Do you ever wonder what happens to weight loss success stories after the fact? ESPECIALLY, when they do it in the public light? Two years later, where has Tina gone? (I know, internet snooping is a real thing to satisfy the curiosity in all of us).

Excuses are a HUGE no-no in the health and fitness world. The internet is plastered with inspirational quotes about how excuses are pretty much worthless. I totally understand the reasoning behind not allowing excuses to stall your progress. However, what is beneficial to some may not be beneficial to others. You see, for the past two years, I’ve had some pretty valid excuses. Life (in a word) got ugly. It was an ugliness that drove me into some depressing moments (and I’m not even prone to dealing with depression, really). For awhile, I was just making it through the day, trying to make life as good as possible for those around me (including myself).

Two years later, I look back and I’m truly amazed at how I got here. It wasn’t a complete two years of being in the bottom of the pit. Actually, most of my emotional junk happened in the earlier portion of that time period. However, the physical recovery was a struggle. I would gain weight. Then I’d set off to take care of the gain, trying numerous different things. I hated calorie counting. I tried Whole 30 (I had a successful month but then plummeted), Low Carb/Keto (I didn’t react well to depriving myself of carbs), Weight Watchers (too close to calorie counting), 17 Day Diet (too much chicken/limitations)….you name it, I’ve tried it. I would lose some weight, but then at the failure of the program, I’d gain it all back (sandwiched nicely between gaining a pound here and there in between).

Those programs are good programs! Many people have success with them!! But you know what? I didn’t. As a former coach, I struggled really hard to find something that worked for me that was NOT Beachbody. I have no ill will towards the company. But I lost a LOT of support when I dropped the Shakeology, and that kind of jaded me a bit.

The 21 Day Fix worked for me. I understand that (like all health/fitness programs), that it doesn’t work for all people. I’m okay with that, because this time, I’m in this for ME. I found a new coach (who was actually on my old team, and I followed her for a long time because she was REAL and inspirational). And today is day 1.

It’s really been a humbling process. My weight gain has been a huge source of embarrassment. I’ve allowed the embarrassment to hinder my success. However, I’ve been hiding too long.

This blog is going to take a temporary shift. Since I’m restarting my journey, I hope to bring a few followers with me in the hopes that someone might resonate with my story.

What are my goals?

I’ve got several goals. The generic “I want to be healthy for my family” should be a sufficient answer. And it is. However, for myself – my goal is to lose 50 pounds. I haven’t set a timeline, as I want to allow my body to cooperate as needed. If you see me on Facebook, I’ll be checking in on my page as much as possible with #questfor50.

I hope you’ll follow my journey!