Jennette Fulda Loses 1/2 Her Bodyweight & Pens: 'Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir'

Her nickname was 'Jennetti-Spaghetti', so it's no wonder when she started her blog she entitled it 'The Pasta Queen.'  So how did this self-described wall-flower, carb-addict, 372 pound 23-year-old go from having a gallbladder attack to weighing 170 pounds & running a 1/2 marathon in less than 2 years?  It's quite a story and one she tells well in Half-Assed:  A Weight-loss Memoir. 

The Indianapolis-based web developer came from an overweight family, her parents, aunts, uncles and younger brother were al overweight.  At 372 pounds she wore a size 32, but because of the elastic waistbands she believes she could have been a size or 2 bigger.  She suffered a gallbladder attack, severe abdominal pain, and a knee injury all brought on by what she describes as eating a high fat diet, and having to much bile.  She was scared.  If she was having gallbladder attacks at 23, what would her future look like?  Would she have one?  Within a year she watched her brother lose 60-70 lbs and that was the little nudge it took to begin her own program. 

Refusing to do weight loss surgery she began walking on January 15th of that year.  She also started a blog, but due to embarrassment she kept her weight a secret.  After losing the first 100 pounds she began weighing-in regularly on the blog.  It went viral.  She weighed-in every week for 21/2 years.  Now she weight's in monthly. 

How did she do it?

Fitness wise--Jennette walked on the treadmill, starting at just a few minutes.  Slowly she walked faster and increased the incline.  She regularly did 45-50 minutes on the treamill.  After a year she began doing Pilates and strength training.  After a year and a half Jennette began running.  She has completed 5K's, 10K's, 15K's and the Indianapolis 500 1/2 marathon!  One of her tips for fitness is to try new things, keep yourself both mentally and physically stimulated.

Food wise--Jennette told me that she never use to plan her meals, but now she does.  She likes aspects of the South Beach diet and likes to eat 'real food'.  She does not eat a lot of junk food, eats 3 meals and 3 snacks a day.  A typical day may look something like this: B: omlet, or oatmeal; Sn: string cheese, or 30 pistacchio's, or fruit, or celery & carrots; L: TV dinner (lean cuisine); D: protein (chicken, fish), veggie, couscous or brown rice.  She avoids white rice, flour and potatoes.  

Today Jennette reports she is more confident, more willing to put herself out there.  In fact, Jennette is working on a second book (Chocolate & Vicodin:  And other failed cures for the headache that wouldn't go away) that will be tentatively published next fall.  Her blog is now a hodgepodge of weight loss, headaches, cats, sass & spunk.  Even from when I interviewed Jennette late last year I see a new edge in her writing, more confidence shining through.

It hasn't been all bikinis and bliss for Jennette.  She got a headache in early 2008 and it never went away.  A deep depression followed, and a small re-gain (30 pounds).  But she's working on it, which makes her even more real and in a sense more inspriring.  Life happens and Jennette is proving to us all we will live through it, and even if we come out a bit scathed, we can start anew.

Jennette's tips include:  

• Weigh yourself regularly (she does so daily)
• Keep a chart
• Track food, if you start to gain, or are on a plateau, be sure you are writing it ALL down
• Join a gym
• Hire a trainer
• Make it a priority
• Consider journaling or blogging
• Stay focused on your successes
• Set up a support system
• Be accountable (to yourself or someone else--for Jennette it was only 10,000+ of her closest friends!)

Jennette continues to gain inspiration from many, including: other bloggers, Spark People, Scotland Shauna (Diet Girl), Jillian Michael's podcasts (from her radio show), other weight loss memoirs such as: ' 'I'm not the New Me', 'Tales from the Scale', & 'Lose the Buddha'.

Way to go Jennette!  You are an inspiration to us all :-)

Comments

[Andrea Madrigal]

Janett hello, I'm a young 20 years old and I am overweight, your story is very encouraging, I also want bjar weight, not so much for my physical appearance but because of my health because I suffer from various diseases, thanks for sharing this history with us, I'm more of your fans, I' m from Costa Rica

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