2013 Year in Review

Hello fashionistas!

As the hours tick by this year is coming to an end. 2013 was definitely a year of major change for me.

The picture on the left was New Year's Eve 2012. The picture on the right was my 18th birthday on December 8th. 

I normally don't discuss this on my site, but if you've been a reader for awhile I'm sure you all noticed that I lost weight this year. I started 2013 off with a heartbreak that I wasn't sure if I would get over, have no fear I did, but it prompted me to get a gym membership. I decided that I needed to find a new hobby and find a love for myself. I dropped about 15 pounds from January to May, nothing major. 

When school got out I decided that the summer would be the perfect time to undergo a total transformation. I downloaded the lovely My Fitness Pal app and started tracking calories and my workouts. I logged for months straight. I killed it at the gym six days a week, I was relentless in my pursuit of fitness. I dropped 20 something pounds by August. I was doing the weight loss journey in a way that was healthy. With the app I was set to drop two pounds a week. Sometimes I would drop only a pound, sometimes it would be two or three. In the weeks that I wasn't seeing much progress I would remind myself that weight fluctuates and that by doing strength training I was putting on muscle. Calorie counting really helped me change my eating habits. So many people think that calorie counting means that you can't indulge in sweets, but what it really means is that you are mindful of the amount your are eating. 

I kept up with the calorie counting when school started and managed to drop another 30 pounds. I went from a size 16 to a size 6. 

My normal gym routine consists of spin classes, weight lifting classes, zumba, elliptical time, running, and strength training. This is a post I did about my workouts a few months ago. 

Dropping so much weight has not been easy, but it something that I am so proud of myself for doing. Sometimes it is hard to hear about my weight loss from complete strangers at the gym or my classmates. It's difficult to not compare the girl I was to the girl I am now, but I'm trying. 2013 was a year that led me to physically change my appearance, but 2014 will be the year that I mentally catch up. I am resolving to accept my body for what it is and for everything it does. We only have one body, we better treat it well!

If anyone out there is planning to lose weight as their New Year's resolution I am so proud of you. You'll be signing up for a long, difficult journey. Don't abandon it after a month when you aren't seeing drastic results, it will take time. It truly is a lifestyle change, not just a quick fix. I cannot believe the way I used to eat and not workout. If I go too long without working out my body starts to crave the activity. 

This is a tough thing for me to put out there, but I wanted to share this chapter of my life with you all. 

I hope 2014 brings you everything that you want! Thanks for being such sweet readers, your comments really make my day. 

Loads of love and Happy New Year!

XXOO

Savannah

♥