Ready, Set, Lose!! Weight Loss Edition: Spotlight on Blaire

Today's spotlight on weight loss is shined on my friend Blaire. Let me begin with a true confession, Blaire was actually my neighbor in cubicle land for about two years. I was blessed to see her progress through her pregnancy, her sister's wedding and also through some of her amazing weight loss milestones before she left the company. In fact, we were both trying to lose weight at the same time but she ran circles around me and here's why: Blaire is one of the most regimented and disciplined eaters I know. Once she decided to lose weight, she was a calorie counting machine!

  I didn't get my eating under control until last year but having been Blaire's co-worker and friend on My Fitness Pal, I've observed the amount of focus she put into her meals, planning before she went out to eat and staying true to her calorie count, even before she began adding fitness into her weight loss routine. Also, she managed to jump back on the weight loss train after her pregnancy with her second child!

Blaire is amazing and so are her results, take it away Blaire!

1.       Can you tell us a little about your history with fitness, food and body weight/image?

 I have always struggled with my weight my entire life. I was always taller and bigger than the other girls and that really bothered me. I ate my feelings. If I was happy, I ate. If I was sad, I ate. If I was angry, I ate. I turned to food to fill a void or to illicit a new feeling. I would lose weight and gain it back due to not making a full lifestyle change.

 

 

2.       What made you decide to commit to weight loss? Was there a defining moment?

After I had my first child I was the heaviest I had ever been. I’m 5’9 and weighed 297 lbs. I was tired all the time, out of breath all the time, and just overall felt miserable. I knew something HAD TO CHANGE. I was breast feeding so I began to eat healthier for my child, not even so much myself. One day I just snapped. I saw pictures of myself at my sister’s wedding.  I was embarrassed of what I had become. A friend had told me about the MyFitnessPal app and I started to religiously use it.

 

 

3.       How did your eating habits change based on your decision to lose weight? 

 Once I started logging all the food I ate into the MyFitnessPal app it finally hit me…… The actual number of calories I was overeating a day and what it would take to burn off excess calories. It all began to click. The app gave me a clear cut way to be held accountable and manage my food intake.

 

 

 

4.       Did exercise play in role in your weight loss? If so, what types of exercise and how often?

Along with logging all my food into the app I started to go for small walks. Short distance walks turned into 5 minutes on an elliptical. 5 minutes turned into 20 minutes. Soon 20 minutes turned into 45 minutes and I was hooked. I rapidly started to lose weight and that felt AMAZING! I slowly gained confidence, energy, and most of all will power. My exercise routines continued to build and I started to add weights to my cardio routines.

 

 

5.       How do you stay motivated?

It’s an everyday struggle. Even though I have lost 130 lbs I am STILL a food addict. It’s very easy to slip, to be tired, for holidays and others to discourage you. I just try to constantly focus on how good I feel. How strong I am, what I have overcome. I  remember the times I felt so bad, felt ugly, felt ashamed, and I never want that for myself or for my children ever again.

 

  
6.       Are there any apps or tools that you utilized during your weight loss journey?

MyFitnessPal.com

 

 

7.       If you could only give our readers your top three tips for weight loss, what would they be?

 #1. LOG EVERYTHING YOU EAT BEFORE YOU EAT IT!   #2. Do not eat back all the calories you burn exercising.  #3. Never let more than 3 days go by without returning to your routine – EVER!

I don't know about you but I love Blaire's honesty. Her story speaks to the insecurity's we all feel from time to time and also the physical burden of carrying extra pounds. My biggest takeaway from reading her story is logging the calories before you eat, wow that takes will power! Seeing her progress has been an inspiration to me. I often refer to this awesome mom as "B" as in "Queen B" and I think you'll agree this hot momma is weight loss royalty, way to go B!