6 Week Summer Slimdown Challenge and my not-so-slim past...

So my friend Suzanne is a Certified Health Coach for Take Shape for Life. She is really amazing because she always has so much energy, and she is so positive and happy all the time. She loves helping people in any way that she can. With her as my team leader and health coach I am participating in the 6 Week Summer Slimdown Challenge via Take Shape for Life and Meltdown Challenge.com. The cool thing is that you do not need to be a Take Shape for Life client to participate but you still get daily health tips and motivation plus a free health coach . You start by giving a $20 ante and doing a photo weigh-in. The goal that I am participating in is to lost 6% of your body weight in 6 weeks. For me this is a 13 pound weight loss goal. I think this is totally doable! The other thing you have to do to "win" the challenge is to earn 80% of the points possible. The ante-up pot will be split up between all the "winners" so you can get not only your money back but possibly more! You can earn the following points:

• 1 point daily for the exercise log
• 1 point daily for the food diary
• 1 point daily for posting on the challenge wall
• 1 point daily for reading the daily snippet of health information
• 1 point daily for inviting friends to join the challenge
• 5 points weekly for listening to the weekly call (recorded)
• 5 points weekly 

As you know, this challenge came at the perfect time because my doctor wants me to lose some weight since we are trying to get pregnant and I am not at a healthy place. I have been up and down with my weight and shape as well as my self esteem pretty much my whole life. 

Where it all began...

It mostly started in the summer between 8th grade and 9th grade. I was on the cheer squad and I was pretty slender. I loved dancing and cheerleading. And then puberty hit hard. I don't remember doing anything different, persee. But I know when I got my physical for 9th grade I had gained 26 pounds and most of it was on my thighs and abdomen. It almost seems like it happened overnight. I also had lovely stretch marks on my thighs, abdomen and back since the weight came on so quickly. In addition, I finally convinced someone that I needed glasses (that's a whole 'nother story!) and my Mom gave me the best $5 home perm (in the sense that it really was permanent) that has probably ever been. Yes, I asked for it for my birthday. And no, I did not like it. I love my mom but perming the bangs was not a good plan and most teenage girls don't want to look like their mother. Just saying.

Nah, we don't look related at all!

Now look at the difference before and after the 26 pounds, perm, glasses and lots of laughs at my expense from my family. You can really see it in the face and legs. It's hard to really see all of the differences but I think you can get the gist.

8th grade vs 9th grade

Not feeling so good about myself then. In fact, by the end of 9th grade I had such little confidence in my body that I didn't try out for the high school dance team (which I really wanted to do) because I didn't want anyone else to have to suffer by seeing me dance in spandex. It sounds harsh but that is really what I thought. I wasn't even teased or bullied about my weight by my peers. I was mostly teased by my family and close friends. Either way, I was very uncomfortable in my skin. I remember that one of my favorite things to wear was overalls because they hid my belly and thighs. In high school it was pretty much the same. I felt like a big girl and I envied the cheer leaders and dance girls who were thin.

Junior Year-1999

Senior Year-2001

In college I clocked in at 5'6" and 180 pounds.

Mom, myself, and Dad 

Angela, myself and Jeff 

I was a little bigger than in high school but I was loving the social atmosphere of a college town. I didn't drink or "party" like most college students but I just loved being around so many people my age. I didn't have a lot of socializing in high school because I worked after school and then moved my Senior year to a very small town. The novelty wore off though when I was not getting attention from boys and being asked on dates. I got depressed my sophomore year for several reasons and that was a different struggle to deal with. I did have a brief victory when I got 4th runner up for the Miss Pullman America pageant in 2003 and beat out 6 skinnier-than-me girls! It's a scholarship pageant, not a beauty pageant but I do look pretty kickin' in this tummy-hiding swimsuit...

Miss Pullman, America 2003-3rd Runner Up!

I was starting to feel a little better about myself after that. But I really felt my best when I moved to Virginia in 2006. I don't know what I did differently because I wasn't trying to look different. But I looked good and I felt good and I was happy. I remember weighing around 160 pounds. Trust me, I would love to know how I lost weight without thinking about it, worrying about it, or trying! Look how cute and confident I am:

 Maymont Park, Richmond, Virginia

Mom and I-do we look a little different without the fluffy bangs?

Virginia Beach

Check out the difference between college me and post-Virginia me:

Me and Kaelin, 2004

Kaelin and I, November 2006

The second picture is on Kaelin's wedding day. We both look really great in that picture! Here are a few pics from my mission circa 2007-2008:

In the MTC

Beautiful and talented-first time playing the drums!

Me and Sister Hrebien

Bobcat cub at the exotic petting zoo

Tiger cub 

Monkey face!

Oh deer!

Me and Sister Kaonohi 

   By the time I got back into the real world with all the stress of school, work, a wedding and then husband (I'm pretty sure it's like having a big child haha) I had little time for sleep and just let myself go, I guess. Here are a few pics of me from the last 5 years.

2010

2012

2013

2014

May 3, 2014

I have gained almost 40 pounds in the last 5 years. I weigh more than I have in my whole life. And yes, I know it is not all about weight. But I do not like taking pictures of myself, I lounge around in elastic wasted pants, and I do not feel like I see the real me when I look in the mirror. I know that I can be healthier and I am excited about this weight loss challenge.

*Update: I started writing this in the beginning of May but was on vacation and didn't have access to my pictures. Some of them are pictures of photos, so the quality is not so great. Sorry it has taken so long to finish this post, and thank you for reading my story! So far I have lost 12 pounds on the challenge and there is almost 2 weeks left! I am almost to my 6% goal and intend to keep on going. I will post more on my actual weight-loss journey during the challenge when it is through.

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce