Halle's Story

Hi Everyone!!!

We are back with my FAVORITE segment! Weight loss story shout outs!  And who better to kick it off then the super inspiring, Halle! She is a gorgeous girl, who has continued to persevere even when times get tough, I am so excited to share her story with you!

            I wish I could say that this is the first time in my life that I have been on a “diet,” but unfortunately, that isn’t the case.  Call it genetics, lifestyle, nature or nurture, but I’ve always been a little curvier than most.  As an athlete growing up and competitively through high school, most of my teen years were spent eating what I wanted, but exercising enough to maintain what I saw as a reasonable, athletic figure.  Standing at a little over 5’9”, I carried it well. Enter: college, a newfound love for the bar hopping scene, dining halls with way too many choices, and little physical activity combined with an even smaller amount of sleep, and, bye, bye “athletic figure,” and hello to a fluffier version of who I once was.  I’d lose that though, only to gain it back, and the cycle continued.  In 2014, during my last semester in my Masters program, Weight Watchers became my life.  My whole, entire, life.  In 7 months, I lost nearly 40 pounds, but admittedly, I was part of that sad statistic who lost, only to gain it back... plus more.  Excuses aside, 2016 rolled around and I was tired of feeling sorry for myself and hopped back on the train.  This time around, I’m letting myself live.  I treat myself when I want to (usually one weekend day), but stick to the Weight Watchers lifestyle during the week.  Balance.  With four months of 2016 under my belt at the time of writing, I am down 22.6 pounds.  I have a long way to go until I am back to my goal, but for now, I am happy.  I am happy to turn down cookie potlucks at work and to say no to Easter candy, even if it is 75% off at Target.  I am happy to wake up at 5 AM for the gym even if that means missing an extra hour of sleep, and to spend way too much time perfectly measuring and tracking my meals.  But I’m even happier to enjoy that beer on a Friday after a long week of work, and to eat a donut even if it doesn’t fit in my points that day.  When I started to make Weight Watchers a part of my life, and not my whole life, I felt like I finally started to actually live.  One small change, every day, over time, becomes a big change—seek progress, not perfection.  Surround yourself with those who will love you plus or minus 40 pounds.  Love yourself, or how could you expect anyone else to?  Fuel your body, take care of your mind, drink your water, and get up and move (bonus points if it’s actually dancing and not hours spent on the dreadmill).   It’s a marathon, not a sprint—you can’t miss out on 95% of your life to weigh 5% less.