My Fitness Journey

     Journey by definition is an act or instance of travel from one place to another. Another definition is something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another…i.e. “a journey in time” “the journey from youth to maturity”.

Well, this is exactly what I am going through a Journey with a capital J. The journey I am taking is from unfit and unhealthy to fitter and healthier and all that that may entail along the way.

     During high school I averaged about 150 lbs. on a 5’6” frame. Well at that time I allowed certain people to make me feel as if I was overweight and fat. Wow! What was I thinking!?! This may be cliché but honestly if I knew then what I know now…I would never have let myself feel that way. After being put on bed rest with my 1^st pregnancy I gained right around 100 lbs. YIKES! Over the years I have lost and gained and like most I tend to gain more than I lose. Unfortunately, I am currently at an all time high and have had enough.

A big wake up call came a little less than 3 years ago when I had to have my gallbladder removed. The doctors determined that my diet as a child helped contribute to my diseased gallbladder. Those that know me know I hardly even take Tylenol so to have to have an organ removed from my body was traumatic.

     Fast forward to now and over the course of the past year my family and I have been eating a lot better than we had in the past (though we can still do much better) and we are working on fitness as a whole.

     So, though I cannot believe I am putting this out there for everyone to read, I figured this is a way to make myself accountable. I know if I have people reading about my journey I am more likely to stick with it.

     Well on to the stats: About 2 months ago (after a move and living in a hotel for a month and out of boxes for another month), I stepped on a scale and was at the highest weight I had ever been. 323lbs.  and size 28 pants and 26/28 tops  sheesh I hate seeing that number. I swore to myself I would never get to this weight. After about 6 weeks of walking with a friend 3-4 days a week and paying attention to what I eat (I do not deny myself anything just moderations and making sure I really want that pepsi and all that comes in it – but that will be discussed further in another post).  Back to what I was saying…lol. After 6 weeks I weighed in this morning at 310.8 lbs. For a weight loss of 12.2 pounds which is averaging 2 lbs a week. Size 26/28 pant and 22/24 tops. 1-2 lbs. a week is the recommended healthy amount of weight to lose. I am attempting to avoid “loose” skin so I am weight training while losing weight to trade fat for muscle as well as lose fat.  My initial “mini” goal is 300 (Just 10.8 more to go!). My ultimate goal is about 170-150lbs, but if I look at that large number I get discouraged. I am doing a reward system because I mean come on! Who does not LOVE rewards? However, I have moved on from rewarding myself with food treats, since I never deny myself it no longer works and before when I denied myself I would tend to binge on the reward days and that is definitely No Good! The reward I have chosen for this goal is a full works Mani/ Pedi. I do not usually get them but was treated to one recently and it was heavenly. I wanted to do another one and figured what better motivation to lose a few pounds.

     Eventually I will post pictures along the way. Disclaimer: View at your own risk :)