Looking back now, I think I maybe should have started my blog with this! Too late though- so you shall hear it now… this is my journey through life on the weight loss roller coaster!
As a child I was always a little bit bigger, not fat by any means, but I was definitely big boned! It runs in my family, everybody would always just say, “That’s the Schreier in ya!” As I got a little older I progressively got a little bigger. Once I hit high school the pressure of “fitting in” kicked in and I decided I was done with the weight gain. At that point I didn’t know a healthy way to lose weight though, so I just quit eating- that had to work! And it did, I lost weight fast, I never had a serious disorder or anything I would just skip meals, sometimes two meals a day… but I never felt good. I was always tired, and got sick a lot. That didn’t matter though because I was progressively losing weight, however, I still looked at myself as “fat”. Looking back now I realize that I never even knew what fat was! J I would kill to have that stomach again!
Anyways…I got pregnant when I was 19 years old- as hard as this was to accept, I sadly looked at it as, “Good, now I have a reason to be fat!” My eating habits quickly changed because I wanted a healthy pregnancy. Which it was, but towards the end of my pregnancy I got preeclampsia and gained A LOT of weight!! Most of this was water weight and I lost it quickly after having my sweet little boy, but I still had a long way to go. After that I would fluctuate up and down with my weight, never really being too healthy, but never exceeding an unhealthy weight. I also smoked, more details to follow on that nasty habit… but I finally had enough. Enough of the fluctuating, enough of the unhealthy habits, enough of the feeling sorry for myself! Yep, I went there…I’m sure we’ve all been there, but most of us also know that it won’t get us anywhere. You need hard work and dedication if you truly want a lifestyle change, and healthy living is just that a LIFESTYLE CHANGE- and let me tell you, it’s totally worth it! I am currently only 5 pounds away from my ideal weight but the best part is that I look and feel healthy, I don’t look sick and tired- I have muscles in places I didn’t even know muscles existed, and my son couldn’t be more excited when I get outside and actually RUN around with him. I’m still not getting my hopes up for that stomach I had in high school… but right now is the healthiest I have been in my entire life- and that sure says enough for me, way more than washboard abs would (okay maybe the washboard abs would still be nice…)!
kjschreier 
I have recently started actually caring about what I eat, and how often I exercise and it has done wonders for my self esteem and the way I look at myself in the mirror. My biggest motivation would have to be my boyfriend (who loves me dearly just the way I am) but I want to be able to change my body and make him think WOW! My girlfriend looks like a rock star. For me exercising is a piece of cake. I am learning how to run and love lifting weights. Food is a bit more difficult, I love to eat junk, and always have. I try to buy the healthy foods, but its hard living with a man who only wants chips and pizza! I see food, and I eat it, so its hard when I see him eating a bag of chips as im across the room with a salad.
LikeLike
I completely feel for you, we are in the same situation at our house! My boyfriend can sit down and eat a whole pizza by himself and follow it up with a pop and bowl of ice cream and you would think he works out daily and barely ever eats! It isn’t fair! I struggle with weight loss the way it is I don’t need the temptations! Clearly all women have a harder time with this, just need to stick to hard work and discipline. I wish you good luck in your journey and hope maybe a few of my posts can help you out!
LikeLike
I can attest men can suffer the same problems with food. At 38 years old I definitely cannot eat the way I did in my 20’s, so maybe it is an age thing for men. I have also found that working out can actually exaggerate a poor diet. My theory is that working out puts your body into a state of craving nutrients, so bad food is absorbed and retained even though it is useless. On the other side, a person with a somewhat sedentary lifestyle will pass more food through undigested since the body isn’t craving nutrients. I tend to think of food as the fuel to repair my body after a workout. Why go through all the hard work of the workout to simply throw it away on a couple bites of food? Besides that, healthy food can actually be very tasty once a person gets used to cooking that way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great that your so close to your ideal weight, and I know that those last few pounds can be really hard to lose, but if you keep up the good attitude and stay motivated, you should be able to reach your your ideal weight. It’s great that you’ve moved away from skipping meals to trying to lose weight in a healthy manner through exercise. (I work at a gym, so I’m a big proponent of exercise.) I’m glad all your hard work has made you happy and that you can play with your son.
LikeLike
Good for you! The first battle is to believe in yourself and commit to a lifestyle change. I too have been “on the road” to a healthier lifestyle. Working out and clean eating have been my focuses to reaching this goal of mine. Being and staying healthy is tough, but knowing the way it makes you feel and being able to run around with your kids, these are great motivators and reminders to keep going!
LikeLike
Awesome job! Making lifestyle changes definitely isn’t easy, but it’s so great to read about your positive results! I too am on the road to bettering myself by being more active and eating healthier, so I will definitely keep up with your blog. Keep up the good work!
LikeLike
Hi Kim,
First off, I’d like to say congratulations! It is hard work and it takes great dedication to do what you are. It is unfortunate that so many people have to hit rock bottom before they are able to get to a point of change. I think you hit the topic perfectly when you mentioned a “lifestyle change,” This is the piece that I feel is often missed. It is easier to do a diet or change a few things for a while, but until it is viewed as this lifestyle change, the old habits come back and we fall back in our slump or as you said, “feeling sorry” for ourselves. I think the other key that is often missed is it isn’t about the number on the scale or how you look. It’s about how you feel and if you are healthy inside. I know many people that appear to be healthy by their looks, but inside, they have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. So we need to remember that it isn’t all about the number! Great job!!!
LikeLike