Friday, April 23, 2010

Guest Post: Amanda’s Story…

Hey loves! You all know that I have been busy studying for my Exam and thankfully I have some great bloggie friends that have offered to do some Guest Posts for me! I recently discovered Amanda’s page and I love it! Her story is similar to mine…weight loss struggle etc. but she is making the right choices to live a healthy life…I hope you enjoy her story =)

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Hi fans of Namaste Mari! We have something in common because I am a big fan of Namaste Mari as well, and I am honored to guest post on her blog!

My story: One day I woke up and I had put on thirty pounds!! No, not true but that is how it felt!

How did it happen? In high school, I was the girl who felt fat and religiously weighed myself. I didn’t eat lunch in school for part of high school because I felt self-conscience. I also didn’t partake in any sports, because I worked for most of high school. When I left high school I was about 150 pounds. Not skinny, but not too overweight for my height. That was the last time I weighed myself.

In college, I came out of my shell, made lots of friends from all over and felt great about myself. Of course, in college, all social events revolve around eating or drinking. I loved the school cafeteria, eating the fattiest and most delicious foods, including the soft serve ice cream machine, Belgian waffle maker and pizza. Of course, we also ordered late for Chinese and Domino’s at least twice a week. But, I was having fun and loving life.

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This is me, towards the end of college. Loving life, with a gut.

After college, I worked A LOT. (Still do but with better choices) Anyway, I was working about 60-70 hours a week, and would not bother to pack lunch or dinner, but stop at McDonalds or Burger King or grab a snack from wherever. Donuts at work? Sure! I’ll eat it! One of my coworkers actually laughed at me and said, “you are always hungry!” It didn’t bother me, it was true! I ate anything, not thinking about my health.

When I met my boyfriend Josh (two years ago now), I started cooking more. I wanted to impress him with my skills but we also still ate out a lot. Josh is a martial artist and a little over a year ago he decided to get his personal training certification. This is what changed our lives. I weighed myself, and went into shock. Remember, the last time I weighed myself I was 150 pounds, mind you it was 5 years earlier. I was a whopping 180.

At first, I freaked. Then, I decided I needed to do something. I joined Weight Watchers with a good friend. This, coupled with Josh’s exercise tips, changed my life.

Now, I measure and read everything. By this, I mean I measure out everything I am eating. I read all the ingredients in everything I eat. I know what goes into my body. This means I cook most meals. I also make sure I eat tons of fruits and vegetables. Back three years ago, I might not have eaten one fruit a day. A lot of recipes I make are from weight watchers. I am still a member, and the fact that I weigh myself weekly holds me accountable. If I gain a pound or two, I stop and think how I will change this for next week. The time I used to take driving to fast food places I now use to plan my menu for the week, or do a quick run.

I think the mistakes I made are the same a lot of college kids do. It may go with the whole “being invincible” thing. We only have one body, we need to treat it right!

Here is me now, at 160 pounds…

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I have lost almost twenty pounds. And it is not about just the weight. I feel better, I have more energy, and I know I am making good choices.

If you want to read more about my struggles, triumphs and recipes, check me at http://trainyourlife.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading! And thanks to Mari for letting me guest post!

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I hope everyone enjoyed Amanda’s guest post! Thanks Honey!!!!!!!!!!

Namaste…

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