Going to do it right this time!!

[shelvis2]

Hi, I'm Michelle and I'm from southwest Missouri. I ran across NerdFitness purely by accident (or so I thought) a couple of weeks ago while googling "working out and still not losing weight". Yep, I was pretty frustrated. How I came upon this site, I'm not sure, but whatever I clicked on led me to Staci's story and I was not only astonished but also became motivated.

I'm 32 and have 2 kids and a husband (some may say that makes 3 kids) and work a full time job that usually means by the time I get home, I'm tucking my kids into bed. I'm not a big fan of the schedule, but I love my job and it helps pay the bills. I've been at this job for 11 years and that's about the time I started gaining weight. I used to work fast food, and although it was obviously not good for my diet, I was up running around all day long so I was able to stay very slim. I am 5'5" and was a size 6. After going to a sit-down job and having time during the day to snack, the weight started creeping on. I think I was in denial at first because it was the first time in my life I had noticed this happening. About that time, I found out I was pregnant with our oldest daughter and I just said "oh well, I'll worry about the weight after the baby's born". I managed to lose all the weight I gained during the pregnancy pretty quickly but was still disappointed when the scale said 144 (and wearing a size 10). I never had to worry about my weight so I never weighed myself, pre-pregnancy. Now it was an obsession. About 2 1/2 years later, I decided I wanted to lose weight and decided to try the South Beach Diet along with Slim in 6 workout videos. At age 25, this was the first diet I had ever been on. I was fairly successful with both, losing 15 lbs and seeing 129 on the scale. I remember going on a float trip (that's what we do here in MO for fun, lol) and wearing the dreaded bikini. Even though I only weighed 129 lbs, I still felt fat. I have never ever been athletic, maybe because I have trouble breathing through my nose and catching my breath, or maybe because I just think it sucks, so I have always been "flabby". I definitely think this is genetic, since I can't pick out one female on either side of my family who is athletic in build at all. I think I expected too much out of the diet and exercise program I had completed and I got a little discouraged. Then came pregnancy #2. Only this time I didn't lose all the weight.

I have struggled since then (almost 7 years ago now) to lose or maintain my weight, focusing heavily on the number on the scale. I've been on South Beach, Weight Watchers, counted calories and even did the controversial hcg diet, only to lose control when I didn't get the results I wanted, and binge eat. I hadn't done much in the way of exercise until 2 years ago when I decided I wanted to be a runner. Now, keep in mind, I am NOT athletic. So I did what any non-athlete would do, I bought a book called "The Non-Runner's Guide to Marathon Training" or something like that. I had no intention of running a full marathon but I thought this would be as good a place as any to start a running program. Well, after about 2 months my knees went to crap. They hurt . . . bad. I could barely walk. I thought I had some kind of bone issue so I went to the doctor, and she sent me to a physical therapist. He told me I have extremely loose joints and the only way I could run was to strenthen the muscles around my knees. That was enough to discourage me from running anymore and I promptly gave up any and all exercise. It was even more frustrating when, out of my pain, I apparently encouraged some friends and even my husband to begin running, all of whom completed a 5k.

A few months ago, I decided I had been on hiatus long enough. I joined Anytime Fitness (which is GREAT with my work schedule) and have committed myself to working out 4-5 days a week. I started slow, but after 2 weeks I decided to start another running program, this time one a little more suited to me. I downloaded the C25K app (couch to 5k) on my phone and began working the machines at the gym. I was still side-tracked by the scale and noticed it wasn't moving, even though I was. That's when I found NerdFitness and started reading about heavy weight training and the Paleo program (I don't like to use the word "diet" anymore). I have slowly been implementing the things I have learned on this blog and am happier than I've been about myself in a long time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but then again, I haven't weighed in a week or so and have decided not to use the scale as my primary measurement tool. I took pictures of myself on May 1 and plan to do so the first of every month so I can visualize my change. I have somehow lost my tape measure (kids . . . .) but as soon as I get one I plan to track inches as well. I can already tell a difference in my body, especially my calf muscles and my hips. The eating part has been the hardest, and I am not full Paleo yet but I will be soon. I've also been tracking my workouts and can't believe how much more weight I can lift than when I first started, not to mention the fact that I ran 8 minutes in a row (twice!) without passing out. THAT is a huge feat for me . . . and no knee pain!

I haven't made any specific goals, but we are taking a vacation in August (which means swim suit) so I would like to be confident enough to wear it without a cover-up on. I'd also like to be full Paleo by then. And I'd like to run a 5k before the end of summer (and cheer for my husband, who is training for a marathon this fall!). I am excited to be on this journey and part of this community!

[unicornassassin]

Welcome!

[Dio]

Welcome to the rebellion, and congrats on important steps!

Hiding the scale helped me SO much until I lost my first few pant sizes, then I broke it out as a "game" to see how my weight varied day to day. But my energy was higher, my mood was better, I felt stronger, and I looked better, so who CARED what a scale told me?

And isn't Spezzy's story great? She's what got my wife hooked, and I came along for the ride. Over the last year I've seen a lot of people with your story, so I can tell you you're in good company!

Running is great for some people, but I recommend doing at least some strength training as well. If Crossfit isn't for you (it wasn't for me), Steve's beginner bodyweight workout might be a good start!

Good luck, and keep on keeping on!