PhotoStory Friday: Baby Got Back

I’ve been wanting to share this Photo Story for some time but decided to save it for a rainy day.  Well that given that it has been rainy for days here and the rain has made me so lazy, there’s no better time than the present to present my poochy past.  So, today is the day I have selected to share my junk in the trunk Photo Story.  

 

I’ve always struggled with my weight and I was never the athletic type.  The chunky little girl inside still craves Kit-Kats and Dr. Pepper for breakfast, which is what I ate every day during high school.  For most of my high school years, I wore an 11/12 and weighed 136.  For a girl just barely 5′ 1″, that is not good.  

 

senior-pic

 

Fast forward to my college years…Somehow the weight began to melt away.  I supposed I became more active, particularly dancing all night long at the clubs.  Then, my best friend died and I became severly depressed and dropped down to a size 1.  My family thought I was anorexic.  When I met my husband, I weighed 105 lbs.  

 

1996

 

While dating Allan, I remained active with aerobics and rollerblading.  Allan and I would rollerblade for 16 miles on any given Saturday. We would pack a lunch and explore new trails.  It was our little weekend excursion.  In a time B.C. (before children), we were also avid SCUBA divers.

 

Scuba

 

About a year after we were married, I became pregnant with our first daughter.  I was under the disillusion that you can eat whatever you want when you are pregnant because it will burn right off breastfeeding.  I satisfied all my cravings by eating everything and anything I wanted.  Snowcaps and sirloin were a staple in my pregnancy diet.   The little chunky girl inside happily ate cake for breakfast once again and I gained 90 pounds all due to my diet.

90lbs

 

Despite popular belief, breastfeeding did not melt the pounds away, but rather stored all the extra fat.  As I weaned my daughter off, the pounds slowly slipped away.  It took two years for me to lose the weight.

Us_2003

I didn’t shrink down to a size 1 again, but felt comfortable at a size 6.  Honestly, I didn’t think I would ever see a size 1 again after having children.

 

2004

 

For my pregnancy with DD#2, I watched what I ate the second time around and only gained 40 pounds.  

Oscar Party 2005

 

 The irony is it still took two years to come off!  Life is so cruel!

 

175

 

When we moved to our new two story home in 2006, the constant climbing up and down the stairs helped to shed a few more pounds. 

 

Dec2006_Stitch

 

Then, my new friends introduced me to running and taught me how to overcome the hurdles associated with it.  I discovered I could run and that I could be lean and muscular after all.   In 2007, my fellow marathon moms encouraged me to run my first race, the Turkey Trot. 

 

Turkey Trot 2007

 

Every day I struggle and fight with fat girl still inside me.  Fortunately, she is a runner now that only moves forward.  

gasparilla marathon2009

19 comments

  1. m a m a j o s s says:

    Great POST! Oh you look fabulous then, now and in between 🙂 It is amazing that you are able to run like than — that takes a lot of commitment — go Momma!!

  2. lisahudson says:

    You look AWESOME! Keep up the hard work, the positive attitude, and the undying commitment. Great post and great pics.

    Lisa

  3. a thorn among roses says:

    you are now my hero!!!!

    ok, i’ve only birthed 2 of my kiddos, but i gained more post birth weight with the adoptions than with either pregnancy…4 kids later and 40, it’s not pretty.

    i was a size 1 pre-paige. size 4 pre brooke. size 6 pre jada and size 8 pre sofia. now, i’m still an 8, but chubby in the middle…and i just, guess what, started running!

    wish me luck…and tell me secrets, bc it’s stinking hard! i am a gym rat and love weightlifting and cardio in the gym, but running is a different thing all together.

  4. Claudia from Alex the Fey says:

    I love this – I came over on a Mom dot link – and what a great thing to find. Thanks for sharing the whole story.

    And, thanks for posting the Mom dot blog roll – My serialized thriller novel is #258. It’s fun to see other new blogs!

  5. Kacey R. says:

    What a great PSF post! I loved all of the pictures and your story. Kit Kit & Dr. Pepper for breakfast? I have to admit. Sounds pretty tasty! ;D Good for you to start running. Isn’t it great what new friends bring to our lives? You look awesome!

  6. Shellie says:

    Lookin good! And I bet feeling great. I think it takes at least two years to recover from having a baby no matter what the circumstances. I just wished I could eat during mine…

  7. Kimert says:

    great post! i’ve struggle for far too long myself. i ran my first 5K last summer, but gave up running and gained lots of weight back. grrr. in april i restarted the weight loss game and started back running (c25k) and will succeed this time. i’ve posted some of my success/struggles on my blog, too. thanks for visiting! 🙂

  8. lindsay says:

    great hair in that first pic 😉

    love this story. i hope the food battles have gotten easier. i have a hard time battling off the fat-inner-lindsay, except i’ve never actually lost weight like you. you look terrific and healthy! (i never would have guessed the ups and downs)

  9. Denise W says:

    I think the fat girl resides in all of us. And yes, for those of us around 5’1 “(I claim it, even tho it’s closer to 5 feet 1/2 inch!) it really does seem like that five pounds on us actually looks like fifteen. People are amazed when I lose five pounds and they’re like “Wow! You’ve lost a ton of weight!” Not really…it’s just distributed differently on us vertically challenged hotties! AWESOME bravery to post this….I don’t dare dig up my big hair days. You rock!!!

  10. Keep It Classy Jen says:

    I love this post! I have to be honest and say that I have never truly struggled with gaining weight. Although I can say body image is something that I had a problem with. I never saw myself the way others did and have finally have come to terms with that.

    Love your blog!

  11. irunisweat says:

    I love the quote… “Every day I struggle and fight with fat girl still inside me. Fortunately, she is a runner now that only moves forward.” That’s a good saying to keep in mind!

  12. MarathonMom says:

    You look so great! And your twitter and blog have been so encouraging. I need to lose some as well as I get ready for my next half.
    During the race Sunday I wanted to tackle this girl and yell – “Someone make my thighs look like hers!”

    I think you have it made.

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