Today is the best day ever!!!! I had the most wonderful start to a morning that a trainer ever could.
First let me introduce you to my darling Emily. Read more about her and her journey at her blog. I met Emily because our husbands work together. Mark told Brian about my training groups, Brian told Em, and that was that. She had a long journey ahead of her. Never was skinny and through 4 babies had added a bit. So when I met her to do her first assessment, she was starting at 319.
When you start of with that much to lose, pounds can come off very quickly. But the thing is, your head and emotions tend to get in the way. Breaking habits is hard, building new ones is hard. People have expectations of you, and don't always want those to change. You validate them, they are the thin ones. They mask this with concern.... "oh don't hurt yourself, that's not enough food for you..." etc. But really, what's worse, all the problems of being overweight or some pain from exercise. Really, which one is more likely to kill you?
So Em has been going through all of these emotional changes and more. But her head and emotional eating was messing things up. But, as time goes on, growth happens and she is getting so much stronger physically and emotionally. I love to see this!! She's had some good weeks and some rough ones.
But this week has been amazing. Em lived up to her commitments to herself this week and it was awesome! Compliments and praise for her low cal desert showed her that she can still be a part of the social scene and be comfortable. Insisting on eating at Subway when out showed her that she can still eat out, and also can tell others what she needs--and get it. Em kept her calories in line and did her workouts every day.
So, results? Well during the first 7 weeks, the weight yo-yo'd and her net loss was 9 pounds. Not what either of us had hoped for.
But this week? Rock solid performance in every category--just to clarify, not extreme and she ate an adequate amount of calories. I do not believe in starving.
Drumroll please..................
299.2 lbs!!!
11 lbs lost!!!!!!Emily is in the 200's!!!
Now, will we see that every week? No... but when you eat clean, your body naturally lets go of excess weight.
I am so excited to see where she goes from here. Sometimes there is a tendency to slack off after a good week, you know celebrate. But now is the time to stay absolutely true. Keep the momentum going and see what your body can do.
Way to go Emily!!!! I am super proud of the changes you are making in your life. Have fun in Vegas at the wedding and be true to yourself. Don't let the voices around you sway you from meeting your goal. You met wedding weight goal, now let's go for the rest!
Love you girl!
Ok, so when Mark left for Texas, I started changing my eating habits... totally cut out sugar and started counting every calorie. I also ramped up the exercise. I kept walking and added in some little jogs. I mean really little! Like 30 seconds little. But within a few weeks I actually attempted a full mile and did it!
That was when some friends talked me into doing a 5k. Whoa there, me running 3.1? I had never ever ever before run more than a mile. That seemed like a marathon!
But I found a training schedule for complete beginners like me and that's all it took. Give me a challenge based on numbers and i'm off. I love crunching numbers. Soon it was all about beating myself, being better today than I was yesterday.
Can we say ADDICTION? Best of all the running was exactly what I needed. The pounds started melting off! Now I was all about the time! I became a freak about pace and sprints, long runs, hills... it's a whole new world (break into song) but a world where I knew lingo, but no actual experience. My first real race was still a couple months away.
Then I started lifting weights with a trainer, WOW, another huge learning curve. But holy cow it felt incredible. Getting some rockin' muscles felt so good. Plus it tightened everything up in a way running couldn't. Well, by now my total loss was about 50lbs and it was time for Mark to come home. He knew I'd been working out, but really didn't know the extent of what I'd done. He didn't really take me too seriously when I told him I wanted to become a trainer. But he'd missed the "transformation", so I didn't get upset.
The weekend he was coming home was Andrew's state basketball tournament, and he was going to miss all of it. So sad and depressing.... But we both got to surprise each other that day! He drove all night long and made it home in time for the last two games. Surprise for me! And I was wearing jeans that were 3 sizes smaller than when he left. Surprise for him! I have to admit it was awesome! He kept hugging me and then looking at me, then hugging me again.
The next week (oh, btw Andrew's team won state!!) Mark came to workout with me and I kicked his trash! That's when he took my goal more seriously. For the first time in my whole life, I felt like I had a passion, something where I could really help people and change lives. Not something just to have a job, but be part of who I am, part of my heart.
First race came! Goal was to beat 30 min. Did it in 27:17! YAY!!! Now I was hooked for sure.
So between work, kids, house, running and training, I started picking the brains of everyone I knew who had anything to do with fitness. I spent my spare time reviewing every possible certification, trying to decide the best way to do it. Checked out the trade colleges.... not the best way, tuition was $15,000, yeah, let me pull that out of my back pocket! Finally decided on 3 possibilities. Also decided, that I needed to work at a gym to get a better idea what I wanted to do. Started at 24 hr fitness, and the manager helped me figure it out.
Now to pay for it. My sweet darling husband took care of everything. He worked extra and then talked to my mom about it. Between the two of them they gave me my tuition for my birthday. Wow, it's really happening! I'm not just talking about it anymore. Can you believe my amazing family? Sacrificing to make my dream come true! I studied and studied. Muscles and bones, scared me to death. I never took anatomy, and now I had to learn it all on my own. ARGHHH!
To make it even worse, there were some others at work studying for the same exam, and one of them had to take it 4 times. That does alot for your confidence. Especially since he had been teaching group fitness for years and was incredible. Then another friend had to take it twice, also fabulous group instructor. I didn't know if I could do it. I probably put it off way to long, just out of fear.
Finally I set a deadline, well Mark did. He didn't want to pay for another extension. but I did it! Passed on the first try!
That gets me almost up to date. So, that's it the story of how I lost the weight and changed my whole life, my families lives and now onto to world!
Okay, so here comes the funny humiliating moment.... only funny because it's no longer true...
My dear, darling friend Kristen celebrated her 40th at Disneyland accompanied by a bundle of crazy friends. So we spent the week running around the park like a bunch of nine year old girls having the time of our lives. The Matterhorn is one of the all time best rollercoasters, of course and it's better at night! So we are all in line, I think there were 10 of us that day and the line is crazy long so they are stuffing people in the cars. Well me and Tiff were the last two and the other girlies had all gotten in two per seat, so we climb in the front seat of the car and crammed the two of us in there. And I do mean cram, I was still about 50 lbs over goal weight and Tiff was rounder then too.
!!!! Tiffany wants me to mention here that she is not the same size anymore either, lest anyone think the two of us are still a bit chubby!!!!
Well there was definitely no need for safety belts on that ride! We could have done loop-d-loops and not budged. I think we smacked heads a million times before it was over. Well as the car rounded the last corner and saw the crazies waiting for us, they were laughing hysterically at us. I'm wondering whats going on and wave as they snapped pics. So after we pried ourselves out (wish we'd had a shoehorn), they pointed at the back seat....EMPTY!!! Oh, my GOSH.... what idiots we looked like, both of us chubby, smashed, squashed into the front seat for no reason. ARGHHHH!
ok, maybe it doesn't rank that high on the embarrassment scale, but you'd have laughed if it was on America's Funniest Home Videos.
Anyway, that was o
ne of many wake up calls. I look at pics from that trip and don't even recognize myself.
This is me with my Kristen, or Cinderella, she answered to both. As you hopefully can see, I've changed alot.
There were some other catalysts. The holiday season that year was particularly stressful and Mark was getting ready to leave for 10 weeks with the military. All in all not my favorite Christmas to remember. When he left is when the big changes started. After all I didn't have to cook for him, kids don't care what they eat so.....
Tired now, more story tomorrow......
The story of my life... Where does it start? How do you suddenly wake up and realize you are over weight? Years and years of denial. I mean, I was never the skinny chick. But I wasn't the fat chick either. I yo-yo'd a little in high school and college, but never felt like I was huge. I did normal things, swim team, tennis lessons, dances, parties, band, debate, drama, had a good social life, some boyfriends, and of course caught myself a really awesome guy!
So when did it happen? Was it after baby number one? It took time, but I lost most of the weight. Then baby number two and three came very close to each other. Less weight came off this time. Built a house and the stress and lots of work took off some! YAY! Then babies number four and five came very fast. More weight and less time for me. Did more yo-yoing. Then number five went to school full time and I went to work, at a desk. Over the next year I put on more weight and hit an all time high.
My tipping point came when the two biggest pair of pants I owned were tight enough that I could barely do them up. And there was absolutely no way I was buying the next size.
Two things happened that set me on my way. This was in May 2008. First, at work, they started a biggest loser contest. A trainer came in and took our measurements and body fat, ugh! I discovered I was 37.7% body fat. I think that was among the most horrible moments of my life. Second, my friend Becky had just finished a contest--in which she took second! Go Becky! And she wanted to keep going. So she started a biggest loser for friends and family. So in I go... Well her fitness consultant met with all of us to get us started and I again found that I was 37% body fat. Two witnesses, I am definitely fat, in fact I qualified as obese. Complete humiliation was mine.
After the summer when both ended, I had lost a few pounds, but nothing significant. I had however started changing some habits. Now I walked at break time, and ate a little less. I was consistently inconsistent, and thus didn't see the greatest results. But again headed in the right direction.
Ok, it's late. And I have clients coming at 6am.... so i'm going to bed, but tomorrow I will reveal one of the funniest, most humiliating moments of my entire life. Sorry Tiffany, I'm sharing it with the world! g'night
