Andie

Victoria, British Columbia
Published November 28, 2016

“I look at my pictures and still am in shock at what I have accomplished and what I will accomplish in the future."

Hi everyone, I'm Andie. I'm honoured to be a part of Member Monday. I am 34 years old I have a fantastic husband, beautiful daughter, and 2 cats. We live in Victoria, BC. My Weight Watchers journey began in July 2014. I was at my heaviest weight and my self-esteem and self-worth was at an all-time low.

The moment that ignited my change in lifestyle was when I found myself sitting in my bedroom looking at my bathing suit and switching from waves of panic, to hatred of myself, to utter disappointment of not being able to be the parent my daughter needed. It was the hottest week of the year and my friend had invited me to come with her and her husband and kids to the pool. I mentally and emotionally done. I knew I needed a change.

I had done other weight loss programs in the past and they worked....until you stopped. I knew what I needed to do. I just couldn't do it alone. Enter Weight Watchers. The plan made sense and it was affordable. I wasn't 100% sold that it would work. I was about 1000% positive I wouldn't go to meetings, I couldn't be "that girl". I figured I would fail and forever be overweight. I gave the meetings a try and found out they were SO helpful! Everyone was or had been in my spot at one time or another. I kept going to meetings, monitoring my portions, tracking, and not missing out on social events. Guess what, the weight came off. No feelings of deprivation, no guilt and the number on the scale kept going down!

Staying balanced

I love food. Like LOVE food. I love to eat. Weight Watchers’ Beyond the Scale program has helped me balance my love of food with correct portion sizes and accountability. The recipes that are emailed and printed in the Weekly have been a lifesaver! I love trying new things. Many of these recipes have become house staples.

One that is on the soup rotation is the Chicken, Vegetable and Orzo Soup. It is 3 Smartpoints values a serving and amazing. I add celery and zucchini, and sometimes if I'm feeling spicy, I'll add some sriracha to my portion. It is a great to make on a Sunday (I happen to have just finished cooking a batch up while writing this). I love batch cooking for the upcoming week. It makes meal planning a no-brainer.

Keeping calm and centered

Oh, fitness. In April of 2014 (pre-Weight Watchers) I tried to learn to run thinking it would help me lose weight. Turns out when you are 100 pounds overweight running or walking briskly from more than 2 mins will cause your shins and calves to burn in agony. I completed the TC10k race that year in a painful 1:43:32.

In 2015, 6 months into my journey with Weight Watchers, I decided to give exercise another shot. I had always wanted to try yoga so I took 2015 by the horns and jumped in. I quickly became addicted to yoga. I used it to keep me calm and centred and to just feel awesome. I also decided to give running another shot. I started slowly and by early 2016 I had the TC10k in my sights again. This time my goal was to run it. All 10 kilometers. I did it. I crushed my goal time (of 1:15) and finished at an amazing 56:38!! I never thought I would crack the 1 hour mark.

This drove me to do more. I craved running.  I never thought I'd be that crazy person who gets up at 6 am to meet a group of girlfriends to go run 15k on a Sunday morning. Turns out I am. Now I'm training for my first half-marathon. I aim to be active every day. If it’s running, or the gym, or yoga, or even just walking to work I get my activity in. If I don't I tend to go a little stir crazy.

Being a positive role model

For me fulfillment is being a positive role model for my daughter. I never want her to grow up with negative body image, negative self-worth, or a bad relationship with food. She was the main reason I chose to change my life for the better. I wanted her to see the type of person her mom could be. I don't get scared taking her to the pool. She loves the outdoors and I love being able to share it with her.

Fulfillment is also not giving up on the things in my life that I look forward to. Hello, glass (or 2) of wine on a Friday night! Hello, bubble bath (because I can actually fit in my bathtub comfortably now) with a book! 

A total transformation

Weight Watchers has been a pivotal part of my whole body transformation. I used to walk around with an angry dark cloud over me. Today I am positive, happy, and inspiring others to do more themselves.

I hit Lifetime in October 2015. I didn’t want to lose the momentum that the Beyond the Scale program provided me. I still go to my regular Wednesday night meeting every week. I now get to be the person that is that smiling face to the new person walking in for the first time. I am so pleased to share in everyone's journey. Watching fellow members achieve milestones and goals, and watching them transform.

I sing praises to Weight Watchers to anyone who asks how I did it. They see my pictures and can't believe it. Heck, I look at my pictures and still am in shock at what I have accomplished and what I will accomplish in the future. I keep reminding myself that I am enough. It's my mantra in life now.  

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