HI! I first wanted to take this moment to introduce myself and give you some background on my own weight loss journey and why I got into nutrition coaching.
For most of my life, I considered myself of average weight for my height. There were times when I would gain a few pounds, but those few pounds did not seem to really affect my overall appearance. It was not until I got the opportunity to travel Europe in 2004 that my weight began to drastically change. While I was in Europe for six months, I indulged in ALL the wonderful foods and drinks that Europe had to offer. All those foods and drinks sure caught up with me because when I returned home, I found myself almost thirty pounds heavier and with only one skirt that fit me!
At this point I did not feel comfortable in my body and wanted to lose some weight. To lose the weight I went to the only strategy I knew, which was to track my calories and run. This weight loss strategy worked okay, however, I was not seeing the results I was looking for. Lucky for me, around this time (2005), I met my husband. My husband had just gone through his own weight loss journey, losing a total of fifty pounds! As my husband and I began dating, he introduced me to weight training and healthy eating. By adding in the weight training and a new way of eating, I was able to lose all the weight I had gained while in Europe!
My exercise and nutrition remained the same (even through my two pregnancies) until 2012 when my husband and I were introduced to CrossFit. We both fell in love with the sport and dove right in. Not only were we exercising regularly but we were also learning more and more about nutrition. In 2014 I got tendinitis in my knee and so the CrossFit workouts became difficult for me to complete. I was not sure what to do at this point as I wanted to continue in fitness but was discouraged because my knee was preventing me from doing what I loved. During this time, a friend that had completed in several bodybuilding competitions suggested I try it out. When she first approached me with the idea of competing in a bodybuilding competition, I thought she was crazy! I am pretty shy person so the thought of getting up on stage in front of an audience, in a bikini, was terrifying. Then on top of that, I did not think I could be committed enough to the diet piece that went with it. But after thinking about it for awhile, I decided to go for it. I was sick of where I was at physically and mentally I felt it was time to push myself out of my comfort zone and use this opportunity to grow as a person. I competed in my first bodybuilding show in 2015. When I stood on stage for the first time I was literally shaking in my heels because I was so nervous. However, when I won third place, it felt like first place to me! I was so proud of myself for not only following through with what I said I was going to do, but also for not letting fear stop me from trying something new. Since 2015 I have competed in a total of nine bodybuilding shows, with three of the shows being national shows.
Through the years of competing in bodybuilding shows, I was able to experience firsthand how improving nutrition can not only shape your body physically, but the process of changing your nutrition can improve your mindset which can have such a positive impact on your life. This is what has prompted me to get into nutrition coaching so that I can help others experience the same positive effects I’ve had from improving my lifestyle through nutrition.