Starting The Journey

My journey begins now! Growing up I was always a pretty active and athletic child. I played sports and was always into something new. I loved soccer and rollerblading. Sometime around becoming a teenager I began gaining weight. Not just the weight that may be associated with a girl going through body changes. As I headed into high school was fairly big. If I remember correctly I was a size 16/18. I maintained that size pretty much all through high school. After high school and being in a bad relationship I started gaining weight again and pretty rapidly. I had a feeling something wasn't quite right and consulted my doctor about. Around that same time my grandmother and mother were discovering that they both had hypothyroidism. You probably know that, that means that their thyroids are under active and that as a result they have slower metabolisms. My doctor decided that I should have my thyroid checked for the same thing as this may be a reason for my weight gain. I did indeed have hypothyroidism. I was put on levothyroxin and spent the next couple of years fighting to remember to take my meds everyday as well as get the correct dosage. I struggled with weight loss and tried many quick result schemes to no avail. I figured I was destined to be heavy all my life. I just couldn't find the motivation to stick with any kind of program. So let's fast forward shall we....

Here we are in 2010. I am 26 years old and by all medical definitions I am obese. I am still dealing with my hypothyroidism, but it's currently under control with the proper dosage of meds. However something recently inside of me clicked. Times are changing and people are changing. More and more people are striving to be healthier and live their lives healthy. More and more people are exercising and eating healthy. I have decided that not only do I want to be that person, I NEED to be that person. Not for anyone else, but for me. I don't want to be the girl who has a heart attack at thirty because I am overweight. Nor do I want to have to deal with the potential for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or even diabetes. I must start taking better care of myself. So how will I do this? I have devised a plan....

First, I am working on changing my eating habits. I don't eat a lot of junk food, but I have the most un-strict eating schedule. You see I work third shift so I don't currently have a disciplined eating schedule. Plus more often than not I miss lunch or dinner and sometimes both due to being asleep. My goal is to get on a sleep/eating schedule so that I am eating enough throughout the day so that my body doesn't go into starvation mode.Plus I will be getting healthier foods into the house. I still live at home with my folks due to school loans and living in an expensive area. They don't pay much attention to what kinds of foods are in the house. There's always chips and junk food in the cabinets. Plus we have always been a very red meat and potatoes kind of family. So I am making a point to make sure the cupboards and fridge are stocked with healthy food choices for me and for them if they choose to eat those as well.

Second, what's eating healthy without exercise right? RIGHT! I will be doing an exercise program as well. I recently ( like within a week) have started the workout program Turbo Fire. It's an amazing full body, high intensity cardio workout. It even includes some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) as well. I am still new and learning all the moves, but even doing the new to class portion has me sweating a bunch. I am also going to be purchasing a new bike. I loved bike riding as a kid and we have lots of wonderful trails in my town for one to ride. I even broke out my roller blades! I am basically just trying to be as active as I possibly can be while keeping it fun.

So, that's me and my plan in a nutshell. If you made it all the way to the end here and I grabbed your attention join me for my journey. I expect to hit some twists and turns and even bumps along the way, but I look forward to the challenge of discovering a new, leaner, healthier me.

XOXO,
MaryBeth