"Hannah, how did you let yourself get here?"
That was the question I asked myself when I was 30 weeks pregnant and taking up two seats on my flight home from Virginia. Sure, I was pregnant, but I had gained over 90 LBS. I let myself go without realizing how bad it really was. I remember this flight like it was yesterday. I was so embarrassed. I didn't even look pregnant. I felt and looked like I was walking through the aisle as if I was in a parade, not as a spectator, but as the inflated float. I remember squeezing sideways to fit between the aisle of the airplane, I sat down and grabbed my seat belt stretched it as far as it could go. I was shocked to find that it barely fit around my massive frame.
I was facing one of my ultimate fears. I became a person who almost had to ask for a seat belt extension.
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| This was Elise and I when I came home to visit. Only 25 weeks! |
In that moment I wanted to cry, but I held back the tears and reassured myself that I deal with the weight after I had the baby. I would joke about it, but it was so painful to look in the mirror everyday. I remember closing my eyes every time a mirror was around.
Mirrors were avoided like the plague.
(Side note about that picture. Sorry to interrupt but I think it is important to share. My mom has pictures of me during and after my pregnancy that I have never seen. I never looked at any pictures! Every time I looked at the pictures I face reality! It brings tears to my eyes because I know the emotion that was behind that face! The only thing positive about that picture is my sweet baby.)
My weight gain was fast. I was pregnant so literately everything I ate went straight to my big ass (sorry for the language but that's the only way to describe it). It is surprisingly easy to gain 90 LBS. It could happen to anybody, especially those who ate the kind of crap that I was eating.
My whole life I have been an athlete and pretty healthy. I worked out with my sisters nearly every day and have trained and completed 4 half marathons. I had been a personal trainer, so I felt like I didn't have an excuse to be tipping the scales at 248 LBS! I knew and had the tools to stay healthy and fit despite the fact I was pregnant.
Pregnancy is no excuse to be putting crap in your body.
Sure you are going to gain weight, but being pregnant should motivate you to take better care of your body. Well unfortunately, pregnancy was my excuse to finally be able to eat whatever I wanted. I was eating for two, right? I had the mentality that after I had my baby I would deal with the weight gain, but for now give me another Twinkie!
Time went by, I had my baby and with my bad choices came consequences.
I no longer had an excuse to weigh 230 LBS. Sure, I lost some, but not enough. Luckily I had my sisters who were pregnant right along side of me. We all had babies within a two month time fame. We would all talk about our goals to lose the weight, and how we were going to do it. We are team of fatties who know what it takes and are so excited to share our "secrets" about exactly how we lost it. I know if anyone has the desire, drive, and stays consistent we will show you how to get healthy RESULTS!
We discovered it was a lot HARDER to be fat than fit.
Sure, being fit means eating right and a lot of exercise, but not being able to look at yourself in the mirror is so much harder!
It hit me hard when the first pair of non pregnancy jeans I had to buy was in the plus size section. I went to the store by myself because I had nothing to wear. I remember not wanting to try anything on because I was so embarrassed! I grabbed a size 17 thinking I will definitely fit in these jeans. For hell sakes, if I jumped off a mountain there was no need for a parachute, my pants had my back! I got home and showered and got ready for the day.I went in my room removed the tags from my jeans and put on my new UGLY pair. Well, they went up to my thighs and no matter how hard I tugged they still were not going to budge.
This was my rock bottom! A size 17 would not fit me. I fell to the floor and sobbed. What could I do?
Not only did I have high blood pressure and felt unhealthy I couldn't even fit in a size 17! This was my reality. I got up went to the bathroom and looked myself in the eyes. I said out loud, "Hannah, you got yourself here, now there is only ONE WAY out......... ITS YOU!" That was my moment I knew I had everything I needed to lose it and there was no way I was going to be fat any longer. I knew I was lucky enough to have a good support system, determination, an understanding of what foods were good for me and what food was not and I knew how to work out and work out effectively.
I was ready to start my journey! I got myself to 248 LBS I was going to get myself out.
That was the beginning for me. The tears frustration and sweat did not end there. I had no idea how hard I was going to challenge myself to get it off.
There was no quick fix, no starvation diet, no magic diet it pill, all it was was being CONSISTENT.
Being consistent meant eating healthy and working out day in and day out. Sure, I messed up. Sure, I lacked motivation at times, however, the one thing that keeps me going 7 days a week is the pain I felt when I was overweight. It feel good to be able to move again. It feel good to put on my size 8 pants and look in the mirror feeling powerful.That is what motivates me to start this blog.
I am a stay at home mom, and I am addicted to the feeling of working out.
My sisters and I want to do what we are passionate about and help everyone to live a healthy and strong life. If I can help motivate even one person in this process, I will be happy. I am not going to sit here and act like I know everything about the human body, but there is one thing I do know and that is how to lose weight!
So enjoy, because we are going to be that support system everyone needs to push them just a little bit further. We will be there doing the exact workout challenges we post, and are excited to learn of any other good workouts.
Life is too short to be unhealthy, so let's get healthy and fit together!
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