My return to fitness

SCoil123

My story -

I gained almost 90lb when I got pregnant with my son at 25. I had always struggled with body image and eating disorders since I was a kid but had never actually been overweight. It took years of work and proper diagnosis for thyroid disorder but I lost the weight and maintained successfully for a few years. I didn’t count calories during this time but I was very dedicated to fitness and changed how I ate focusing on nutritional content.

Over the course of less than a year (June 2015-April 2016 pictured) I gained almost half back. In this time I had switched jobs so I had a commute and less time to work out and I had moved in with my now husband who is a chef so we were enjoying lots of amazing high calorie dinners together every night. I did not make maintaining my fitness a priority and outside of hiking when weather was good became a couch potato.

When I shared the pictures from our April 2016 camping trip on social media I couldn’t ignore the weight I’d gained back anymore. I’d been living in stretchy clothes and avoiding the scale. I had no idea how much I’d gained. So I stepped on the scale...and joined MyFitnessPal.

It has taken me 3 years to get back to my goal weight range and improve fitness again. I’ve found a lot of great workout buddies and classes that keep me motivated and focused on fitness as a priority. I still enjoy all of the yummy food with my husband, only now I log it and keep an eye on my portions.

If you’re on this site and discouraged because you’ve done this before I relate. If you’re frustrated because of slow progress I relate. I hope my story can help anyone feeling this way to see that even though it can be discouraging and frustrating if you stick with it you will reach your goals. It’s worth it. You’re worth it!

rvandynhoven1

Awesome job. Damn rollercoaster but it’s a life long journey.