Lets start at the beginning....

 ''The thousand mile march starts with the first step'' ~ Lao Tse 

I feel a little silly for writing a blog entry! I mean, it's me, Grá, why would anyone have a desire to read what I say!? *confidence girl don't shy away*! 

It was a comment in passing a few days ago that got me thinking about starting a blog, I mean I LOVE to talk...actually rant is the more appropriate word I think:D I'm passionate about a few small things in life and weight watchers is one of those things!

As the title states 'lets start at the beginning'....

I was always a 'big girl', a big *but also super cute if I do say so* baby. I am the youngest of 4 and the only girl and I was the only one to have a weight problem, I always say I have 3 drop dead handsome brothers with ridiculous lean well built physiques. People would comment 'Good god you don't look related to your brothers' and I'd always think in my head 'why just because I'm fat, can you not see past that?'.

I had the confidence of a queen but in actual fact it was a false confidence. I was friends with everyone, I was always a great laugh to be around but in private I was unhappy but how did I deal with it....I ate that's how...in private....late at night when everyone was in bed...any pocket money was used to buy junk as sweets/crisps were not something that appeared in the Ó Duinnín household very often apart form the annual birthday parties.

I have great family and my brothers who are 7/10 years my senior always looked out for me and sometimes may have tried to gently help me curb my weight gain with little suggestions....but you see I didn't take suggestions well, they upset me as I am a person who will only commit to something when it clicks in my own head that it is time!

That is exactly what happened on Monday May 24th 2010 when I was 19 and had just finished my first year in University. I was at a First Holy Communion of my friends sibling. Someone made a simple comment about another overweight girl and myself, about how we must be sisters...I didn't even know the girl...why did that individual think we were related...? Because we were both F.A.T!

I arrived home that evening and asked my mother to drive me (I was only learning at the time) to my local town to I could attend the weight watchers meeting! She (my mother) was a former WW member back in 1989 where her mantra was 'Feel fine for '89' and because of this I was always aware of WW while not in a lot of detail. So along I went and I made myself look as well as I could, hair nice, make up nice and a nice outfit. I met the lovely leader Valerie and she prompted me to step up on the scales...at 5ft 8.5in I had a starting weight of 17st 8lbs...I got off the scales and Valerie said 'you don't seem too surprised by that number' I wasn't, at the back of my head I always knew!  

 This is a before/after image -- I am now approx 9lbs lighter than that 'after pic'  :-)

I loved it from the moment I got off the scales, I was surrounded by all this new information and these great colourful booklets filled with wonderful tips about how to make the Points system (this was the system being used at the time) work for you! I arrived home so happy that evening it was like the black cloud that was hanging over me had been lifted! Suddenly I wanted to know everything I could about WW! Oddly I didn't take note really of my goal weight as I said 'lets see how this goes' I didn't think in my head 'you have 5/6/7 stone to lose' it was a day by day thing! I adored the trackers (and I still do). I loved writing down every single thing I ate and drank it was almost liberating in a strange way! 

I had a family wedding in Sweden 5 days after I joined WW so I sadly knew I couldn't have my traditional first week WI but I was DETERMINED to be down the following Monday when I got back from Sweden. I had a fantastic first 3 days then Sweden came along with the odd hick up as having to go to Burger King as there was no other place to eat etc etc but my god I almost threw a tantrum at having to go there, something a few weeks beforehand which I would have never done like 'Hello Junk Food come to me please'!

Also I felt like a Heifer at the wedding *I love using the word 'heifer' no idea why perhaps it is just from growing up on a dairy farm* so this spurred me on even more.

I arrived home from Sweden and the following Monday I had my first official 'on the WW plan' WI and I was down....9lbs :) I had gotten out of the 17's and into the 16's I literally fell off the scales with joy especially as I had told Valerie all about the BK visit! From there on in there was no turning back, it was constant losses, bar one week where I had a 0.5lb gain as I had a repeat exam in college, and by September I had 4st down. I returned to Galway for my 2nd year and I was greeted by comments about how 'amazing' and 'unreal' I looked...Those simple words helped reinforce the proud feeling I had having the courage to take a step in the right direction.

I adjusted to attending WW in Galway and lost a further 9lbs by the time May 2011 came around...my weight at that time was 12st 12.5lbs..then I went on my first holiday. without my parents. to Malta with a group of 8 friends from Uni. Gained 4lbs, was okay BUT.....for the next 2 years I spent my time gaining and losing the same 10lbs. I never saw the 12's again and was constantly around 13st 4lbs but then I graduated and took a year out to work in a call centre in Cork city, which I commuted to each day totalling 140km per day! Bad hours with the commute took their toll and WW wasn't attended however it was always in the back of my mind so I never really went 100% crazy...but at one stage I got to 14st...sweet lord good god no!!!Was back in the 13's fairly lively...paid about 400e for personal training...lost a stone then halfway through my program the place shut down due to bankruptcy and boom money gone and another big BOOM I went from 13st 3lbs to 13st 10bs in about 10 days.

Within these 2 years also I found a new love in the form of Zumba (Link)! My best friend as I call it as I just smile and sweat happily though each class..Also spinning was taken on along with many others and Oh I met my gorgeous boyfriend Temi also and so far we've spent a great 2 years together and hopefully it shall continue :)

So I got content, my clothes fitted, I was at most a size 14, I could look good on a night out, I wasn't horrifically large but I always wanted to get back to WW 100%, I wanted my gold card but most importantly I wanted the opportunity to become a leader if I could.

Fast forward to 2013

Primary Teaching has always been my calling in life however sadly I lacked a few points in the LC way back in 2009, so I went to Galway and graduated with a 2.1 Honors Bachelor of Commerce Degree which I loved every minute of but my aim was to get accepted into the H. Dip in Arts in Primary Education with Hibernia College Dublin/St. Pats/Mary I. And in March of this year that finally happened, I could not believe it, I got in like I actually got it! It was then I decided my job would have to be given up when I started the programme in April as I wanted to give it my all and frankly the job wasn't worth the stress! This was also my excuse to get back to WW as I always wanted to be a HEALTHY and FIT teacher, I want to promote healthy living in some way to my future pupils, I know what it is like to be the 'fat kid' to be bullied so I would love if I could help other children who I was once like. This was the motivation I needed..I went to the Friday morning meeting in my local town *at this stage Valerie was no longer a leader* and met Tracey who has to be the most energetic, bubbly and normal person I have ever met, you can't help but smile when talking to her! I weighed in at 13st 9lbs and for 3 weeks I attended meetings and had losses each week then boom something stopped me going *perhaps fear of the scales* for 5 weeks then I went back 2lbs up *not bad* then had a weekend away for my boyfriends birthday so missed so more WI's but finally around the first week of June I was back 100% at 13st 6lbs and since then I have just ploughed on and now *as of my last WI Aug 30th, on hols at the moment* I was 12st 5.5lbs!!!Officially the LIGHTEST I have ever been, I never thought I'd get into the 12's again! Now I am aiming for goal which I would love to get to by November 28th so I can start my 23rd year on earth as a happy determined GOLDIE! But if it takes a little longer I will survive, for now every time I see Temi, who now lives in the Netherlands I want to be at least 2lbs lighter than the last time and with this mentality I will get to gold and hopefully I can finally be happy with myself.

The most important thing in which I've learned is that we all have our my ups and downs and my god have I had my down's but I am PROUD that through those tough 2 years I never gained back what I lost! I yo-yoed within 10lbs so this to me shows that I will NEVER EVER be OBESE again! I will never go past the 12's either! I WILL be HAPPY, I will be HEALTHY, I will be FIT but most importantly I will be me! 

I realize that this entry may seem somewhat well...all over the shop but I'm not a person who is full of any great words of wisdom or someone who is good with words in general, I am just Gráinne a girl who loves the rant and rave and go off topic 50 times in one conversation! I'm a regular girl on a lifetime journey with me,myself & I with the end goal of hopefully one day being happy within myself.

I also want to give a little mention to a fabulous unofficial group on Facebook 'Weight Watchers Ireland' as since I found the group by accident in July I have been even more motivated to do well and offer much needed support and praise to fellow WW members :)

In moments of weakness this group of people have helped me stay on track and for that I thank you :)

Now I must get back to eating my big bowl of blueberries while enjoying my last few days in the Netherlands before jetting back to 'sunny' Ireland.

I hope you enjoyed reading my totally unstructured piece and hopefully I will have something to add in the coming weeks be it just a daily update or a recipe or just a general 'stay positive' post.

Until next time,

Grá :-)