How I Got Here

I wish I could say that my weight is due to the fact that I have 5 kids and that they are so close in age. Sadly, that is not the case. I weighed 130 pounds when I got pregnant with Brodie (babe #1) and by the time I had Sawyer (babe #4) I weighed 150. I was fine with 150 and I would kill to be that now. When Sawyer was about 8 months old, I had a miscarriage. This threw me into a spiral of depression and comfort eating. To this day, I still feel sad about the baby we lost and feel like I am have to deal with that pain alone. Happily, a couple months later we got pregnant with Elliot (babe #5) and I gained little weight when pregnant with her.

The combination of having 5 small kids and also dealing with depression was the reason I ate so unhealthily (is that even a word?). It was my comfort and something that was constantly there for me no matter what. The pounds kept adding up and up gradually until I got to the point I am at now. I weigh 170 pounds and wear a size 16. I know there are people much bigger than that, but to me this feels enormous. I have never been this big in my life.

The decision to stop eating meat in November had a lot to do with health reasons (and also TONS of environmental reasons) and I really do feel much better having that out of my system. Now it is time to take it even further and make a lifestyle change that involves exercise and eating even better! I truly feel it is as much about attitude as it is actions.

Time to get serious....

Hello and welcome! My name is Heidi and I just turned 29. I have been married to my husband, Jason, for 9 years this coming week. We have 5 children, 4 boys and a girl, ranging in age from 2 to 8. I am graduating from nursing school in a couple of weeks. I am sure by reading those few lines you can imagine how busy and hectic my life is! Because of this, I have let my health decline and my weight increase. At this point, I weight 40 pounds more than I did on my wedding day. Wow...

The point of this blog is mainly a personal one. I want to document my journey as I try to lose 20 pounds by my 30th birthday. I also am going to use it as a place to post recipes (I am a new vegetarian, as of last November), weigh ins, and also a place to vent my frustrations and celebrate my achievements. I am looking for accountability from any readers I might have as well as tips and tricks they may want to share.

It may not be pretty, but it will be honest. Time to get serious...