Here Goes Nothing!

I have swallowed my pride, pulled up my big girl panties, and I am going to lay it all out for you.  I have decided to keep a blog about where I have been, how I am doing, and where I desire to be in my weight loss/change of lifestyle goals.  Thank you for checking in, and I hope to make new friends and bring old ones on this journey with me.  So friends get those big girl/boy panties on and let's do this thang!

I guess the best place to start is well, at the beginning, so here goes nothin'.  In January 2010 I had had enough, no more being the chubby girl out of all my friends, no more trying to find the perfect outfit to cover up the rolls of "baby weight" I had come to accept, no more not enjoying being Amanda Oliver.  I WAS DONE!  I began Weight Watchers, I had an awesome personal trainer and had awesome success. I lost 42 lbs over a year doing the program and felt awesome. 

I managed to keep the weight off from January 2011 until the present until something in my crazy mom brain struck again.  Yes losing 42 lbs is awesome, and I was very proud of my accomplishments, but now it's time for more.  So what did I go and do in March?  I joined a running group.  A what you say?  Oh, yes a running group.  WHAT WAS I THINKING?  I haven't ran since my high school days as a soccer player, and my running then was quite scary.  But I had a far fetched goal in mind........The Indianapolis Mini Marathon that takes place every May here in Indy to kick off the month of the Indianapolis 500.  Now don't get me wrong the training was hard, but along the way I have made some life long friends and attained goals I never thought possible.  Now don't get any crazy ideas, I did not run the entire distance.  I didn't even train the last three weeks prior to the mini due to some events that had occurred to my running partner and her sweet family.  That is a whole other story that you may or may not hear one day.  

But I did it, I finished the Indy Mini.  I wasn't able to run the entire way, but I was pretty pumped that I was able to complete my very first mini marathon.

Which brings me to my next goal, I know I still have more weight to lose.  I mean honestly to you really see very many "chubby" runners?  I don't think so!  Here I go again, biting the bullet, I was back on Weight Watchers.  Don't get me wrong WW is an fantastic program, but my body was ready for something different.  Some changes needed made and I didn't have a clue where to start. 

Out of the blue, I start seeing things on facebook posted by my dear friend Nikki Zapp about Body By Vi.  I start thinking ya ya ya ok, here is another "fad" diet and I am not jumping on this bandwagon.  I am just going to start busting it out at the gym and running until my feet bleed.  Then I start seeing more friends with outstanding results, and I think "am I missing something here?"  This must be too good to be true.  Well my friends it's not!

Here I stand before you (well actually sitting and typing but that's neither here nor there), one month into my Body By Vi 90 day challenge, and I am a believer.   I have lost 10 lbs, and I have never in my life felt better.  Everything about me has changed, the way I look at nutrition, the way I look at food, the way I look at my workouts, the way my body has taken a different shape.  EVERYTHING I tell ya is different.  I am currently training for my next mini in September which I pushing myself for a much better time, and I am training for another in November in which I hope/plan to run the entire thing!  Homies, this is the real deal Holyfield.  If I can make lifestyle changes for the better so can you. 

Some of you may be reading this and thinking "girl I have so much to lose I don't even know where to start" or " I don't have a lot to lose I just need to tone up" or even "I just want to make some healthy life changes".  Well guess what you CAN!  That's the beauty of this it's not too late, or too hard, or even too simple.  If I can do this, I know you can do this. 

I have created this blog, to support one another, to push one another, to ask questions, to inspire, but most importantly I have created this blog for me.  Yes me.  I need this accountability, and if I can help one person along the way, than it has been worth me laying it all out to you.  Please comment, please ask questions, and please know that if you are on my blog you will NEVER be judged! 

Welcome to my blog and I hope to be your inspiration.