As a kid I was very fit. I played lots of sports and did pretty well at most of them. I ran track in grade 10 and 11 in highschool and frequently ribboned (is that even a word?) in meets.
I was called a 'gym rat' at school because I was always in or around the gym and always in gym clothes. I could eat whatever I wanted it seemed and my weight wasn't affected. I was by no means 'skinny' - but I was fit....muscular and strong. I weighed about 120 pounds then. Fast forward a few years....graduate highschool....move in with boyfriend...and pretty much stop all 'organized sports' all-together....within 3 years I had gained about 25-30 pounds. I know when I got pregnant with Riley when I was 21 I weighed 150 pounds. I didn't really see the 'problem' at that point in time though. The 'problem' soon presented itself though - 3 more pregnancies over the next 7 years resulting in 4 kids under the age of 7 by the time I was 29 (the last two only 16 months apart). Actually between my two sons (born in 1993 and 1997) I went to nursing school and struggled with some chronic (and still not diagnosed) neurologic problems that mimic MS. This led to a hectic life, some self pity, and lack of motivation that had me balloon up another 30 + pounds (I had gotten back down to 155 pounds when Riley was 6 weeks old)...so I began my second pregnancy at a whopping 185 pounds! I actually started pregnancy #3 and #4 at 185 pounds as well.
Somehow between the birth of my last baby in 2001 and the summer of 2004 I ballooned even bigger reaching a maximum weight of about 220 pounds (I say this like it is a mystery....but I know exactly how - no excercise and binge eating!) !!
I was DISGUSTED with myself.
Does this look like someone who used to come 'top 3' in her events in track meets? (and I wasn't even at my heaviest in these pictures....these were taken in 2001). I had completely lost sight of myself while I was busy being a mom. I really struggled with finding/making the time to take care of myself. Andrew travels a LOT for work - always has and still does....so sometimes being a single parent for weeks on end is just exhausting. It wasn't until Delaney (youngest) started preschool in 2004 that I was able to steal a little time to devote for myself. Andrew bought an elliptical trainer that I used religiously about 4-5 days/week and I slowly lost about 25 pounds....and there I stayed for a few years....
In 2005 we bought our first house and we were so focused on moving and renovating our house that excercise again took a back burner. It seemed that there was always so much to do during the brief time that I had no kids at home....It wasn't until they were all in full-time school in the fall of 2006 that things really progressed for me. I joined a personal training gym and have religiously (barring illness or vacation) worked out with a personal trainer every Monday-Wednesday- Friday since then. I weighed 195 pounds when I joined that gym. Today I weigh 140 pounds. I still have a goal to get to 130 pounds.
This picture is from January 2008 - I weighed 147 when this was taken. I don't have any recent pics that really show that much.
