inspiration series: chapter 2 - DietGirl

so, in chapter 1 of my inspiration series, i wrote about blogger that i found who wrote a book about her weight loss success. 

in chapter 2, i found a book via my friend E and then found out it was actually based on her blog. 

shauna reid, the author of the amazing adventures of dietgirl is another inspiration who literally lost half of herself on her weight loss journey. at the start, she was 351 pounds and now clocks in at 175.5, or a USA size 12. 

i read her book cover to cover when there was still snow on the ground, and i remember moments where i was laughing so hard i thought my pants were going to explode and other times that big, thick tears were running down my cheeks because i so understood what she was saying. 

shauna has an outrageous sense of humor. her self-deprecating jabs in the book are a constant reminder that we are own worst enemies and our own strongest fans. her australian via scotland vocabulary is also a kick, for those of us here in the states. 

shauna was gracious enough to take some time to answer a few of my questions, so straight from the source, i introduce dietgirl:

1) How is your maintenance phase going? Is it easier/harder than you thought it would be?

After 2.5 years of maintenance I'm still learning. The first year or so was easy - I think I cruised by on the sheer joy and novelty of being in a smaller bod. Then life took some complicated turns and I've had some ups and downs since then. But I figured - it took me over 5 years to learn how to lose weight, so it's only natural that it would take me awhile to figure out how to keep it off! Just like the weight loss phase, theres been a lot of trial and error in order to figure out what works for me in the long term. I think I'm getting there.

2) You lost your weight over an extended period of time. Do you think that taking your time will help you in the long run?

Yes. The process taught me patience and made me more accepting of my shortcomings. Which means when I have setbacks - whether related to my weight or life in general - I'm now better at picking myself up and bouncing back instead of beating myself up like I used to.

3) You and your sister moved to a foreign country right in the middle of your weight loss quest. Do you think shaking up the scenery helped? Hindered? How so?

In some ways it was a hindrance. When I lived in Australia I had a very routine life - steady job, predictable weekends, no major obstacles. It was much easier to get into a sort of rhythm with my weight loss. But moving to Scotland meant I lost everything familiar and routine. I had to find new ways of doing things. After some initial freakouts I began to look upon it as an adventure - new foods, new places, new exercises, new ideas.My weight loss slowed down considerably but I was having so much more fun. Moving overseas gave me a healthier, less obsessive perspective and made me see there was more to life than the size off my butt.

4) You mention in your book seeing/staying with people you met through the blog. Did you expect to make friends around the world as a result of your writing and your experiences?

Never! I only had about three readers when I started. I never expected it to be anything but a nerdy little hobby. Plus I wrote anonymously - back in 2001 we were all very secretive about our true identities, in case our readers were crazy stalkers or axe murderers. But these days everyone lets it all hang out and bloggers get together all the time. The honesty and openness of our online relationships almost always translates beautifully offline.

5) Have you taken up any new hobbies since losing the weight?

I'm now madly into kickboxing and currently training for my blue belt. I'm also trying to grow my own herbs!