Journey to a healthier me

Four years ago, after being married for about 2.5 years and just after I graduated college, I weighed around 200 lbs and was very unhappy with the way I felt and looked, not to mention very unhealthy. I was always thin in high school and played sports and ate pretty well. I definitely considered myself healthy.

(Senior Year in High School)

 

 My mom taught us a lot about healthy eating and keeping out bodies healthy through herbal supplements, etc. Then I went away to college and gained the dreaded freshmen 15. There is just something about suddenly being all on your own and making EVERY decision for yourself. Also, the fact that I lived in a dorm and wasn't able to cook any of my own food was a big problem. Fast forward a year and I got married.

 

(On our Honeymoon)

 

 To this day I am not quite sure what triggered my rapid weight gain, but I think it was a combination of birth control, less exercise than my body was used to and not knowing how to feed my body the healthy foods it needed. I had changed a lot over the last few years and my body had as well. I didn't drastically change my eating habits or binge eat but I also was eating out a lot and didn't know what foods were good or bad for me specifically. Also, I think as women our bodies start to change so much at this age in preparation for child birth, etc.

I don't think I had realized just how much weight I had gained until I went to the doctor for a regular check up and she mentioned it, somewhat rudely, and I left the office in tears. My not so healthy lifestyle went on for about 2.5 years. I don't know exactly what I weighed in high school but I am thinking it was around 140-150 lbs. So in a matter of 4 years I gained about 50 lbs. 12-13 lbs a year doesn't seem like much but add those years together and suddenly it is.

 

(At the end of 2007, a few months after being married)

 

(This was Christmas of 2008)

 

(August of 2009)

 

(October of 2009 at my heaviest)

 

 

At 200 lbs I was miserable. I hated the way I looked and was ashamed. I didn't feel comfortable in any clothes I bought and I just felt crappy all the time. Just before I graduated college I decided to try the HCG diet. We were living in Modesto and a friend of mine who I went to church with suggested we do it together. It was a very low calorie, dangerously low in my opinion, diet. It was very restrictive and you were advised not to exercise while on it. I'm assuming this was due to the low calorie part and because it was too dangerous. If I remember correctly, I never ate breakfast other than some liquid. Then for lunch and dinner you were allowed a small piece of lean protein and as many vegetables (but these were limited to only some kinds) as you wanted and a small portion of fruit. I managed to lose about 10-15 pounds in a month or so and was obviously happy with the results. But it was a miserable time. I felt deprived and starved 95% of the time. I was grumpy, moody and still not happy.

 

(In May of 2010, a month after I found out I was pregnant)

 

Then I found out I was pregnant and stopped it right away. Funny enough, I wasn't sure if I was pregnant right away because of the HCG in my system from the diet. I had to wait a few days for it to clear out and take another pregnancy test to make sure it was actually positive.

 

(November 2010, a month before I delivered Afton)

I only gained about 25 lbs with Afton, a reasonable amount for a pregnancy. But I by no means was feeding my body what I should have during that pregnancy and I didn't exercise. I had very low energy and had acid reflux almost every day.

 

(The day Afton was born, December 9th, 2010)

 

Then came Afton. I was back to my heaviest weight again, maybe a little less and was unhappy with the way I felt and looked, again. I had a beautiful new baby and a loving husband to support me but I knew something needed to change.

 

(Probably February of 2011) 

 

I slowly started to learn about eating healthier and started exercising some at home. I came across a raw food diet plan that I was really excited about. The book was what motivated me and really opened my eyed to all the different kinds of foods and ways to prepare them. For the first time in my life I thought about things like eating food raw vs. cooked, what kind of foods my body digested easily and what foods shouldn't be eaten together to maintain optimal digestion. I managed to lose a substantial amount of weight, I'm not really sure how much because I didn't write it down, but more or less what I lost doing HCG. I bet I was down to 180 or so at this point.

 

(One of the first "healthy food pictures I took!"

 

(September 2011. A few months after starting the raw food diet. By this time I really felt I was starting to see some progress.)

 

This diet was much healthier and really taught me some great principles and food ideas that I still pull from today. I quickly realized a raw food diet was not for me and it fizzled out, but I am happy to say this is where I really started to change my views on food and develop a healthy lifestyle. I developed a love for veggies and my love for fruits deepened as well. This was about the time Afton started eating solid foods and it was so exciting for me to know I was nourishing my little one with exactly what her body needed.

 

 

(January 2011. Still making progress.)

 

In April of 2012 we decided to move to Santa Rosa so Chad could finish school. I had been able to maintain the healthy eating habits I developed with the raw food diet and then some. I am sure I continued to lose weight, although very slowly. I am sure I was around 175-170 at this point.

 

(A few months after moving to Santa Rosa at my brothers wedding. I remember feeling so great in this picture!)

 

After we had been in Santa Rosa for a few months, I decided to try veganism for a little while. A friend was doing a 30 day challenge and asked if I wanted to do it with her. I was excited because I had begun to plateau with my weight loss and needed to try something new. I did a lot of research about plant based diets and really became serious about cutting dairy and meat out of my diet. I went back and forth between a completely vegan diet and a vegetarian diet for about 6 months. I did eat some meat here and there but it was pretty limited. And the only dairy I had was cheese and a little butter here and there.

 

(October 2012. Can you tell how HAPPY I look?)

 

Honestly, this was the best I had felt in years. I also took up running about the same time that I started the vegan diet. I started slowly and followed a 5k training regimen. I got to the point where I could run steadily for 10-15 minutes without stopping. I was probably still really slow, running around a 13 or 14 minute mile. But I had made amazing strides. I probably could have improved a lot more than I did looking back now but I was happy with what I accomplished. I managed to get down to 164 lbs by the beginning of 2013.

 

This was the thinnest I had been in probably 6 years. The weight loss was an added bonus, what was so satisfy was that I was happy with who I was and how I was living. I had finally learned how to take care of my body and live a healthy life style. In addition, I was confident that I was taking care of my family in the best way possible. My then two year old was eating healthy foods and more importantly saw her mom happy. She saw a mom who was taking care of her body, treating it like the temple it is. And even more importantly my young daughter was already learning these good habits.

 

(On the left at my heaviest in Oct 2009. Right is me about 4 months pregnant with Hayden in May 2013. It's amazing what a difference four years can bring.)

 

In January we found out I was pregnant with Hayden. I kept up my healthy eating throughout my whole pregnancy and again only gained about 25 lbs. I managed to run for a majority of my pregnancy too. When I hit my third trimester I really didn't exercise much.

 

(October 2013- A few weeks before giving birth to Hayden)

 

 Hayden was born and of course I had a wonderful (insert sarcasm) post baby body. At this point I was exactly 15 lbs heavier than before I had Hayden I was ok with that. For the first time in my life I knew I could lose the weight just maintaining my normal lifestyle. I wasn't looking for the next fad diet or desperately grabbing onto a hope of losing the weight in a few weeks. I knew it would take time and work, hard work. I started running again about 7 weeks after I had Hayden. It had probably been almost 9 months since I had had any regular exercise and I was really out of shape. I don't think I could run for more than a minute on my first run. And it probably only lasted a half mile or so. But it felt good! I could finally run again and my body immediately responded in a positive way.

 

It's been 5 months since Hayden was born and a little over 3 months since I started losing the baby weight and getting my body in shape. I am down 9 pounds and have 6 to go before I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I fit into all my pre-pregnancy clothes and am really starting to love my body again. I was happy after having Hayden but of course it's always nice to start feeling like yourself again and be confident in your own skin. I am 100% confident I will lose the rest of the weight I want to. Even if it takes another 3 months, I'm ok with that.

 

(Left was May 2012 just after we had moved to Santa Rosa. May was April 2014, 6 months post partum and probably almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight.)

 

My goal is to go even further. My ideal weight is around 150 lbs and that will be overall goal. Again, I am confident that this is achievable. I know it won't be easy and it will require a lot of time and dedication but this is my life now. I love eating healthy and I love exercising. I can now run 2 miles without stopping and have run those two miles at a 11 min pace consistently. My best time has been a 10.5 min two mile pace. I am planning on running my first 5K in early April and my goal is to get my pace down to 10 min by then. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful friend and running partner who has really helped me to push myself to limits I never thought possible. I call her my own "Jillian Michaels." She is exactly what I needed to take my running to a new level. I still have a long ways to go and much to learn but I am excited. I hope to one day run a half marathon.

 

In the meantime I plan on reaching my goal weight before anymore little Bringhurst's join our family. What's so great is that I know I will never again have to worry about being overweight, unhealthy or unhappy. I know my kids will learn the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and will know how to treat their bodies like a temple. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me an amazing body that does so many wonderful things. I feel empowered to know that I can grow a child, bring him into this world, nourish him and still manage to keep my body healthy along the way. Being a mother is one of my greatest accomplishments and being a daughter of God has allowed me the freedom to be happy and healthy throughout my journey of motherhood and life.

 

(Left is May 2008 and right is 8 months post partum with Hayden, June 2014 and back to my pre-pregnancy weight maybe even a little below. What a difference 6 years can make!)

 

So I wrote this a few months ago and never published it so I thought I would add another update. Hayden is almost 10 1/2 months old. So that means I have been exercising and eating healthy and working on losing weight for about 9 months post delivery. I am happy to report that I have lost 25.5 lbs. So in 6 months time I have lost another 16 pounds. I am now 10 pounds below my pre=pregnancy weight with Hayden. I have also ran a 9.5 minute mile which is a hug accomplishment. It is so nice reading my goals from 6 months ago and realizing I have not only achieved those goals but gone so much farther. I realize I still have farther to go to reach my optimum weight and body, but who doesn't? I think we should always have a goal to be healthier and improve ourselves and that is what makes me so happy about this journey. I don't sign with regret when I step on the scale and haven't lost weight in a few weeks. I have come to realize my body has a pattern of stalling for a few weeks and then all of the sudden dropping a pound or two. But even if I didn't lost anymore weight I can honestly say I am fine with that. I have come to appreciate my curves and my extra weight here and there. It reminds me of my two beautiful children and it also reminds me that I am not working so hard to lose weight and get a "bikini body", I am working so hard to be healthy. And right now, I am healthy!

 

(August 2014)