Losing the Baby Fat

I lost a lot of weight between eighth and ninth grade. I was at the peak of puberty and was motivated to be better looking. I was going to be entering High School, I had had enough of the taunting, I had enough of what I looked like. It was bad enough I needed to wear braces, and my acne wasn't totally under control yet. I didn't want to have braces, acne, AND be fat.

Some weight came off just by growing, but most of it because I started eating less and exercising more. I would make subtle changes in the beginning, like having one serving instead of two, not eating after 9pm, get a small ice cream instead of a large, stopped drinking soda, things like that. I would walk around my neighborhood if the weather was nice, and in the summer I swam in my pool almost every day.

Now, I was never not active, I did do dance and play softball and do horseback riding when I was a kid, but I guess it wasn't often enough to keep me at a healthy weight. That, combined with the overeating I was doing, resulted in my demise of being overweight. I think food and eating was (and still is) the biggest challenge for me. Once the little light bulb clicked on and I became aware of what I was eating and how much, I was able to start changing how and what I ate. I began to be able to control my diet.


In my freshman year (ninth grade), I discovered the Olympic sport of fencing. I went for a pre season meeting and was hooked. However my body was not ready for the intense amount of conditioning and exercise. The first few weeks of the season were purely conditioning and working out. It was the most activity I had ever experienced. Running, jumping jacks, stairs, sit ups, push ups, etc. The coaches pushed us, and I remember them saying not to give up, and to come back the next day, no matter how sore your body felt, you'd get used to it.

And I did. I also lost a lot of weight because of all the activity I was getting. It was 2 or so hours per day, 5 (sometimes 6) days per week. My body was getting into shape, I was looking and feeling better. Fencing was one of the best things I could have done. Not only did I lose weight and become a competitive athlete, I gained a lot of friends and some wonderful memories and experiences. Fencing has had a huge impact on my life, I don't know where or how I would be without ever joining.