My Story/I am Beautiful

great·ness/ˈgrātnis/ The state, condition, or quality of being great; as, greatness of size, greatness of mind, power, etc.

We are all in process, never a finished product, constantly "under construction". Personally, I know that I don't want to live a life that is just ok. I want to live a Great Life! For me that involves learning all I can, and sharing all I know to help others live their version of a Great Life. I've recently embarked on a journey towards a healthier lifestyle. It has not been easy and has had many ups and downs, but boy has it been worth it. When I started this journey I was 23 years old and weighed 200lbs.

Hitting 200lbs was my turn around point. I knew that if i continued on the path I was on, making changes would only be harder to do in the future. So I decided to do something...anything! I wanted to loose weight, and at that point that was my only goal. I was depressed every time I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt that I was ugly and the only thing that would ever make me beautiful or worthy of love was to be "Skinny". 

One day, a friend of mine, approached me and asked me if I would be interested in training with the American Cancer Society to run the ING New York City Marathon. (HA!) I laughed at him. How was my 200 lb booty gonna run 26.2 miles?!? Long story short; I DID IT! I trained for 8 months, and finished the NYC Marathon on November 6, 2011.

 

I also lost 25 lbs. in the process. 

Here's where it gets real. I was so psyched about my huge accomplishment and all the weight that I lost that I wanted to do even more!!!! So I continued working out, going to the gym, running, weights the whole nine - religiously! But, it wasn't fast enough for me, I wanted to loose more weight right then and there. So I started counting calories. Then counting calories turned into restricting calories. I became so obsessed with burning more calories then I ate in a day (I mean that's how you loose weight right?) that I was living off of 500 - 900 calories a day. And on those 900 calorie days I felt like a fat lard for eating as much as I had. It was never enough. No matter how hard I ran, or how little I ate, unless I thought I was beautiful I would always see myself as fat. 

(Listen to this song, and tell me if you can relate. I know I've felt like this, and am moved to tears every time I hear this song just thinking of all of the beautiful women who can't see how gorgeous they are.)

So here is my vow/pact to you. I promise to never deprive my body of nutrients for the sake of weight loss. I promise to keep living a healthy life, keep running marathons, and keep making this world a more beautiful place just by being in it!  

I want the same thing for you. In this blog, I want to write about workouts and healthy recipes, not so we can get skinny, but so we can be fit, and healthy. If living a healthier life style is a goal you have let's do it together! You can make changes that will give you more energy to get out there and share your beautiful light with the world. 

......And if no one has told you yet today, You Are BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Cyber Hugs,

Cassi