Dedication: my children
I am sharing with you a post from my Facebook page from Tuesday, March 27, 2018. In fitness, Tuesday’s are known as Transformation Tuesday. It’s been a lifelong journey for me and I finally decided it was time to share it. RAW, REAL, and as honest as it gets. It’s time to pay it forward and give back. If I can inspire ONE person to never give up, and continue on when they think they can’t go on, my journey would be complete. Below is my post with my story…and it’s kind of lengthy. 🙂
Amy Sauro added 2 new photos.
March 27 at 1:22pm ·
Transformation Tuesday…YES THIS IS LONG….where do I begin…posting these transformation pictures should be the easiest thing for someone to do when they’ve literally transformed not only their physical being but their spiritual one as well. For me, posting these is actually very difficult. I’ve never been one to take progress pictures because when I first embarked on this journey I didn’t even realize what this would become. I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle and set a better example for my children. If anyone would have told me what I was going to endure, I probably wouldn’t have started. LOL ???? Having been overweight, and then obese, then losing weight only to gain back even more, for most of my life; I made a decision in 2009, the year I was turning 40, to be a healthier, fit, and happier version of myself than I ever had been before. I had a specific “size” that I wanted to be when I turned 40. Not realizing then, that “size and scale” were really irrelevant, it was so much more than just being about my body and weight. It was about health, self love, strength…mind, body, and spirit. I knew it would be difficult, but I was ready to change my life, and I made a promise to myself that I WOULD NOT GIVE UP, no matter how hard it was. I made this decision alone and I’ve traveled this journey alone for the last 9 years. No surgeries, no trainer’s, pills, or pre-packaged meals. There was a group of us, at the job I was working at in 2009, that joined Weight Watchers at work which definitely got me started in my food choices and helped me be accountable for the first 60 days of this journey. After that, it was Just me, Google, YouTube, and a shitload of drive and determination. Being overweight was what I was used to, it’s what I knew, and it was the skin I had been in for the majority of my life. The fat jokes, the snide comments, the unwanted “dietary” advice that I never asked for… sometimes even from strangers! The time someone asked me how far along I was when I wasn’t even pregnant . You become numb to it after so long but it never leaves you, it becomes that negative little voice in your head filled with self doubt. What I was NOT prepared for were the negative, belittling, condescending, hurtful and down right mean comments I received as my transformation became more and more visible. While I did have some supportive people in my life, I had NO IDEA how to handle all of the negativity that I was facing….it was completely new terrain for me and, believe it or not, it brought me so many more insecurities than being overweight ever did. It beat me down so low that, emotionally, I found myself in a really difficult place and wasn’t quite sure how I was going to come out of it. I didn’t want to let myself down, yet again, so I just continued on with the promise I had made to myself and it was one of THE HARDEST things I have ever done in my life. It’s only been within the last 2 years that I have FINALLY learned to accept myself, love myself, felt comfortable and confident enough with myself to join a gym, and realize that whatever anyone thinks of me doesn’t even matter because it’s MY journey. The number on the scale doesn’t define me, it never did. The scale is not the window to my heart and soul nor does it determine my character and integrity. Overweight, underweight, average weight, or being fit…someone is always going to have something to say. How you value yourself is what matters, being happy with yourself is what matters…it’s an INSIDE JOB and you won’t find it in anyone or anywhere else. Every single decision and choice that we make in life is a reflection of how we view and value ourselves. THIS life journey, fitness, the gym, the mental, physical, and inner strength I’ve gained from it, have positively impacted EVERY facet of my life. I am ???? happy with who I am, inside and out, and I had to travel this journey alone to find that peace within. I had to grow through what I was going through. So, for me, I will continue to strive to be a better version of myself Every.Damn.Day. And yes, I am damn proud of what I’ve accomplished which is precisely why I have decided to share it. It’s never too late. NEVER give up and always do what you think you can’t do. That’s how you grow and growth is a necessary and BEAUTIFUL thing.
#liveinspired
#inspiresomeone
#fitover40
#myjourney
#loveyourself
#strongisbeautiful
#betterthanyesterday
#gymlife
#neverquit
#cantstopwontstop
#squadup
#lovethelaneimin
#goals
