Love yourself ❤️❤️❤️

If you've ever heard of a human yo-yo, you're looking at one. Fitness was never one of my fortes, and despite all I've gone through in my transformation, and this career path i've taken, let me just KEEP IT REAL here and say it probably never will be. You see, THAT'S the point.  It's not ABOUT being an expert, or being "good" at being healthy and fit.  I follow a plan.  I have the support to get me through.  And for the FIRST time in the over 27 years since I first recognized I was "unhappy" and "uncomfortable" with my weight, I can TRULY and HONESTLY say I love my body.  And that's not because it's perfect -- far from it.  It's because it was designed for me, and I can see the beauty in it.  

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From a very young age, probably 7 or 8, I had issues maintaining a healthy weight. I was always slightly heavier than my friends growing up until about 6th grade, when it seemed as though I had lost some weigh briefly, but it turns out I just had a growth spurt.  

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My weight fluctuated up and down but throughout the next 25 years -- and during that time I was never at a place where I truly felt happy at what I saw when I looked in the mirror.  I took comfort in food, drowned emotions in way too much partying, and hid in baggy clothes.  I pretended I felt good about myself, because it was SO IMPORTANT for me to appear that way on the outside (which is the epitome of the picture on the left, taken around the year 2000).  I would try fad diets, pills, fasting, juicing, you name it -- and when it wasn't easy or didn't work long term, I turned to what I knew would comfort me -- fat-laden food and WAY too much booze.

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Needless to say, eventually the stress of my life got to a breaking point and my coping mechanisms no longer worked for me.  I was at my largest in 2014, bordering 200 pounds at 5'6" and could no longer go with the "big boned" excuse -- I could no longer shop in my favorite stores because they didt carry my size and i ripped every skirt I owned when I sat down because they were so tight the seams were basically screaming when I stuffed myself into them like a sausage...and this was AFTER the spanx 😉  I had reached a breaking point because I refused to go into a different store, nothing in my closet fit, and I couldn't stand to catch myself in pictures or mirrors.

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A friend of mine introduced me to an at-home workout program that was only 25 minutes a day, and came with a nutrition plan and shakeology...and snuck me into a private support group on Facebook (unbeknownst to her coach, who eventually became my coach...but that's a story for another time 😉 ). I began to work out every day, plan my meals, and connect with a group of amazing people I now lovingly call family.

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My failed method of coping no longer involved food and alcohol, but started to include sweating it out and finding inspirational posts on pinterest.  TRUST ME -- this was COMPLETELY ABNORMAL for me! I STILL don't LOVE working out, but I began to notice a HUGE shift in my mood, energy and strength -- the kind of inner strength that made me feel like I could conquer ANYTHING. The discipline I found during this time is such a HUGE part of how I am reaching my goals today. I lost over 50 pounds in 9 months. And have kept it off for almost 2 years now.  And have built an incredible sisterhood with woman just like me. What started with an 25-minute work out has turned into a great friendship and big motivation in my life.

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Losing weight is just as much mental as it is physical. Without the proper mindset, you minimize the results that you could achieve. Over the last 2 and a half years, I have developed deeper, closer relationships with those I hold dear. And ALL of this is part of who I am and what I do today.  As a CAREER.

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I couldn't ask for a better journey, or friends. I'm sharing this on this #throwbackthursday because I know this is something a lot of people struggle with.

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I used to feel that I was terrible at following through.  That when push came to shove, I'd give up on things if they were too hard. That I couldn't stick with something for the long haul. I've come to realize that's NOT who I am -- and the people who taught me that are not only the ones who blazed the trail for me, but also the ones who have followed in my footsteps...who have shown me that I AM making a difference. That I AM inspiring others. Because seeing THEM make the positive changes in THEIR lives is why I do this, why I share, why I PRESS ON when the going gets tough and I wanna give up and put on a baggy pair of shorts and hide.  

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I can push you to the hardest in those moments. Through my own journey, I have discovered so much about myself, my ambition, and my staying power that for many years I didn't know existed. Without the community or support, I shudder to think how my motivation might have fizzled out. 

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It's the people we surround ourselves with, and the LOVE we pour out into others, that makes ALL the difference in what becomes of us. Are YOU ready to start a life change of your own? FINALLY break through those barriers and help others do the same? (oh, and earn an INCOME in so doing?) Message me - I want you on my team!