Beginnings

I wouldn't say I've struggled with my weight, I'd say it's frustrated me over the years.  In high school (hard to believe that was 14 years ago) I was pretty tiny and I ate pretty much whatever I wanted, but I was also very active.  Between gym class, dance class, cheerleading, soccer and walking I was always on the move.  Even when I moved away to attend university I dodged the freshman 15 (it took 4 years).  When I graduated high school, my 5'4 pear shaped frame weighed 118lbs.  By the time I graduated university I was 135lbs, but then I stopped working at a busy restaurant, I got a job at a call centre, and I bought a car.  All of a sudden I wasn't active, I was lazy.  Slowly, over the next few years, I managed to pack an additional 35lbs on to my 5'4 pear shaped frame.  Most people don't believe that I ever weighed 170lbs, I guess my body hides it well.  But I did, and that's not healthy.

I've 'tried' over the years to lose the weight, but I say 'tried' because I didn't really.  I joined gyms but never really pushed myself.  I tried some crazy diets (the first 2 weeks of South Beach = hell) and the weight always came back.  I bounced around between 170 and 155 but the weight never stayed off.

In May 2014 I got married.  I love my wedding pictures and I love my photographer even more, because she managed to make me look amazing.  I was about 155lbs on my wedding day.  By Christmas that year, I was back up to 165.  I was a bridesmaid in a wedding just after New Years, when I saw some of the pictures from that wedding, I cried.  It was the first time I really felt like I looked fat (I have some very unfortunate angles).

Not long after that wedding, my amazing husband Adam decided that he wanted to change the way we were living as well, he wanted to get healthy.  (In my past attempts he always supported me but never adopted the changes I was trying to make - that always makes it difficult).  At the end of January we joined a gym, we started going 5 days a week, cut out alcohol (mostly), eliminated take out, and stopped buying 'treats'.  At the end of February we hired a personal trainer.  While we have very different goals we've been working out together and eating better than we ever have.

Lately, I've been getting frustrated, I'm not losing as fast as I'd like to (isn't that always the way) and the changes in Adam seem to be instant (again - why is this always the way) and I thought that blogging and writing about it might help keep me on track.  The more people that I'm accountable to the better.  This will also give me a reason to really look at what I'm eating, what I'm doing at the gym, and how my body is changing.  My goal isn't to be super skinny, I don't want a six-pack.  I want to be healthy, I want to feel good, and I want to feel strong again.

I'll share great workouts, great recipes, and other random bits and pieces.  I hope you enjoy following my journey to getting healthy.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of me over the years to give you an idea of how I got from where I was to where I am.

Grade 11 Semi Formal 2000 - at my tiniest
and not a size I want to be again

Halloween 2002 (I was 'Duct Tape') 

St. Patricks Day 2007 - 2 years into my call centre job
and the first time I was 'trying' to lose weight