7 months after having my daughter, I was recently separated, back living at home with my mom, and quite honestly feeling horrible about myself. I felt like I had lost my identity in a broken marriage, I had lost my body to my pregnancy, and most of all I had lost my happiness. My daughter deserved more than that. She deserved happiness, she deserved a mother who was proud, confident, healthy, and a good role model. So my journey to a healthier me began…

3 weeks progress

I decided to ask for my mother’s help as she is very involved with Eat More 2 Weigh Less, and also a personal trainer. We have our own little home gym complete with everything one could want for strength training, so it could not be any more convenient! I decided to clean up my eating (cutting out soda and most processed foods) and dedicated myself to workouts and lifting. And dedicate myself, I did. I eat clean, but I also don’t starve myself. I am eating approximately 2,100 calories a day, and concentrating on getting lots of protein in every meal. I love that I don’t feel the need to starve my body for quick results, and I love that I am not “on a diet“. I eat what I want, when I want! (Of course, I do everything in moderation and with more thought to what I am putting into my body).

I have seen so many people go on diets, starving themselves, eating salads, and spending hours running or doing cardio only to eventually quit and go back to their old ways, usually gaining back any weight that they have lost. I did not want this to be me, and I knew I didn’t want to ruin my metabolism. I wanted to create healthy eating and exercise habits that I could maintain for life, not just a diet to fall off of. I wanted to be a good role model for my baby girl. After seeing how successful so many of those following the EM2WL philosophy have been, I decided that a life of starvation was not for me! I wanted to start a program that I knew I could continue for life.

Now I start my mornings with amazing workouts that my mom has set up for me, full of lifting and strength training (with my baby girl looking on, hopefully learning by example…). I am in awe of the progress I have made in only three weeks. I’ve got a long way to go, but I am on my way, for me and my daughter. We deserve it!