As you know, it has been a while since I last blogged. So much has happened in the past year but I was feeling like perhaps my blog had become stale and unnecessary. Or that perhaps I needed to add a bit more humor. Whatever the reason I feel like I've been missing my blog. So I thought I'd take a moment and discuss my recent achievement.
In order to do it justice I have to give you some background. Last year I had gotten to the point where I wasn't happy with my physical health and appearance. After the birth of my sweet daughter in 2008, it was very difficult to get back into my previous shape. Those who tout that "this fad" or "that method" will help you lose your baby weight simply were wrong in my case. I tried all the typical things, nursing, working out; as well as extreme diets such as Isagenix (which is really just code for starve yourself) Hey but I lost 12 pounds in a week Hooray! and then gained it back quickly...
Sadly none of those things stuck and I became discouraged and had decided to just "settle". Yet, I am not the type to just settle. As the summer loomed ahead and I was preparing to start the new school year, one shopping experience kicked me into gear. I had gone to the mall for new business attire and, as most of my shopping experiences went, this one went badly. Nothing fit right and I resorted to trying on some plus sized attire and one such skirt fit! I was shocked. Now there is nothing wrong with plus size, but all my life I perceived myself to be a medium sized person. I couldn't bring myself to purchase the larger size and I finally felt defeated. I knew I had to take drastic measures in order to return to my ideal health.
I was experiencing all those things you hear about when people discuss unhealthy lifestyles. Playing with Rachel had become more difficult and I would be winded after only a short time. Eating certain foods often made me feel overstuffed or in other words, just plain yucky. I had no energy and constantly felt "weighed" down. I knew that my nutritional choices were the biggest factor, but I didn't know what to do about it.
I resolved to find a way. I started with the book "Fast Metabolism Diet" by Hailey Pomroy. It was a challenge at first but then some weight started coming off. once I finished I gained a few pounds back and that was a bit discouraging but I was happy that I had made a bit of progress. Then I found Medifast. Two of my friends had lost close to 50 pounds each and I wanted to know how they did it. They both directed me toward this program. I was skeptical at first, thinking it wouldn't work for me. But after some research and planning I decided to give it a try.
Medifast literally changed my life! If you have ever lost a significant amount of weight you understand how truly life changing it can be. Not only did I lose weight but I also re-learned how to eat. I learned portion control and how to make healthy choices without breaking the bank. I learned how to have a healthy relationship with food. Medifast was easy, convenient, and I never felt like I was starving and did I mention easy!
Once I met my goal I then decided on how I wanted to maintain. After enjoying a lovely slice of cheesecake I considered my options. Yes I got to eat some cheesecake, and lots of other things when I finished my diet. I just ate them a bit differently. Like instead of downing the entire bag of Doritos I would eat only a small bowl of Doritos.
So my options included joining a gym, doing nothing, or finding another suitable exercise. I didn't really have the money or time to go to the gym and didn't want to just do nothing, so i started looking at other exercise options. I started with daily crunches and sit ups but that didn't seem to do it for me. After a while one of the track coaches suggested I start doing couch to 5K.
Running?!?! I said. Are you kidding me? I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of running. Running is the devil and hat's just not really my thing. But after some stewing time I decided to give it a try. I thought "Hey, I can run for 1 minute."
My first 'run' was actually quite pleasant and gave me the motivation to try it a second time and a third time. At the end of that week however, my body was very sore. I wondered, if this was going to be the case during the whole process because if so, I needed out now!
After some reassurance I could tell that my body was becoming used to this foreign activity and I pressed on. Each week I was surprised at how far I was able to go. Finally the day came when I had to run 30 minutes with no break. This was daunting. I gave it my all and when I hit the 30 minute mark I almost cried tears of joy. I had done it! I had become a 'runner'. You know one of those crazy people who feels bad if they don't get their run in. Or one who enjoys running when its only 20 degrees outside.
Running three times a week has become a norm for me and yes I feel like something is out of whack if I miss one of my runs. This past Saturday I ran in the community mile at the Tiger-Grizz track meet. Through the rain I ran my heart out and beat my time! It was exhilarating. I am looking forward to the 2014 Color run 5K the end of May.
With this as well as many other wonderful changes, life has been good, full of joy so to speak and I am looking forward to all that this year hold.
In order to do it justice I have to give you some background. Last year I had gotten to the point where I wasn't happy with my physical health and appearance. After the birth of my sweet daughter in 2008, it was very difficult to get back into my previous shape. Those who tout that "this fad" or "that method" will help you lose your baby weight simply were wrong in my case. I tried all the typical things, nursing, working out; as well as extreme diets such as Isagenix (which is really just code for starve yourself) Hey but I lost 12 pounds in a week Hooray! and then gained it back quickly...
Sadly none of those things stuck and I became discouraged and had decided to just "settle". Yet, I am not the type to just settle. As the summer loomed ahead and I was preparing to start the new school year, one shopping experience kicked me into gear. I had gone to the mall for new business attire and, as most of my shopping experiences went, this one went badly. Nothing fit right and I resorted to trying on some plus sized attire and one such skirt fit! I was shocked. Now there is nothing wrong with plus size, but all my life I perceived myself to be a medium sized person. I couldn't bring myself to purchase the larger size and I finally felt defeated. I knew I had to take drastic measures in order to return to my ideal health.
I was experiencing all those things you hear about when people discuss unhealthy lifestyles. Playing with Rachel had become more difficult and I would be winded after only a short time. Eating certain foods often made me feel overstuffed or in other words, just plain yucky. I had no energy and constantly felt "weighed" down. I knew that my nutritional choices were the biggest factor, but I didn't know what to do about it.
I resolved to find a way. I started with the book "Fast Metabolism Diet" by Hailey Pomroy. It was a challenge at first but then some weight started coming off. once I finished I gained a few pounds back and that was a bit discouraging but I was happy that I had made a bit of progress. Then I found Medifast. Two of my friends had lost close to 50 pounds each and I wanted to know how they did it. They both directed me toward this program. I was skeptical at first, thinking it wouldn't work for me. But after some research and planning I decided to give it a try.
Medifast literally changed my life! If you have ever lost a significant amount of weight you understand how truly life changing it can be. Not only did I lose weight but I also re-learned how to eat. I learned portion control and how to make healthy choices without breaking the bank. I learned how to have a healthy relationship with food. Medifast was easy, convenient, and I never felt like I was starving and did I mention easy!
Once I met my goal I then decided on how I wanted to maintain. After enjoying a lovely slice of cheesecake I considered my options. Yes I got to eat some cheesecake, and lots of other things when I finished my diet. I just ate them a bit differently. Like instead of downing the entire bag of Doritos I would eat only a small bowl of Doritos.
So my options included joining a gym, doing nothing, or finding another suitable exercise. I didn't really have the money or time to go to the gym and didn't want to just do nothing, so i started looking at other exercise options. I started with daily crunches and sit ups but that didn't seem to do it for me. After a while one of the track coaches suggested I start doing couch to 5K.
Running?!?! I said. Are you kidding me? I am not, nor have I ever been a fan of running. Running is the devil and hat's just not really my thing. But after some stewing time I decided to give it a try. I thought "Hey, I can run for 1 minute."
My first 'run' was actually quite pleasant and gave me the motivation to try it a second time and a third time. At the end of that week however, my body was very sore. I wondered, if this was going to be the case during the whole process because if so, I needed out now!
After some reassurance I could tell that my body was becoming used to this foreign activity and I pressed on. Each week I was surprised at how far I was able to go. Finally the day came when I had to run 30 minutes with no break. This was daunting. I gave it my all and when I hit the 30 minute mark I almost cried tears of joy. I had done it! I had become a 'runner'. You know one of those crazy people who feels bad if they don't get their run in. Or one who enjoys running when its only 20 degrees outside.
Running three times a week has become a norm for me and yes I feel like something is out of whack if I miss one of my runs. This past Saturday I ran in the community mile at the Tiger-Grizz track meet. Through the rain I ran my heart out and beat my time! It was exhilarating. I am looking forward to the 2014 Color run 5K the end of May.
With this as well as many other wonderful changes, life has been good, full of joy so to speak and I am looking forward to all that this year hold.
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