Hi, I'm Taryn - and I'm so excited to join all of you!
I'm married and have a 1 1/2 year old daughter and a 14 year old stepson, and about 20 or so pounds I need to knock off to get back to where I want to - and should - be.
I am also trying to get myself back into fitness shape, so I'm looking forward to joining such a supportive community!
I used to be in great shape through most of my teens and twenties...and then law school happened. My last year of law school I ate like garbage, didn't work out, and had a hormone problem that left me about 30 pounds heavier than I had ever been in my life.
I tried to lose the weight by working out more but nothing changed. I ended up having to see the doctor and do some treatments to fix the hormone problem. I got started on a better diet program and started working out more. The weight started to come off and I looked and felt better than I ever had! I was running 5ks and a half marathon and felt like I was being my best self.
Then I got married and we decided we wanted to have a baby. I wanted to stick with my healthiest self during my pregnancy, so I continued to work out and was careful about what I ate. I was lifting weights and running up until I was seven months pregnant.
Unfortunately, massive amounts of fluid retention and a problem with my liver plus the crazy hormones meant a bunch of weight gain right around that time, and I eventually had to be induced about 3 weeks early. And after having my little nugget, my body went completely south.
A month after having my daughter, I started gaining back all the weight I had lost right away, and I felt gross - like a giant potato. Nothing fit and I had lumps in all the wrong places. But because I was breastfeeding and trying to be a mom, working out and eating to fuel my body hit the back burner.
My self esteem was almost non-existent and even though I hated how I looked and felt, I wasn't taking steps to do anything about it.
In January of this year, I decided that I needed to get my body back just for my own mental health. I couldn't keep hating myself and raise a daughter that wouldn't hate her own body, too. I started attending bootcamp classes at the gym twice a week, just to get back into it. I was watching what I ate.
But I was frustrated when the scale didn't move. I didn't understand why I couldn't even drop a pound! But then my clothes started to feel looser - even though the scale was still at the same number. And now, slowly but surely, the weight is starting to come off too.
But it's a long journey - and I need to get my running mojo back as I continue to build my strength. And I know that with the support of this community, I can get there!