Before and now
They're not perfect before and afters - the tops are screen grabs from when I was pole dancing. They are the same black shorts in all photos. Marked NSFW just because of the little shorts and the poles. In the top photos I was 240, and now I am 212.
I had lost 100 pounds 6 years ago, going from 220 to 120. But I did that only through dieting. I didn't exercise, so since then, I never focused on channeling my stress into anything else or finding alternative ways to cope. So I regained all the weight in those six years plus 20.
Two years ago, I started pole dancing as a way to cope with the stress of life and I loved it. But it was hard because I was so overweight. It also sucked that girls who were skinny or just smaller (and not necessarily strong) could do moves I was fighting to get just because they didn't have the extra weight. I tried not to compare myself, but it was hard knowing the comparison was something in my control. I also had a rotator cuff issue that hadn't been an issue doing workouts when I weighted 120, but were when I was 240.
I quit pole dancing a year ago because I was getting so upset I wasn't progressing like everyone else. I'd been doing it a year and was still stuck in the beginner class because I couldn't invert or climb up high enough when everyone I started with was in the Intermediate 1 or 2 class. I went to class 5 days a week, alternating the general class with the classes that were for specific skills (climbing focused classes or invert focused) and still just could not get it. The ladies at the pole gym were so sweet and encouraging, and literally no one was ever rude about my size. But I knew that was my issue.
In March I had some life shaking things happen, and had no way to get out the rage. I had nothing to focus on. I felt stupid going back to pole dancing because I knew it would be the same struggle again. So instead I decided to start losing weight just so I could try again after losing some.
My doctor put me on phentermine to help me not think about eating when I am stressed. For the first month, I maybe ate 1,200 calories a day and lost 14 pounds. My doctor said that was great, but asked me how I was using the medicine to change versus just lose weight.
That's when I started working out. The medicine helped me not want food when I was/am stressed, so I started working out instead. Now I'm eating at 1,500 calories a day and working out each day.
I alternate one of the programs by Chloe Ting (Get Peachy) with just an incline walk, and I get 10k steps a day on average. I've kept it up for a month. My weight loss slowed, but I've been losing inches like crazy (I've only tracked those this month, so I'm not sure what inches I've lost in total). In April I lost about 10 inches in my overall body.
I want to get to 180 before I try pole dancing again. I know I could technically try again now, but I can't afford the class again until at least August, so I'm not going to stress myself out about if I can do it now or not.
I didn't notice a difference until I sent these to my husband this week. I've started taking daily photos in the same poses so I can make better comparisons.
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