What I Gained and Lost in 2014

A year ago today I was quietly starting the “pre-cleanse” for my 3-day juice cleanse. The first step in my plan to make a lifestyle change with my health and fitness. I only told a handful of people I was committing to a cleanse because I worried I wouldn’t finish.

Well I finished. I will be eternally grateful to Blue Print and their plan because…

A year ago today, I couldn’t run a mile without my heart feeling as if it would explode.
Now I can run at least 6 miles. Since June, I’ve completed 6 5k runs and/or obstacle courses with friends and family.

A year ago today, I was missing fried food.
Now I’ve been following a pescetarian diet since July 21, 2014. I’ve never felt healthier.

A year ago today, I was roughly 175 pounds and wearing a size 12 in jeans.
Now I am roughly 126 pounds. I’m between a size 2 and 4.

A year ago today, I wasn’t posting about my decision to get healthy.
Now I want to shout from the top of a mountain that I climbed myself how grateful I am to have lost weight the healthy way, and all on my own. I have sustained these good habits that I picked up for a full year. As a former yo-yo dieter, that’s something I never could have said before.

This journey wasn’t easy. I struggled with setbacks, and it took me a long while before I felt good about myself again. I am finally in a good place.

Instead of cutting certain foods out of my diet, I learned to replace the bad things with the good things. I cut out greasy Chinese food by introducing healthy sushi into my diet. (If you’ve hung out with me at all in the past 9 months, I’ve probably suggested we get sushi for lunch or dinner…or sometimes for brunch if you’re my sister.) I made the choice to cut out meat because I wanted to introduce more fish into my diet, and I realized that the meat I liked to eat wasn’t good for me (taco meat, bacon cheeseburgers, and buffalo chicken fingers.) Cutting out meat was also good incentive for me to remove fast food from my diet entirely. I eat lots more veggies now too. I used to be the pickiest eater when it came to vegetables, but I trained myself to like almost all of them (except for olives!) I love veggie wraps and omelets now.

Eating healthfully helps my running too. The better I eat, the faster and longer I can run. Running has become my sanity. I started off the year running an 11:45 minute mile, now my best mile time is 8:03.

I’m not the same person I was a year ago today. My favorite food is sushi, I go for 3-4 mile runs several times a week, I’ve rock climbed, and hiked to the top of Killington.

But the best thing that has come out of this is the new found confidence I have in myself.

This lifestyle change was never just a new years resolution (reason number 1 why I started my pre-cleanse just a few days before the new year.)

This is who I am now. I am so grateful to myself for committing, and for the people in my life who motivate me every day. And for sushi.

  Me on Christmas 2013          Me on Christmas 2014