Well, here I am!

Well, here I am…In all of my glory! In bikini bottoms that should never again be dredged from the bottom of the “I’ll be able to wear this again someday” drawer!

I decided that by putting photos of me on a blog with the potential to be seen by hundreds of people, I would be more inclined to stay motivated and away from the Twinkies and dill pickle chips!

Two weeks ago my sister-in-law introduced me to KIM and MARYELLEN of Positively Fit in Maumee, OH! And I have to say, I am very grateful that she did!

But, before I go spouting off plans and promises for the future, there a few things you should know…

First, I am 37 years old and a mommy to a WONDERFUL 9 (almost 10 – sniff sniff) year old little girl. I have not always been large. In fact, I was an avid, die hard soccer player during my entire youth and only started gaining weight in my late 20’s.

Now, I KNOW what a healthy lifestyle should be and approximately 5 years ago, I completely ignored what I KNOW and lost 65 pounds in a VERY unhealthy manner. I would wake at 5 a.m. and get on the treadmill or the elliptical and go for an hour. Then, I would not eat, get ready, take my daughter to school, not eat, get my grande mocha from Starbucks and go to class (I went back to college). During my afternoon break of an hour and a half, I would Speed Racer it back home and jump on a machine again for 30 more minutes and grab a bite. After my last class, I would pick up my daughter, come home and do another hour and add some weight training, eat dinner (usually something delivered or from a box) and then jump back on a machine for a 15 minute “give it everything you have left” session. This was a normal day in my life. Needless to say I lost weight ====FAST!!!! All of my 65 pounds cruised off of my body in 6 short months! Then……..I stopped! I looked great, but felt terrible! Actually felt worse than I did fat!

After those maniacal 6 months, my weight did not creep back on…it stomped back in and brought family and friends! And ... I have been living large (not the fun way) for the last 4 ½ years.

Oh, also, a side note…Well, maybe it’s not a side note - it’s rather important…I was misdiagnosed with MS 4 years ago and since have been properly diagnosed with Chiari type I Malformation. Simply put…the tonsil part of my cerebellum extends down into the hole where my spinal cord should have sole occupancy! And this, in turn, causes a whole host of neurological and physical issues (numbness, tingling, and extreme migraine headaches to name a few). I now had a name to put with those splitting after exercise headaches that plagued me during my obsessive, idiotic, manic 6 months! Chiari is treatable (I guess) through a surgery to enlarge that hole, but I am not ready to jump off that bridge yet. Maybe you can follow me there too????

Anyway, 2 weeks ago, I decided to go with my sister-in-law to her training session just to see what I could see. Well, let me tell you…after having a proper work out with Kim, I felt GREAT! But that’s not all…I made an appointment with Maryellen to discuss nutrition (proper nutrition) upon which I discovered that her husband, Jack Grogan, B.Ed., C.N. is some guru in the nutrition world and could do a hair analysis profile for me and really assess what is wrong with me (eeeeeek) and get me heading down the right nutritional path.

During my first week, I did not behave very well. I fell right back into my poor patterns as soon as I got home that afternoon. I ate like a starving hyena and guzzled down the diet soda (also something I am NOT to have because of the neurological effects of the aspartame). After undergoing a day a half of a migraine, I decided to listen to them!!!!!!!!

I have ramped up my protein intake (right now a lot of lean red meat) and have been eating berries like they are going out of style. I eat plenty of nuts, some cheese and tons of certain vegetables like peppers, asparagus, broccoli, cucumber and tomatoes! (There are many more…..) Breakfast is now my most important meal of the day and I can’t get enough water!

I don’t have the results back from the analysis as of yet, but even through Kim’s and Maryellen’s knowledge, and them giving me the facts about the Glycemic Index, I am already feeling better and without being an idiot have lost 4 pounds. Also, due to their suggestion of taking Taurine (an amino acid supplement) before bed, I am even sleeping a little better (which is an AMAZING feat all on it's own - for I am a perpetual insomniac).

Kim researched Chiari and she has tailored my workouts accordingly and I could not be more impressed! And, although, I still have very strong muscle under my layers of fat, she won’t let me push to that “oh my - all sound has faded and I can hear my heart beat whooshing in my head” stage! In fact, the only headache I have gotten in the last week was due to my own stupidity….(go figure)…I used my elliptical for 25 minutes the morning of my workout and because I felt SO GOOD after my work out with Kim, I went home and did another 15. An hour later….whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

So, here I stand! On a journey to be healthy! Follow me through it.

Kristi – 178.4 lbs.