Intro

I saw a program on our local Public Television channel featuring Dr. Amen, a specialist in brain health. I've seen his program on the female brain, and liked it...but I didn't actually do anything. Today's lecture was on brain health in general. What really stuck this time, was his words of wisdom: a question, "then what?" And an answer to the unmotivated, weight loss obsessed mind, "NOW". If I do this, then what? If I eat this, then what? When is the best time to start improving your health? NOW. I don't own a scale, so as far as I know I'm still 215lbs. After the birth of my daughter in early 2012, the only weight I dropped was the normal birthing weight. I have since maintained 215, dropping only to about 210. I peaked at 228 (post baby), and I was mad at myself. I had weighed 230 the day before giving birth...and here I was, sneaking up to the same weight---only this time without a baby inside me. So I started walking more, and dropped the "extra"...dipping to my post baby low of 210. Then I was happy. I was content maintaining. That's the problem. Contentment. Before my pregnancy I was relatively fit and hovering around 160-170. I wanted to lose weight and drop down to how much I weighed when I was a dancer, about 155. That's when I was at my happiest. When my OB told me I shouldn't continue trying to lose weight because I'm pregnant, I felt defeated. I was so excited to see the number on the scale smaller than it had been, and then boom...she says that. So I fell into depression. Stopped the small amount of exercise I had been doing, and just ate whatever I got from the nutrition program. I spent my entire pregnancy researching everything I could. I found blogs, programs, and extraordinary people. I wanted to be like them. Something was holding me back. Mostly my depression, but also the people around me. I've always been the joke of the family, and even my friends at school. I'm the new black sheep. This blog, Happy Healthy 13-14, is dedicated to all the black sheep like me who feel that there's no hope. I hope you'll follow me over the next year as I post updates on my progress with nutrition and fitness. As life-coach Drew Canole says, "We're in this together." Shelly