I am a new blogger. I thought I would try my hand at it because I would like to share what I have learned so far about health, fitness and the absolute joy it has brought to my life. I also believe that health and fitness is an enjoyable lifelong journey. Don't get overwhelmed with all there is to learn. Seek positive encouraging people and information. Learn something from it all even if it is "Oh, I don't want to do that again!" I don't claim to know everything and I am always looking to learn something new to keep the workout or menu fresh and exciting. It takes time to learn bad habits as well as to break them. Learning from others who have "been there and done that" can save you so much time, heartache and even failure in your journey to health and happiness. Small steps are OUR keys to success. Changing one small thing a day, a week, or a month will ultimately add up to huge differences in the long run...
So who am I? I am a stay at home mom. I live in Ohio.What got me into health and fitness you ask? Well it is the same sad story. I was a lazy gamer chick who played EQ2 (Everquest 2). For those of you who are not familiar with the game it is an MMORPG (massively multi player online role playing game). You play the game online with other people. You meet friends, go on quests, and so much more. It is very addicting and a lot of fun. I lived the game. Wake up grab whatever easy microwave food I could plus snacks(chips, candy, nuts, soda...whatever was easy to eat and play) and sit down at my computer and log on. I played from the minute I woke up till late at night. Then I would take a nap, wake up, and do it all again. Needless to say I "bulked" out and not in a good way! I stopped shopping for clothes and went the route of Seinfeld, wore the trusty old sweats all the time because I had given up buying larger and larger sizes! It really hit me when my hubby said I was stretching out his clothes. He is very muscular 220lbs man and not "slim" by any means of the word. That hit me hard, like Shallow Hal hard ha-ha but still no motivation. I hated the way I looked. I hated how I felt. When he would go for walks with me my side would kill me and he would have to grab my hand just to make me keep pace which was a creeping walk and that was hard. Whenever I went anywhere I would be looking for a place to sit right away.
**I call this a vicious cycle, you eat because you are depressed and that makes you gain weight which in turn makes you to tired to do anything to lose weight which depresses you so you eat more....OMG STOP THE TRAIN!
My husband went to Iraq for a year and that is what finally gave me motivation. He called me up one night and told me he was able to go down 2 notches on his belt, he was losing inches? I thought oh no he is going to come back and I am going to still be the same or worse? I started slow walking every day and hitting the weights at my apartment complex. I ate a little better replacing the chips, candy and desserts with fruit veggies and diet soda. At the time did not really understand how to eat good and I still loved my pizza rolls and other greasy non nutritious foods. I also knew I would not be able to sick with it if I had to give up all those things. I wanted to lose weight but still live. So I ate best I knew how and still allowed myself to eat what I wanted for dinner. I just ate a lot less for dinner. One example is I would limit myself to 2 slices of pizza, not 1/2 or more of a deep dish pizza(do you know how many calories that is???). Now I have a MUCH better grasp at nutrition and if I had it to do again I would do some things different. I think I would any way, but I still remember not wanting to give up the things I loved to eat. I lost most of my weight (and I would give numbers if I had them to give but I just know size 14 womens pants were to small) in about 6 months which put me around 140 at 5'9" and comfortably wearing a size 10. I lost more inches after that as I began to get more and more into fitness and nutrition. The best part of it all is when my husband came home I was a new person he did not even recognize me. I had new nice fitting clothes, I had a nice haircut...I cared about myself again, It was such an amazing feeling I wanted more of it!
Imagine this, you can lose weight and not be hungry. I will tell you how but you have to keep reading : ) I will give you tips to help you lose weight and stay healthy. I am not expert but I can say I read a lot and have done it for myself. My fitness peak Dec 2010 129 lbs 11% body fat and a rock hard size 5!! I have being looking into becoming a personal trainer and more recently possibly a physical therapists assistant but I love nutrition most of all. I believe being successful at good health and losing weight starts with your diet.
To start out my first tip: Start reading the labels on the items you buy at the super market. You may not understand them right away but soon enough you will get a grasp at what is in them. Look at the fiber, the protein, fat, sat.(saturated) fat, the amount of calories per serving, the number of servings(this will surprise you), the carbs and sugars. Try to challenge yourself to find a healthier version of your favorite snack.
