My Journey from Fattie to Fittie!

In Dec 2011, I decided enough with the couch potato routine. I was the girl who somehow thought eating only two scoops of ice cream instead of four was healthy. I constantly had migraines, stomach cramps, felt tired, struggled with stairs and need I say was not happy with my life. I decided that I could do whatever I put my mind to doing. My dad had just been hospitalized for congestive heart failure combined with high blood pressure. But my dad isn’t fat, isn’t lazy, and isn’t out of shape. He ran marathons into his 30’s and has been running consistently since I’ve been born. I realized, as I voiced my health concerns to my doctor, that genetics were not on my side. My family has a history of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, and to be honest 98% of my extended family has been obesely overweight since I was little.

Here’s where the transformation began. Sitting on the table in Doc’s office, I asked for her to give it to me straight. Tell me what I needed to do to fight the genetic predisposition and break the cycle of unhealthy living. You know what I love about her? She didn’t pull any punches. She laid it out on the table and then told me we needed a game plan.

Here was our plan:

1 – Work out 3 days a week to start ~ At first it was horrible. I did good to last 15 minutes. I started doing Zumba and stayed on the back row. But one morning I realized I was on the front row and no longer struggling to keep up :) Currently I workout 5-6 days a week with 1 fun workout day and 1 rest day.

2 – Keep a food journal ~ Once I began the journal, I noticed a correlation between the migraines and certain foods. For example, I can eat one bite of a strawberry and in under 5 mts I have a migraine. The stomach cramps? Gluten, Dairy and Broccoli. The food journal also helped me see that I was toxic in several areas. Basically that meant that I was intaking too much of one thing. My sodium levels were below where they needed to be. My sister is a nursing student and she used my journal as her case study for part of her nutrition class :) I also discovered that I can’t eat: peanuts, crab or shrimp, kiwi, red 40 dye (my sister can’t eat the Yellow), and peanut butter (my most favorite food ever!).

3 – Gradually replace unhealthy choices with healthy ones. ~ Instead of reaching for the two scoops of ice cream, I eat nuts and fresh fruit. Instead of drinking soda, I drink water. Now..I can’t drink three sips of soda without it being too sweet. I find I crave water and would rather drink it than anything else.

4 – Hydrate…This seemed like a no brainer because I’ve been an athlete all my life but having an impacted colon/kidney infection made me realize I needed to pay closer attention to my body. In order to lose weight, Doc recommended taking my body weight and dividing it by half. That amount is the number of ounces I needed to consume each day. Playing soccer and working out as much as I do, I consume on average 90+ oz a day.

5 – Be Accountable ~ We set up visits for me to come in for a checkup and to monitor my progress. We also set a Start Weight, Current Weight, and Ultimate Goal Weight chart.

My Starting Weight was 198lbs. I knew the moment I stood on the scale and saw that number that I had a huge problem. I looked around me and I said I don’t want to be like that. I was a former double NCAA athlete (soccer & equestrian team) and now I’m the fat has been athlete? I wanted to play with the kids in my life, ride horses, run, and enjoy life instead of being trapped by my weight. I won’t lie. I was miserable. I felt so uncomfortable about my body and I wondered at what point had I just given up? I knew there were some changes that needed to happen in my life for me to take control.

I severed ties with a guy I was/had dated completely because I am an emotional eater (something I had to retrain quickly). I “broke up” with several unhealthy friend relationships. Because steady drama in your life only causes you to be stressed (which for me equals weight gain). I stopped saying yes to everything and realized it was okay to say “No, I’m sorry but I’m not able to do that”.

And this….this is why it was worth it!

It’s a little over a year later and I’d love to show you where I’m at now :)

I’ve run 4! Yes four 5K’s since October 2012. I just ran my third 5K this past Saturday, 4th since October. The goal is to run 6 before July and 6 more by December :) {UG is a Half Marathon!} Each time I run one my time has decreased! I’m a solid 168 lbs and I’ve lost over 6 inches of my body. I’m thrilled with my body. For the first time, I didn’t cringe when I tried on my new swimsuit (which is currently too big!). I can walk up stairs without getting winded, play almost an entire soccer game without feeling like I’m going to die, coach soccer and keep up with my kiddos. The best part! People are asking me for advice on healthy eating. Fitness wise, I’m almost back to college soccer shape :)

It’s great! Did it take hard work? You better believe it did! Did I stumble? Several times. But the key is you drag yourself back up look in the mirror and say..I am strong, I can do this, I am an athlete.

The goals for the rest of the year?

Run 12 races :) I’m on the way to being halfway there!

Lose a little bit more weight. I’m 5’8 and I’ll never be skinny but I can be toned and fit! :) Embrace those curves ladies!

Pour healthy food into my body. I started researching what I was actually eating and it blew my mind. Since then, I’ve begun pursuing a healthy eating lifestyle (Paleo). It is that! A lifestyle! Not a fad diet. Not a trend. A way of life for me to live. I’ve never felt better! I’m stronger. My eyesight has gotten better instead of worse. So everyday you have a choice to make! Are you going to be a Fattie? Or a Fittie?

The choice is yours darling :) The Fit Family is always open for new members :)

♥ A special thanks to my Twitter #Fitfam crew! They have been the greatest support team a girl could ask for :)

♥ To My Musketeers :) Y’all are the best running crew! May we run harder and faster towards a healthy life :)