How I lost 100 Pounds

"The reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look

at how far they still have to go rather than how far they have come."

Lets just start off by prefacing this, technically I haven't lost 100 pounds physically, but mentally I have been caring it around for years. It's now that I've finally felt like I've shed all the weight that's been weighing me down all these years.

I gained 50 lbs with Tracen and about 20 with Skylor, making that a total of almost 70 lbs gained between two pregnancies on someone that is barely a whopping 5'2. That's a lot of freaking weight to handle and the surface area I had to work with left me with about 90% of all the weight gain in my abdomen. After you have kids your body is all sorts of craziness! My insecurities weighed on me like I was wearing 100 extra pounds over these last 4 years.

{towel on the head and a strapless top for a large chested girl is not a cute look Chelsea!}

If you remember from a few weeks ago one of my goals for May was to post before and after pictures after completing the 24 Day Advocare challenge I embarked on. So today's the day people as day 24 was yesterday for me! This may be no big deal for some but for me, this has been the hardest part. The photos. The before photos were really hard for me to see but they were necessary. They gave me the swift kick in the ass that I needed to put myself in check and get serious.

Below is a picture of me before kids. I'm not showing this to brag I'm showing you this because so many women long to "look like they did before kids" but I'm not one of them. I don't care to look like this anymore, to be this skinny again. I don't care to because I was extremely unhealthy, I had horrible eating habits, I would over eat and eat crap made up of zero nutrients and then I would go to the extreme and diet and eat very low calories. (Sorry about the picture quality but I'm pretty sure this was snapped on a throw away camera in 2004, yeah the good old days!)

This is a picture I have in my phone for what I'm working towards. A healthy, strong body that I'm filling with nutritious food, necessary supplements and keeping up a workout routine that fits my lifestyle. I also wouldn't mind her rack...just sayin!

Lets go back a few years. In high school I played travel soccer and ate anything I wanted yet still had a complex of how I looked. As most teenage girls do I always wished my stomach was flatter, my thighs were smaller, so messed up, I know. Flash forward to December 2010 and I had gained 50 pounds while pregnant with Tracen and had him a month early. I've explained a little about it here but I really thought I would drop the pounds after having him. I never had to work hard before why did I think after having a baby I would be any different.

I was sadly mistaken. While I lost a lot of the weight fairly easy, the last 20 pounds stayed on, my hips were much wider, my bra's didn't fit the same and anything tight fitting was out of the question. I toyed with different diets, workout routines but I never stuck with anything. I continued to eat crap, tell myself I deserved that Menchies ice cream at 10pm, I easily came up with any excuse to tell myself as to why I should eat the way I was eating and do the things I was doing.

When I got pregnant with Skylor I vowed to not eat crap during this pregnancy and for the most part I didn't. I got out and walked most nights and chasing a 2 year old around was exercise in itself. I only gained about 20 lbs but it was on top of the 20 lbs I never got rid of from the first pregnancy. After having Sky it was the dead of summer and while I wasn't throwing on a bathing suit any time soon I stayed active and started losing the weight. I lost 15 of the 20 lbs I had gained with Sky pretty fast but still my body was different, I wasn't fitting into clothes and I seemed even more awkward and insecure than before.

6 months ago I told myself I was going to stop making excuses and start making plans. I wasn't concerned that I weighed 130 pounds, the number has NEVER bothered me but the way I felt when I wore clothes did. I began eating better and going to the gym but it wasn't enough, I needed something else. There are plenty of different programs out there and I looked into them all, Beachbody, Plexus, Herbalife, the list goes on. I know personally I didn't want to be limited to replacing shakes for meals, obsessing over confining my food to fit into containers and I wanted a program that inspired me by the people already involved in it. I decided to do the 24 day challenge with Advocare as it involved eating all the food I was already eating, followed up with a easy cleanse, supplements and exercise. After the 24 days is up you have now have been given the tools and ability to change your lifestyle and eating habits but it's up to YOU to do so! This is not a quick fix and you need to know that this is a lifestyle change, if you let yourself go and start eating crap again you will look and feel like crap, simple as that! You are what you eat they say...

COFFEE INTAKE: We all know how much I love my coffee and I'm here to let you know that I've gone OVER 24 days without a DROP of coffee (booze too!). Do you realize what this normally would mean for me?! I would get migraines if I didn't have a cup by 9am, I was cranky and irritable and EXHAUSTED without it. I also drank at least 2 or 3 mugs full everyday PLUS I would have a Monster or Redbull at work before I left to come home (SICK!) In the past 24 days I've become a new person, the other day at the park Jerek told me that I had as much energy as Tracen did and I just smiled. In that moment I was so incredibly happy with myself and my life I knew that things will only get better and to stay on track. The only caffeine intake I'm having is one spark a day, that's about 3/4 less than I was drinking before! Some days I don't even have one! I'm going to continue lowering the amount of coffee I drink, I know I know but I do not need venti and trenta anything people and I'm attempting to save money for the wedding, remember!!!

FOOD: Besides portions and learning how to meal plan better I've learned what a complex carbs is. I wish I was kidding but I'm totally not! I honestly had no idea what they were until doing the challenge! Many people think that cutting out carbs is the way to go, WRONG! Your body NEEDS carbs but it needs the right carbs, especially when you are working out. Complex carbs keep the body fueled for an extended period of time, help in digestion, lose weight and keep your heart healthy. Here is a good example of what complex carbs are and guess what it's not just starchy things, who knew!?

As I already said, if you don't keep up your new found eating habits or stop exercising just like any program you WILL fall back into a bad habits! So just remember that you are investing in your health and happiness and usually the health and happiness of others around you, especially if you are a mama! While I began this as a weight loss journey it's turned into something more than just that. It's a lifestyle that has forever changed mine and my family's life! Just like sharing the ups and downs associated with motherhood I'm excited to share this journey with you as well. I'm sure some mommy post only resonate with certain people so the same goes with fitness and health. I won't be offended if you could care less how much I can dead lift or that my mile has increased but please, keep any rude comments to yourself, I'm working hard over here mmmmkkkk!

Here's one last thing for you, my stretch marks and saggy bellybutton. Yep, I just put that shit on the internet. I want you to know I'm human and while maybe yours are far worse or maybe you didn't stretch out like a balloon it's ok! But like I've stated about the number on the scale, I know my stretch marks will never go away and I've learned to care less about them, so I'll be off busy building muscle and not giving two shits about these stripes, in fact we all know I want another baby as soon as we get married, bring on the tiger stripes people!

If you are interested in learning more and just have questions feel free to send me an email and remember to celebrate your progress from weight loss, muscle gains, clothes fitting better and overall health! || eastwillowgrove@gmail.com ||

Remember you can follow along on Instagram for more meal ideas, transformations and workouts!

{I haven't been this happy to not have a shirt on and bare myself to world like I was yesterday!}

If you are interested in maybe doing the 24 Day Challenge too here is everything you will need to know. I also have a group of challengers and 10 day cleansers starting every month so you never have to feel like you are in this alone! Remember timing is huge on your success so if committing to something like this is not for you right now time or money wise, I totally get it, it took me 3 years to finally be ready to take the leap. Once you sign up you will be added to a private Facebook group that is full of empowerment from like minded people all interested in the same goals! In this group you will get easy workouts you can do at home or at the gym, recipes and meal plans, tips and other support needed to help you achieve your health and fitness goals!

I know this was long but when I'm excited about something I can't stop talking about it! Happy Thursday and remember that with this long weekend ahead of us, make healthy choices and get out and exercise! Holidays are meant to be enjoyed but over indulging only leads you to wake up the next day with regret. Thank you for supporting me in this journey with loads full of encouragement, as a mom I need that shit!