Light Speed Transformation

It's been 5 days since I started my new healthy lifestyle and already the changes are huge!! Let's look at this bit by bit. First off, I feel healthier! I have way more energy than I did just a few days ago. I feel....cleaner. I can't explain it but I don't feel full of junk anymore. My body is thanking me for this change. Just a week ago I was suffering from poor circulation in my legs that affected me each time I would stand up after sitting for long periods of time. I would get up and my legs would buckle with weakness and I struggled to walk it off. That's gone! I can get up like nothing now. I love it!! But the best change so far is my body. I look thinner!! I haven't weighed myself since day one so I don't know how many pounds I've lost but I do know that inches are gone. Today I was able to wear a tight fitting shirt that I hadn't worn in over a year again! It felt great! Each time I went to the bathroom at work, I had to stop and look at myself in the mirror and smile. And it felt amazing each time someone told me that I look way thinner. And all I could keep thinking is if this is only 5 days later, how will I be in a month?! I'm so excited and I know this is only the beginning! 

Zu Zu Zumba!!

Today I received my Zumba DVDs in the mail and I immediately changed into my workout clothes and went straight to it. I was an avid Zumba lover for over 6 months at the beginning of 2012, doing an hour a day, Monday through Saturday. It helped me lose over 30 pounds at the time. But family issues stopped me from going to the gym and before I knew it, I had gained back the 30 pounds with reinforcements! The last time I did a Zumba class was over a year ago, so I was wondering if I would be able to keep up. Well let me tell ya, I remembered all the essential dance moves and felt like I was back at the party I had missed for so long. Yes, I was super tired and several times through out the workout my body was aching and I thought to myself "maybe that's enough for the first day". But then I looked down at my gut and grimaced and said "hell no!" I pushed through the workout despite the aching in my legs and how tired I felt. But when the instructor in the video said that was it for today, I felt super proud of myself. And after the workout I was left feeling....better. I love it! I am actually happy and looking forward to tomorrow's grueling workout! People swear by Crossfit or Insanity and I'm like "that's ok, I'll dance my way to a healthier, skinnier me". What can I say, it's a fun way to workout! Zu Zu Zumba!!! 

The Pound That Broke the Fat Girl's Back

You know me. I'm the fat girl that skinny girls make fun of. People look at me and think "Wow, she must eat an entire pizza by herself and come back for seconds." I don't have an hourglass figure, it's more like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man's figure. Up until now, I tried to embrace my curves. I hid behind clichés like "Dogs want bones. Real men prefer meat." I pretended to not mind that clothes in my size were designed to hide us rather than flatter us. I took joy in not having to follow diets, but was inevitably left unhappy not being able to take pictures. After all, the cameras add 10 pounds, and for fat girls this means it adds another ten pounds of fat! I fooled myself into believing for a long time that it didn't matter that I was fat, even as I kept gaining more weight. I used excuses to cover up my lack of willpower to change. I didn't have time, I was too busy, it wasn't my fault, all bogus excuses nonetheless.
But today I snapped! I can honestly admit that I am tired of being the fat girl. I am tired of running out of breath at the smallest of chores. I am tired of not being able to wear clothes from regular stores, of having to hide behind curtains called clothes. I am tired of not being happy in my own skin. I hate having to take pictures of everyone else and never feeling pretty enough to take a picture of myself. I hate that I wear a size 22! Yes, there, I said it. I wear a size 22! How horrible is that?! But worse yet, I hate knowing that the power to change all of this is in my own hands and I haven't done a thing about it......until now!
I refuse to be the fat girl any longer! I choose to get off my lazy fat butt and do something about it finally. It's not about a fad diet, it's about changing my eating habits. No more sweets, no more soda, no more eating late. It's all about smart choices, eating every 2-3 hours to quicken my metabolism, and it's about portion control. Someone once told me that I shouldn't be eating portions larger than my fist. Good advice that I am going to put into practice.  It's time to get active! No one ever got ahead by sitting on their butts. I ordered the Zumba DVDs and I am looking forward to shaking my tush and having fun while losing weight.
Why share this with the world? This will push me to do what I am saying I will do. It's forever recorded on the internet, so the last thing I will want to do is go back on my words and keep being the fat girl. And maybe, just maybe, my story can be hope for another fellow fat girl. It can show that we are not alone in the struggles with our weight and body image. And that if we feel like someone else can do it, so can we.
So here it is, the first of many posts following me on my journey to weight loss. No surgeries, no fad diets, no ephedrine pills or anything like that. Just the good old fashioned way, healthy eating habits and exercise. It will be a hard road for me, and a slow journey as well, but the final destination is so worth it! So join me in looking at my "Before" picture below and Say Goodbye to the Fat Girl.