Everyone Has Their Own Journey

Hi friends! Today is the day that my baby brother is getting married. I just want to give a quick shout out (do people still say that?) to Kevbo and Sweet Petunia, Jessi; you guys have got this. I’ve watched you grow together for so long now that there is no doubt in my mind you are perfect for each other. I love you both.

Emily is wonderful and I was so excited when she was willing to share her story about her own personal weight loss struggle…..

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I’m a twenty something living in Washington, D.C. working in politics. For a girly who loves sparkles and makeup (well really just all things feminine) living in such a serious and masculine town can be difficult. I started my blog as a creative outlet, but it has become so much more than that, and has lead to some genuine friendships with some amazing ladies. Since I don’t normally talk about weight loss or eating healthy on my blog, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell y’all my struggle with weigh, some lessons I’ve learned, and one of my go-to healthy meals.

I don’t know if you remember Colleen’s post from a few weeks ago about struggling with progress, but it really struck a cord with me. I first became heavy sometime around the third grade, and well… I’ve been that way ever since. Weight is something I constantly struggle with, and is a huge source of pain in my life.

I first joined Weight Watchers in January of 2009. I’ve been on and off ever since. At my lowest I was down 38 pounds in July 2010. Wow. That sounds like a lot. It took me about 16 months to do that.

Well my best friend got married that summer, and while her wedding was a great source of motivation, as soon as it was over I stopped focusing on my eating. I started studying for the LSAT, living off vending machines and junk from the office cafeteria. I worked on the hill at the time, and my boss lost her election, meaning I lost my job. After almost 6 months of job hunting I finally started a new position in April 2011, but during those 6 months I ate to fill the pain and was up 25 pounds in 9 short months.

Needless to say, y’all can tell I have a problem. Since April of 2011 I’ve dropped back down about 15 pounds. I’ve spent so much time being angry with myself for letting that 25 pounds come back so quickly. But when Colleen posted about focusing on the progress you’ve made, not what is still left to go, I realized that I have made progress. While I still have a long way to go (I mean like 60 pounds just to be “over weight” not “obese”) I 25+ pounds down from my heaviest. That’s huge. That’s work I’ve already done, progress I’ve already made. I need to celebrate that. I need to accept it. Then I need to focus on the next step, not the end goal.

One thing I have learned, that helps keep my eating on track more than almost anything else, is eating a healthy breakfast. When I start the day off well I’m WAY more likely to stay on track the rest of the day. If I skip breakfast, grab a bagel or something greasy? I tend to just keep making bad choices.

• Thomas’ Light English Muffins
• 2 Slices Turkey Bacon
• 1 Egg or 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Wedge Laughing Cow Cheese

Toast your English muffin while you quickly fry the bacon (in nonfat cooking spray of course). Remove from the pan, then fry up your egg. (I’m not a big fan of egg yokes, so I generally cook my eggs over medium, then remove the yokes). Now put it all together. Slather on your laughing cow, top with bacon, then the egg and enjoy.

This really is one of my go to breakfasts. Kind of like a McMuffin, but SO much healthier and really just better. Plus it takes less than 10 minutes to through together.

Thank you again Colleen for having me and continuing to inspire me every single day!

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