I'm a blogger!

Never in a million years did I think I'd lose a significant amount of weight AND be motivated to start a blog about it, but here I am. Never say never! Since starting my weight loss journey and sharing about it on social media, I've heard from many friends with questions and encouragement, or who've said they want to lose weight but don't know where or how. So I thought it'd be fun to write about what I've been doing and thinking during this whole process. Even if no one ever reads it (and I hope someone does!), it's kind of therapeutic to put my thoughts into words. I'm going to be vulnerable here but if one person is inspired to change their own lifestyle, that's worth it to me.

January 12, 2015 started like any other day. Getting into better shape had crossed my mind, but it wasn't like I said, "I'll start on January 12th." Something just clicked for me that day and I decided I needed to make some changes. The holidays were over and we had just gone bridesmaid dress shopping for my cousin's wedding. I was kind of mortified at the size I had to try on and how I looked in the pictures from that day. It was time.

I wish I could say I had some kind of epiphany, an Oprah "aha moment" where it clicks and you know things can't get much worse. I wasn't sitting around feeling like I was going to have a heart attack. I got around fine, didn't have diabetes or high blood pressure (thank God), I really just didn't like the way I looked in person or in pictures. I could hide from the mirror, but I couldn't hide from friends and family tagging me in photos on Facebook. I sometimes feel guilty that I wasn't more worried about my health, that I just wanted (and still do) to look better, but I guess whatever motivates you to get the job done matters little as long as you get to the finish line.

So, on January 12th I added the My Fitness Pal app to my phone and started tracking my calories. I wouldn't get on the scale. I was in denial about how much I weighed and I wasn't ready to face it yet. I'm disappointed about this a little bit now because I really don't have an accurate starting number to use to measure my progress. But it is what it is, I can't go back and change it.

I also started going to the gym with a close friend. I was afraid to commit so she let me tag along as her guest for the first few weeks. We went to aqua classes together, which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to begin an exercise regime but is afraid of the impact and wants to start slow. Also, something about working out in the water makes it seem like fun instead of work. The gym was waiving the membership fee for the month, and after some encouragement from my friend, I signed up and started going to classes by myself.

I guess I have my vanity and pride to thank. Don't get me wrong, I feel better and I'm thankful for it, but I guess I never realized I wasn't feeling good so I didn't know I could feel better. Now, 80 pounds later, I am actually able to run and keep up with my kids when they dart away from me, which they do almost daily. I still can't believe I've lost 80 pounds, typing that seems surreal. It hasn't been easy but it's been worth it and I CANNOT GO BACK.

So, that's where it began. Feel free to send me a message if you have any feedback or suggestions, or you want to tell me to shut it. That would suck but I'd appreciate your honesty. I'll update every week or so, or if I have something I want to put out into the universe sooner, I'll share then. Thanks for reading!