This is my first Diet Bet and I'm so excited that there is an option for a blog! Most of my other accountability groups are done via Facebook and I'm happy to have an outlet to more accurately reflect my thoughts and feelings during this process. I'm going to make this blog public so that maybe it will help inspire or motivate others. We are all going through a difficult process and the best way for us to complete our goals is to support each other!
So a little about me. I am a US Army Career Counselor with 17 years of Active Duty service behind me. I joined the Army at 17 for college money and ended up loving what I was doing. I've deployed once to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, just as the war kicked off. I am now stationed in the middle of nowhere at Fort Irwin, CA. I have been married for the past almost 15 years (our anniversary is next month) to my husband Brady and we have an amazing 2 year old named Alexander (or Bobo for short). My husband is a stay at home dad and a full time college student and I couldn't do anything that I do without him.
In 2007, I badly sprained my ankle during an obstacle course. I also developed asthma, probably due to the burn pits I was exposed to during my deployment. I was allowed to stay in the Army, but I am unable to run or do too much jumping. After I got injured, I found it more difficult to control my weight, so I would yo-yo, doing everything I could to ensure my measurements were what they needed to be to stay within Army standards, and then letting myself go after I was done. I wasn't educated at all about healthy eating (I had been extremely underweight as a child), so I figured that "calories in, calories out" was all I had to lose weight when I needed to lose weight (not even considering the quality of the calories I was eating). After I had my child in 2014, the Army gave me six months to shed the baby weight. After six months, they "flagged" me, meaning that I was unable to get any favorable actions (such as awards, promotions, etc) until I was within weight standards. I finally complied nine months postpartum (imagine that. Nine months to put on the weight, nine months to take it off) and I was "unflagged," with the responsibility of ensuring that I wasn't put back on the weight control program for three years (otherwise, they could kick me out). At that point, I was 165 lbs.
In early 2016, I was chosen for a unit move to a medical unit. Prior to that, I had been in a cavalry unit who was responsible for ensuring that units across the Army were trained for deployment and combat. I would work 24 days straight per month, with only 6 days off, not able to see my family (except for short spurts) for weeks at a time. Understandably, due to my work schedule and my inability to juggle my physical training, nutrition, work, and family, my weight shot up. I knew that other people in my field, the people recommending me for this new job, saw the potential in me and knew I could go further in my Army career. I just needed to believe it.
By February 2016, my weight had ballooned to 184. I knew I was way beyond where I needed to be. I reported to my new unit in April and I needed to do something. One of my friends from high school is a Beachbody coach and she invited me to a 21 Day Fix challenge group. I accepted, bought the program and Shakeology, and finally started getting educated about nutrition, portion size, and what I should be eating. I lost almost 10 lbs during my first challenge.
Since my first challenge, I have lost 24 lbs and counting. I had no problems passing my height and weight standards or my physical fitness test when I did them in August, a huge relief for me. Usually, when I get to this point, I stop, then gain back the weight (I haven't exactly learned how to do the "maintenance phase" properly yet). But now, my goal is to get to a weight where I no longer have to worry about the number on the scale, where I can relax and focus on my fitness level instead of a number. To get to that stage, I need to lose about 25 more lbs. Before Beachbody, I had a very unhealthy way of dropping weight. Now, I know I'm doing things the right way and I have more energy to get everything done.
I see so many people making New Year's Resolutions to lose weight. My question: Why wait? My New Year's Resolution works in reverse: be as close as possible to my goal Jan 1st so that I can really learn how to maintain my weight properly in 2017. Plus, I have a group that wants to do Core De Force with me to start out January with a bang. I'm pretty excited about that!
I am ready to get this party started! Let's do this!