Where I began!

We are constantly bombarded by the media on how they *think* we should look and act. We see it in movies, videos, shows, articles we read, magazines, etc. It is so easy to get lost in those expectations and forget that we are each individuals who have different goals, priorities, and possibilities. What works for one person won't work for another. What fits one person won't fit everyone.  I could go on and on! I found myself in this situation A LOT! I would see articles on pinterest or Facebook that talked about what *good* moms do with their kids. I would see pictures of friends doing fun activities ALL THE TIME. I would read status updates of friends' trips to the gym and how awesome they were at getting fit. It was depressing. Reading and seeing all these things made me feel like I was not a very good mom and that I was lazy. I was always surprised at the things other moms were able to fit in their day. I would ask myself "how is that possible?" or "How is it that she always looks so perfect?" I didn't realize how often I was putting myself down and comparing myself to others. It wasn't until one day my husband told me to stop it. He put it in a very simple {and somewhat shocking} way, he told me this, "you need to stop beating yourself up. That is my beautiful wife you are talking to, whom I love very much. Stop being so mean to her." Talk about a wake up call. I am sad to admit that it wasn't then that I decided to make changes in my life. My appearance and confidence had always been something I struggled with. I honestly thought that I would always be fat. I would never get fit. My husband and I would talk all the time about how much I hated being big and how I just wanted to lose weight. He always told me the same things: that he KNEW I would be able to do it and that I needed to work at it. I was always annoyed with him. He stayed fit and trim way easily! He went to work everyday and that gave him such a great workout that he has a 6 pack without doing ANYTHING to maintain them! (so unfair!!) I always thought to myself that it was easy for him to say all those things because he didn't struggle with them. Health and physical appearance was always a sore subject between us. I hated talking about it and didn't want to make the effort the changes I wanted needed.

After having my second child, my weight didn't come off as easy as with the first. I was more tired and stretched thin. My physical appearance took a strain and was moved to the back burner. When we started talking about having another baby I told my husband I wasn't ready (our second child wasn't even one yet, no joke!). I wanted to lose weight and get in shape first, so I told him not right now. I started running and using the couch to 5K program (which I HIGHLY recommend for beginning runners!) I was amazed with myself as I started being able to run minutes without dying. My husband brought up having another baby a few weeks into my running program and said he knew it was time for us to have another baby, I was stubborn and didn't want to (selfishly). He helped me see that I could keep running and getting healthy even while pregnant. A couple weeks later I realized my husband was right and that it really was time for another baby and no joke, we got pregnant within a couple weeks! I was determined to stay fit with this pregnancy and so I kept running and ran my FIRST EVER 5K when I was 2 months pregnant!!!!! My goal was to run the whole thing without stopping and I did it! I felt amazing!! It was the greatest accomplishment for me. But.... then pregnancy woes kicked in. I was exhausted with my other 2 girls and my hubby was out of town all the time and I let the exercise slip up. When I went to deliver my little guy I was well over 200 pounds.  I thought for sure the pounds would come off quick and easy like they did with the other 2 but I was wrong. Weight just kept coming and so I started my running again. For some reason I couldn't lose any weight. I was up to running 3 miles straight a few times a week and my weight stayed steady. I was discouraged. After all the effort I was putting in to run and do my Jillian Michaels DVDs I wasn't seeing ANY results :( talk about depressing!! Then I got hurt in May 2013 and had to stop running and totally lost all momentum and became discouraged. Then I met my *angel* who has transformed my life.

One of my friends I had worked with was losing a lot of weight. She was posting her updates on Facebook and her blog regularly. I was very proud of her (alright, and maybe a little jealous!).  One day she posted this link about a fitness challenge she did with a blogger. So I clicked on it and "liked" her Facebook page. Little did I know that that simple "like" would change me!! A few months later this blogger, TheFitHousewife, posted something about her next challenge which was called "drop a dress size in 30 days". I was intrigued and my instincts had me respond to it and tell her I was interested. She responded back and was super friendly and asked me some questions about why I was interested and what my goals were. We talked quite a bit and I learned that she had been the same weight as me and had lost 90 pounds!! I was shocked and it hit me that if she could do it then why couldn't I?? My husband and I talked and I told him how much I wanted to do this and that it just felt right and what I needed. So we paid the money to get a new fitness program (I will share about that one a little later) and a supplement drink and I got all signed up for the challenge to start in October. I was way excited and super nervous that I would fail. Little did I know that I would very much succeed and fall in love with working out and find a new passion for healthy food and sharing these things with others!!!

The challenge started October 14, 2013. We were given food guides and menu plans. We were given tools to find out how many calories we needed and how to track them. We were given guidance through the whole process.  I then weighed myself and did all my measurements so I could keep track of my progress. I then took the *dreaded* before pictures.  Was it depressing to see all these numbers and pictures? Yes. I hated every second of it, but lucky for me, I have one heck of a supportive husband who did all of it for me without an ounce of judgement in his eyes.

  I started my new fitness program that week and my life changed. I started this circuit weight training program put out by Beachbody called ChaLEAN Extreme. It is THE BEST thing that has happened to me in the fitness department. (and trust me when I say that I have used plenty of programs and products in hopes of losing weight).  The program is 3 days of weight lifting and 2 days of cardio. Nothing more than an hour. Nothing that a 300 pound person couldn't do, honest. I picked a time that would work for me to get up and workout each morning and committed to that. I have learned that working out MUST be made a priority and it MUST be scheduled into your day or YOU WILL NOT DO IT. Guaranteed.

The first week of the challenge and my program I lost 9 pounds, NINE!!!!! I was FLOORED!! and ecstatic to say the least!! By the end of the 30 day challenge, and 4 weeks into my program I had lost 18 pounds and 6.5 inches throughout my whole body. It was exciting! I learned a lot about nutrition and calories and realized how much I was over eating and the bad habits I had created. Those 30 days gave me so much knowledge and help to see how I had let myself get the the point I had been, overweight and depressed.
I took pictures again so I could see my progress. (love the nifty technology we have to put pics side by side almost instantly to compare)

I knew I was going to keep at it. I couldn't wait to complete the whole 120 day program and see what kind of results I could get! I kept at it and the only time I missed workouts was during Christmas/new Years where I took 2 full weeks off due to crazy schedules and relaxing with the family. By the end of the 120 days I was down 33 pounds and 19 inches! Since finishing, I have started the program again and I'm down 7 more pounds so far! I have about 25-30 more pounds I would like to lose and I know that the way to do it is eating healthy and working out and enjoying the process!! I can't wait to reach my goals!!

I feel like a completely new person. I am wearing clothes that I haven't been able to wear in over 2 years. I weigh less than I did after having my first baby.  I have more confidence in myself. I am more excited about life. I enjoy eating WAY more than when I was 40 pounds heavier. I have learned about healthy habits and made lifetime changes for me AND my family.  I have become passionate about fitness and actually look forward to working out each morning. I miss it when I can't do it.

I have signed up to be a beach body coach now. My hope is that I can help change someone else's life just like my life has been changed. I was given a ray of hope and some knowledge and guidance that has truly changed my life. If anyone is interested in doing a challenge or buying a beach body program or Shakeology I would LOVE to help! There are so many great programs available (not just the one I am doing).