You Never Go Full On Hamhock

My journey to become fit did not begin as a child. I have never struggled with my weight, I was never at risk of being obese. When I was a kid, we were too po' to have the Internet y'all, hell, we didn't even have a house phone. The only thing I had to play with was my imagination and a yard..and a toad that lived in a hole in the cement of our walkway.

I ran everywhere, all the time. I chased boys, I chased my brothers, my friends. I was so fast, that kind of speed was bound for greatness, I just knew it (I was totally wrong by the way). It was challenging though, because I have asthma, and at that time it was totally uncontrollable.

I played sports in middle school as well as high school, which kept me in fantastic shape as well as enabling me to eat whatever my fat girl heart desired.

Fast forward to October 2008, when I met my husband. It was definitely a whirlwind romance and before I knew it we were married and had a child. I don't know about you, but being pregnant sucked. I was sick all the time, I couldn't hold anything down, because my sense of smell had heightened significantly--everything smelled rancid, I had excruciating migraines, I came down with the flu as well as bronchitis, all while I was pregnant. I slept so much and was so drained of energy that I never worked out. I walked sometimes, from the kitchen back to the bedroom. I ate like a mo'fo' and thought heeeeeyyy, no big deal, I'm a natural athlete, I'll lose it after baby is born.

I gained 35 lbs. during my pregnancy, which was average. I had all of these false preconceived notions that post baby I would just drop all of the weight after breastfeeding. I was not one of the lucky ones. I continued not taking care of myself after my son was born, so I gained back all 35 lbs.
And then some.

I'm only 5'2", and pre-baby I was 140 lbs. of solid muscle (I'm saying this in my Randy Savage WWE voice) that is only 5 more pounds than I was in high school. So, I had a good long 7 year run of being a petite and fit woman. I'm not sure if I ran to food in the past when I couldn't control my emotions, but now I started binge eating on anything sweet, fried, and all around unhealthy.

It wasn't until I was pushing almost 200 lbs. that I woke up and realized that I needed to make some big changes and fast. I can't tell you how many times I heard "you wear the weight well, I can't tell."

That. Is. A. Lie. And plus, what the hell? I want to be in shape, healthy, and lean. The only thing I want to wear well was a bikini, and a smile when I'm naked!

I started running again, only to run into excruciating shin splints. I thought, if this is as bad as it's going to get, I'll push through it. WRONG. I kept running jogging  walking quickly, let's just be real, but I slowly started to realize that I was feeling much better. I wasn't as tired or winded, each time I walked, I could get a little bit further.

I was on a roll for a good while, but I really couldn't tolerate the pain of my shin splints anymore and I couldn't even walk to the bathroom in the mornings, or just plain walk around because my feet were also giving me problems. This constant stinging throb. I finally went to the doctor and discovered that I had plantar fascitis. I had to wear a boot for months and then began physical therapy.

Each time I get into the groove of a good routine I get sick. REALLY sick. My immune system is so weak it can't fight off a common cold, and it takes MONTHS, yes MONTHS to get better. 10 steps forward 100 backslides, but the moment I get better, I start up again.

This is going to be challenging, I know, but it took 4 years to put this weight on, it will most definitely take some time to get it off. I am now 175, that's 25 lbs. down, and I've still got quite the road to go, but this is my story. I write it. I live it. I will succeed.