New Me
2018. It has been a year already. I decided that I was going to be my healthiest self and I was/am determined to lose 70 pounds no matter how long it took me. I truly think that when it comes to weigh loss it is all mind over matter. I was NOT ready or in the right head space to lose weight in the past couple of years. I have so many good reasons/excuses to not focus on myself getting healthy. My mom has stage 4 anal cancer and has been fighting it for 4 ½ years, I have Crohn’s disease that some days makes me feel not human, I have a thriving photography business that I run all by myself, I have a family to look after and support, and with all that I just kept telling myself that they need me more than I needed me.
I am not sure at what point it hit me, but it was right around Christmas time. I had tried pretty much everything under the sun to lose this weight I had gained over the past couple years. While they were all helpful and I did lose some weight, I was never putting the nutrition and fitness together. I hadn’t found the combination that worked for me and at that point I just was about to give up…again. I had a couple of friends mention Metabolic Meltdown and their Macro Coaching. I immediately was like; I weigh 203 pounds (yup, I said it!) there is no way that I will be able to do that and not die on the floor. The more I thought about it, the more intrigued I was with the whole idea of hitting this weight gain from both the fitness side and the nutrition side – together, at the same time, with the same trainers.
Early January 2018, I made the decision to go all in with Metabolic Meltdown. I went to the Macro Seminar they were having at the Saratoga Springs location over Christmas break and left knowing that I had to try it out. I would give this weight loss business one more shot. I started my macro journey with Kelsey McDonald on January 2, 2018 and weighed 203.8 pounds. I knew this was NOT going to be easy, but I also knew that I was out of options. Within a couple of weeks Kelsey had talked me into trying the workouts at Metabolic and while I was sooooooooooo super skeptical, I felt like if she thought I could do it I would try it out. I remember after the first class feeling like I was dead, like the deadest I have ever felt but also feeling proud that I had gotten through it. I had to modify almost everything we did, but it was no big thing – everyone was doing what they could do that day. It was amazing. Kelsey told me to come back the next day, but I ended up waiting a couple days because the soreness was real, like real, real. I went back and back and back. I am currently on my second round of macro coaching with Kelsey, get to class 3 times a week, and have lost a total of 18 pounds and 9 inches around my waist. It has not been easy, but I can say that it has been totally worth it. My Crohn’s disease for the first time in a long time is under control. I still have bad days, but they are far and few between. I try and look at each day like a little puzzle. What foods can I eat that will fit into my macros for the day? I don’t meal prep because that just never worked for me. I should plan a bit better for the next day, but that is what makes it sort of exciting. Like, if I want to eat a sweet waffle at Iron Roost – I can!! If it fits into my numbers for the day, it is fair game. Insane.
I also want to mention that when I started Metabolic Meltdown, I was also taking classes at Pure Barre in Saratoga Springs. It has been an amazing compliment to Metabolic. I try and get to barre class on Tuesday and Thursday and Metabolic Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They are both difficult in their own ways, but allow me the me time that I wasn’t giving myself. Both classes are about 50 minutes and my career/schedule allows me to take these classes after I drop the kids off at school. Pure Barre, Metabolic workouts, and macro coaching literally saved my life and forced me to focus on me even if it is only for 50 minutes a day. Those are my 50 minutes.
Ok, ok, I know that this is a long post, but I feel like it is an integral part of my personal life that spills over into my professional life. Now, don’t get me wrong it is still about the weight loss for me (because I will lose that 70 pounds), but it is also about changing my whole mindset – being in the moment, focusing on me, my health, and my Crohn’s disease. I do not say this lightly or often, but I am dang proud of myself. I cannot wait to see what the rest of 2018 brings – hopefully another 52 pounds! Stay tuned.