Weight is something that I have struggled with my entire life. When I was a child I was always the tallest girl in my class and hit puberty before everyone else my age, and even though I wasn't overweight as a child, I was big compared to all of my friends. I was very active during my childhood and took dance classes 6-7 days a week until middle school when it just became too much so I decided to quit. The less active I became, the more weight I put on.
By the time I was in high school I was very insecure with my body. I always found myself making excuses about why I couldn't go to the lake or in the hot tub at a friend's house just because I couldn't bear the thought of wearing a swim suit. I missed out on a lot of things because I was embarrassed about how I looked and I didn't know how to fix it.
When I got to college I started to put on more weight. I would try to cover it up by wearing clothes that made me look thinner than I was. Shopping was miserable and I would often times cry in the dressing room when I couldn't get the biggest size of pants on. I would make excuses and say that that store's sizes just run small.
It wasn't until after college when I was looking at our family Christmas photos that I realized how out of control my health had gotten. I started to reflect on my life and realize how miserable I was, how unhappy I had become, how I untagged myself from nearly every picture on Facebook because I looked so big, how my size 14 jeans were getting really tight and I the next size up was a plus size. I was depressed and ashamed of my body and the habits that lead me there. I never weighed myself for fear of what the scale would say.
It was January 2012 when I had enough and decided to get serious about making a serious change. First, I bought a scale: at my heaviest, I weighed 186 pounds. I started eating clean and meal planning. I bought some workout DVDs and started working out at home. After a month I had lost almost 15 pounds and was motivated to keep going. I graduated from my Hip Hop Abs and decided to try Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred
. By March I had lost a total of 25 pounds and decided to step my workout up and do the at home workout program that everyone says is just crazy: Insanity. The workouts were tough and I had to modify a lot of the moves, but I started to see a huge transformation in my body and even the faint hint of my muscles. I became obsessed with getting fit. My step mom even talked me into running a half marathon with her in the summer. I never liked to run, but I wanted to challenge myself. When I started running I was shocked that I could easily run a mile without ever being able to run with such ease before. I started to believe in myself and believe that I could achieve my goal.
. By March I had lost a total of 25 pounds and decided to step my workout up and do the at home workout program that everyone says is just crazy: Insanity. The workouts were tough and I had to modify a lot of the moves, but I started to see a huge transformation in my body and even the faint hint of my muscles. I became obsessed with getting fit. My step mom even talked me into running a half marathon with her in the summer. I never liked to run, but I wanted to challenge myself. When I started running I was shocked that I could easily run a mile without ever being able to run with such ease before. I started to believe in myself and believe that I could achieve my goal. 
After 6 months I had lost a total of 54 pounds and was now a size 4 (sometimes I could fit into a size 2!). I was the most confident with my body I had ever been in my life.
The summer after I lost all of that weight, I met my husband and we were married a year later. Shortly after getting married I became pregnant. I really wanted to have a fit pregnancy, but every time I worked out I would get nauseous and throw up. The only thing that made my nausea bearable was eating. It was really hard for me to watch the scale go up, but I knew it was essential for the growth of my daughter, and that I had lost weight before so I could do it again. After my morning sickness went away (nearly 5 months into my pregnancy) I had broken all of my good habits. I didn't eat as healthy as I should have and there were consequences from all of the bad decisions I made.
Right before I delivered in June I was all the way up to 196 pounds! I thought the weight would come off with breastfeeding like so many moms claim it does, but it didn't work that way for me. I struggled with my milk supply and had to make sure I ate enough to be able to produce enough milk for my baby to grow. It wasn't until November that I got really serious about losing the weight. It has been much harder this time around: I had to figure out how much to eat to be able to lose weight and still maintain a healthy milk, plan meals for myself and David who has Celiac Disease and cannot eat gluten, and find time to workout between caring for a baby, pumping 8-12 times a day, and maintaining the household. Now, I am officially down 49 pounds since birth with the help of Focus T25, Insanity, Insanity Max:30, running, and clean eating, and I am determined to lose another 7 before my daughters first birthday.
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| The picture on the right is after running my first half marathon. I am doing another one in 3 weeks! |
Having lost so much weight twice now, I know that I am never going to let myself get that big again (even when I have another baby). I still struggle everyday: I love food. I love binge eating in front of the TV. I love sweets and anything with butter. What I love even more though is being healthy, athletic, and confident in my own skin. I love being able to set a good example for my daughter. I love being an inspiration to the people around me. I love that I can live my life and that nothing can hold me back anymore.
You look amazing, and perhaps even more importantly you struggled through, and won, with determination that so many others never find. I too am on a weight loss journey, my starting weight was actually 3lbs heavier than you! I piled on 4 1/2 stone due to anti-depressants, but am finally off them and have just started wk4 of T25! I can see huge differences already. I have to modify a lot of the time, but I haven't missed one workout and I will KEEP pressing play no matter what! I'm planning on starting PiYo once T25 is finished, and have just started the 21 Day Fix food plan. Keep up the good work, we rock!!!! ;) xx
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love Beachbody programs, they make it really easy to fit into your normal life. Sometimes I too struggle to push through my workouts but do I just do it anyway. I just have to remind myself that even if I don't have the best workout, it is better than sitting on the couch!
DeleteGreat weight loss journey, Natasha! Losing weight can be done with zero exercise minutes per day. Weight loss comes down to energy balance, as long as you’re eating fewer calories than you are burning (you burn calories every second, regardless of what you’re doing), you will lose weight. Exercise is one way to manipulate this energy balance and increase the amount of calories burned.
DeleteSo yes, it is certainly possible to exercise for 1 minute and lose weight.
1 minute of specific weight loss routines, is equivalent to 45 minutes of moderate exercise at the gym.
To be honest, I don't know too much more about it other than it working great for me and hubby, click here to take their 1 minute quiz: 1 Minute Weight Loss
I highly suggest you check it out if you're looking to lose your weight easily once and for all.
Good luck!
Jane
Lost 17 pounds in 3 Months
I am currently at my heaviest weight. I am determined to slim down!!! My biggest struggle is that I have to take meds that increase my appetite. Bummer!! But I'll just have to gnosh on veggies or protein. I would love to have a success story like yours. Congrats on your accomplishments!!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your perspective and the realization that losing weight is not just a one time fix. All of us have our struggles that can come around if we are not consistent and proactive in our efforts to overcome our weaknesses. Thanks for the reminder that it can be done. Congrats on your commitment to a healthy life.
ReplyDeleteI love how encouraging this blog post about your journey it has made me inspired. Thank you!!!!! ��
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