Follow Christine

2004 - 135pounds- very critical of myself

This picture was taken of me in Hawaii 5 years ago.  I found it  when going through old files and thought “How sad that I was healthy, strong and fit but still somehow I was critical of myself.”  I weighed around 135 at the time and the only body fat I had was in all the right places.  Today I’m mentally the strongest I’ve ever been and in some ways I’m happier than I’ve ever been as well.  I thought if I could ever get back to that weight, to that cute size 6, I wouldn’t waste it!  I would be proud, confident and grateful in all areas of my life.

In the last five years so much has happened to bring me to where I am today.  After 35 years of being a  single independent young women, I found real love and got married.  Having a husband who loves to cook is great but also means nice dinners served with yummy wine every night.  Snacking while watching our favorite shows or movies wasn’t  helping!  Those five years had many ups and downs on the scale and in my life.  I felt the pain of loosing someone I loved,  a very sweet and dear friend of mine lost her battle with Bulimia.  I think I ate for Shelley, rebelled against fashion magazines and all things thin.  I’d say “whatever I’m happy, oh who cares if I have to go up one more size” all the while I felt terrible about myself.  Steve and I wanted a baby!  So back to the fitness boot camp I went.  I lost 18 lbs of all that weight back down the scale to 155 lbs still over weight but getting there. Then we got the good news I was pregnant.  I was grateful and happy and only gained 33 lbs. with Hudson.  So the day I gave birth to Hudson I weighed 188.   HOW THE HECK WAS I GOING TO EVEN RUN AGAIN?  Off to Weight Watchers I went and lost 32 lbs (back to that 156 number again).  I still wasn’t healthy.  My cholesterol was so high my doctor threatened to put me on medication.  I knew I wasn’t going to get where I wanted to go without some kind of training.

That’s when I met Candi at a corporate wellness event with my company and made the commitment to take it to the next level!  When I began August 3rd  Candi measured me in at 31.3% body fat and 154 pounds.  I started taking her Slimnastics class 2-3 times a week and started  following her nutrition advice. My goal was to work out an average of 4 times a week for now with her classes and on my own.    I plan to  start  personal training with Candi in October as well as take her Slimnastics class.  I know that taking it to that level will bring even greater results.  My goal is to take my body fat to 16-18% and have good muscle mass.  Where that weight will be will be left up to how Candi has me training and eating.   I have no doubt in my mind that by my 41st birthday I will be in the best of  shape and much better health. Here are my starting photos just starting with Slimnastics and working out on my own as she has instructed.  I will continue to post as the training continues at a different level.  Just one month into it I have already lost 5 pounds. She tells me that I haven’t even gotten started!!!  Look out here I come this is gonna be fun!  Oh, by the way….she got me to even cut my wine out…almost! That was a biggie!!!!!!!

Sept. 3rd, 2009- 149 pounds