This is the story of a girl who overcame a major obstacle. You see I, as a baby and as a small child I was always chubby. Back then this was considered cute. I’d get called adorable and the occasional cheek pinch. Then as I grew up a bit, I thinned out as they say most kids do. I could eat an entire pizza when I was 8 and never gain a single pound. It wasn’t until middle school that I realized how much you have to take care of yourself once you become “older”. There were school dances and “boyfriends” and eventually I was well aware of the need to fit in by appearances.
It was into high school that I really started to watch my weight. These were supposed to be some of the best years of my life, and they were don’t get me wrong, but I wanted to fit in and exercising and eating right became very important to me. Some nights I would finish my homework and then do Richard Simmons videos when I couldn’t make it to the gym. Don’t judge me, his videos are SO incredibly fun! 🙂 I’d be sweatin’ to the oldies all night. I was a workaholic too so I didn’t have much time to sit around and eat and I think that really helped as well. I remained a good size all through high school and I fell in love with my high school sweetheart. We’d known each other since 6th grade and I always had a crush on him. We both went to college together and eventually got married. It’s like a fairy tale, I know. 🙂
Then as life got comfortable in that marital bliss, so did I. Once ya get hitched, you fix those home cooked meals and sit at home watching the news. Or at least we did. I felt loved and didn’t pay too close attention to taking care of myself. Then I got pregnant with my first baby girl and I took full advantage of the freedom that every pregnant woman gets! However, my blood pressure sky rocketed in the last couple months and I had to be induced a month early because of hypertension. My weight at this point was at the highest point that it had ever been. I was pregnant, but there was no way that having the baby was going to take care of what I needed to lose. After having my Addie, it was a wake up call for me to get back in shape and really work on taking care of myself.
In October of 2008, over 2 years after getting married and 1 year after having my first baby I set out on a mission. I was going to put an end to this laziness and take back control of my body. My friend Jennifer showed me the ropes to making small, but life changing steps to losing the weight. I didn’t want a quick fix, I wanted something that I could stick with forever. I spent a few weeks just counting the calories in what I normally ate. This was very eye-opening to say the least. You just don’t realize how much you eat until you see that number of calories on paper. Then I worked on consuming significantly less calories than what I was used to. Meanwhile, I also started a workout routine. I remember one of the first few times that I stepped on an elliptical thinking I am SURELY going to die on this thing! It literally felt impossible, but I kept with it and between the calorie counting and the exercising, the weight began to come off. I worked up to using the elliptical for cardio and free weights for toning. Believe it or not, but I eventually got used to it! By March of 2009, I had already shed 65 pounds! In total I lost about 75 pounds in about 7 months. It was a tough process, but I wanted it to stick and become the way that I actually live my life. Minus the pimples and awkwardness of high school, it felt good to get back to that mindset of really caring about myself again.
This is me now. 75 pounds down, a second child, and a lifestyle in which I live actively. Through my entire journey, my husband never once spoke a word about my weight. This was something that I had to do for myself. Even now, I LOVE to eat. And I’m really bad about eating at night. The difference in then and now is that I make smart choices. Instead of 73% lean ground beef, I’ll use 93% lean ground turkey. Instead of whole milk, I go for skim. Instead of fried, I bake. I use the light version of anything that I can. And the other thing that keeps me in check is my exercising. I have recently started to run. Oh goodness, if you asked me 5 years ago if I could run a 5k, I would laugh in your face! I’ve run 2 of those and I would love to work up to a half marathon.
I’m a stay at home mom chasing a 4 year old and crawling on the floor with a baby all day. I only hope that eating healthy and exercising are things that my children one day value as much as I. If you’re struggling to lose weight, have faith. It is most certainly possible and completely within your grasp. I do suggest, don’t go on a diet, make a lifestyle change!
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