Intro

My name is Chauncey. I decided to start a blog about health, exercise, fashion, mommy-tips/stories, etc. because I have benefited from journaling in the past, and decided to make a more public journal to inspire others.

I had my son, Sawyer, in September of 2010 and gained an unhealthy 75 pounds in my pregnancy. I managed to lose the weight by my wedding date through restricted diet, excessive exercise, and a lot of breastfeeding. Once I got married and stopped breastfeeding, I completely returned to my old eating habits and stopped exercising. Due to stress and other reasons, I resorted to food for comfort. I didn't even realize how much weight I had gained because I didn't own a scale and never weighed myself. In February of 2012, I had a huge awakening occur when I weighed myself in a family member's bathroom while at a family get-together. I weighed 180 pounds. Now, for a 5'10" girl, it didn't look like I weighed that much, but scales don't lie. I realized that I needed to get my life in order and get healthy.

I started going to the gym everyday (sometimes twice a day), and eating a lot healthier. I cut out a lot of extra calories by cutting out calorie filled drinks like sweet tea, soda, frappucinos (sp?), etc. I lost 10 pounds in one month on that alone! I found a passion for running in the summer of 2012 and that also helped me lose weight. I took my diet to a new level by starting to eat completely clean. I only ate around 1200 calories a day (on a good day), some days I ate less. I ended up losing 50 pounds by November of 2012. Many people who read this may think, "Oh, that's great! She is healthy and happy again!" I wasn't. I lost my period in July of 2012, I started losing large quantities of hair, I had zero energy, and I had really bad mood swings. I'm not a doctor, but I would be willing to bet my house that loss of a period, loss of hair, no energy, and mood swings is NOT healthy, especially in a 21 year old.

In March of 2013, I realized I had a problem and realized I needed to create a healthy balance in my life in order to be truly healthy and happy. I was spending upwards of 3 hours a day at the gym, when I should have been spending half of that time studying or spending time with my family. I was eating between 1,000 and 1200 calories a day, while burning between 800 and 1000 calories at the gym some days. I decided to reduce my days at the gym from every day to 5 days a week and instead of 3 hour gym sessions, I only work out for an hour max. Instead of eating 100% clean, I eat clean 80% of the time and the other 20% I eat whatever I want (in moderation).

I have not gotten my period back yet, but I have gained 12 pounds since my lowest weight (132) and I have a lot more energy and less mood swings. Every day is a challenge for me because I have a personality that wants to strive for perfection in every aspect- even when I look at myself in the mirror. Through the help and encouragement of my loving husband and other friends and family, I am slowly seeing that I am a lot more than a number on a scale or what I see in the mirror. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that is what I want others to realize as well. I have decided to write a blog to help other young women who have or are going through similar experiences and will hopefully be encouraged along the way.