My Bio

Hi- My name’s Tara.  I’ve lost 50 pounds in the last 6 months.  

I have never been the same size as most girls my age, I noticed this starting in Junior High.  I started playing volleyball and basketball, but quit both after a year or two.  I didn’t feel like I could keep up, and have always felt like I didn’t have the athletic gene.  I used that as an excuse to be barely active at all. I gained about 25 pounds over the course of high school, and knew I was overweight. Freshman year at college, I gained my freshman 15.  In the first semester.  

I knew something had to change.  I was not happy with myself, how I looked, or how I felt.  I had heard a few comments through the grapevine that people had made about my weight gain, stinging any bit of confidence I had. One night, a group of friends went out rock climbing and I couldn’t make it to the top even once.  I felt weak and made a conscious decision to be more active. These and many other things pushed me over the top and got me started on my goal to a more fit and healthier me.

I started off making only little changes, however, these little changes made the starting weight fall off fairly fast. I worked out two to three nights a week, just doing cardio/bodyweight exercises I found online. I tried to eat better, but never put myself on a diet.  I wanted this to be a lifestyle change and something I could do forever – therefore; I didn’t want to put limits on myself. I never once said “You will never have another bowl of ice cream ever.”  Please.  Who can resist ice cream.  Let’s be real.

After the first 15 came off, I realized I was actually doing something. I worked a little harder, and focused more on what I was taking in.  My still non-diet mindset was mostly just focused on “Is it really worth it to eat that for how long it’ll take to burn off?”  I also started an 8 week contest that was great!  It was based on making healthy choices every day.  I will share the specific program on the blog sometime in the weeks to come.

I got home for the summer having lost about 30 lbs total. It was a hard adjustment to make coming from nasty dining hall food to my mom’s REALLY good cooking for every meal.  Needless to say, it took more effort at home.  I really enjoyed group fitness classes.  About halfway through the summer, I hit a plateau, so I started the Insanity Program.  It was great!  I lost inches fast.

Since returning to school this fall, I’ve been very consistent at the gym, and have been adding variety to my workout. I have studied health and nutrition, so I’ve been much more conscious of what I’m taking in. 

I wanted to start this blog because several people have asked me how I’ve done it and how I’ve done it so fast. I love sharing with others about my new lifestyle and things that have worked for me.  I hope to share tips on diet, exercise plans, and recipes, along with my own experience. 

Ultimately, I believe achieving weight loss goals should be done through decisions that you will continue to make longterm.  Let’s face it.  It’s easy to put weight on.  It’s really hard to take it off.  If you lose it, you’ll gain it back faster than you can blink if you quit and throw out everything you’ve worked for.  You must make changes you can live with.

6 months ago, I hated working out.  Now I truly hate to miss a workout. I promise, you really will like it one day. 6 months ago, I wanted to eat anything that was terrible for me.  Now, I can only eat so much crap before I’m just plain sick. 6 months ago, I never thought I could do this.  I figured it’d just be something to do for a few weeks, subconsciously thinking I was going to quit later anyways. I never imagined I would be the “before and after,” feeling healthy, weighing less than I did at 15 years old, and having people ask me questions left and right about how I’ve done it.  Through determination I never knew I had in me, amazing support from my family, boyfriend, and friends, pushing myself when I just wanted to quit, and not letting myself make excuses, I’ve come a long way in the last 6 months.