About Rachel
Hey there! Thanks for reading Fit Mommy Diets. My name is Rachel Kirkland. I’m a 36-year-old mom of an adorable baby boy and a wife to a wacky but loving husband. In my spare time, I love to stay in our humble Texas home and just read through a good book. My other hobbies include collecting antiques, painting, gardening, and just recently – running. I run 4 or 5 times a week and have started training for my very first marathon, yay! I’m a pre-school teacher by day and a blogger by night. I became a teacher because I’m passionate about educating young minds and I simply love kids. On the other hand, I became a blogger not because I’m good at writing or have a very active and creative mind but because I wanted to share the ups and downs of my weight loss journey with other moms and aspiring moms out there, in the hopes of giving them inspiration.
Why Fit Mommy Diets
Before I started this blog, I topped the scale at 210lbs with a BMI of 36 – so essentially, I was considered obese. That was back in 2012 when I never really paid attention to my size except on the occasions where people insensitively said it straight to my face. I didn’t mind my weight then because I know that my family and friends accepted me for what I was – fat, flabby, and all. So at that time, there was really nothing to motivate me to push myself to lose weight… until 3 years into our marriage and we still couldn’t have a baby. We had both undergone tests to rule out infertility, and thankfully we were both healthy in that sense. My job wasn’t really stressful and I got plenty of rest, so there was just one thing that might have been causing our problem – my extremely overweight body. I remember a friend telling me, “How can you expect to have a healthy baby if you can’t even take care of your own health?” And that was the turning point for me.
I realized that by continuing my unhealthy lifestyle and keeping this weight, I was being selfish to my husband. I wanted our family to be complete and I felt guilty that I couldn’t conceive. We couldn’t afford a professional trainer or nutritionist so I had to rely on my own research to begin my weight loss journey. I’ve probably read hundreds of articles and blogs about weight loss, tried different types of diets, and even considered gastric bypass to solve my weight problem. None of them really worked for me, I was losing a few pounds but then gaining them back again after a few weeks. Then the realization came to me one day… my problem couldn’t be solved by a quick fix. I’ve been overweight for half of my life so I can’t expect to just drop pounds in a few weeks or few months’ time. This is something I need to commit to and work on continuously. I started from scratch and began my baby steps towards fitness and nutrition. I stopped becoming obsessed with the scale, I just continued eating the right foods – fruits, vegetables, lean meats – and started becoming physically active – walking, biking, yoga. That’s also when I discovered running and quickly became an avid fan. Slowly but consistently, I started losing weight… until last year, my husband and I finally got the best news of our lives – I was pregnant!
Fast forward to 2016 – I’m now at 145 lbs (I have yet to completely lose the weight I gained during pregnancy), a first time mom of an 8-month old boy, a future marathoner, a fitness and health advocate, a proud and fit mommy, and a happier version of me. I started this blog so I can share with you my success and struggles in losing weight, give you the motivation and support you need to achieve your weight goal, and help you realize that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself. Whether you’re a working mom, a seasoned mom, a mom-to-be, or planning to be a mom, this blog is for you. So come and share your thoughts with me! Subscribe in this fun and amazing community and be inspired to transform yourself into a better and healthier you. Together, let’s take the journey to be a fit mommy!