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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Frumpy No More

This is me in 1998, forty-two years old, five feet six inches tall, and weighing two hundred pounds. Those pants are a size 18.



My life was crumbling, and sadness oozed from every pore. I hated my job but was too deep in debt to start over in another. My then-husband was having an affair with a much younger and more fun woman. I was grieving for the children and family I would never have. In short, my life was a big mess! I cried every single day... sometimes all day long. 


When I hit rock bottom, I decided to change everything that I had the power to change. I started to eat more vegetables and fewer heavy late-in-the-day meals. I started walking. At first, I had difficulty walking to the end of the block. Soon, I was walking for a couple of miles every day. The weight started to come off, and I began formulating a plan to survive this difficult time. 

After the marriage ended, I moved to the New Orleans area. Of course, that was not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but it was an immensely better life than the one I left behind in Virginia. I made new friends and joined two gyms. My walks turned into five-mile runs, and my time in the gym filled the massive void in my life. 

This photo was taken at the peak of my bodybuilding obsession. I'm forty-five in this photo, weighing one hundred and thirty-five pounds. I'm still an empty shell of a human, but at least I look better!




In 2003, I left New Orleans and returned to my hometown in the mountains of east Tennessee. Some bumpy roads were still ahead, but I was home with my family and owned a successful business.

I'm telling you my life story for a reason. I hope you will read this and say if she can do it, I can! 

Change it if you are unhappy with some part of your life or body. Take little steps every day. Soon, you will be running (if not literally, then figuratively). Think of food as the fuel it is. Don't let it be your comfort and your entertainment. If you want to be healthy and thinner, you must make wiser choices about the foods and quantities you eat daily. The other twenty-two hours a day are worth making a few changes in your food choices.


The photo above is a more recent photo taken just before my fifty-sixth birthday at one hundred and
forty-two pounds. Those pants are a size 4!

My life truly began at fifty. I've never been happier or more healthy than I am right now. Not that being thin is the answer to all life's problems, but when you can sleep well at night without being in pain or struggling to breathe, you can make better choices during your waking hours. Sometimes, things are better than they seem after a good night's sleep.

I hope my story touches the lives of people going through something similar. I share fashion tips and my personal tragedies and triumphs, hoping to inspire you to improve your life. 

9 comments:

  1. Great going, Susan. You are a real inspiration.

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  2. Thanks so much for your comments. I appreciate your feedback.

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  3. Thank you for telling your story. I'm needing to change but am "frozen" for some reason. Your story is making me think about the second half of my life. Thank you!!

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  4. Thanks for sharing. I find you inspiring.

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  5. This is such a positive story Susan. I'm so happy for you that you had the inner strength to make it through such a bumpy ride. Your enthusiasm is truly commendable and I have no doubt that the advice and stories you share with us helps thousands of ladies out there....myself included. From the depths of my heart, thank you! :-)

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  6. Georgene (Gigi) KoenigJune 30, 2014 at 7:19 PM

    I went back into the archives to get inspiration, and I hit the Mother Lode with this post. I am 65, am 5'5", and weigh 195 lbs and have sabotaged my own efforts to gain control of my health and life for 20 years. Your story hits home, and tomorrow morning, July 1, I begin the road to a better life choices and good mental and physical health. I am just sorry I have put this off for so long by putting everything ahead of myself (job, family, etc.), but since I intend to live for a long time, so I'm getting started. I intend to push and pull my husband down this new road with me. Thank you, Susan. -Georgene

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You may also write to me at Susan@Fiftynotfrumpy.com.