This Mom of Many Lost 85 Pounds! {An interview with my friend Jamie}

I met Jamie when she had 5 children.  I had only ever known her to be overweight.  When she began to lose weight a few years ago, I watched, amazed at the transformation.  This mom of 8 has since become one my weight loss heroes!  She did it without surgeries and gimmicks, she gave God all the glory, and she has blessed me tremendously!

Today, you get the opportunity to learn from her!

An Interview with Jamie

How long had you been overweight?

I had been overweight for as long as I can remember.  I was not particularly a chubby little girl, but once I hit about 1st grade I chubbed out.  I remember looking at other girls twig thin legs and why mine looked more like tree trunks.  I remember my mom dieting off and on and by the time I was in 6th grade, she brought me to Weight Watchers with her and I “dieted” as well.  She also made me go on walks, ride my bike, and other things that would have been fun had they not been forced.  I remember feeling deprived that other kids had snack cakes and chips in their lunch bags but I had a plain turkey sandwich, an apple, and juice box. But that was life.  And as soon as I was allowed to ride my bike farther than around the block, I would go after school to the convenience store, buy candy bars and hide them in my room.  I was not only a bit heavy, but my food addiction started very young too.  Looking back, a part of what I thought was “fat” was a little girls body that developed very early, but I was overweight and I struggled with finding comfort in food from a very young age.

Had you dieted before?  If so, did you ever see success?

Like I said in the previous question, I do remember dieting in elementary/middle school, but in high school, my mom didn’t push me too much and I did get heavier.  In college I half-heartedly tried dieting, but instead I just ended up gaining a good 30 lbs over those 4 years and found more and more comfort in food.  After getting married and having my first baby, I tried a bit more strictly to lose the baby weight and it came off easily after the first few babies, but I also got pregnant very soon after those first 3 babies so there was never time to really lose anymore than the baby weight.

After my 4th was born, I knew I needed to get serious.  I remember looking at the scale and seeing it go UP instead of down.  I had never seen such a high number – I maxed out post partum at 256 lbs.  For my 5’3″ frame, that was considered morbidly obese.  I started exercising and learned more about healthy eating and I did manage to lose more weight than before – I lost down to about 215 before stalling out and getting pregnant for the 5th time.  That was my first real attempt at changing habits and lifestyle and I saw great success.  I even realized that I could enjoy exercise.

What made you decide to lose the weight once and for all?

When my 5th child was about 8 months old my mom had gastric bypass surgery.  She was about 100 lbs overweight but also had a myriad of health issues (high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc) and the dr. told her that if she didn’t make some serious changes and decisions, her years would be cut very short.  She didn’t make the decision lightly and she is a success story for that surgery (she lost the full 100 lbs and has kept it off for almost 6 years and she if off almost all of her medications).  That was a big wake up call for me, however I never got to working on losing after my 5th because I became pregnant with #6.

After he was born, my midwife spoke with me and my husband about my need to lose weight.  She was adamant that I had a healthy reproductive system and could have many more babies but I needed to take care of my body and get this weight off.  It took 8 months and finally a conversation with my husband where he was speaking about his own need to lose weight for his health and the sake of our children before it sunk in and I got to work.  And when I got to work, I really got to work hard that time.  I started out at 225 lbs in March of 2009 and reached my goal of 140 lbs just before Christmas that year.

How did you do it?

For about the first 45 lbs. I ate a low carb diet and added in a bit of exercise.  I started with T-Tapp More and graduated to some other T-Tapp exercises as well as walking.  After I lost those first 45 lbs, I felt ready to eat a “normal” diet again and through the suggestion of a friend, I was re-introduced to Thin Within.  Another friend of mine had read this book several years earlier and had said wonderful things about it.  It turned out they had a Bible study in addition to just a book and I ordered it.  It was amazingly helpful to study the spiritual aspects of WHY I was overweight and how my struggles with food addiction are what kept me overweight.

How did you stay motivated?

I really believe it was the Lord that kept me motivated.  I kept turning back to Him, repenting of my sins of gluttony and selfishness (thinking I deserved food as a reward for whatever my current struggle was).  He kept the desire in my heart to make these changes for Him.  Even though my health was not poor, I did have aches and pains like an old lady would have though I was only 30 and I was always tired.  As I saw little changes in those areas in addition to my shrinking body, I wanted to press on towards the goal.

How long did it take?

It took about 9 months for me to lose 85 lbs.  I was extremely focused during that time and never really plateaued and very rarely “cheated.”

How have your post-weight loss pregnancies been different?

I’ve had 2 pregnancies since then.  My level of energy was higher in both pregnancies.  I was able to exercise right up until the very end of both pregnancies as well.  I did struggle with my changing and expanding body but overall, my health was so much better that I loved those pregnancies.  I did gain more than I ever did when I was heavier – about 45 lbs both times compared to the 25 or so that I gained in my heavier pregnancies.  I also loved that I actually LOOKED pregnant instead of just like I had a thicker mid-section.

How have you taken the weight off after baby?

After my 7th, I worked on my portion sizes and got back to exercising.  I had times when I was able to focus on it more than others.  She was a difficult baby and I didn’t sleep well for the first 4 months so it was tough.  I would lose a few lbs and then stall out, lose a few more then plateau again.  Eventually, another friend told me about Weight Watchers new program.  I was about 8 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight (she was about 7 or 8 months old) and I really wanted to get back to where I was and maybe lose a few more.  I joined WW and lost about 18 lbs very quickly.  I had just needed some regained focus and the help and accountability that I got from WW meetings was exactly what I needed.  I also read through the book Made to Crave at that point and it was also very helpful to again focus on the spiritual aspects of my food struggles.

My 8th was born just 5 weeks ago today and while I haven’t taken a ton of weight off yet, I have no doubt that I will get back to where I was before.  I love the way I feel at my goal weight.  I love the energy that I have and how strong I feel.  I love the way I look too – for both myself AND my husband.

Are you afraid you’ll put the weight back on?

Not anymore.  I think I dealt with that after I first lost the weight and maybe a bit after my last pregnancy, but I know how good I feel at a healthy weight vs. how poorly I felt being obese for so long that I know I can get back to where I was and stay there.

What words of encouragement do you have for other moms of many who need to lose weight?

Seek the Lord in your weight loss journey.  Ask Him to show you areas you need to turn over to Him.  Ask Him to seek your heart for any areas you need to repentance.  And then trust Him.  And find a plan.  Really, I think the exact plan one uses matters little so long as you are eating a healthy diet.  For many calorie counting works fine for others a low carb choice works better, really find a plan that works for you and commit to it.  And find some sort of exercise – even if its just 10 minutes a day at first – that you can do regularly and that you can enjoy.  The example you set for your children in finding and keeping good health is so important.  As I look around at people and see how much more overweight and unhealthy we are becoming, I realize how very important it is to pass on and teach good health to my children in the form of good eating, proper portions and exercising.  You are not just doing this for yourself, but for your family as well.

Find more resources and my own weight loss journey on the Fit Mom of Many page! 

{This post contains affiliate links for some of the resources Jamie mentioned.}