Caution, Bumpy Ride Ahead

I have always joked that I am a nerd trapped in a jock’s body. From a young age I played sports and was active. In high school and college I spent most of my free time in the gym or participating in team sports. That being said, I was never happy with the physical condition of my body. I was healthy but overweight and had been since Middle School. Never did it stop me from doing anything, but I never wanted to show off my body. I hid under T-shirts and sweatshirts, shuddered at the thought of swimsuits, and dreaded having to go shopping.

After college I decided that it was time to makes some changes, notably with my diet. I had been exposed to a lot of vegetarian food in college so I decided that I was going to become a vegetarian. At first it was hard, and then it got even harder. After about three months as a vegetarian I switched to eating fish again. That seemed to be the right balance for me. Still the weight wasn’t coming off like I had hoped. I upped my cardio and it seemed to help but by the time 2011 came to an end, I still had only lost about 10 pounds.

Then I started to evaluate what I was eating. Sure I had cut out meat, but I was in the beginning of my relationship with Grant and we were going out to eat a lot. 2012 rolled around and I was determined to get the weight off. I cut down on eating out, all frozen meals, sodas, processed foods, refined sugars, and really anything that wasn’t natural. At the end of 2012 I weighed 140 pounds, 45 pounds less than at my heaviest of 185.

The next year of 2013, I started off well. I was sticking to my healthy eating, was working out 6 days a week, and was feeling lean and mean. Then August of 2013 hit me like a bus. I found myself unemployed and with my Dad near death in the hospital. I slipped into a bit of a depression and turned to food to comfort me. I gained back about 15 pounds from the lowest of 140.

Once I came out of my funk, found a kick-ass job, and saw my Dad was getting better each day, I decided that enough was enough. Not only did I want to be back to my fighting weight, but that I wanted to be stronger. It was a little hard during the Holidays of 2013 but I managed to not gain too much more. Once 2014 hit, I hit the ground running. I started to mix things up: I explored different exercise classes including Trampoline Yoga and Floor and Chair Dancing, I cut way down on sweets, limited carb intake, started making healthy smoothies, and resisted the urge to eat out as much as possible.

In addition, I found that best way to fit all of this extra working out into my busy schedule was workout DVDs. I found a couple that I liked, but fell in love with the Jillian Michaels “Ripped in 30” regimen. It pushed me to go to places I’ve never gone before, made me scream and curse, but I loved it. After finishing the 30 day regimen I have since incorporated those moves into my everyday workout routines (and pop in the DVD every now and again for that extra push).

The reason I was telling people I was working out was to fit into my wedding dress. That was true, but it was so much more than that. Right now I am 145 pounds. I am not the skinniest I have been in these past few years but I am in the best shape I’ve been in my entire life. I enjoy showing off my body now, even my curves which I have grown to love.

At 24 years old, I finally am in love with my body. I actually enjoy shopping rather than dreading it, I care about what I wear, and I actually, dare I say it, feel hot! Not only that but everything else about me looks/feels better: my skin is clearer, my hair is healthier, my chronic sprained ankle is better, I can run farther/faster, and the list goes on and on. Then there’s the effect I’m having on others (and really the reason I’m writing this blog post) to eat healthier and get more exercise. It CAN be done. It’s not easy and requires a lot of sweat and tears but anyone can do it. It’s not so much about losing the weight; it’s about being healthy and loving the body that you’re in. If you take nothing else away from this post remember that.