Looking Back....How my Healthy Life Started

I've been on this weight journey for much of my adult life and considering I turn 40 this year, I guess that means that I've been working on my weight issues for almost half of my life.  During all of these years I can say that I have been through many stages of healthy and unhealthy.

I was engaged at 21-years-old and married at 22.  Before my wedding I was accountable to my wedding dress.  If I noticed my clothes getting too tight I would back off on the sweets for a few days and be fine.  I was at a nice, healthy weight for my wedding.  I'll be honest - I rarely weighed myself at this time.  After my wedding I was accountable to only myself and Bryan and he certainly didn't care what I ate or what I looked like.  He loved me for who I was, not what I looked like.  That wasn't enough.  I was fairly new to the weight struggles that I would encounter for the rest of my life so I had no idea how important it was to be aware.

When I was first married, my life changed and I didn't watch what I ate or the amount of activity in my life.  I was a busy college student and a newlywed.  I also worked full-time.  I didn't have the time or concern to care about my body much.  About 6 months after my wedding a good friend of mine got married too.  I was standing up in her wedding. I bought my wedding dress at the same shop that she ordered my bridesmaid dress from so they just used the measurements they had on file for me.  When I went to try on the dress before the wedding, it didn't fit.  I couldn't dare admit that I had gained weight since my wedding so I blamed the dress.  It was embarrassing to know that I had obviously gained weight and had no idea.  I was wearing stretchy pants and baggy shirts and ignored the fact that they were getting a little tighter. I didn't even try wearing the fitted clothing that I owned.

About a year and a half after my wedding I couldn't take it anymore. I knew I needed to something about it.  I didn't own a scale so I didn't know how much weight I had gained.  All I knew was that I didn't feel comfortable in my clothes anymore and I was wearing larger sizes than I used to.  I joined a gym and started trying to watch what I ate.  I worked out at the gym a few nights a week after work.  It was a 24-hour gym so it worked great for my busy lifestyle.  This was a good change for me.  I've always been frugal so I wasn't about to pay for a gym membership that I wasn't using.

I tried watching what I ate but I'll be honest, I didn't really know what that meant.  My portion distortion was out of control and I ate more carbs than I needed. I knew salads were healthy but didn't know the details.  I didn't take into consideration that if a salad had fried chicken on it, my healthy salad was no longer so healthy.  I didn't worry that my grilled chicken sandwich was swimming in full-fat mayo. These health tips were not even on my radar.  We ate out like crazy.  My refrigerator was close to empty most times.

This is my healthy refrigerator now.  It's come a long way and has to feed a lot more people.

After about 3 months working out a the gym I learned I was pregnant. My attendance at the gym was no longer very steady.  I ate what I want when I wanted it because the baby needed it. I didn't go crazy with the eating because I felt pretty good.  I gained a little weight but miscarried the baby at 12 weeks.  I went back to regular attendance at the gym but still didn't look into true, healthy eating habits.  My focus changed in my life because I was now grieving a loss.  A few months later, I became pregnant again.  I cancelled my gym membership because I was now afraid to do just about anything for fear that it could hurt the baby.  If only I knew what I know now I would have continued to exercise.  Instead I ate anything I wanted. If I was hungry I ate - carbs, sweets, anything that the baby wanted.  I gained 60 pounds with my pregnancy but didn't care. Again, if only I knew what I know now.

After Jason was born, I was still very busy. I was now a new mom and a full-time college student.  Taking care of me was the last thing on my mind on most days.  I expected the weight to fall off like I had seen on friends of mine.  Apparently I don't have the "weight falling off" gene.  Six months after Jason had been born I was still wearing maternity clothes.  I tried not to let it bother me but it did. I exercised to get the weight off but I ate to make up for my exercising.  When Jason was about 8 months old I realized that although the exercising was nice when I did it, it wasn't enough. I needed to learn how to eat healthy and I didn't know where to start.  I expressed my concerns to my mom and she gave me some of her Weight Watchers materials so I could follow it.  That was the start to my healthy life.  That program taught me what was truly healthy and what was not.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't do it all perfectly from there on.  I made many, many mistakes, but this was the beginning.

This post has gone on too long already so on my next post I will continue my story and tell you more of what I have learned in my healthy life journey.

Have a great day,
Corinna

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." -1 Corinthians 6:19-20