From Fluffy Mom to NPC Women's Physique Competitor w/ PICS

I joined MFP in Jan 2012. My goals were modest, I just wanted to get out of my maternity pants and have some energy again. I had been in decent shape before I had 2 children, but having 2 babies 13 months apart threw me for a loop in many ways. I loved being a mom, but no one prepared me for the sleep deprivation and exhaustion that comes with being a new parent. If I had 20 extra minutes, I collapsed in the bed...exercise was the farthest thing from my mind. But worse than that...I ate...and ate. The worse I ate and the further removed I became from my former active lifestyle, the more it seemed like I just needed to accept my fate. I just needed to accept the fact that I was a mom blob now, living with a haze of exhaustion and an ever-growing rear end. That's life...Just live with it.

And I did. For 4 years, I gave up on myself. I stopped caring. Denial was my biggest ally... I stopped reading food labels. I stopped looking at the scale. I stopped looking in the mirror. I just...gave up. I developed high blood pressure at age 35, but I didn't do anything about it except pretend it didn't exist. At the end of 2011 I had a breaking point when I climbed the 17 stairs to the 2nd floor of my house. 17 whole steps, and I was winded and dizzy. I had to sit down for several minutes because I was so out of breath. That. Was. IT. I sat there and cried while my daughter asked me what was going on. I couldn't explain it to her, but in my head I was screaming "NO MORE! This will NOT be my life! I'm 35 years old and I can't walk up my own damn stairs without resting!! This is NOT my life." I made a decision that day that I would take care of myself, no more excuses...no matter what. I would take care of myself for my children, for my husband, and for ME. I didn't care how long it took, I didn't care how much it hurt...and I still don't.

I reached my weight loss goal in about 8 months, but I wanted more. I wanted muscle. I wanted strength. I wanted to push my body to the limit and see what I could do... And that's what I continue to do every day. I competed in my first ever bodybuilding show in March. I chose the "women's physique" category because I like the fact that you get to flex and pose and do a routine...plus I really can't walk in high heels Anyway, I placed 3rd in Master's Physique and 5th in Open Physique at the Phil Heath Classic in Houston, TX, which qualifies me to compete nationally in the Master's category. I don't know if I will yet--travel time and cost of doing these kinds of shows are pretty extensive. However, I am going to compete again in August at the Texas State Championships, so that should be fun. I learned more than I can share here just by doing my first show, and all the prep work involved in getting there. It was definitely a learning experience, and it made me realize how much mental toughness I have inside me...that alone was worth all the sacrifice.

I want to share my story here for anyone who can relate to it, but mostly for all the moms...all the moms who feel like they are stuck being "mom blobs" forever. Don't believe that lie. You may not want to take the path I have chosen, and that's okay, it's not for everyone. But whatever path you choose, just know, without a doubt, that you ARE capable of changing your body and your life.

If you want to see my "in between" progress pictures you can look at my blog here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/liftnlove_/view/2012-my-year-in-pictures-623916
If you want to know the way I workout, you can find that here, though I need to update it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/liftnlove_/view/my-workouts-past-and-present-623920
If you want to know how I ate to lose the initial weight vs. how I eat now, you can check my profile. The way I eat evolves as I learn and grow, but I always eat to feed my body, not to deprive it.

The rest of my story, I'll just show you....all my "before" pictures are from Jan 2012. All the "after" pictures are from Feb/March of this year...so 2 years of work is represented here.

















Random Biceps Pic:



Finish Line of my First Tough Mudder, Dallas Oct 2013 (2nd from left)



Phil Heath Classic, Women's Physique, March 2014...