Meet Classy Fit Gal - Reign

SW: 204 | CW: 178 | GW: 150

Realization

Who gains 15 pounds, all in the torso area three months before their wedding? That would be me!

This happened despite the fact that I was working out and eating a semi-healthy diet.

In 2010, ten months after my wedding, I suffered a huge blow with the sudden death of my father. Weird things were happening to my body, as I continued to pack on the pounds. I just assumed that it was all stress related. I had always wanted to start a fashion blog, and realized that my weight was the only thing holding me back.

Fast Forward

Two years later, I decided that it was time to visit the doctor to find out what was going on. Yes, it took me two years to deal with the reality that I was gaining weight at a rapid pace, and needed to get to a doctor to find out what was wrong.

By this time, I had no idea that I had already tipped the scale at over 200 pounds. That doctor’s visit was my “get right or die” moment that completely changed my life.

I discovered that I had a medical condition that would have to be managed with a healthy diet, exercise and medication if I wanted to go on to have a healthy life. I was completely devastated but quickly snapped back to reality, and began to make plans for my healthy future.

Same girl, Same Dress, Different Body

Pity Party Over

I immediately revamped my pantry, started my meds and went on about my merry way…creating The Fashion Reign blog along the way. I was so busy during this time, that I didn’t even realize that I had lost 15 pounds by simply changing my diet. Yes, eating healthy is key and will do miracles for you!

I was elated and curious at the same time once I realized that I had lost the weight with absolutely no exercise! My mind immediately jumped to that place where you “wonder what would happen if…” In my case, I NEEDED to know what would happen if I started to exercise.

My hubby finally got tired of hearing me whine about the Wii Fitness, and surprised me for Christmas. This started my workout journey. A friend hooked me up with a personal trainer for intense weekly boot camp sessions, which melted away another 11 pounds in a matter of months.

I also adopted a pescetarian lifestyle since I had never been much of a meat eater to begin with. I lost a total of SIX pounds the first week on my new lifestyle. This was enough of an incentive for me to keep pushing towards my weight loss goals. This lifestyle has also given me a new challenge to conquer as it forces me to eat more fruit (I do not like!) and veggies (I love!).

Today… 

While I must say that I am not always the best at staying on track, I work very hard at trying to make sure that I stick to my diet as much as possible and work out on a regular basis. I use my blog as a way to measure my progress, as I’m not really big on scales and full body mirrors.

Living a healthy lifestyle is not easy, especially with the temptation of sweets and greasy fast food tempting us all on every street corner. I keep myself on track by setting goals, and rewarding myself with a sweet treat once it has been accomplished. Focusing on my diet before worrying about a workout regimen was just what I needed to jump start this journey.

Making my diet more of a lifestyle, rather than a fad has been a huge part of my success. Reward yourself when it gets hard, give yourself pep talks when needed and use your support system when it gets hard! When things get tough for me, I simply think about where I was a year ago and how important it is to not repeat history.

I still attend a boot camp session each week, and layer on hour long Zumba Core workouts (on the Wii) along with regular visits to the gym. I feel so motivated, yet accomplished once I finish an intense workout, and I get so excited when I try on something that didn’t fit a year ago! This is what gets me back on track after a cheat day; this is what keeps pushing me towards my goal.

My hard work has definitely paid off, as I visited my doctor last week. He was shocked by the amount of weight that I had lost, and gifted me with the knowledge that medication may be soon be a thing of the past for me!

I’m in too deep now, and can’t/won’t stop…I’ve already started to train for my first 5K!

Wish me luck!

Your Classy Fit Gal,
Reign

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