Personally...

Dear Readers,
   This is my very first blog post ever. It seems these days like everyone has a blog... I'd like to share a little bit about myself and my goals for this website. My name is Maude! I'm a student at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas., where I am currently studying nutrition. Before attending Texas State, I spent two years at the University of Houston, where I studied Hospitality and Foods. I live with my boyfriend, Mason, and our dog, Beaux (my official taste tester). We have a very active lifestyle and are constantly striving to eat as healthily as possible.
    I grew up in a very healthy home. My mom cooked lots of lean proteins like fish and chicken, always accompanied by a whole grain and a green vegetable. We sat down to dinner as a family at least 5 times a week. There were never any sodas around my house, nor sugar cereals, and candy was a treasured rarity in my brother and my diet. I always knew my family ate differently than most people, just by comparing my school lunches to those of my friends. I consider myself incredibly lucky. I owe my passion for health to my parents. Not only did we eat very healthy in my childhood home, but my family was always very active. My mom taught and attended aerobics classes 3-7 times weekly for 20 plus years, even up until she was nine months pregnant with me. My father, now 65, has a resting heart rate lower than that of most people my age! He referees soccer weekly and eats fiber like nobody's business. My brother played soccer all the way up into college. It's safe to say THEY were pretty athletic.
    I don't remember when exactly I started dancing, but I was a little bitty tot in some of my early ballet glamour shots. I always remember having a passion for dancing, but it was pretty obvious I was not prima ballerina material from the start. I was the chubby girl in dance class. Yes, I could get my legs just as high, but I didn't look quite as cute in those frilly leotards. In high school I was on the dance team for one year before I was kicked off the team (hehe, I'm so bad...), and that was where my dancing career ended.
    After I got "released" from the Diamond Line, I was sad. I ate my feelings. I gained weight. My sophomore year in high school, my boyfriend's friends called him "Chubby Chaser", any time a tiff sprung up with a girl, they always went right for fat comments. Even my obese pediatrictian told me I was overweight and needed to do something about it! But I didn't. Why would I? I didn't want to lose weight, everyone else wanted me to. High school sucked. I ended up graduating a year early and heading to the University of Houston a semester early. It wasn't until I was all moved out and on my own that I made the decision to change my life.
    The first change I made was food. Thankfully, the dorm I lived in the first semester of college had a really great cafeteria below it. The lines served fresh fruits and veggies, an array of entrees, and never the same meal twice. It was awesome. 
    The second thing I changed was exercise. I had been pretty stagnant for a couple of years, so getting back into exercise was a huge challenge. Slowly over time, though, I began to lose weight. First it was 5 pounds, barely noticeable. Then out of nowhere it was 15, and I was really feeling hot! I spent that semester walking back and fourth from my dorm to the gym everyday for Zumba class.
    My boyfriend, Mason, is an incredible athlete. And I mean incredible. He leg presses over 1,100 pounds and literally sprints 5 minute miles while I walk on the treadmill next to him... like WHAT?! He has always loved me and my body for exactly who I am, but he has also always encouraged me to exercise. About 5 months ago I started weight training with Mason. In the last few months the physical changes in my body have been amazing. As he puts it, our body is the clay, our limbs the chisels, now sculpt! 
    It's been three years since I decided to change. There have been ups and downs and periods of stagnancy and binging, but I am finally in a place feeling confident and sexy, even strong and beautiful! I have lost a total of nearly 40 pounds since I started this venture. I cannot tell you how much my life has changed since I became healthier. I say healthier, because it's not about being "skinny" or thin for me, it is all about my health. I have more energy than I have ever had before. I had struggled with anxiety and depression in the past; completely gone. I never get sick. I always feel great when I wake up. I embrace soreness and I crave fruit and natural foods. I want this for you. I want to share with you my secrets. The real stuff. There is no pill, no special diet, no protein shake, no vibrating lap band, no pair of "Spanx" in this whole wide world, that will magically shed the unwanted pounds from your waistline. There is only one way and that is through eating right and exercising often. But that okay! It doesn't have to be horrible! Take it from the used-to-be "feeling-eater" and the girl who will never run a mile in her entire life. Seriously. WE can do this. If you want to change your life, or even just maintain a healthy lifestyle, this blog is for you. My life's work will be for you.
    I plan on using this blog to post all kinds of information that is beneficial for a healthy lifestyle. I will include recipes, meal plans, grocery lists, workouts, nutritional information, and track my personal progress. Please feel free to leave feedback and let me know if you have any requests!
Eat clean, train dirty.
Maude

Here's my first progress pic! The first picture is from 2011, the second is from February 2014.