"If this is the second chapter, what happened in the first?"
It's worth going into a bit of a back story so it doesn't seem like magic or plastic surgery was involved in the progression from then till right now.
In July of 2010 I had hit what most people would consider "rock bottom" in a body sense. I was tired all the time, depressed and irritable. I hated shopping for clothes or looking in a mirror. I was paranoid that my boyfriend wasn't attracted to me anymore and absolutely would never ever walk in around in a bathing suit without covering up.
I had to do something, but I was really unsure what. I went through all the emotions one might expect, but anger was really a turning point. I was terribly angry at myself for letting my health and body be in such a state. I got to the point of actually considering plastic surgery, something I'm really against. I had money saved and said to myself "I can use this to do things the easy way or the hard way."
Plastic surgery seems like the easy way until you read about it. The pain and the amount of recovery really didn't seem worth it to me. I also knew that having a lipo procedure done wasn't going to give me muscle. I still wouldn't be healthy or tone.
With all my research online I actually started looking up personal training. I was never a gym junkie and I knew very little about form or technique. The whole thought of working out by myself was completely overwhelming. I had tried before with little success and felt I probably could really benefit from sitting down with someone who could set me straight.
After hours of reading and googling, I found a trainer by the name of Terri Walsh. She wasn't far from where I worked in the city and said that she worked not just on training but the teaching of proper nutrition. I was really excited to find someone practicing both of these things in tandem so I decided to call her and go in for a consultation.
Mentally for me, this was very brutal. You really are forced to face yourself and your situation when someone else is laying it all out before you. You can't turn away or hide, you're asking this person for help. In actuality I was begging for Terri's help. I could feel the lump in my throat talking to her about how unhappy I was with my body and how I felt.
She looked at me and said "I don't know if I can help you, you have to be willing to change."
This strong beautiful woman sitting across from me was giving me an ultimatum. I wanted to change, I was ready. I was scared, but I knew I had to jump in full force or thing were only going to get worse for me.
"I want to change, I'll do whatever it takes. I swear I'll work very hard and do everything you say."
The look on her face told me she didn't entirely trust me. Like she had tried very hard to help others who had lamented to her in the same way I just had and didn't have the drive to follow through. People looking for quick fixes who were easily discouraged.
She asked me if I was willing to commit and told me I was out of shape, but not a lost cause. "I can help you, you will feel and look amazing, you just have to want it."
Hearing that filled me with something, this total stranger was telling me it was possible to reach the goal I had set for myself (which by the way was getting down from 161 to 130lbs).
She then proposed a question I had never been asked.
"How long did it take you to get like this?"
I was stunned, I actually never thought about how long it took me to not be the cute and chipper 120lb I was in college.
"About 5 years I think?" was all I could mutter.
"It won't take you nearly that long to lose what you want if you stay focused," she said.
I was blow away and crazy relieved all at the same time. Terri and I agreed to start my training the very next week.
It was hard starting a routine, but I knew I had made a promise to myself and also I wanted to prove to Terri I wasn't going to give up. She started teaching me form and basic exercises. We talked constantly about food and keeping a diary. I started to gain confidence in myself and started working out in my building's small gym on the day's I didn't work with Terri. I asked a million questions and she answered them all with very concise and thoughtful explanation. We built on moved up and started setting small goals.
It's really these little goals that was kept me so motivate. Losing weight is beyond elating, but it was proving my strength that became intoxicating. The first time I did 30 push-ups I jumped up and down in excitement. The first time I did 50 I felt upstoppable and what pushed me to do 100 was Terri's promise that she would let me hit a punching bag and start real kickboxing.
The more weight I lost the less it became about pounds and more about definition and strength. I'd bring in magazines of amazing toned and ripped women and say "I want to look like this some day!" The more I talked the more Terri worked out routines to tailor to my goals. I started working with her an her apprentice as the money I has once saved was slowly starting to dwindle. She never once gave up on me even when I'd email her crying on how I spent a week eating nothing but chocolate and pizza on a depressed hormonal binge.
She's been there every step from July of 2010 when I promised to change.
Here are the stats:
From July 2010 to January 20th 2011
- Weight from: 160.75 to 141
- Body Fat from: 34% to 22.65%
- Chest from: 38.5" to 35"
- Waist from: 33.75" to 28.75"
- Hips from: 43" to 37.75"
- Thigh from: 26" to 21"
- Calf from: 16" to 14"
- Arm from: 11.5" to 11"
- Forearm from: 9" to 9.25"
I'm getting measured again tomorrow and starting Terri's group boot-camp class instead of private personal training hence the start of chapter 2.
I hope this prologue helps better illustrate where I was and where I'm going and any other questions you may have I'm always willing to answer the best I can.
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