Learning to love myself again...

ayscrivener

Hi there! My name is Ashleigh and I am almost 29 years old. I've been on here before (not on the message boards, but using the food diary) and never had any success. Not because of the website, but because of a lack of motivation and willpower. It just wasn't there for me.

In 2011, I decided to quit smoking. Just one day in December, I had had enough of feeling ill everytime I smoked a cigarette. I finished the four remaining cigarettes in my pack that evening, and when I woke up the next morning I was a non-smoker. I haven't had a single cigarette since then and haven't looked back since that day. I was ready to quit, I could feel it. It was different from other times I had tried. I was more determined to succeed.

I have that feeling again. I got married on October 4th, 2013 and I had a huge wakeup call on my honeymoon. First off, going on a plane sucks if you are overweight. The belt was too tight, the seat was too small and there was very little room. I know, I know, planes are small and don't have a lot of room to begin with, but I know that the ride would have been much more comfortable for me if I wasn't overweight. Following the plane trip, we arrived in beautiful sunny Florida. We planned to spend the majority of our trip at Disney World, as I have never been before. My husband went around 10-15 times as a child, so he has developed a love for going on the rides. I wanted to go with him, but soon found out that I couldn't fit on the majority of the park's rides.

I broke down in the middle of Disney World and cried. I know I am overweight, I have always known I am overweight. Issues with my weight started when I was around 13, so it's not like I was in the dark about the situation. But I guess you could say, I live with it and try not to let it affect my everyday (even though it does!).

After we got home from our trip, I realized that I was going to need some help with my next (and hopefully final!) attempt at loosing weight. I needed a personal trainer. Someone to kick my butt, show me how to exercise correctly (this was huge, because I have recently learned that I was doing the majority of strength training incorrectly!), and help me with nutrition and making smarter food decisions. I decided to wait until after the holidays to sign up for a fitness plan at the gym my husband and I attend because 1) holidays are hard to maintain a diet at the best of times, let alone trying to start one; and 2) because up until December 7th, I was still on a contract with my work.

As I am sure most of you know, personal training is EXPENSIVE, and I couldn't sign up for a plan until I was on more stable ground work-wise. But I was offered a full-time permanent position with the company I work for in early December, and decided it was the shove I needed to get started. My husband and I purchased 60 hour long sessions. He took 10 (he's had training before and he used to be in the military, so he knows what he's doing, he just wanted a refresher and a kick in the butt to get motivated), and I have the remaining 50.

Tonight is my 5th session, and my trainer has been kicking my butt big-time!! I like her though, she is patient and really teaching me along the way, about weights, exercises and nutrition. I am already noticing small changes in the way my clothes fit, and my arms are starting to tone up some. It's amazing how quickly you see results when you are exercising correctly, and focused on your goal!

Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself (sorry about the long introduction), and hopefully meet some people trying to achieve the same goals as I am. I have a LONG was to go (I would like to lose 100+ lbs!), and I know its not going to happen overnight, but I am looking forward to the journey

girldownsouth

Hi there Ashleigh, you sound very determined, so I'm sure you can do it,and 50 personal training sessions sound amazing, I'm sure that will really help you along.