Things have been awfully quiet here on the blog the last year. It wasn’t my intention, it just kind of happened. I’ve been working hard away from the blog though and it’s time to share what has been going on. It’s a tough story to share but I’m hoping that everyone will find something that they can relate to or find some encouragement and hope.

In April 2016, I woke up one day with some pain in my chest. Being morbidly obese and having my father pass unexpectedly from a heart attack in 2014, this was obviously concerning. It wasn’t severe pain but pretty constant. I talked myself into ignoring it for a few days, all the while my anxiety was spinning out of control over this pain in my chest.

I finally decided enough was enough and so on a weekend morning I got up and took myself to the ER. Turns out chest pain in the ER is the equivalent to a Fast Pass at Disneyland. I was taken back right away and let the slew of tests begin. Thankfully, all seemed fine with my heart. Blood work, chest x-ray, and a CT scan to rule out blood clots were all performed.

I was sent home with a diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain and told to take Tylenol for the pain and hopefully, it would resolve soon. I was also told it was a good idea to see a cardiologist to be safe and of course to follow up with my general practitioner. That ER experience was one heck of a “come to Jesus” moment in regards to my health. I was determined from that day forward, things were going to change. The very next day I began exercising and dramatically changed my diet.

Over the course of the next eleven months, I have worked the hardest I have ever worked at anything. I am so happy to announce that through counting calories and daily exercise I have lost over 200 pounds between April 2016 and March 2017. No surgeries, shakes, pills, wraps, direct sales, or even a gym membership. I have not reached my goal just yet, so I’m still working hard and kissing those inches and pounds goodbye.

This has been such a journey for me and I can’t wait to share it with the world. Part of the reason it took me so long to share is that I didn’t know where to start. Nothing happens in a vacuum, so changing my diet and exercise had really changed so many aspects of my life. I’m going to be sharing:
· my personal story, including what that chest pain was
· what I eat and what my family eats
· exercise
· mental health
· motivation
· every other aspect of this journey I can think of

If you have something you really want to hear about, let me know. I will be sharing from the different topics as I can get things written but getting feedback about what interests everyone will help.

Cute as a Fox is not turning into a health and fitness blog. I still love to make cute things, throw themed parties, and craft up some cute food. I have never eaten kale or a green smoothie so you won’t find those particular recipes here, at least not yet anyway. I have created a health-focused Instagram, CuteFitFox, so be sure to follow me over there to get some more information on a day to day basis.

There is no one-right-path to health and wellness but I invite you to take a stroll down the path that I’ve been on and I hope you find something useful or relatable.

 

Part 2 is here! Come on over and read about my exercise strategy.

 

PS – Sorry about the huge watermarks. Apparently, direct sales types love to steal photos and use them to hawk their products.

Don’t forget to pin so you can come back for the rest of the story!