About Me:How I Went From Underdog to Beastmode
My name is Shelly, AKA Girl on Fire, AKA Beastmode. Glad to make your acquaintance.
I started out being a very skinny kid, kind of like awkward alien baby when I was a baby, and then awkward alien child. I always had a very high forehead, thin blonde hair, and was rail thin. I did gymnastics for six years, figure skated for one, did soccer two seasons and basketball for one season. I finally decided I wasn't designed for that sort of thing and started writing.
I had an adverse reaction to a medication that I was on for seven years. No one really knew what was going on with me or that the medication was to blame. They put me on several different meds; one of them ended up causing me to gain 25 pounds in a month. I ended up finally gaining about 60 pounds when they figured out (or rather, I did) what the issue was.
The damage to my ego was almost irreversible. Only my mom really mentioned the obesity, but I was made fun of for other reasons, one of which that I was just... well, not exactly the quintessential picture of normalcy. It has served me well in later years, but back then it didn't. I was regularly called pretty much everything, chased around the classroom, someone stole my lock in seventh grade and I had to pay for it, people tore down my birthday locker decorations. You know, fun stuff like that. It sucked!
When I got into college, I didn't know how to take being free of the strict childhood and bullying that I had. I coped by abusing over-the-counter pills for about a year. Then one day, I decided to stop. I tapered them off and I never touched them again. Thankfully, I didn't have the normal isolation and issues associated with drug addiction. In fact, no one knew until years later!
I became a Christian in 2004, but I didn't stay Christian. I felt isolated and lesser-than by most of the people in the church group, and they eventually ended up kicking me out because of various things. By that time I was dating a guy that would later become my fiancé, after three years of dating. In 2008, we got engaged on New Years Eve at Hooter's. I wish I was making that up, bit of a class act, that guy. Needless to say, the engagement only lasted 4 months and I relocated to Saint Louis.
The next three years were a mess. I was in a horribly abusive relationship for a year, and then tried to relocate again, only to end up broke. I ended up moving back in with my parents. I was talking to a guy on the internet and he sounded like a great guy, but I figured since he was nice he wouldn't want to date me. Imagine my surprise when he asked me out on a date! We met on May 13, 2011, and I admit it wasn't love at first glance. He was very quiet at first, didn't say much, but then he opened up more and we got to talking all night. We went to a park and I asked him to be my boyfriend, beating him to the punch. He accepted, and we started dating. We were engaged on December 1, 2012, and no, it wasn't at Hooter's. ;-)
He was the catalyst for a huge lifestyle change. There were several instances, but one day I was out in Chesterfield looking for a bumper sticker for my new car. I discovered that Supplement Superstores offered the bumper sticker in question, so I went in there, and received a sample of supplements. Normally, I wouldn't have touched those, but I was doing a review blog and figured if they made me bat shit crazy than I wouldn't go back. Imagine my surprise when my mood completely changed. I didn't lose weight at first, but they helped me a lot.
I ended up with a job, that ended up taking an emotional toll on me. I was coming home from the library after reading the latest book to change my life, and I remembered that I had forgotten to take my supplements. I took them, and it said on the side of the bottle, "Never Settle." It was 1st Phorm's old slogan and I got one of the last bottles. But it really struck a chord with me. I pulled in to the gym and did a 15-minute walk. I was exhausted and emotionally depleted, but it really helped. I ended up going back several more times and ended up losing almost 50 pounds thus far.
It wasn't without snags. I was sick for almost a year before I found out that I had Celiac's Disease, which is an inability to properly assimilate gluten. I am unable to eat bread, pasta, and certain meats without becoming ill. I was already a vegan at the time so meat-eating wasn't a problem, but I definitely struggled trying to make the transition. But I made it.
My advice to newbies? Never, ever give up and don't beat yourself up over setbacks. You will get there, you just have to do it.
I started out being a very skinny kid, kind of like awkward alien baby when I was a baby, and then awkward alien child. I always had a very high forehead, thin blonde hair, and was rail thin. I did gymnastics for six years, figure skated for one, did soccer two seasons and basketball for one season. I finally decided I wasn't designed for that sort of thing and started writing.
I had an adverse reaction to a medication that I was on for seven years. No one really knew what was going on with me or that the medication was to blame. They put me on several different meds; one of them ended up causing me to gain 25 pounds in a month. I ended up finally gaining about 60 pounds when they figured out (or rather, I did) what the issue was.
The damage to my ego was almost irreversible. Only my mom really mentioned the obesity, but I was made fun of for other reasons, one of which that I was just... well, not exactly the quintessential picture of normalcy. It has served me well in later years, but back then it didn't. I was regularly called pretty much everything, chased around the classroom, someone stole my lock in seventh grade and I had to pay for it, people tore down my birthday locker decorations. You know, fun stuff like that. It sucked!
When I got into college, I didn't know how to take being free of the strict childhood and bullying that I had. I coped by abusing over-the-counter pills for about a year. Then one day, I decided to stop. I tapered them off and I never touched them again. Thankfully, I didn't have the normal isolation and issues associated with drug addiction. In fact, no one knew until years later!
I became a Christian in 2004, but I didn't stay Christian. I felt isolated and lesser-than by most of the people in the church group, and they eventually ended up kicking me out because of various things. By that time I was dating a guy that would later become my fiancé, after three years of dating. In 2008, we got engaged on New Years Eve at Hooter's. I wish I was making that up, bit of a class act, that guy. Needless to say, the engagement only lasted 4 months and I relocated to Saint Louis.
The next three years were a mess. I was in a horribly abusive relationship for a year, and then tried to relocate again, only to end up broke. I ended up moving back in with my parents. I was talking to a guy on the internet and he sounded like a great guy, but I figured since he was nice he wouldn't want to date me. Imagine my surprise when he asked me out on a date! We met on May 13, 2011, and I admit it wasn't love at first glance. He was very quiet at first, didn't say much, but then he opened up more and we got to talking all night. We went to a park and I asked him to be my boyfriend, beating him to the punch. He accepted, and we started dating. We were engaged on December 1, 2012, and no, it wasn't at Hooter's. ;-)
He was the catalyst for a huge lifestyle change. There were several instances, but one day I was out in Chesterfield looking for a bumper sticker for my new car. I discovered that Supplement Superstores offered the bumper sticker in question, so I went in there, and received a sample of supplements. Normally, I wouldn't have touched those, but I was doing a review blog and figured if they made me bat shit crazy than I wouldn't go back. Imagine my surprise when my mood completely changed. I didn't lose weight at first, but they helped me a lot.
I ended up with a job, that ended up taking an emotional toll on me. I was coming home from the library after reading the latest book to change my life, and I remembered that I had forgotten to take my supplements. I took them, and it said on the side of the bottle, "Never Settle." It was 1st Phorm's old slogan and I got one of the last bottles. But it really struck a chord with me. I pulled in to the gym and did a 15-minute walk. I was exhausted and emotionally depleted, but it really helped. I ended up going back several more times and ended up losing almost 50 pounds thus far.
It wasn't without snags. I was sick for almost a year before I found out that I had Celiac's Disease, which is an inability to properly assimilate gluten. I am unable to eat bread, pasta, and certain meats without becoming ill. I was already a vegan at the time so meat-eating wasn't a problem, but I definitely struggled trying to make the transition. But I made it.
My advice to newbies? Never, ever give up and don't beat yourself up over setbacks. You will get there, you just have to do it.