My Journey

My journey started on January 1, 2017. I tipped the scales at almost 200 pounds. I always felt tired and hungry. The moment I realized I needed to change some things in my life was when I went to roll over in bed one night, and my whole belly rolled over with me... and I wasn't pregnant. It was time to start taking care of myself.

It was Christmas 2016 and I was pounding away candy, cookies, and cinnamon buns. I was drinking it down with chocolate milk, coffee LOADED with creamers, and lattes. I realized at that point that I struggled with sugar. I loved it and was addicted to it. I took on the 100 Day No Sugar Challenge on January 1, 2017. I suffered through headaches and major sugar withdrawal for the first two weeks. It was one of the hardest challenges I ever set up for myself. However, I did begin to feel better after the first 20 days. Actually I started to feel amazing. I felt less tired.  I felt less hungry. I was more motivated to get things done. The Challenge ended in April, but I stuck to it until June. I dropped to 151 pounds. It was my lowest weight in over six years. 

But summer of 2017 hit... and the fall of 2017. I ate donuts, ice cream, and candy corn. I ate bowls of Halloween candy. I ate myself right into Christmas of 2017. I went back to my old eating habits of pounding sugary treats. I decided to do the 100 Day No Sugar Challenge again.  I put on 30 pounds in six months. I was shocked to see 181 pounds. So on January 1, 2018 I took it on...again.

In February of 2018, a friend told me to sign up for the Broad Street Run lottery. I figured there was a slim chance of getting in, so I did it! One cold morning, I checked my email and surprisingly I did make it into the race. I was shocked and felt overwhelmed. I hadn't run a mile in over 10 years! I found a newspaper article with a 10 week training program for Beginners wanting to run the Broad Street Run. I went to my parent's house and began my training...a two mile run on their treadmill... 15 minute pace. I thought I was going to die. I continued with the program and got stronger. My goal was to finish the 10 miles without walking.  I ended up running Broad Street on May 5, 2018 in an 1 hour and 33 minutes. I weighed 156 pounds on race day. 

When the race was over, I celebrated with food and the anticipation of my birthday and summer right around the corner.  I went on vacation and ate my favorite foods and drank my favorite drinks. When I returned from the beach, I weighed 171 pounds. I put on 15 pounds in a month and a half. I realized at this point that I needed to set myself a goal, like I did for Broad Street. I decided to sign up for a Half Marathon in September. I wrote out a training program and began running again. I dropped to 145 pounds by race day and couldn't believe I was almost to my wedding day weight of 141 pounds. I NEVER thought I would ever see the 140s again. 

Running started to become a "habit" for me. I ran with my friend every weekend. I signed up for a few 5Ks in the fall/early winter to push me through the tough holiday time. I stayed in the 140s for the FIRST time ever through Christmas. In January of 2019, I didn't need to do the 100 Day No Sugar Challenge because I didn't gain much weight through the holidays. I signed up for a March half marathon and trained through the winter. 

I continue to sign up for races and come up with a race schedule to keep me active. Being active has helped me make smarter choices about food. I have been consistently in the 140s now for almost a year. This is the longest I have ever maintained my weight in my life. I've learned a tremendous amount on fitness, nutrition and self care. Balancing mom life and myself has been tricky, but having the support from my husband, friends and family has helped with being successful!

So here's to Munching, Moving, and Maintaining..........

(198 pounds)

(140 pounds)