Dieting Timeline (2000- present)

I thought I'd post this up for those that are new to the blog or really dont know.

Pre-2000
I spent much of my life "dieting" though most of the weight that I lost was done through just eating well & exercising. The yo-yo cycle was happening though because I'd not stick with things for as long as I needed to or I'd get lax.

2000
Moved to Vegas in 2000 & started the Body for Life program & connected with a group through the Yahoo BFL groups. Had some great times, made some friends, dropped some weight.

2001
Started working with a trainer (Regina) at Gold's Gym while living in Las Vegas. I ate properly, kept a food diary but never worried about counting a single thing.

2002-2003
Circumstances changed & I had to stop working with Regina but went back to the BFL knowledge that I already had, trained like a mad woman at Gold's & kept up with a healthy lifestyle.

Early 2003
Relocated back home so with no gym (yet), I bought a home gym setup & started eating properly once again. The BFL program was the basis for how I ate my meals. To this day, I still didnt worry about calories, macros, etc. I just chose healthy foods that I knew were good for me with a few goodies tossed in for merit! lol

April 2003-September 2006
Started a new job (in March) & met who would become my best friend. She was a runner so I started running with her. She was also a member of Weight Watchers so I joined her there too. It was the first time in my life that I ever "counted" anything that went into my mouth BUT the WW program was so easy & nothing was off-limits.

I became a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers just 2 months after my Mom passed away. It was a bittersweet moment since I'd call her after every meeting to tell her of the results of the week. I met my WW goal the Saturday before she went into the hospital. She was so proud!

June 2007-April 2008
I started working with Cathy Savage wanting to see how far I could take my new body. It was a little bit of a rollercoaster & the first time I'd ever *really* counted macros. I'd followed plans here & there but nothing like this. It was kind of a challenge but I managed just fine. I worked with Cathy through April 2008 after competing in my first figure show. So much fun!

May 2008-August 2008
After the first figure show, I decided that I'd prefer to work with someone more local so I enlisted the help of a local training team out of Illinois. Their methods of training were amazing & I will say that I had some of the BEST workouts ever with them. The gym was run by an IFBB pro so it was no bull & down to business. What I learned however was that there methods of prep were very old-school & tough. By the time that show rolled around (about 4 weeks later), I was exhausted, looked bad & didnt know if I could hold my head up straight. Extreme diet + prescription diuretic = BAD NEWS!

I continued to work with that team for a while..training every other weekend but kept gaining weight inspite of backing out of my contest diet properly.

August 2008-September 2008
I was approached by Mandy Polk after she read my online journal & recognized that I had experienced some metabolic damage after the last round of contest prep. I worked through a repair program that she set up & completed that for about 6 weeks until I just felt that I was gaining too much. Thankfully, my weight stabilized just as I ended my stint with Mandy. I will remain grateful to her for seeking me out to help.

October 2008-January 2009
Honestly, I went back to what I knew worked for me in the past. I went back to Weight Watchers. I dropped some weight but it bounced back up after a short time. I thought I really needed some professional help so I enlisted the help of The Diet Doc (Joe Klemczewski) who was working with a few people I knew. I know he's had experience with this type of thing before. I initially dropped some weight but it was a very low calorie (1100) & low carb. I eventually stopped having bowel movements & no amount of Metamucil was helping. I also started training for a half marathon & was given no additional food to fuel my body. I became concerned & had to step away after not getting the help I needed.

****I can see that I'm starting to sound like one of the diet jumpers that drive me nuts!!!!!******

January 2009-April 2009
During this time, I'd realized that I maintained my weight through the holidays & took that as a win. My last show was in May of 2008 & I'd managed to maintain finally for 6 months. I thought that something may be ready for a change though I'd tried to lose & always ended up back in the same spot. I still took it as a win that my body had regulated itself...FINALLY! All systems (and I do mean all) were back to full function. It only took about a year!

April 2009-June 2014
I worked Cathy Savage Fitness. That was a long email when I updated her on what had happened with the local coach. The Savage team is a natural one & no one is ever asked to take anything. She was floored to say the least & I knew it was going to be a tough road to diet like that again though I will say that my macros are very generous.

I've given it almost 2 months now & have lost a net of 0 pounds. I'm frustrated to say least but several things have come into mind that I need to take into account.

I'm healthy again.
Macro counting is not a lifestyle.
I'm active.
I'm fit.
I'm working to be a better me.

I will continue to work on losing a little weight but wont let it be the thing that drives me or keeps me from living life.

June 2014-present
After MUCH consideration & MANY years, I resigned from my sponsored position with the CSF team & signed on with Team Best Fit Body.  The training is intense, no excessive cardio & the part that I like the best is the flexible dieting.  (Google results for IIFYM )