Intro - Angie

2011 - 2013

Over the past four years I've lost over 50 pounds and have kept it off. I have always struggled with my weight – I was a size 12 and 150 pounds all through high school, in my mid-20’s when I was in the military I hit 175 and a size 16. After my first pregnancy I was pushing 200 pounds, but it wasn't until my daughter was 6 months old and I scheduled a check-up with my doctor when my weight truly became an issue. I found out that I had high cholesterol. My first weight related health issue, and I wanted it to be my last. The doctor referred me to the base nutritionist and that’s where you could say my fitness journey truly began.

The base nutritionist changed my life. She made me realize so many things and opened up my eyes to a whole new way of thinking. The thing she said that sticks out the most in my mind is, “how can you expect to lose weight if you don’t even know what you are consuming?” She suggested that I start tracking calories with an online tracking tool. During my first week of tracking I lost 5 pounds! I continued to lose 2 pounds a week while using this system. I currently use myfitnesspal, username: Gillenator.

Tracking calories is not easy, but Chris, my husband, is very supportive! He bought me a scale to measure my food, a bodybugg so that I could track exactly how many calories I burn in a day, and we started reading about portion sizes and food ingredients. I attribute a lot of my success to his support and love during a very challenging time. We never realized how much we were overeating until we started tracking.

Another tool that I used to help me succeed was Hungry Girl. Her cookbooks and food alternative articles really helped us find better options. We quickly learned that men and women require different amounts of calories and Chris's phrase, "Quit Hungry Girling me!" has become a running joke around here.

Chris and I after our 2nd race together: Colfax Marathon Relay.

Exercise and a personal trainer were the final tools that helped get me to 158 pounds and a size 12. Those were numbers I hadn't seen in almost 10 years! My husband also started running in 5k’s with me; we even did a team relay for a marathon. It was the first time I'd ran 4.5 miles without stopping (after photo above). I was elated about my progress…then I became pregnant with my second child, and that is when things turned around for me yet again.

It was a complicated pregnancy with many ups and downs. I was on bed rest at times and could not workout. During my first pregnancy I put on 30 pounds, but for this one it was closer to 50 pounds. I quickly realized that while I was successful with losing weight I had not learned enough to get me through any stressful times in my life.

To help me get back on track I decided to do a blog about my weight loss journey. I saw an article on Yahoo about several different women who attributed their success to the accountability an online blog provided them. 

I am both excited and nervous about starting the journey once again. The success I accomplished the first time allows me to know that I can do this, but I have this fear that I won’t be as successful or able to stick with it this time. I CAN DO THIS!