Hi, my name is Angel. Since the age of five, I have struggled with my weight. My life-long journey at attempts to lose weight started at the age of 12. I have been active throughout my entire life, from playing outside as a child to playing point guard on my basketball team in high school (among other sports, like volleyball and track). At work, I walked on my lunch hour and went to aerobic classes after. When my children were one and three, I joined Fundamentals, which taught aerobic classes, and became a member at West Hills when Fundamentals closed. Here, I learned to play tennis, did aerobics classes, used the cardio equipment, and finally hired a trainer. Mark Daniel was that lucky guy!
Life happens, and weight goes up and down. Exercise, however, has always been a constant. I actually love to exercise. I’m sure I complained to Mark too much about not being able to lose weight. He kept telling me I wasn't eating enough, which made no sense to me. How do you eat more and lose weight? Menopause was a rough time. I was still exercising but not understanding why I was gaining weight (hint: hormones!). As I said, my dedication to exercise has never wavered. In 2014, I made it a goal to exercise every single day of the year, and I did!
In March of 2016, I told my husband I was going to join Weight Watchers. I asked him what he was going to do, and he responded with, "I'm going to follow the program with you" (good answer!). Weight Watchers makes sense to me. It showed me how I could eat more and lose the weight while teaching me to make better choices with my food. Eating more helped fuel my body, and the weight started coming off. By September 2016, I reached my goal and lost 30 pounds. I decided to keep on keeping on, and by the end of December 2016, I had lost a total of 50 pounds. Most importantly, I have kept that 50 pounds off for 17 months! I will be 56 years YOUNG in June 2018, and I am in the best shape of my adult life. I have more confidence in myself that I ever had before, and I don't even mind clothes shopping (I HATED shopping before). With my stubborn and focused attitude, this adventure has been and will continue to be a success! One last note my family and friends know: I do NOT go out to eat Tuesday evenings—my weigh-in is Wednesday morning!
Member Spotlight: Angel Graham
