time and patience if I was truly going to accomplish my goal of a 62lbs weight loss and a permanent lifestyle change.
The biggest changes in my diet were my food choices and portion control. I began weighing and measuring everything I ate in order to get a better sense of what got me to 222lbs in the first place, and how I was going to sensibly get myself back down to a reasonable and healthy weight. I now eat 4 meals a day (I split up breakfast before and after my morning workout) with a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. I prepare as much of my food as possible myself so that I know exactly what I’m putting into my body. I have also not eaten fast food at all, not even once, in 2009.
In conjunction with my nutrition reform, I get up at 5:00am 4-5 days a week and work out for 1-2 hours at Saint Louis Fitness Club. When I started this journey back in January, I signed up for a medicine ball class, which was taught by trainer Jill Weiss. I’ve since been working with her all year either one on one, or in one of her classes. Jill always keeps her classes and workouts interesting by introducing new exercises and ideas, offering great nutrition advice, and giving lots of encouragement and motivation. She has been instrumental in my body and lifestyle transformation.
To date, I’ve lost 42lbs, with 20lbs to go in order to reach my goal weight of 160lbs. I have so much more energy and endurance than I did at 222lbs. I can chase our 2 year old twins all around the playground and pick both of them up at the same time when it’s time to go home. The healthy meals I prepare at home are not just for me, but, for the whole family. As our girls get older, I also plan to teach them how to cook well, healthfully, and efficiently, so that they don’t see fast food and take-out as the easiest option. My weight loss has made me a better mother, wife, co-worker and friend. My ultimate goal is to raise our girls in a healthy environment and lifestyle so that they can someday do the same for their families.
