So today marks one year since I started this weight loss journey and decided to change my lifestyle to a healthier one FOR GOOD. Though I did my first 21 Day Fix workout on February 24, 2014, I have to backtrack a little bit to when my challenge pack first arrived. There was one bigger book with a whole lot of colors and lists, and like three little pamphets, plus three dvds, a bunch of containers that seemed so tiny, a shaker cup and this giant bag of Shakeology. I was very nervous and trepidatious at first, because everything else I had been trying hadn’t worked. I’d lose some weight then gain it right back the second I looked at chocolate cake or pizza. It was logical to be skeptical right? But then I sat down and started calculating. TWO THOUSAND CALORIES. The program had me eating five times a day and 2000 calories. Sheyeah right. I had literally been shooting for 1200 ever since I could remember…but I decided that I had to give it the three weeks and put my trust in something unknown to see what it could do.
My coach had added me to a private online accountability group and we had to check in, and show pictures of our food, and take sweaty selfies, and share our experiences with each other. Not only had weight loss and fitness been a pretty individual thing for me up until that point, but a lot of the other challengers didn’t have much to lose and I felt like the token fat chick. But I quickly learned a lot of things about myself and others in just those three weeks. The first thing I learned was, just because someone is a size 2 doesn’t mean they are happy with their body. I was confused why someone so small would want to be doing a diet and exercise program. I had assumed that everyone did Beachbody programs because they wanted to lose weight. Little did I know that the nutrition plans that were provided with the programs not only could help someone lose weight, but could assist in maintaining and even GAINING weight! And the workout programs all have a modifier to make things lower impact, while there’s always some over-zealous person on screen to amp things up a bit, too. And I was also participating in this group with some ladies that were very comfortable with their size 18 bodies, but just wanted to be healthier wives, moms, lovers, etc. I quickly learned that everyone is on their own journey, and you should never compare your journey to anyone else’s. We all have different steps to follow, and even missteps we will take along the way. We have different reasons and motivation that push us in the directions we go, and temptations that will drive us backward if we let them.
Those little containers weren’t so little after I realized how much food you really could eat when it was fueling your body for optimal nutrition and health. Long gone were the days of starving myself on purpose, eating 1200 calories without taking into account the workout I did for the day, or chain-smoking to keep myself from overeating. This was a much more advanced way of thinking but strangely simplistic and easy to follow once I got the hang of it. The workouts kicked my ass, but in all honesty I hadn’t really put forth the effort I needed to start burning fat and raising my metabolism to help me from the inside out. And 21 days later I was 6 pounds and 9.5 inches smaller and on my way to being healthier, happier, and more confident. It was then that I made the decision to become a coach because I had found a solution that works and it was like the Fountain of Youth…I just needed to share it with everyone so they could see results, too.
Fast foward to today and here’s a quick recap of my accomplishments over the past 365 days, of which I’m pretty darn proud…
–I completed three dedicated rounds of the 21 Day Fix
–I nailed the 14-week Focus T25 program (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma)
–I dabbled in a TurboFire/PiYo hybrid while training for the half
–Oh yeah…I trained 12 weeks for and completed a half marathon (with no walking)
–I am three days from completing the 60 day Les Mills Combat program
–I am about to start 21 Day Fix Extreme on Monday, March 2nd
–I now coach 133 people and lead a team of 11 coaches
-I have lost 49.1 pounds and 36 inches.
-I went from a size 18 to a size 10; XL to medium.
-I have more confidence, I’m healthier, I have plenty of energy to complete my tasks, my body is able to handle more than it ever could, and I’m happier.
And my journey is not over yet. No, I didn’t quite make it to fifty pounds before my one year, like I had imagined, but with everything else that I’ve gained (and lost) this year, I could hardly be disappointed in myself. I’ve worked really hard, but played really hard, too. I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. And I’ll be the first to admit that some of the choices I make still aren’t the healthiest. But I make it work and I know how to reel it back in and get back on track. This isn’t just a diet or a 21 day program…it’s a lifestyle. And I’m never going back.
