Weight Loss Journey Blog 1

I think when people look at me, they see someone who has probably been overweight her whole life.  (I don't know for sure, I am speculating.) But that is not the case. Throughout most of High School I was between 120 and 130.

2001

I wish I could say it was because I had a healthy relationship with diet and exercise, but that would be lying. Sometime in my Freshman year of High School, I realized I was gaining weight (I am pretty sure it was a result of all the fried chicken and Hungry Man frozen dinners I was eating.) I decided to start working out, which I enjoyed. I began running and lifting weights and doing other exercises at home.

I was really excited about my progress and so I shared with my father how I had gotten down to 130lbs. Well, he was anything but impressed and informed me that his girlfriend, who was taller than me, weighed less than me, implying that I was still overweight. It really hurt to hear him say that, but it gave me a new determination to lose even more weight. In light of what he said, I stopped eating altogether.

I would go for a week without eating and then reward myself with a bagel and cream cheese. I would eat a bunch of candy at one time, but then nothing else. Then for a while I resorted to drinking Slim Fast Shakes and nothing else. I got down to 110, at my lowest, and looked sickly to those who knew me.

2002

 

It got to the point that if I ate too much, I would make myself throw up. At one point, my hair started to fall out. I do not think I was fully aware that I had an eating disorder. I just knew I wanted to lose weight. I could not see myself as I was; all I saw were numbers on a scale. Then I became pregnant and the doctor told me to eat for two, and I took him literally. I suppose I was happy for an opportunity to eat and enjoy food again. I went from 110, to 160, and kept going.

 



This is a pic of me in college that my daughter took in 2006. She was only 3.

 

 

After that, I had a sort of love, hate relationship with food. I loved to eat it and it hated my body, or made me hate my body rather. I tried all sorts of diets and work out plans to try and lose the weight, but nothing worked. Then I had two more babies and of course gained even more weight.

 

This is a picture of me and my husband before he went off

to basic training in August of  2014. I had him blur it out a little so you could not

see how big my arms are. Not exactly sure it made much of a difference.

 

 

Then near the end of August, a friend of mine told me about the 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse by JJ Smith. For 10 days I drank three green smoothies a day and ate healthy raw snacks such as nuts, boiled eggs, peanut butter, fruit and crunchy raw vegetables. I lost 10lbs. those first 10 days and I was sold. I went on to lose another 18lbs using the full cleanse and the modified version which is when you drink 1-2 green smoothies a day and then eat a healthy meal.

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I was very happy with my progress. However, my husband came home from training and, he won't like me saying this, threw everything out of whack. He was excited to try out all these new recipes he learned while at training. The first meal he cooked was fried cornbread and orange chicken. How do you fry cornbread you ask? You soak it in oil, that's how. He also has a severe cookie addiction that had him buying Softbatch cookies twice a week. You cannot do that in front of a food addict and expect her to stay away; it just doesn't work.

 

Anyway, after gaining close to 10lbs., I have decided to get back on track. I have tried doing the Green Smoothie Cleanse again, but I lack the will power to stay away from the delicious food my husband cooks and that I sometimes cook for the kids. For now I have decided to return to a Paleo way of eating in which I avoid all grains and processed food. I also have a dedicated work out routine in which I run or bike 3-4 times a week, and do weight training the other days. I am building muscle but I have yet to see the scale move significantly. I know it is because I keep cheating, that is why I am doing this blog to help maintain some sort of accountability and keep me on task.

 

This is my new before picture.

 

 

I am hoping to lose 20lbs. by the end of this year. Please send me some encouragement or words of wisdom along the way. Better yet, join me in my journey and lets do this thing together.