If you like Success Stories...

This one is really inspiring!

Allison Earnst

“If you had told me a year ago that I would be on Miami Beach in a bikini with a photographer, I would have thought you were out of your mind!"

Height: 5'7 Heaviest Weight: 186 lb Current Weight: 133 lb

My Journey:

For some, it’s alcohol and cigarettes. For me, it was fast food and TV. I remember making more trips to fast food restaurants than to the gym and I was literally on a first name basis with the girl that worked the lunch shift at the burger place on the corner.

I remember slowly going up a pants size … then another ... and another. I snacked on leftovers, breezed thru drive-thrus and did not set aside any time to exercise. I put myself last on the list of “things to do” but never seemed to get that far down the list.

That was until one day it “clicked.” I was sick of being tired and overweight and unhealthy. I had just given birth to my third child six months earlier when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I not only needed and wanted to be healthy for my three young children but also for myself. I wanted to be an example of a strong and healthy mom and, most of all, I realized that I was worth spending the time it took to plan meals to eat healthy and get my daily workouts. I was ready.

At this point I was approaching 200 pounds. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror and I was feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. I started slowly. I cut down my fast-food consumption from several times a week to once a week. I made slow changes to my diet and educated myself on the importance of clean eating. I subscribed to Oxygen Magazine and got lots of new workout and recipe ideas. It opened up a whole new world for me. It did take more time to plan and prepare healthy things but I knew that the payoff would be priceless. So I started working out consistently and eating clean and the pounds started coming off.

I realized that it’s like building a house. You can’t build your dream home without the knowledge and the tools to do so. I was not going to be able to build my dream body alone. I used all of the resources around me to learn how to work out and how to eat right. There were so many ideas of ways to mix up recipes and workouts that before long, I had a huge knowledge base and was prepared and confident. The more fit I got, the more fit I wanted to be. It was such an amazing thing to see what could happen when I believed in myself and fully committed to something. After dropping the first 20 pounds or so, I got a trainer that would help me keep on track and focused. Over the course of five months or so, I was down over 40 pounds. I decided to take the ultimate challenge and I started training for a marathon. I trained with a group for about four months and completed my first marathon. I was so proud. The marathon represented, to me, my weight-loss journey. It was tough and there were times I wasn’t sure if I was going to finish and wanted to give up. But, most of all, it was a concrete example of how I had wanted something, believed in myself, prepared myself and did it!

I am still working hard and have so many upcoming goals and dreams and I know I will accomplish them. This journey has taught me that you really can do whatever you put your mind to. You just believe in yourself and visualize what you want and you will make it happen. The possibilities truly are endless. I just had my first fitness photo shoot and that was so exciting. If you had told me a year ago that I would be on Miami Beach in a bikini with a photographer, I would have thought you were out of your mind. But I did it. And I will do it again and again hopefully. And I got some great shots. I still look at the pictures and think, “Wow! That’s me!”

You just have to want it. It’s something that no one else can do for you and there is no magic pill. You have to eat clean and you have to move your body. You have to explore and learn discipline from beginning to end. Through this experience, I learned to push myself beyond what was expected and what was comfortable and to really challenge myself. I am important and I am worth putting myself first and living my life so that I can be the absolute best that I can be.

What?

Did I say I was gonna to try to lose weight before Christmas? Um, I'm pretty sure this is the wrong time of the year to start a weight loss crusade. I'm up to my eye balls in sweets. But after Christmas you can be dang sure I'm gonna lose some weight. Mark my words. Mark 'em. Now. (I'm a little hyper right now.)

Is anyone out there...out there...out there...?

That's me echoing if you couldn't tell. So here's an update:

I haven't been eating as conscientiously as I was last month, but luckily, I have pretty much maintained my weight loss. Within a pound or so. But I really want to lose a few more pounds by Christmas, so I'm going to get really strict again and my goal is to lose 5 - 6 pounds by Christmas. Let's see if I can do it. My plan is to do the same thing as I was doing (counting calories and eating clean-ish), but I will also definitely be working out. I need to get back to the gym.

So my plan is to run and do weight training 4 days a week. I will take before and after pictures too. That's always good motivation.

Wish me luck.


P.S. Are you wondering about the half-marathon? Well, we didn't go to Seattle for Thanksgiving, which was when we were going to do it, and I pretty much stopped running once it got freezing and snowy, so I wasn't ready anyway. So... the half-marathon will have to happen in the spring. There will be a race here in May, so that is my new goal. I will do a half-marathon at some point. Don't you worry about that.

Progress!

BEFORE (April- about 6 weeks after Kate was born)

That was pretty brave of me to post those. :)

AFTER!! (today)

I am wearing the same shirt, if you couldn't tell. I am 3 lbs from my goal weight, but I might try to lose a couple more pounds after that. We'll see. Counting calories works! I have also been eating clean and that works very well too. I am so happy to finally be close to my goal!

Cramming

You know how people often cram for a big test in school? Well, I'm pretty much CRAMMING for my half-marathon. It's kind of crazy. I definitely have not been running as much as I should have been, so now I have just 5 weeks to really push myself.

Sometimes I think that I hate running. But that's usually right before I head out the door. After the first mile is over, I start to think, Hey, I actually like this!

And remember when I said I only like to run on the treadmill? I feel the exact opposite now. Running outside is so refreshing, and now the treadmill sounds like the most monotonous thing ever. I'm not looking forward to running at the gym this winter.

Stress-eating.

I am totally a stress-eater, if there is such a thing. I never realized it until recently. When I'm stressed out I eat constantly, thinking that it will help somehow. It actually just makes it worse.

It's a really hard problem to fix. I wish it were as easy as, "just chew some gum instead" or "go for a walk." I'm sure something like that would help, but I feel like this is a bad-habit that I've had for so long that it will be pretty hard to break.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Seattle Half-Marathon and an update

I'm definitely doing the Seattle one. I'm having such a hard time getting back into running. I started really enjoying it when I was getting ready for the 5k, but I'm not there yet this time. I actually dread running. I know it will get easier and soon I will probably look forward to my runs. Maybe.

I have been more strict with eating well lately, and I'm really seeing results! I am now at my pre-pregnancy weight and I have about 8 lbs to go until I am at my goal weight. I just need to start doing weight training again at the gym. That always makes a huge difference (when I'm consistent).

The hardest thing about losing weight is that it takes time. You have to be patient. And when you are not seeing immediate results, it's hard to stay motivated. I hope I can keep this up and get to my goal weight in the next 4 or 5 weeks.