How Did This Happen?

How did THIS (see below) happen?

I know I've used this picture before, but I feel that it really portrays just how much of a chunk I became. You can laugh, it's encouraged.

I will never forget a few of my friends sitting around one night in college, talking about the weight we had gained. My other friends had put on the typical "freshman 15-20", but I was ahead of the game with the freshman, sophomore, part of junior 65. Yikes. One of my friends, Kourtney (hi Kourt, if you're reading) looked at me and bluntly stated, "Sarah, we were in athletics and had practice every day and were really in shape in high school, so I understand how we gained weight in college with suddenly not being so active on a daily basis...but, you weren't in athletics or played sports so...how did this happen?" Hmmm, that's a great question, Kourtney! I truly remember that conversation like it was yesterday, but I'm not sure how I responded to it then. What a valid point, though. I don't have an athletic bone in my body...I didn't do anything physical in high school. I mean, I was a member of FFA and was an important participant on the Dairy Products Judging Team...yes, I tasted cheese and milk at contests. So how did my lifestyle change so much from high school to college in order for me to gain so much weight? I have some simple, but powerful words to help launch this answer:

1. Beer
2. McDonald's
3. Sleep

I think that just about does it. Growing up, it took about 10 minutes to drive from our house in the country to "town" where the multitude of fast food places were...McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Jack in the Box. My mom also cooked most of the time, and her food was/is delicious. I really didn't have a desire to drive to town and get something to eat. Also, drinking alcohol in high school wasn't as much of an issue since we were limited to an older friend buying it for us and meeting in the pasture somewhere. We aren't in a pasture in this picture, it's a barn, but you see the hay and get the idea...2 of my dear friends, Marcia and Gaby.

So I get to the magical land of College Station-really, I love it, and all of a sudden the glorious sights and smells of countless fast food places and delicious restaurants were so close to me! It was awesome! We also had older friends going to school at A&M there already, so that solved the issue of getting alcohol. Woohoo! So this is how a typical weekend would go: go out Friday night, drink too much, swing by McDonald's on the way home, get a #whatever, get in bed, eat delicious food, pass out, wake up at noon on Saturday, go eat something greasy to help ease the hangover, come back home, take a nap, wake up that evening, get ready to go out again Saturday night, and repeat the whole entire process. I think the only exercise I got was when I decided to go to class (sorry mom, but we've discussed this time in my life) and walked from the parking garage to my building.

WELL, DUH I GOT FAT. The thing is people, this was such a slow and sneaky process that I didn't know what was going on until I was in way too deep to just "quit". First I would go to the mall and "oops", I needed one size bigger in my jeans...the same thing just kept happening until "oops" the biggest size at Gap or wherever didn't fit me. Ouch. That wasn't a fun time. At that point, I got so sad about myself and just went into a little personal slumber. My cousin Mark describes this time in my life in a very hilarious way. I NEVER went to class that one semester. The only time I left my apartment was to...drum roll please...yep, you guessed it, get food. McDonald's, Sonic, Whataburger, Chicken Express, etc. I would get my food, come back to my apartment, eat in my bed-gross, I know, and take a nap until it was time for the next meal. Isn't that just ridiculous? And sad? My favorite/only options in my wardrobe were things with elastic, a flannel pair of pajama pants and a windbreaker/pullover. There you have it. Go back to my post titled "Due to Your Weight, This Isn't The Best Option" to read how I "saw the light" and decided to make a change.

Here are some progression pictures to help keep/get you motivated. The top is from the middle of July before I started a round of 30 Day Shred. The bottom is the most recent. I'm not entirely sure on my weight in these pictures, sorry, I had no idea I would want to start a blog about this. It's taking a lot for me to post these pictures of myself showing so much skin, but I encourage you to take pictures once you decide to lose weight. Being able to see yourself progress is so important to staying motivated.

Well, there you have it folks. I know it isn't rocket science or anything, but gaining all of that weight was such a slow process. Losing it, however, seemed like an eternity. Here's your little lesson for today: If you have noticed yourself putting on some extra pounds lately-stop right where you are, put down the cheeseburger and go for a walk. If you already look pretty good-keep doing what you're doing and maintain yourself. If you are now realizing that your weight is out of control and you feel miserable and can't fit into any of your clothes-go ahead and admit it to yourself, have a good cry and start changing RIGHT NOW...not the next day or the next meal, NOW. It may be a long road to recovery, but you can do it. I'm living proof. I have a waist now...and my husband said I was "hot" yesterday after seeing a new picture of myself (below)...awesome, thanks babe! You too can have all of these amazing milestones, and please trust me, it is so worth the work.