And so the journey begins...

Hi! My name is Kayleigh and this blog is the journey from going to flabby to FABULOUS!!!!! I've started this trek after years of procrastinating and putting it off. But I just turned 26 and I figured if I didn't start now then I probably never will. So after even putting it off pretty much the entire month of January, I have now kicked myself into gear :) I joined Weight Watchers and just spent $160 at Publix buying healthy food lol. I'll be using the blog to track my progress, vent when the urge to chow down on nachos hits, share little tips and tricks I pick up along the way and hopefully to inspire others to do the same! So this post will be a little long just so get some background on me. Enjoy!

Stats:
Age: 26
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 338 lbs
BMI: 52.9% (meaning for every 10 lbs I weigh 5.2 of it is fat aka not healthy!!)

I am a teacher (currently 3rd grade) at a school here in Atlanta. I am also in grad school at GA State getting my Masters in Reading.. I have a very supportive family (mom and dad still married and two younger sisters) and a great group of friends that is always growing :) I am currenty single after ending a three year relationship in June. My ex and I are still on very good terms and he continues to be a great friend and supporter of my efforts to get healthy. I have a dog named Guido who is a certified gremlin :) I love going out with my friends, exploring, reading and coffee :)

I have always been on the heavy side. Even when I was little I was always the chubby one in my group of friends. In high school I lost a lot of weight my senior year due to a medication I was on but I quickly gained it back in college. My first two years the weight kinda creeped on since I was living at home. However, at 21, I moved to Savannah on my own and I started packing on the pounds. I was broke and relied on cheap food to sustain me. Plus I started drinking...heavily! At one time I was going out 4-6 times a week and drinking 3-4 drinks a night. When I moved to Houston to teach the weight continued to creep on though less dramatically due to a health conscious boyfriend. But I got comfortable and started eating out and drinking again more. I moved back to Atlanta in June and when I went to the doctor I weighed in at 367 lbs, the heaviest I've ever been. I was deeply ashamed but continued to treat my body like crap. I would go through drive throughs and order multiple items and pretend like I was buying for more then just me, sometimes buying two drinks just to keep up the ruse. I continued to buy crappy food or go out for fast food on my lunch break. And while I do not go out to eat or drink nearly as often as I used to, I still drink a glass of wine a night and a few drinks when I do go out. I don't exercise at all. I hate getting out of breath and sweating.

It's taken me so long to get on a healthy track because I've had a good life. People always tell me I carry my weight well, I don't look 300 lbs or that I have a pretty face. While I appreciate the flattery, it has helped me justify not getting healthy. I've never had a problem attracting a guy, but the type of guys I attract are not the sort I want to spend the rest of my life with (excluding my ex who was a rare breed haha). I'm tired of being the fat funny friend, the one night stand, the BBW (a term that literally makes my blood boil), or the pretty face. I don't want to be skinny nor will I ever be a size 6.

My goal is to get healthy with the end goal of getting my BMI to a healthy level of 29%. My first goal according to Weight Watchers is lose 5% of my body weight or 17 lbs. Despite my disdain for exercise, I have vowed to start walking and dancing (without the aid of tequila lol) I have also given up fast food, which I have no doubt will be my hardest endeavor due to my frequent memory loss of bringing my lunch with me to school. As far as drinking, my WW plan allows me one small glass of wine a night and I have to budget my points if I want to have a party night. I'm hoping this plan will help keep me disciplined as well as the blog. On the first of each month I will be posting a picture of me in the same outfit to show visual progress. While some may say this could lead to harsh comments, I know my friends and family who read this blog will only be supportive. As far as strangers reading I hope my honesty will be inspiring :)

So thats it :) I'm about to go cook some Thai stir fry and watch Downten Abbey while finishing up some grad work. Look for pics and more posts soon!

Always,

K