Mia Walked Off 100+ Pounds*

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Mia Padilla-Schubert 
Weight Lost: 113 pounds
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Occupation: Artist and Stay at Home Mom
 
What was life like before your weight loss?
I gained weight slowly after I got married. During my second year of marriage, I had a tubal (ectopic) pregnancy, and my weight gain really picked up. After trying to get pregnant for 10 years, my doctor found I had thyroid cancer. I lost a bit of weight after undergoing surgery and radiation treatments. One year later, I became pregnant. I watched what I ate and had a healthy baby girl!  However, all of this was still not enough to make my changes stick. Using the excuse that I was a busy mom, I regained the 30 pounds I had lost plus an extra 60 pounds on top of that. At age 36, I was the biggest I had ever been, weighing in at 275 pounds.

I was achy all the time. My hips hurt and I couldn't sit in any seat for more than 20 minutes. It was humiliating to have to ask for extenders for the belts on plane trips. I had to lean into the center of my car to get my door to close all the way. My arms would go numb all the time from the pressure on them. I couldn't go on many rides anymore at fairs or amusement parks. I couldn't walk very far and had a hard time keeping up with my toddler.
 
What was your ‘light bulb moment’ that made you get serious about losing the weight?
One day after a parade, I had to roll over on to my knees to get up from where I had been sitting. My in-laws had to help me. I realized that I couldn't do it anymore. I just couldn’t go on living the way that I had been.  I was going around and taking my daughter to all sorts of places, but I couldn't actually do anything with her once we got there. I was always watching, never able to do. I was afraid that I would spend my life watching her grow up, always from the sidelines.
 
Tell us a bit about your weight-loss journey:
I started along with my sister-in-law, but she achieved quick results and soon what worked for her did not work for me. I tried a bit of this and that. It was hard to stick to anything consistently. I bought books on weight loss strategies, picked up DVDs, and trolled the Internet. It was a lot to try to make sense of. Once I found SparkPeople and its communities, something clicked! I got my husband on board and we were off! The steps to swap one thing at a time and team support made such a difference. Soon, I decided to set a goal of walking my daughter to school every day. Oh, boy! I barely made the first day. It was so encouraging to find others with similar struggles. It was very, very hard, though I kept up my commitment, rain or shine.
 
With SparkPeople, I learned to make one small change at a time such as swapping sodas for water and researching menu choices before I go out. I’d make a change and then learn to stick to it, making it a part of my lifestyle, before moving on to make another. I didn't have to buy specialized food. I could still eat all the foods I loved. I found the accountability of logging my exercise and food every day so motivating. I could see that I was really making progress. The charts picked me up when I thought I had gone nowhere. With the mobile app, there's never an excuse to not hold myself accountable for my own health. These small changes made a big difference! I still have my days; the holidays can be especially hard. I am so glad that I have my husband along on my journey. Making positive changes like this and finding new ways to live healthier makes me hopeful that my daughter will not have the bad habits that hurt me for so many years. I have done it my way, with what has worked for me. I don’t drink sodas anymore, home cooking is the norm now, and exercise is an everyday part of my life. The family and I walk everywhere now. We walk to breakfast on the weekends, to the library twice a week, from the parking lot into Disneyland instead of using the tram. It’s a fun hobby that we enjoy so much. I can’t imagine driving as much as we used to anymore.


Did you encounter and obstacles during your journey and, if so, how did you deal with them?
I loved my coffee drinks! Who would have thought that I was drinking 700+ calories a day in lattes and iced coffees? And I never realized how out of whack my portions were. A simple swap to drip coffee with a touch of nonfat milk and switching to smaller plates helped to keep me in check and on track!
 
What is your typical exercise routine like?
People at my daughter’s school know that I’m that mom they see walking all the time! Every day I walk my daughter to school, and then walk down to the local mall to take a few laps and stop for a snack (packed from home) and some water and a coffee. It’s back home and then when school lets out; I walk back to pick her up! I walk an average of 5 miles a day, but it’s never daunting with the break in-between. If it’s too hot or too windy, I put on a show at home and walk and jog in intervals during it.
 
How would you describe your typical diet now as compared to before your weight loss?
My old shopping list was filled with pre-packaged, boxed, and artificial foods. I hardly ate any fresh fruit or vegetables. We went out all the time and ate to excess. It was so bad that I was always eating antacids. Now, I don’t drink sodas anymore and my grocery basket is filled with fresh foods. I look for recipes that I can make for my family to swap out for the processed, boxed, snacks and foods we always used to eat. It’s been fun to bake with my daughter at home and my husband has even posted a few of our new, homemade recipes we have come up with. During the holidays, to help keep us on track, we make a few of our favorites, like homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, and bring them with us to parties.
 
What advice would you give to someone just beginning a weight loss program?
It can all be so confusing. Don’t lose heart! You can do this! It’s your journey, so everything that is on trend or works for someone else may not be a good fit for you. Reach out and don’t stop trying. I didn’t think I could make it that first day either.
 
How has your life changed since losing weight and improving your health?
I now run/walk every morning, rain or shine! I look for opportunities to get outside and walk. Friends and acquaintances ask my husband and me about how we did it. They can’t believe that being aware of how we eat and exercising has done so much for us. I shop in clothing stores that I could only dream about shopping in before. My joints rarely ever hurt me anymore. I am now eight years cancer-free and my thyroid levels are well-managed. I had to throw out our antacids and pain relievers because they had expired. We just don't need them anymore! It’s so liberating to own one’s own health.