356 Will Not Be My Number

A question I've been getting a lot over the past two years is "what made you start to change your ways and want to get healthy?" 

The left is me at my largest, 5 years ago!

It's funny, I actually remember the very moment when I decided that I wasn't going to live my life eating out of a bucket of ice cream alone on the couch on a Saturday night any more.

I was 24 and doing just that. I was sitting on my moms couch watching Saturday Night Live with her and she could barely walk to go to bed. 

I was watching her struggle as I was eating my bucket (yes, I'm talking bucket of Kemps strawberry swirl ice cream,) and I was disgusted by myself. Why was I doing that? 

I had absolutely no reason to be eating all of that, and I did it multiple times a week, so why? No idea. But I decided that if I kept going like that, I was well on my way to not being able to walk up to my bed without needing a break. 

That Monday at work, I received an email asking if I was interested in a gym membership to a new group fitness facility in Minneapolis. Now, I'm not a big "sign from God" kind of person, but come on!

I, like all of us who are starting this journey, cancelled my first visit with Jake, the owner of Kosama in Minneapolis. But I went the next day, terrified. 

I will never forget how I felt during that first workout. I was doing push ups standing up against a wall, I puked in the car on my way home, it was terrifying! 

I got home that day and threw out all my ice cream and started researching what I should be eating and how, the rest is history. 

Here I am, down just over 130lbs and a completely new person all because I decided I was no longer wanting to feel like I did on the couch that night! 

We can all go on and on about how we don't have time or how we just don't like to workout and we like to eat bread and chocolate, but the thing is, I promise you, once you actually decide "this is it. I want to change my life. I don't want to feel this way anymore." Those excuses go out the window. 

If you still have excuses, you're not 100% ready to take it on and if you're not ready, you'll get discouraged by excuses or even the smallest budge of the scale. I know. 

I hope this answered the question, it makes sense in my twisty mind, but if it doesn't answer it, please ask. 

Have you had "the moment?" What was it? 

 

And before I go off on another job searching adventure, thanks to everyone for all the love for my first post. Like I said, it's a work in progress and that's okay. 

Next post? Maybe a Bachelor reaction and after that, what keeps me motivated!

 

Here goes nothing.

For a few years, people have kindly requested that I do a blog of some sorts and for those few years, I thought "yeah! That sounds fun!" But I never did. Why? Great question. 

You see, I'm not exactly the BEST when it comes to where to put the commas and such; it seems like a lot of effort to write the "perfect" blog. But as I'm laying here, unemployed, I am thinking "who the hell cares as long as I know the difference between there and their!?" So, you got it! 

Since this is my first post, I won't go into any deep, emotional or even inspirational crap, just an intro into who I am and next week we'll get into the good stuff. Cool?

I'm Katie. I absolutely love my dog, Mauer. I love and breathe for country music, Jason Aldean is the key to my heart. If I'm on my 5th cup of coffee, just think of it as my lifeline, or yours. And, the girl you see smiling and running in that picture, never use to be that way until I found the gym where I've managed to lose over 130lbs and am still working on it. 

What do I do for a living? Well, if you were paying attention earlier, I'm unemployed. Yep, 27 and jobless. 

Ever since I was 9 years old, I wanted to be in radio. I thought of nothing else every day of my adolescence, besides boys, of course. I got to college, got an internship, then a part time job for someone I dreamt of working for. Then, I was offered a job co hosting on a country morning show in Helena, MT with an amazing boss. 

I packed up my little dog and my clothes and we rode off into the mountains to a new life. 

That's Mauer on the long car ride to MT, what a champ!

I was alone in my first apartment with my dog and an air mattress. Eventually, I met some nice people who befriended me, but it still felt empty. 

5 months later, I was offered a chance to move home. I struggled with this decision only because I had an amazing boss, but I took the job in St Cloud, MN and here I am back home. Unemployed, to my surprise. 

What did I learn? Well, nobody has time for that list. 

Unemployment sucks, I'm bored and constantly stressed out. But I've got my dog, great friends, the gym and country music. Oh, and coffee, of course. And to those friends, thank you for putting up with me through this. I love you guys and I will never be able to express how you guys saved me from escaping into a very dark place. 

It's very easy to find yourself in a dark, scary place, but make sure to know who you can call when you feel yourself slipping, it's then that you'll realize who really cares. 

Enough sappy crap, right? On to the job hunt I go! 

Next week, I'll answer the question I get asked the most, what made me start my weight loss journey?