People see me today, and they think “she workouts, she eats healthy, it must be so easy for her”. But what most people forget, is that everybody has a story, everybody has started somewhere, far from where they are today.
This was me. Although not HUGE, I was very UNHEALTHY and bigger than I should have been. I ate everything, and I mean everything!! Anything you put in front of me, I ate, and I had no limit, I would eat well passed the point of being full. I did not work out or do any type of physical activity at this point in my life. I was a cheerleader in High School and a dancer my whole life but once I went off to college, all that stopped.
College is a different world; you feel invincible, finally free, like you’re on top of the world and you don’t have a care in the world! Well, I lived JUST like that for the majority of my college career.. I would drink every night, every day and sometimes mornings if we decided we wanted mimosas. I had an amazing group of friends and drinking was just a social thing. The bartenders knew us, the bars threw us birthday parties, we would travel to Hoboken at least once a week, sometimes NYC. And of course we were well known in Atlantic City. Even though my college was off exit 163 on the parkway, we would make it down for MuMur Monday and still be on time for our 10am class Tuesday morning.. I have no idea how. Needless to say I was the unhealthiest I’ve been in my entire life. I did start to “workout” at the college gym a few days a week. Those workouts consisted of 20 minutes of very low intensity cardio, some terrible ab exercises, and planning what party I was going to go to that night. At least I was trying…. right? Well senior year came and went, way too fast if you ask me. Of course, I drank the night before graduation and I felt TERRIBLE, I looked terrible, and I was miserable.
That was the day I decided I needed to change. I had promised my dad after college I would come work for him at Nutrishop for at least a year; I would be in the right setting, surrounded by healthier people, I was excited! I learned how to eat, not super strict, but much better than my pizza for breakfast and ice cream for dinner diet in college. I also joined the gym next door to our shop in Brick. I took one of our weight loss stacks and for the first time, I dropped 10 pounds in 1 month! I was ecstatic, that’s all I needed to keep me motivated. I got more serious in the gym, I ate better – another month went by and another 10 pounds gone! The biggest struggle was my diet, I didn’t understand what food could do for me and, at the time, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice that sweet treat for healthiness. Months went by and just being in Nutrishop changed my entire outlook on life. I learned about diet, nutrition and training the more I got involved with Nutrishop and the fitness community. My weight was still not stable but I was 100% healthier.
I fluctuated in weight, I want everyone to know this. Because you won’t lose the weight and keep it off the first time, it will come back, it will challenge you and it’s ok! We are only human. Although I knew all the right things to do and eat, I wasn’t consistent. Not too long after I graduated college, I met an amazing person who would change my life, my health and my consistency to this lifestyle, forever. My now fiancé, Christian, was a long time bodybuilder and a pro at everything diet and training. He made me want to be healthier simply because he was healthier. Before he was able to meet my Mummum (my grandma) she unfortunately was taken from us. But something she said to me the day she passed has molded the woman I am as I type this blog. She said “I expect nothing but the best from you“. Being the woman who helped raise me, I hold what she said to me that day very dear to my heart. With the help from Christian and this notion that I was expected to be the best I can, I have slowly been becoming just that. It wasn’t without struggle, but I’m here, and I’ve learned. I made mistakes and I continue to make them. I eat donuts, I LOVE cupcakes, and I enjoy a glass of wine. But I know when it’s the right time to have them. I have learned how to keep everything in moderation. I now know what it is that I have to do in order to become the athlete I want to be, but I still know how to live and enjoy my life.
If I can do this, anyone can do this. I came from the bottom and now I am on my way to the top. Soon I will write about my current training and dieting routine. Until then, I will be sharing a mini E-book I am writing using the knowledge I attained after receiving my Sports Nutrition Certification. This will be the guideline I used to help get me started and to help keep my days and my meals in order. Of course, every person is different and everyone will need personalization with proper dieting [if you’re looking for a more personalized meal/diet plan head over to http://www.christiancoronato.com] but I wanted to share with you how I got started with a basic, easy to use meal plan! It’s called A Guide to Healthy Weight Loss. If you are interested in receiving this E-book when it’s finished, simply click HERE!
I leave you with a few quotes that helped me along me journey:
“Do not stress about the time it will take to get there, the time will pass anyway”
“Consistency is key”
“How bad do you want it?”
“You cannot lose, if you keep showing up”
kristicoronato.com 