Over the years I followed the same cycle, find a new diet, restrict my calories, give up after 2 months of not seeing progress and gain it all back. I denied myself treats during the week and on the weekends ended up binging. A cheat meal turned into a cheat day and into a cheat week until I was no longer even paying attention to what I ate.

I would eat to handle my feelings, eat to celebrate occasions, and eat past full just because something tasted good. And don’t even get me started on my Mountain Dew addiction.

This led me to my heaviest weight right when I got pregnant with our son. I was extremely nauseous in the beginning and the only thing I ate was pasta. It was the only thing I could stomach at the time. Then at 28 weeks pregnant I had my dreaded glucose test. And I failed, and ended up being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I started learning how to listen to my body’s cues, pay attention to how certain foods balanced my blood sugar, and educating myself on proper nutrition. 

This set me up for success post-partum. I used the things I learned and started building sustainable habits. Once I got out of survival mode, I started working out slowly with modifications. My workouts were my only alone time every day so i looked forward to them. After I went back to work I started focusing on my water intake and intentional movement by adding in daily walks. Then at 6 months postpartum I started tracking what I ate.

I started in a calorie deficit and lost 58 pounds. I am now in my reverse diet and am down 62lbs total and 5 pant sizes. I enjoy treats frequently, know that I don’t have to “make up” for a higher calorie meal and still enjoy all of my favorite foods, and I’m here to teach you how to do the same!