I Did it My Way: Healthy-Lifestyle Bloggers (pt 1)

Hey guys!

Need some Monday motivation?

I’ve done post after post about what motives me, what motivates you and what to do when nothing motivates us at all; and I think the one thing sure to motivate anyone is seeing other people persevere to meet their goals. With that in mind, I want to highlight some (there are SO many amazing ones!) of my favorite bloggers who I’ve watched lose weight, conquer fears and evolve tremendously. Seeing their changes right before my very voyeuristic eyes has been life-altering! It’s comforting to know that linking all these bloggers together is their determination; however, they’ve all achieved, and continue to achieve, milestones in their own unique ways — a great reminder that when it comes to your health, you’ve gotta go after it on your own terms. In two installments, here are a few of my faves…

Amanda

• Blog: Another Prior Fat Girl
• Story: Amanda, like a lot of us, didn’t really learn the value of eating well and staying active until adulthood when a fast-food-diet coupled with a desk-job caught up to her, her waist line and her general sense of well-being. She got to a high of nearly 220 pounds and suffered from acid-reflux — not fun. After a trip with girlfriends to Mexico, and reviewing photographic evidence that she didn’t look or feel the way she wanted to, she joined Weight Watchers in May 2008. Since then, she’s lost over 70 pounds, gone (and stayed) vegetarian, ran two 5ks, become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, and taken a liking to kickboxing. I love Amanda’s blog “voice” and I find her occasional “TMI” references rather hilarious (like the time she talked about us vegetarians and how, uh, well, we’ve got good digestive systems — that’s all I can say!)

Jen

• Blog: Prior Fat Girl
• Story: One of the reasons I first gravitated towards Jen’s blog was that her story was my story in many ways. Struggles with weight since early childhood? Check. Dependence on emotional eating to cope? Check. When Jen moved out on her own and hit an all-time-high weight of 240 pounds in 2007, she knew she had to do something, and the countless diets she had tried before were just not cutting it. She ended up at a weight-loss-surgery seminar with her dad by her side. She looked around the room and noticed she was the youngest one there. She gulped hearing the risks involved and how much shock she’d put her body through. Her “sugar coating not included” mantra was born — she was going to kick herself in the ass by being 100% accountable — no B-S & no hesitation — by working hard physically and emotionally and, this time, consistently. Her no-excuses approach was working wonders and in 2009 she was set to celebrate 100 pounds lost and her two-year bloggiversary. No one, especially Jen, could fathom that on that very day she’d lose her mother — her best friend — in a tragic accident. Jen’s readers saw her face the challenge of mourning and the desire to revert to remnant habits of coping through food. Jen continues her struggle everyday but still with her mantra in tact — she continues to kick ass and take names. Cool things we’ve seen Jen accomplish? She got her master’s degree, for one! She also once did a stair challenge against another blogger for 99 minutes [see here]; it was hilarious AND she’s currently training to run her first half marathon!

Lauren

• Blog: Team Giles
• Story: Lauren was kind enough to share her story with you guys in her own words (isn’t this already off to a great start?!)! “Growing up I was always the bigger girl, I never remember being thin. I remember when I was 9/10ish going to kids camp one year and all my friends wanted to go buy the same outfit so we could all match, because ya know we were super girly like that. All 5 of us went to the store with one of the mom’s and the girls went straight to the girls section… I went to the women’s out of a habit. See I wasn’t able to fit into a girls size… and there were no “plus size kids” anything. Trying to find matching outfits was a disaster, that ended with me crying. I realized I was different and thought I’d never change. I remember shopping for clothes when I was in high school, and trying on the size 18 — it was too tight… I had to buy a size 20. I realized I didn’t want to live this way. My weight loss journey hasn’t occurred overnight… or even over the course of one year. Its been many years… I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost weight and so goes the story. In 2005 I became a vegetarian. I tried every “diet” out there, why not this one. I ended up liking a vegetarian lifestyle so much, I’ve never changed from it. I kept a lower weight than I had in a long time and my weight stayed consistent. I didn’t lose a ton of weight, because my portions were still out of control. But I still stayed slimmer than before. In 2007, my dad passed away {at the young age of 58}; he wasn’t healthy at all. Ate all the bad foods, smoked and stressed far more than anyone ever should. Its breaks my heart that he died, and died so young, all from things that CAN BE prevented. So a new fire was lit in me to become healthier. Life is short and I want to take care of myself for me and my family. I began running, and did my first 5k in 2009. Since June 2010, I’ve been food journaling, learning about portion control and doing that running thing and, to date, I’ve lost 30.6 pounds. I’d love to be able to tell you my starting weight back in high school. Truth is, I don’t know. I avoided the scale a lot. I know that I was somewhere in the 240s. My journey isn’t finished and never will be. You don’t lose weight and then you’re “fixed” — it’s a daily battle to make healthy choices. I can finally say today, that I’m starting to understand what thin feels like, and I love it. But what I love the most is how healthy I feel, and I realize that I’m capable of doing anything I want to achieve.” Another cool thing about Lauren? She just booked her flight to run the San Francisco half!

Quix

• Blog: Adjusted Reality
• Story: Going from young gymnast to 265-pound couch-potato wasn’t the progression Quix had in mind, but it was reality at some point. While an unhealthy lifestyle of fast-food, packs of cigs a day and inactivity was the norm at one point, if we adjust reality to today, we’ll see Quix is a fit and healthy triathlete! I kid you not! She took baby steps, cut back on the cigarettes, tracked calories, ran, rode her bike, swam, strength-trained, and more, and she’s lost over 110 pounds. Quix’s chronicled this transformation on her blog, along with fun stuff like her wedding! Her quirky writing style and references to video games (since she’s a sweet-ass gamer chick workin’ in the industry) give the blog an added appeal. I love that Quix still drinks, parties and DDRs her way to health. She hopes to run her first marathon this year! (Cuz, her first triathlon obvs. wasn’t enough!

I love how apparent these bloggers make it that achieving health goals is an evolution, not an end-point — cuz it never ends! Can you relate to any of my fave bloggers’ stories? Who are some of the bloggers, celebs, &/or general PEOPLE, who motivate you?

Stay tuned for part II!!!

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: healthy lifestyle bloggers, weight loss