My Story

So, how did my story begin?

I was born into a very big family. My mom has 2 sisters and a brother and my dad has 3 sisters and a brother. What does that equal? One big family. I am very blessed to have them. We all grew up in a very small town, everyone knows everyone kinda thing. I love it. Growing up as a child, I remember that my Grandma sure could cook. Heck, everyone in my family could cook, honestly. When we got together and when we still do, one thing you could be sure of is that you were not going hungry. We cook TOO much. We like to eat and that was what I grew up knowing. BBQ, fried oysters, shrimp, potato salad, friend chicken, spaghetti, mexican food, beans, dessert, you name it- we cook it. Down home country cooking with a cajun twist. It is good stuff. I never thought twice about it. When you grow up like that, you think everyone eats that way. 

I struggled with my weight as a kid, but never really knew it. I went to a small school and I didn't get made fun of. Now, looking back at pictures, I see it. No one ever made me feel bad though. When I got to middle school, the weight started coming off and by the time I went into high school, I was a size 2-4. I made it through high school and stayed pretty small.

I could eat whatever I wanted and never thought twice about it. I stayed this way until I was in my early 20s. That's when things started changing. I went out too much, I ate horrible. I worked at a hotel and we ate all kinds of fast food, fattening stuff, and junk. It was bad and I didn't realize what I was doing to my body. I would go up and down... then WAY up and back down. I never worked out, I never tried to eat healthy. I bought a treadmill once and an elliptical too. I thought I was going to lose weight, but I didn't try too hard. I still ate and drank like crap. Here are just a few pictures over the years. 

I didn't love myself, I didn't care. During all of this, I also had big changes in my life. I lived in Galveston and worked as a teacher. In 2008, Hurricane Ike hit and this is what we were left with:

It was a horrible time for my family and friends. I couldn't go home, I couldn't go to work. Everything in my life changed in an instant. Who wouldn't be depressed? I ate and drank my way through it all. My weight went WAY UP. I was probably near 200 lbs at that time and never even cared. I moved to Winnie, Texas. I lived there for 3 years. I was living with friends of mine and didn't know anyone else in the town. I had no friends and it was horrible. When I finally did start meeting people, I spent a lot of time going out with them and engaging in habits that did not help my weight loss at all. We went out all the time and I just kept the weight on. It wasn't until I met a guy and started dating him that I started to care what I looked like. Things didn't work out for us in the end, but I am thankful that he turned me on to exercise and eating better. I started doing Tae Bo and I lost weight. I became addicted and I have never looked back. I moved away from Winnie and the bad habits and came home. I incorporated Jillian Michaels into my workout, did Insanity, TurboFire, and started C25K in January 2012. I finally really got my stride right in February. I finished 10k training on March 13. This was me at that time. I felt good in my skin!

Returning to live at the beach was probably the best decision I ever made. I had my own space. I was close to family and friends AND work! I traveled and enjoyed life to the fullest. It was a great time in my life. I tried several coaches in the fitness world and finally fell in love with MACROS and Team Ledbetter. I would say that was the true game changer in my fitness journey. I learned to look at food totally differently. I learned that lifting weights would not make me bulky. I learned SO MUCH!

That's when life started to really come together. I met "the one" and in 6 months we were married. That was 2015.In December 2016, I gave birth to my first child- my son. Pregnancy was a journey for me. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. It was hard. I worked really hard to control weight gain through diet and exercise. I gained about 36 lbs overall with him.

 After giving birth, it was discovered that I had Hashimoto's disease. I will forever take thyroid medication. It was not easy to get the weight off. About a year- year and a half after having him, I felt back to normal.  I also found Ever during this time and have enjoyed the journey to living a cleaner life with my skincare and makeup. It has been an incredible journey. 

I am now pregnant with baby #2. I am 30 weeks pregnant with a baby girl, my last baby. I have been cautious this time as well and done well with weight gain. I currently loosely track food and workout with BOD 5-6 days a week. I am not scared this time. I know I can bounce back. I have all the tools I need to do it.