My Journey Starts Now

Nothing like an embarrassing photo posted online to get motivated. Here it is:

Height: 5'5" (165cm)

Current Weight: 149.8 pounds

Current Body Fat: 32.5%

Highest Weight: See above.

Current Goal Weight: 145 pounds

Ultimate Goal Weight: 120 pounds

     How did I get here? I had been skinny fat my entire life. A handful of years ago, I only weighed 105 pounds, but the weight keeps creeping on. I have tried dietary changes and failed after only a few days. As a youth, I had one hell of a metabolism. I could eat an entire pizza, plus ice cream any day of the week and never gain an ounce. I was never athletic; I have never run a full mile in my life (yes, even as I write this, still never jogged a full mile). I have tried fitness routines only to get injured. Last summer, I broke my hand doing martial arts and earlier this year broke my ankle while attempting running. Looks like I'm accident prone. No, I'm not. I get too excited about the outcomes, rush into a new routine that my body isn't ready for and hurt myself.

     I'm sure this story is true for a lot of you out there and I'm here to represent the average woman - those of us that constantly feel defeated. I'm posting my progress photos before I've made any progress and that's embarrassing, but that's the reality. Starting out, we don't look like fitness models and we're not healthy. This isn't a journey to look sexy in my bikini this summer, this isn't about fitting into the jeans I wore in high school - this is about me. This is about not having diabetes, which runs in my family. This is about not dying of heart disease, I already have low cholesterol, which is just as bad if not worse than high cholesterol. This is about me getting it together.

     I will be posting as often as possible. I am recording my meals daily on an app called "See How You Eat (SHYE)" because those calorie counting apps have never worked for me. Seeing how colorful my food is, seems to be making a difference. I highly recommend giving it a try if other tracking has failed you. I am tracking my weight and body fat using a scale. I know that body fat isn't very accurate on a scale, but that's what I have for now - so I'm using it. I invite you to tag along with me or simply read along as you see fit! I'll be posting progress updates, recipes, workouts, etc.

Current Diet: Drinking at least 95 ounces of water per day. Making homemade fruit infused water. Choosing healthy snacks over sugary ones. Cutting sugar out of my morning coffee. Meal prepping in advance, so I'm not purchasing last minute fast food.

Current Exercise: Walking with my dog at least 15 minutes per day. Gentle stretching for 10 minutes per day.