Candi's Journey to Fit Chick

I’m 26 years old and I come from a family who enjoys our food and fun times and I’ve always struggled with my weight. Around 180 pounds and jeans 10/12 was my average size in high school. I met the love of my life at 15, we got married when I was 20 and we’re happily married now 6 years later. We have a 3 year old and an 8 month old, both beautiful little girls. They are the reason I’ve made the decision to get healthy!

Here’s my weight loss story to date; after getting married I slowly let my weight creep higher and higher. I then gained 35 pounds during my first pregnancy. Afterward I lost some of the weight but not nearly all. In 2011 I got pregnant again and let myself get to my highest weight ever, I was 269 pounds the week I delivered.

At that most miserable weight EVER I decided I had to make a change. There was no way I wanted to try to keep up with a toddler and a newborn and feel as terrible as I did. I had to make a change! In November 2011 I had our daughter and it was a quick, natural delivery (didn’t have time for my epidural). After that I gave myself the full 6 weeks to recover and continue wearing maternity clothes. But I made a promise to myself that when the 6 weeks were up regular clothes were going on my body! So I started changing my diet to incorporate healthier eating.

  In Dec, once the dr gave the ok, the maternity clothes went away and fitness started. I could only wear two pairs of regular pants that I owned (size 18/20) to they were rotated daily until I started shedding inch for inch and pound for pound and getting back into pre- pregnancy clothes. On January 1, 2012 I had worked myself down to 245 pounds and got measured. I also took a tip from my sister in law who is a beach body coach and joined MyFitnessPal with her. I absolutely love the site and have logged in everyday consecutively on my phone and computer since joining!


I started getting up between 4:30-5:30 almost every day to do TurboFire videos or walked and I logged every bite/drink that went in my mouth and maintained a 12-1600 calorie diet depending on how much exercise I had each day. I made it a point to drink no less than 8 ounces of water every day. I set small goals for each month to not focus on the more than 100 pounds I wanted to lose and every 2 weeks I measured my body again. Of course I would have days where I’d mess up and skip my exercise or go over my calorie limit. But the difference this time was the next day I started fresh and didn’t let it ruin my journey.

 As of today, I am proud to say that I’m down to 182 pounds. Just counting from Jan 1 of this year I’ve shed 63 pounds and 86 ¾ inches! Since my highest weight ever in November 2011 I’ve shed 87 pounds (only 7 of which were baby!). It can be done!

My ultimate goal is to be 140 pounds and have a ‘healthy’ BMI. As I said, I’ve never been small. But I can fit into the smallest jeans I own from high school this week so it’s onto unfamiliar territory now. I want to weigh less and be healthier than I’ve ever been! I think with the wonderful people around me, my MFP pals and my determination /new healthy lifestyle I will get there! But I just wanted to share and say don’t think that you can’t lose your weight and get your body back with a healthy diet and exercise! It just takes will power, patience, and if you’re like me some helpful tools to get there!!

Hopefully by or before Dec 31 of this year I will be able to post my final picture of me at my ultimate goal 140 with a smile on my face.

*Did you like Candi's Story? Like and Share it!*