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I shared a bit about my body transformation before, but today I’m going to share a bit more. At the beginning of 2019 I was at my lowest weight of all time, 117 pounds. I was lean, had about 12% body fat, still had muscle and definition, but at just above 5′ 6″, my doctor told me she didn’t want me losing any more weight. My friends and co-workers were constantly commenting on my size and how I should eat a cupcake. My size became a focus for everyone. I heard a lot of “you’re so small!”, “you’re so tiny!” and received a lot of praise and questions about my diet and exercise behavior from women. I liked being lean, but I knew I was at a point where I couldn’t maintain that weight. And I wasn’t enjoying life the way I wanted to. Fast forward to today, I’m sitting at 150 pounds. And shit, was it hard to watch the scale climb over 30 pounds in one year. But now I get to the point of this post… I am 30 pounds heavier, but I’m still wearing the same clothes.

I am 30 pounds heavier, but I’m still wearing the same clothes.

Are you thinking, how is that even possible?! It is, I promise.  Muscle is denser than fat. If I put on 30 pounds of fat, my clothes would not fit. But because the weight gain was muscle, it is distributed differently on the body. I also began to eat to support my muscle growth. I started to concentrate on gaining more muscle and putting on size in a good way. I like being strong. Even at 117 pounds I could bench press 50 pound dumbbells. Skinny is a form of beauty in our society, but I love that it is starting to change and is becoming more acceptable for women to be strong. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Strong is the new skinny” and I love it. I’m all about people being able to be the way they want to be – be who you be, and all that. I hit my target of being lean and muscular, now it was time to see how strong I could get. 

I’ve liked things about my body at the 120, 130, 140 and 150 weight… and I’ve disliked things. But overall I’ve enjoyed the process of molding my body. And the gym is, over everything else, my biggest stress relieve. Do I have a clear goal in mind right now? Honestly? No. I don’t really know where I want to land. I’m loving the size I’ve put on, I’m loving the definition in my arms, the V taper of my back. I think my new goal is to lean out. I want to develop more of a waist, while keeping my shoulders and arms… and of course continuing to work on my booty!

If you’re working on transforming your body – take pictures! It’s the before and afters that really show the changes in your body. I don’t always love getting in front of the camera, but I am grateful for the limited photos I have taken and am now motivated to be much better at documenting my journey.

My fitness transformation is not complete… and may never be! And I love every step of the way. I’ve embraced fitness and shaping my body as part of my lifestyle and I will continue to push boundaries to see where I can go. 

LISTEN UP LADIES! Don’t be afraid to pick up the weights and get off the cardio machines! As you can see from the before and after above, I have curves and muscle and am still lean. Try something new this year, and if you need help or cheerleading along the way, just let me know!