My Journey - Part 2

Read My Journey - Part 1 here.
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The first couple years of our marriage weren't so kind to me either. People say you tend to let yourself go and boy, did I ever. Poor Z-he probably never expected me to get to 309 lbs. Neither did I. We have what I consider a "normal" marriage-its ebbs and flows are comforting to me especially since in almost 4 years we have yet to have a major, end all, be all argument. Unfortunately, a very stressful job working 50-60 hour weeks for over 3 years led to some VERY bad choices regarding food and exercise.

2011 - At a friend's wedding - I had all but given up hope on ever being a healthy weight

Sure we had our glimmers of hope-joining a gym, walking the trails together, using the gyms in our apartment complexes. But each faded with time as my workload continued to grow, Z left his job & started working at the school where I was employed, and my constant stress over finances continued even though we easily afforded all of our needs and many wants.

One of the last pictures ever taken of me weighing 300+ lbs.

Late in 2012, we had our defining moment. The one that changed our lives. Z had been struggling with staying at his job at our shared place of employment due to personality conflicts with our boss. I was struggling with keeping my sanity thanks to continued growth of our organization which lead to additional job responsibilities and even longer work hours. At the same time, in May of 2012 my 1st nephew was born but he lived in North Carolina where I am from & where my parents, brother, and sister-in-law all live. (Shout out to my Cali brother JP & his girl, Toni! Get back to NC ASAP!) My feelings were those of longing to be with my nephew to watch him grow as well as being closer to my parents who may not need any looking after, but who I realized weren't getting any younger. A baby really does change everything.

HOP & Me on his birth day 05.11.2012

1 day old

So after much talk & consideration with each other, my parents, the good Lord & a few close friends-we took the plunge. We both resigned from our jobs, with no prospects in sight, packed up our entire life and moved from east Texas to western North Carolina. Since the move in December, we've been living with my parents in their upstairs loft & everything we own (with the exception of our clothes and a few personal things) is in a 10'x20' storage building. Although we both had hesitation about living with my parents-mainly because we didn't want to ruin a good relationship-things are going, as (I think) they say in London, swimmingly.

Since our move I've often reflected back over the sequence of events and while it definitely hasn't been the easiest journey (we both went without paychecks from December to May), I have become stronger, less stressed, and 1,000,000 times healthier along this path. Since November when I was at my highest stress level and January when I was at my highest weight, I have lost 50 lbs. 

June 2013

(Obvi I really need to work on taking progress pics since I have exactly 0.)

And that's what I mean when I say that this move changed my life. Actually, I truly believe that it saved my life. Last year at this time, I felt so hopeless and defeated-like I was destined to be the token fat girl forever. I worked 60+ hours a week, was mentally exhausted at the end of every day and felt like I had no choice but to make unhealthy decisions all. the. time. I was on a path of such unhealthy eating and little movement that I'm almost certain would have led to heart problems, diabetes (since both of my parents have been diagnosed), complicated pregnancies (if I were even able to conceive), and an early death. Moving to NC with no immediate plans allowed me time to work on me; to quit worrying about everybody else and worry about myself for a change.

After I did my 1st 5K on 06.08.2013-about 40 lbs. gone

I don't say any of this to brag about my success or complain about my continued unemployment. More importantly, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to clean myself up a bit. Since February when I just decided to start making better choices, I have seen a dramatic change in myself. My lifestyle is completely different than it was even just 6 months ago shortly after we moved. I have more energy, make much better decisions and actually look forward to being outdoors and enjoying a good sweat session. I also have increased confidence and a new passion for sharing information I learn with others who are walking this road with me.

My hope is that you'll join me as I continue my weight loss journey and work toward my goals of getting fit and being able to wear that bikini I've always dreamed of-maybe even to the family beach trip next year. Whether you're just starting your own journey, are already maintaining that loss or are just looking for tips & info, I want this to be a safe place for the freedom of sharing our struggles, celebrating our victories & nurturing healthy relationships with others who can identify with us as we each mark our own course in this crazy life!