MY STORY

 

You know when people tell you that you look great, but you don't feel great. People say, "You had a baby. You have an excuse." Yep, this is what I was hearing, and this is how I felt. It had been 18 months since I had my baby boy, Ryker. I had lost 50 of the 60 lbs I gained during my pregnancy, but I didn't feel like I looked it. I was miserable, unhappy, and very self conscious. After months of trying diets and feeling discourage over and over again, I knew I had to make a change. I needed to have a complete lifestyle change.

Beginning in September of 2013, I started my lifestyle change. I kept hearing about clean eating. I began research and decided that I would try it. When I began this change, I weighed 160 with a BMI of 32. Currently I still weigh 160, but I have gone down 3 pant sizes and my BMI has gone down 9 percent. During this process I have learned that the number on the scale doesn't matter. Everyone's body is different.  Some people lose weight, others lose inches. I am one of those who loses inches. I am completely fine with this. My goal isn't the number on the scale. My goal is how I feel and look.

Even though I have changed my eating habits, doesn't mean I don't have moments of weakness. Because I have been eating so clean, my body lets me know when I haven't eaten good. I still enjoy some Papa Murphey's pizza every now and then.  I am a sucker for chocolate chip cookies, but I eat those treats on occasions and sparingly.  That is the key I have learned about eating clean. It's okay if I make treats with my girlfriends, I enjoy a pizza with the hubs over a movie, or go out to eat with friends every once in awhile. The struggle that I was having was that I was eating "cookies" everyday. I thought I could justify that even though I was eating healthy meals and workout daily that would be okay. One cookie a day wouldn't hurt. I was wrong! If you want to feel and look amazing, you have to eat amazing. The key above all is balance. While I love to eat healthy, exercise, and work hard for my goals I dont let it stop me from going out with friends and treating myself once in awhile :)