MY WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY!

MY WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY!   

 Many of you read my daily posts on Facebook that have to do with living healthy, workouts, being strong, clean eating, avoiding certain ingredients, positive attitude...etc.  Well, that wasn't always the case with me.  I am going to tell you my story. 

    I was always a skinny kid.  I could eat anything and everything.  I never worried about my weight.  The funny thing is that I really didn't even know I was overweight or what we would say to young kids, Chubby, until I was told I was FAT!  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  As a young girl, weight was the last thing on my mind.  It wasn't until I turned 12 or 13 that the word FAT came into play and changed my life.  That is when I became uncomfortable with my body.  Not only was I tall, but now I am Fat.  I just felt out of place.  I went to a Catholic School where the uniforms were so unflattering and they did not put a lot of emphasis on exercise and sports.  I continued to just remain uncomfortable and eat sugar, sugar and more sugar.  My portion sizes were a mess.  I never knew anything about calories and the amount of soda I was drinking was filled with sugar.  I never thought about how many hot dogs or burgers I should eat at the ball field.  I was just having fun and I ate what I wanted. 

    When I began high school that is when I hit my breaking point.  I was beginning a new high school where I didn't know anyone and I hated the way I looked.  One day I was walking down the hall and a girl that I knew when I was in elementary school tapped me on my shoulder, welcomed me to the school and said I would be great on the Rowing team because of my height.  I knew nothing about Rowing.  What the heck is that sport?  I decided to jump in because it was the only sport where it was co-ed.  I thought it was a great opportunity to meet both girls and boys. 

     When practice began in the Fall of 1991 (I know I am dating myself), I was embarrassed because I couldn't even run a 1/4 of a mile.  I developed rashes on my inner thighs due to my Umbros(remember those shorts) chaffing em.  I hated it, but something in me told me to forge ahead.  Thankfully I did.  This was the beginning of my Fitness Career and my love for feeling strong, being competitive and reaching success.  I was one of the worst rowers in the Fall Season of Rowing.  My coach at the time told me I needed a lot of work, but if I put in my time, I would be a great rower.  I listened to Coach Jenn and worked with my team day in and day out.  By the end of my Freshman year, I was awarded the Most Improved Rower Award.  What an amazing feeling and to top it all off, I could finally run a mile without stopping!!!!

      Fast Forward a few years - Senior year I was on the Varsity team at Simsbury High School rowing in what we thought was the big time baby.  :-)  We loved every minute of it and our training was taken to another level.  I went from not being able to run a 1/4 of a mile my Freshman year to running 6 miles a day straight through.  I was on top of the world.  I was losing weight, BUT my nutrition was horrible. 

     Needless to say for being one of the worst rowers my Freshman year of high school, I stuck with it, I worked hard, I cried, I rejoiced and was SUCCESSFUL.  I went on to row Division I at the University of Connecticut.  I was a Varsity Rower my entire way through.  It was an amazing experience.  I worked out 4-6 hours a day with my team and I was in the best shape of my life....so I thought. 

       After graduating from UConn, I went onto the working world.  This is where my weight would be tested again.  I went from 4-6 hour a day workouts to a sedentary job and fast food all around me.  In just 2 years I had gained 30lbs back.  Ugh!  I felt like that young girl in middle school again.  I was working out, but not losing weight.  I would hardly eat anything and then binge or I would eliminate a very important food group and then binge.  It was a vicious cycle.  I had no guidance.  I didn't know where to turn to. 

       Years went by and I would yo-yo.  I seemed to get on the straight and narrow right before I got married.  I actually began to read articles on nutrition.  How certain ingredients impact the body.  I also joined a gym that had an amazing Bootcamp and man, did we get our butts kicked 3 days a week. ha,ha  But no matter how hard I worked out, nothing changed until my nutrition did.  I added more veggies into my diet and fruits.  That helped dramatically, but I still wasn't on the right path.  But I was ok with my weight.

       Once I got pregnant, I thought I would have no problem dropping the baby weight.  I had become a Fitness Instructor, taught 2 -3 classes a day sometimes and felt it would not be an issue.  Well, it was.  After I had my precious daughter, I ballooned back up...20lbs heavier.  I was at a loss.  I couldn't get to the gym like I wanted to and I lived across the country from family and friends.  I just wasn't happy. 

        It wasn't until a dear friend of mine, Katy Gillis, contacted me about becoming a Beachbody Coach and starting an at-home-based program.  It actually took me a long time to get back with her because I had always been a gym rat.  Work out at home?  Are you kidding me?  But then I hit the wall.  I saw the pictures from my daughter's Baptism (6 months after she was born) and I still looked 5 months pregnant.  I was so upset and called Katy and began my journey as a Beachbody Coach.  I needed to learn about not plateauing with my workouts, eating right and working on my personal development.  I never thought that negative thinking contributed to my weight gain or basically preventing me from getting to what I consider success.  My journey is still a work in process, but I cannot thank the Beachbody Community enough for helping me learn to eat clean and that doesn't mean depriving yourself, also for teaching me that reading books on confidence/success/working with people WILL help get your mind on the right path and of course the amazing workouts.  I change my workouts every 60-90 days and my body is always shocked.  It is constantly changing, getting stronger and getting healthier.  So here I am 34 years old and I truly believe I look better than I did at the age of 13 years old and 18 years old in the pictures I have posted below. 

      Anyone can change, you just have to commit to it, find the right coach, keep working at it and celebrate your successes.  I look forward to Being Your Beachbody Coach and seeing your transformation.  Change Your Life Now!!!!

The top picture is me at 18 years old and the one below it I am 13.  The one to the right is me 6 months after having my daughter trying to hide my belly.  The one of me with my daughter on the slide was taken May 5, 2012!!!