So... Who Are You Again?

Hi and welcome to my blog! My name is Jonelle Boyd and this is my first post on my brand new nutrition & fitness blog, "Confessions Of A Fit Girl". I figure I better introduce myself because some of you know me and some of you don't, you may have ran across a link to my blog on Facebook, Twitter or some other site and decided to check me out, but you really don't know who I am or what I'm all about. Let's start with the simple facts, like I said before, my name is Jonelle (pronounced "John-nelle" - I know that trips some people up, but it's simple, I was named after my father whose name is John, so John-nelle, only spelled without the "h" - sorry to go on and on about that but it kills me that people never pronounce it right, but anyway...), I'm 28 years old, I'm a web designer residing in St. Louis, MO and in the last few years I have developed a passion for fitness and nutrition!

MY STORY...

The Before
I started trying to seriously lose weight 3 years ago. I had been overweight since my teens but I’ll never forget that day in January 2007 when I stepped on the scale and the numbers “229” were staring back at me. I was in shock! Now don’t get me wrong, I knew I was overweight, I was wearing a tight size 18 heading towards a size 20 but 229 pounds?!? I made a decision right then and there that the scale would never have a chance to read 230. I started exercising and watching what I ate, cutting my portions down and committing to a low carb diet. By the end of the year I had lost 22 pounds. While I felt good about my weight loss, I knew that the process wasn’t going as fast as I would like, and at 5ft.4 with occasional heart palpitations, not as fast as I needed health wise. I was still 207 pounds.



NutriSystem
So how was I going to lose the weight faster? I thought I had been doing everything right, I was exercising regularly and I was trying to control what I ate. I had always been a fan of the NutriSystem commercials and programs that I’d seen on TV and said that I would one day like to try it. Now was the perfect time! Right before Christmas I made a new year’s resolution for 2008 that I would join NutriSystem and continue my weight lost journey. So on December 23, 2007 I went online and joined NutriSystem. My goal was to get down to 150 pounds and fit into a size 10. This was a kind of now or never decision, and either this was going to work or I was going to give up, that's how frustrated I was.

Once I started NutriSystem I quickly found out why there were so many success stories. That first week I lost 5 pounds! That was all it took for me to become a believer. After that first week, staying faithful to the program and adding exercise, I lost 1 – 3 lbs each week for the next 8 months, losing 50 lbs. I hit a 2 month plateau but after that broke, I finally reached my goal! Losing a total of 57 lbs in 10 months, weighing 150 lbs and wearing a size 10!



What I Learned
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't an ad for NutriSystem, I'm not getting paid and this blog won't really even about NutriSystem, while it worked for me and I definitely recommend it, everything's not for everybody. NutriSystem was great for me because it not only helped me lose a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time by cutting my calories to 1200 a day, but the biggest blessing was what I learned from the experience. I learned A LOT about food & nutrition along the way! Cutting my portion sizes, good carbs vs. bad carbs, the importance of a fiber rich diet,... etc., stuff that I plan on sharing with the readers of this blog. I also became a total fitness junkie in the process! Becoming a self-proclaimed "exercise video queen". One amazing part of this story that I neglected to mention is, my weight loss achieved was done without ever setting foot in a gym! Exercise videos really work, people! All you gotta' do is stay committed and do 'em! I plan on giving you some insight on programs that I've used and/or using that I think really were an essential part of my weight loss as well.



The After
So now off NS for going on two years and I've not only maintained my weight loss but I’ve continued to lose weight, now weighing in at 135 and wearing a size 6! I’ve exceeded my original goal! It's possible people! Diet and exercise is the key!

So I say all this not to brag or boast but to encourage you that it is so possible to achieve what a lot of us perceive as the impossible, and that's losing weight. It can't be done in one day, it takes time and it's no easy road, there are lots of twists and turns and even some u-turns along the way, but as long as you stay dedicated and hopeful YOU WILL MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE!

Stay tuned to my blog for encouragement, tips & tricks, reviews and more! The best thing you can ever do for yourself is get healthy. A healthy mind and body is essential to achieving total fitness. Let's succeed at fitness together!

Your friend,
Jonelle