While my weight has fluctuated most of my life, I guess you can say my true journey towards health & fitness officially kicked off in December 2009. I had of course begun to notice that I was starting to look a little pudgier than I had in the past, but just told myself "it's the holidays and I'm not going to restrict myself during the holidays." So I continued to eat whatever I wanted, justified it with the time of year, and resolved that after the new year I'd buckle down and focus on dropping a few. A true wake-up call came a little earlier than I'd bargained for, however. I became reacquainted with a friend I hadn't seen in quite awhile. Much to my surprise, she said something to me that, let's just say, was a little more honest than anyone would like to hear. She flat out told me that I'd... "put on weight!" Maybe it sounds a little shallow, but I felt blind-sided...devastated...slapped in the face! You get the point. Since I think I'm pretty safe in assuming that most people have not had this same experience, let me tell you, it is one thing to see it in the mirror or have the scale tell you you've packed on a few, but it's certainly another when someone else sees fit to let you know. That was all it took for me.
Once I hung up from her and finished sobbing like a baby maturely processing the situation, I got up off the couch, went into the pantry, and tossed my favorite LoftHouse Frosted Sugar Cookies in the trash.
Easily the most painful part of the process... I mean, just look at em'! Mmmm!
I admit the cookies part was a bit dramatic, but it was my way of telling myself "I'm serious about changing my situation from this moment forward." Don't get me wrong. I didn't decide to make this change because of someone else's opinion of my weight. I made the decision because I knew she was right and if other people were now noticing too...well, you get what I'm saying. So I came up with a plan to lose 25 lbs and gave myself a goal of doing so by my 25th birthday, which was then 6 months away. I even ever so cleverly (if I do say so myself!) named my goal "25 by 25." When I finally got the courage to get on a scale, I learned that I was 148 lbs: the heaviest weight I've been in my life. According to the BMI, this was more weight than was healthy for me to be carrying around on my 5'4 frame.
Ok, I'll be honest, that had little to do with it. What I really wanted was a bangin' body like Kim Kardashian!
But I wanted to do it in a healthy way and I decided I was gonna make this happen, no excuses. To accomplish my goal I began working out twice a day, taking classes in the fitness facility at my job during my lunch hours and working out in the fitness room of my apartment when I got home. I also completely changed my eating habits, opting for healthier alternatives and practicing portion control. After 6 months and in time for my 25th birthday, I reached my goal and lost 25 lbs!
Since working out daily and eating right, I've noticed a difference in the way I look and the way I feel and I could now never imagine going back to a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. Now I've begun my next journey; maintenance, which is proving to be much more difficult, especially surrounded by so much delicious Southern food!
So essentially, what started as a goal to lose weight for my "big 2-5" has now become a complete healthy lifestyle change that I plan to continue with for life. I started this blog as a fun place to share my newly found passion for healthy living by chronicling cool and interesting workouts I try, delicious and healthy food finds, my occasional daily eats (the good, bad, and the ugly...yes I still cheat from time to time) or just my random rants about all things food and fitness! Other health and fitness blogs were and continue to be extremely instrumental to me in my process, so hopefully as I take you on my journey with me and share what I'm learning, I can do the same for someone else. Hope you enjoy! :)
