For most of my life I never really had to struggle with weight loss issues. Of course, like many females, I was always critical of myself so there would be the occasional weigh-ins, workouts, and "diets", but I never really had much of a concern. I never really had to watch what I ate too much. I always had a ravenous appetite and always could finish off my plate of food wherever I went.
I worked out here and there, but everything was always low impact. I NEVER got my heart rate up. I did some Pilates, which I loved because it strengthened my abs and I could see a difference very quickly. Other that that I never really needed to put in much of an effort.
Then I started running. When I started running in February of 2012 I weighed around 115-120 pounds. My weight would always fluctuate somewhere in that range. I loved running from the start and went from being unable to run a mile to completing a half marathon in 2 and half months. It was awesome. After that I was addicted. But with all that increased energy expenditure came something else.
I was always hungry after I ran long distances and even for the few days after. These re-fueling days coupled with the carb-loading before races may have lead to my significant weight gain. I was also getting older, but had my metabolism slowed that much that quickly? I started noticing my clothes getting a little tighter. Since I wasn't much of a scale person it wasn't until some of my clothes started to stop fitting altogether that I realized how much weight I actually had gained. Then I started comparing pictures. Even my face had filled out.
By the end of 2013 I realized I had gained quite some weight. I was also being pretty unhealthy. My boyfriend and I were painting and decorating and I was so caught up in all of that, along with working 6 days a week, that I started resorting to fast food most of the time.
A little after the new year started I decided I needed to stop polluting my body with all of the crap I was putting into it. I needed to start eating healthier and taking care of myself. Not only for the weight reasons, but just for overall health. Heart disease runs on both sides of my family and I didn't need to start having to worry about that.
On Janurary 26 I stepped on the scale. I was 142 pounds. Whoa! I had never seen a number that high on the scale before. I was determined to start being healthier.
I came across an almost full bag of Shakeology and decided I was going to start drinking it again. I had tried the shake before and really liked it, but stopped drinking it because it was a bit on the pricey side. Now I decided since I had a bag just lying around, why not use it? I bought a container of light almond milk and mixed up a scoop of the shake with the chocolate almond milk every morning. That was to be my breakfast.
The first three days I was a bit hungry. My body wanted something else. Fast food? Some chips? Maybe some cookies? But after that it became easier. I didn't want the unhealthy foods I was used to grabbing. Instead those started to become a turn off. I craved healthier options instead. Was it possible that my body was being nourished and now it actually only wanted what it needed?!
On February 9th I weighed 132 pounds. That was just 15 days later. I lost 10 pounds in 15 days. I know that may seems crazy, and almost unhealthy to lose that much weight that quickly, but I was eating SO much healthier. My cravings for junk food were gone!
I'm excited now to keep eating healthy, keep drinking Shakeology, and I just started a new workout program I'm psyched about. To me this isn't about just losing weight, this is about changing my lifestyle and living healthy. This is about being the best me i can possibly be, and I'm excited to be on that journey.
Have you ever been on a journey to a better you?
Do you want to start a similar journey?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
