For years I never liked having my picture taken. Even when I had my senior pictures done I was not excited about it. I remember making sure I had enough makeup on and that my clothes were just baggy enough in hopes I would not look too "fat" when the final product was printed.
The biggest thing I regret though is never having those pregnancy photos taken. I was ashamed of how I looked. With my first pregnancy I gained around 60lbs and there was no way I wanted anyone taking my picture. My second I did not gain nearly as much but I had not lost hardly any from my first pregnancy. I see all my friends and family having babies now and taking these amazing photos and I have none of those memories. I honestly can say there is about 4 photos of me when I was pregnant with both my kids, and they were taken without my permission.
When I started my health journey I was coached to take the pictures. I did not take the pictures when I started in February of this year at the gym, however I did start taking weekly photos starting in June on my new program and I am honestly glad I have. Now I am the person that would love to photo bomb your picture you are in because I am not ashamed, and I do not feel like I have to hide behind the camera anymore. I still have a lot of hard work ahead of me, but to have the memories of what I have accomplished means more now than it ever did before.
If you hide behind the camera, try stepping out of your comfort zone and take your picture. Do you feel what you see is as good as it gets, or do you feel that picture could be better? Could you have a brighter smile? More self-confidence? If you are like me you want more. You want the brighter smile, and the self-confidence to go with it.
Don't hide behind the camera anymore!!! Today is the day you can be in front of the camera, I would love to take that step with you and share with you how I got from behind the camera, to wanting my picture taken.
Me with my kiddos at the Oregon Zoo!!!
This is me one week on program!
Last week, we started a new series at church called Not a Fan. Basically we are being asked if we are a Fan or a Follower of Jesus. Do you allow Jesus to be involved in some aspects of your life or all aspects. As I am really enjoying the start of this series, and cannot wait to see how the coming weeks play out, it has made me think about many different areas of my life.
As I say the words "am I a Fan or Follower" in my head over and over it makes me really think about my health journey this past year. I used classify myself as a "FAN" of changing my health. I wanted to change my eating habits, I wanted to exercise and get healthy, I wanted to be active and happy. I never followed through with all the "I wants", I just kept telling myself "I want......". In October 2012 I was diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea. I had to be put on a C-PAP machine. Only problem is I could not stand to have the machine on. When I did wear it most of my symptoms of extreme fatigue went away. When I did not wear it, massive amounts of caffeine were needed to keep me semi-awake throughout the day. But still it was not until February 2013 when I actually made a small step to take control of my health. I joined a gym, and I even signed on with a personal trainer to get some tools and guidance on how to really take control of my health. This all worked.......at first.
Then the "Fan" part of me started to kick in after just a month or so of going to the gym. I would go to the gym and eat healthy for the most part but I LOVED to snack. And even though my snacking was healthier than the chips and sweets I used to do I was still eating too much. I had to make another change. But how. I was a food addict. I was addicted to food in any sorts and I would eat mass quantities of them. Why you ask........It was the only way I knew how to comfort myself. Over the years I always turned to food to cover up my emotions. Whether I was angry, sad, depressed, happy, frustrated, stressed, lonely etc. food was "saving" me.
I needed to follow through and make a permanent change to gain control of my health and my eating habits. Thanks to my amazing friend and health coach I was able to learn how to eat healthy and eat smaller portions. I learned that I did not need to turn to food to cover my emotions. I did not need to hide behind food to get rid of the stress, but rather go for a walk or run. I am blessed in many ways now that I look back and ask the "WHY?". Why did I wait so long to take control? Why did I choose food over just talking about my problems? Why? Why? Why?.
I honestly cannot answer the WHY question. But what I can say I choose healthy eating now. I want to show others that healthy eating is not hard to do. I want to spread my knowledge that I have gained and show anyone who wants to learn, how a phone call with one person can help change you, and help you gain control of your health. If I had not talked with my health coach I would not be down 86lbs (from my heaviest weight) and 30lbs just from the program I have been on these past few months. I have gone from a size 24 to a 14. I can run a 5k. I love to do 5k obstacle courses, plus I want to run a half marathon, and who knows maybe a marathon too!
Life is good, my health could not be better, and I am loving life one happy, healthy day at a time.
Although this series Not a Fan is for church, we all can ask ourselves these question's regarding any aspect of our lives......Are you a Fan? or Are you a Follower? What are you a Fan of? What do you want to be a Follower of?
I first and foremost am a Follower of Jesus Christ, but now I can so I am a Follower of creating healthy eating habits, and that is a Beautiful Exchange!!!!!
Me with my kiddos at the Oregon Zoo!!!
