Show n' Tell Wednesday

I considered doing "Word-less Wednesday" but let's face it....being "word-less" is nearly impossible for me. I love to talk and I love to tell!

I have read a lot of inspirational stories of fit to fab and incredible stories of weight loss. I never really considered my story that great until recently when I was looking through some old pictures. 
I have been active my entire life.  I played soccer, golf, cheered and was on the dance team in high school and college. Being involved in so much really helped me maintain a healthy weight and I could always eat what I wanted to.  When I got out of college was when the trouble started.  I had never worked out on my own, I was always part of a team.  So the weight slowly started to creep on.  It wasn't until I was preggo with my first son that I REALLY lost control....I did not enjoy that pregnancy at all.  I was living in a new place with no friends or family so I was already a bit depressed.  Add pregnancy hormones and cravings to that mix and by the end of the pregnancy I had gained a whopping 70lbs.  I was miserable!!!

 

2 weeks after the birth of prince #1

 I decided then I would NEVER let my weight get that out of control again.  I had watched my own mother battle food/weight issues her whole life and I did not want my kids to deal with that too.
I didn't know what to do, so I started taking diet pills. That was when ephedrine was legal, and I lost 80lbs in 9 months. It was extreme and a very unhealthy way to lose weight. Plus, I had no tone at all. Was I skinny?...yes. Was I healthy?...no.
When I decided to get preggo with prince #2, I was terrified of gaining weight.  Food had become an obsession of mine.  I thought about food all day long, what I ate, when I could eat next, how many calories I've consumed, how hungry I was.  By that time, ephedrine had been outlawed and I was having to make healthy choices to keep my weight down.  This was all new to me. I spent 6 months of pregnancy #2 on bed-rest and I was able to keep my weight gain down to 25lbs.

 

Preggo with Prince #2- claw marks courtesy of preggo#1

It was in 2005, 1 1/2  yrs after the birth of prince #2 that I walked into a gym for the first time in years.  I hired a personal trainer to teach me how to live a healthy, balanced,lifestyle.  He gave me a meal plan and an activity plan and the tools that I needed to take back control of my health.

It wasn't long till I was bit by the fitness bug! I loved to see how my body and mind could be transformed through fitness.   I was working out with weights with my trainer 1 time a week and on my own 4-5 times a week. I also added Pilates classes, I was able to get my mid section trimmed down and toned up better than it was in high school, sure I still had the claw-like stretch marks, but who cares, I had abs!!  By the end of 05' I was teaching 4-5 pilates classes a week and  
In early 2006, on a whim and with much prompting from my trainer, I entered a fitness/figure competition.  I had no expectations of winning going in. I wanted to do it to prove to myself that I had it in me.  I entered the competition world blindly. In my category Amateur Tall there were 15 other girls.  Most of the girl were 5 yrs younger, had never given birth, and were born with definition!  I figured I had nothing to lose and I gave it my all and came out in 3rd place!  I almost threw up when they called my name for the trophy.  I was pretty sure they had the wrong girl.

 

 

It was my first and last competition. A few months after the competition I injured my neck tumbling. The injury required 7 months of physical therapy and I was not able to work out with any weights for almost a year.  By the end of that year I was still at a healthy weight from making good food choices, but my muscle tone was less than desirable.  It was depressing to see all my hard work go down the tubes.  I waited one long year for the Dr. to tell me it would be okay to workout again and when the day finally came I could care less.  When you work out or run everyday, it's easier to get up in the morning and go to it....but when you have been sedentary for a year it is hard.  I wasn't sure I wanted to conquer that mountain again. Maybe I could just be happy being complacent....and I was...complacent that is...for about another year. Of course that weight started to creep back on...I did manage to get through preggo #3 with minimal weight gain..about 20lbs. Though  I was already about 15lbs over weight when I got pregnant.

When prince #3 came along I started running.  I don't know why. It just seemed easier than going to the gym. I could put him in the stroller and take him with me.
Maybe it's because I'm older, maybe it's because I KNOW what I am capable of, maybe it's because I decided to educate myself on my own fitness.....but I am committed to being the healthiest I can be.  I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished.  I am still 10lbs from my goal "healthy" weight, but I don't feel intimidated by the mountain anymore.  I have found a healthy balance and have a much healthier relationship with food.

So now you know the rest of the story.... well not really the rest of it....ok most of it... I could keep writing but I don't want you to fall asleep at the computer.....;)

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Grace and peace,