My "Transformation" Story

Ok, this post is something I feel like I need to do…even though it is hard for me to post certain pictures. (But I think you should still keep reading!) I want to share with you a few photos that I collected from the past 10 years.  I call it “My Transformation”. But it’s not a transformation, in the general sense…you see, what happens with me is I “transform” to a thinner self (hold on….this makes me sound like a transformer…but, you get what I’m saying!) and then to a not-so thinner self, and it goes back and forth like that. 

Does anyone else live in this cycle? 

I call it the “yo-yo effect”.

As you can see in my fancy collage, just out of college, in 2004, I didn’t really exercise and I pretty much ate whatever I wanted. I remember in high school, playing sports, I was able to eat that way and not worry about weight. Well, it doesn’t work that way when you are not constantly playing sports/exercising. 

I obviously didn’t get it. 

Fast forward to 2008 just after I got married (not pictured). My doctor tells me she wants me to lose 20 pounds….what, say what?! 

STOP THE TRAIN!!! 

You want me to do WHAT? 

Am I overweight? 

Well, in the medical sense, I was. 

Hmmm…ok…

What did I do? I changed my eating habits. I ate smaller meals, more often. That was my technique…and I lost that 20 pounds, and 10 more. So, I lost 30 pounds after my doctor said that. BUT!!! (here’s the kicker!) It took me almost a year and half. Ya! I know! It didn’t come over night (shocker). It took a LONG 12-16 months. And that was just from changing my eating habits. Imagine what I would have accomplished if I had exercised regularly in that time.

Keep that fast forward button pushed and let’s head into 2010, and two kids later. I don’t look half bad.  I was exercising a bit more and probably eating almost whatever I wanted because, well, I was exercising. I could do that now…or so I thought.

[Ok, I need to interject here…I understand completely how having children can take a toll on a woman’s body and it totally varies for each woman. I get that. This is just how my body responds! I put on a few pounds during pregnancy, and after baby, while I’m nursing, and then I still have to work to get back to my pre-pregnancy state—whatever state that was when I first got pregnant!.....Ok, I’m done]

Now, let’s take a gander to July of this last year. Ya, it’s that cute picture of me on the bottom left! Cheeky! Baby boy #4 was just shy of a month old. I didn’t expect much different for myself, but I still was not content with my “status”. I believe, for myself, I need to feel good about myself before I am truly happy. The only way I get to that state of happiness is when I am exercising and eating right. Don’t get me wrong I believe in the motto “Love the skin you’re in” and I do love my skin I’m in, but, for me, I’m only happy with myself when I’m taking care of my body! I also believe in the adage, “Our bodies are God’s gift to us, and what we do with them is our gift to Him.” But, I digress….

My transformations happen with varying lengths of time and depend on the circumstances at those times. But if you remember my initial transformation just after getting married and the length of time it took to shed those 20-30 pounds. Now, look at my most recent picture…July to October; 3-4 months. I took the two important factors of 1. Exercising and 2. Eating “right” (eating healthy, eating clean, call it whatever you want) and performed them At. The. Same. Time. 

MAGIC!

In fact, there is one more step to this equation, and it’s SUPPORT! I’m telling you that having some kind of support, whether it’s face-to-face or through FB or texting, or whatever, makes all the difference. I cherish having “workout buddies”, but when you don’t have them for whatever reason, I think support from other avenues is key.

Alright, I could keep going on, but you get it. I just want to say one more thing. I really believe in the formula I mentioned and not just because it helped me lose weight, but because I am a happier person when I am taking care of my body. I want to instill these behaviors in my children so they develop healthy habits. I want to keep my family away from certain diseases (diabetes) and ailments that actually run in both Bernie’s family and mine. I know that we can make that happen by making smart and healthy choices and teaching our kids to do the same.

If you are ready for some CHANGE in your habits, and need some SUPPORT and MOTIVATION, and if you just want to be HAPPY, I would love to help you start YOUR transformation. And maybe you already have a transformation story of your own and just want some motivation…I’ll be doing another fitness challenge group on Facebook, starting in February! 

It’s my way to pay-it-forward. 

Who's in?