[ health ] :: back on the wagon!

Here's a fun story: in January 2013 I weighed 211 pounds. Before that, in August 2012, I weighed 234 pounds. (I can't believe I put that on the internet.) I am just shy of 6 feet tall and carry all of my weight on my hips, so I can carry quite a bit of weight on me; but I was totally oblivious to how unhealthy I was. The only thing that really got me concerned about my weight was wanting to be more in shape for horseback riding. If I was going to be competitive, I needed to be stronger.

So I stopped eating at restaurants every day. I started exercising more. And I eventually joined Weight Watchers online.

I have never been able to be a "thin" girl - every attempt to lose weight to become "skinny" resulted in poor eating habits and extreme and obsessive calorie counting. That obviously didn't work in the long-run. When I switched my focus to becoming more fit and making lifestyle changes - walking more, riding more, cooking more - the weight just fell off. I was less concerned with the number on the scale and more concerned with how I felt. I wasn't tired after horseback riding for an hour. I could run up stairs. I could lift weights. My blood pressure went back to being super-duper low again. This became my mantra:

So fast forward to 2014. I have kept the weight off, without Weight Watchers, for a year. I have hovered around a healthy weight of 175-180 and even maintained my muscle mass! I rejoined for a few reasons, but mostly as support for someone I know who joined for the first time. (They will remain anonymous until I get permission to talk about them.) The Hubs and I also have a life insurance physical coming up (stressful!) and I am getting even more competitive with my horseback riding. More so, I felt like I needed a "tune up" in terms of portion sizes, activity, and nutrition.

True story. By May 2013 I hit my goal weight and kept it off.

To tell the truth, eating and living healthy goes hand-in-hand with my hobbies and passions - gardening, riding, cooking, and budgeting. The internet seems to be inundated with weight loss-this, and fitness-that so I thought I would add my two cents. I hope I don't sound pretentious or like I'm a "know-it-all" when it comes to this topic (because I'm not) but it doesn't hurt to share, right?  I'll keep you all updated with my progress every so often, but this definitely is not a "fitness" blog or a blog on how to "diet." It is, however, a lifestyle blog and I hope I can share how I integrate healthy habits into my every day schedule.

- Maggie White