The Journey of 1,122 Miles
Email Article 
The Smokin’ Hot Mama Club has no doubt turned a few heads in the past several months, and initially it was for all the wrong reasons. I suppose we asked for it with our club name, and let me tell you we had more people searching our site for porn, cougars and a love connection than anything else! There were many times I considered changing our name and I would have if I didn’t love our logo so darn much! I have put much thought and consideration in how to overcome the immediate misconceptions because of our name . . . we’re getting there!
I have also applied much thought and consideration to this post. Hundreds of Mamas have asked how I lost weight and regained my confidence. I have delayed my full response. Did I really want to share revealing photos of myself in a bikini and subject myself to the criticism and judgment of many? Then my answer came . . . if it helps other Mamas out there to begin their journey, I'm game and it's worth it!
So, here it is . . . this is my real life journey of becoming my best, with this disclosure: I’m a real woman. I have my ups and my downs. I’m far from perfect and that’s perfectly fine by me. I’m not a doctor, a psychiatrist, a licensed trainer, a dietician, a graceful runner or a very good cook for that matter. But, I am brutally honest.
I began my journey on November 12, 2009 – weighing in at 190 pounds. Most family, friends and neighbors would not have guessed me to tip the scales at this weight because I was a master of squeezing my size 14 butt into a size 12 and wearing just the right shirt to cover the overhanging love handles. There were rarely discriminating photos of me shared because of the beautiful age of digitial cameras we live in . . . if it wasn’t flattering it would be deleted before even downloaded.
In the next 10 months I changed my daily habits – I changed my diet – I changed my sleep – and I slowly changed my life. It wasn’t an overnight change. 45 pounds didn’t just magically fall off my butt. It didn’t come easy for me, contrary to popular opinion. I didn’t wake up one morning with the energy to run 20 miles straight and my uneducated guess is, it won’t happen that way for you either.
There were the basics, changes you would expect me to talk about: I got up early (real early – like butt crack of dawn early), I drank a butt load of water daily, and I worked my butt off. And through this I’m realizing I use the word butt a lot! Then there were the unconventional changes you may not expect, but they made all the difference in my journey.
You will only ever have the health that matches your level of self-worth and self-image. Before I could change my reflection in the mirror, I had to look in the mirror and change my attitude about myself and what was possible for me. Before I could work on the weight, I had to work on ME. I had to begin believing I was worthy of becoming something better. The more I pushed myself physically, the easier it was to believe I was worthy of this change. Really when you think about it, this makes perfect sense. If you're waking up late, dragging through the day, eating crap, thinking crap, talking crap, naturally you will feel like crap. In this state of "crap" your self-image and self-worth will fall short of the qualification for better. Ask me if I’m worth becoming something better today – oh, you bet your butt I am! (there’s that word again!)
Make It Public – I started by uploading my very first work-out photo on November 12, 2009 to FaceBook and I’ve done it every work-out since. Sure I was hoping to encourage other women to get up and get active, but it was a bit selfish of me. You see, I knew if thousands of women were seeing those photos every day, it would put extra pressure on me to get my lazy butt out of bed and start sweating. I couldn’t possibly bare the embarrassment of failure with all those people watching. What I didn’t expect was the unbelievable support from perfect strangers which pushed me further than I had ever gone before. (You can view every photo with a detail of that day’s work out on the Smokin’ Hot Mama Club fan page under Photo Albums logging nearly 1200 miles of running to date.)
Kill Sissy Girl – I have a tendency to start strong and quit somewhere along the way. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Up until this point in my life, I was pretty much a quitter. It was that little voice in my head that told me I was too tired, I could make up for it the next day, it’s too hot, it’s too cold . . . oh that darn voice. One day, I named that voice – her name is Sissy Girl. I learned to recognize her talking to me during my runs and began talking back to her. In the beginning I had to tell her to shut up, eventually I starved her butt by not listening to her useless words of defeat and she died off! My “Sissy Girl” no longer has power over me. I am a WINNER and winners never quit!
There are a few favorites I found along the way:
Crystal Light Drink Mix – I filled a 1 gallon pitcher full of water with a little Crystal Light and sat it on my desk every morning. My day was not complete until it was empty. In the beginning, my little bladder didn’t know what to think and I wet myself on the occasional lengthy phone conversation with a client. Bladder control improved with time and so did my thirst for more water.
Turkey Burgers with Guacamole – Replacing my normal fried double cheeseburger and french fries with a grilled turkey burger was a hard sale. However, you top that turkey burger with homemade guacamole and a side of Ranch style beans and wah-lah, you have a great trade.
Fast Food at Home – 45 seconds to a healthy lunch with chicken or turkey sausage links and a plate of fresh veggies all for less than $2!
TRICK and TREAT – Reality check, my PORTIONS were way off – I mean like triple what I should have been eating. But those smaller portions looked so lonely on my big plate so it was time for a little magic. The TRICK - Purchase super cute little desert plates and plop my healthy sized portions on that tiny plate. Suddenly my dinner was hanging over the sides and I felt surprisingly satisfied. Now I was eating less but my little after dinner snacking while cleaning the dishes was making up for my good behavior at the table. I was literally licking the kid’s plates clean (oh, you know you’ve done it when there’s mashed potatoes!). The TREAT – a piece of sugar free gum on the side of my plate! The moment I finished dinner, I popped a piece of gum in my mouth and it totally warded off the mindless licking of plates afterwards. Minty gum mixed with mac and cheese isn’t too appetizing.
When we look our best, we feel our best and we then go out and do our best! It’s not about strutting our stuff in a bikini or turning the heads of every man in a 20 mile radius – this is about knowing we are worthy of becoming more than what we are right now, then making it happen!
Decide you are worth it, then simply do it! Your journey awaits!
Reader Comments (24)
As always a great post from your #1 fan..
Thanks for sharing, Pam!! It's helpful to see someone, a real person that you know, that was where you are and is where you'd like to be. 190 to 145 is almost exactly the goal I'm looking at right now (and I'm 5'1" - sheesh!). The very practical day to day tips (the gum by the plate) that real people do are what all of us need to make it really work. Imagining the glamour girl who just decides one day to eat salad every meal and never struggles is not reality. We need to see people who fight it and struggle with it and eventually win. To see where you are, how great you look, how healthy you seem to be is less daunting when I know you fought tooth and nail for a year to get there. That you looked in the face the goal of needing to lose almost 50 pounds and you stared it down and won. Thanks for doing it, for sharing it, and for being the inspiration to so many that you have chosen to be.
Stacie ~ And I happen to be the president of the Stacie Cooper Fan Club!
Pamela, I first want to say how wonderful you are for taking us all on this journey with you. Your ability to be so candid with 5,000+ women is eventually gonna make huge changes in the lives of those of us who hold you so dear. I am much closer to being on my way than I was a few months ago. I am still in the baby step stage, but having read Helmstetter's book has really changed my outlook. Thanks for the gift of that. I am really proud to have you as my "Chief Mama" and look forward to sharing my successes with you and all our sisters real soon. :)
Angie ~ As you stare down your goal of becoming healthier and happier, I will give you the best advice I possibly can . . . ENJOY the journey. Don't wish a single day of this away because it is the person you BECOME along the journey that really changes your life! I believe in you and I'm cheering for YOU!
Oh girl!! You have gotten me motivated once again....let's just hope that this time I can tell my Sissy Girl to shut the heck up :) I have recently begun having trouble with my high blood pressure again. I had went to the doctor last spring about this and had decided not to go the medicine route, but it is still way too high, so taking a small water pill for now. But, totally shaking up how I eat and exercise the next six months...so let's see if I can even get rid of that silly pill! I HATE taking medication of any kind, but it was a step I needed to take at this current time. Wonderful article, and I will definitely be sharing it with some friends!!!!
Jen ~ Well Honey, if you haven't already taken your before photos, get to crackin' because I know you are embarking on a journey that will completely change your life and your reflection! One day, those photos will be priceless to you and the world as you share your own success story! What an honor it is to be along for your journey!
ROFLMBO!!!!!! Wait....okay. I'm not laughing at you by any means, i'm laughing at how much alike we keep finding out we are! So u never told me y u post ur post workout pics, but that's totally why i do it! HOW EMBARASSED would i be to give up?? You never told me how much u weighed, only the number of lbs u wanted to lose. We started weighing the same (+ or- ) a few lbs and we have the same goals. God really knew what He was doing when he got us together! Thank you for the ministry you founded of SHMC b/c that's truly what it is....a ministry. You have shared with all of us, encouraged, motivated,INSPIRED, loved all of us! I could go on and on about what an amazingly incredible woman you are but you already know that. ;) Thank you my sweet friend, thank you for following God's calling and being such a blessing to us all. I would NEVER be where i am today without you. I LOVE YOU!!!! Your favorite 49ers fan,
Pamela,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It is truly inspiring! When I think of all of the hard work I have to do to lose my weight and get in shape it is overwhelming but reading about other people's successes makes me feel not so alone. You are an amazing woman for all you have accomplished and continue to accomplish. Thanks for being you!
So inspiring in every way. Thank you so much for sharing! It's truely motivating to see you through this whole process - and to see that it really does work for a real person!!! :) I think it will help many women (me!) on those days when it feels like it isn't working or on days when we feel like giving up. Just to remember how you stuck with it and the rewards you have now!!! Love you and thank you so much for all you are doing!
Renee ~ This too you shall conquer and come out stronger on the other side! You are one fabulous Mama indeed!
Laura ~ You always have a way of making me smile. Amazing how God knew exactly what He was doing when he connected us through the SHM Club! Oh, how you have blessed my life!
Kellie ~ You are certainly not alone on the journey, however you will be one of the elite by sticking with it and achieving your goal. You know where to find thousands of cheerleaders to support you every step of the way - let us help!
AdriAnn ~ Those downs make those ups that much more thrilling, don't they?! Thank you for being here every day during my journey to becoming my best . . . how I look forward to celebrating your "best" moment with you at the finish line!
This is the best motivation anyone can get! For one, you are honest, you state comments that many others can say "yeah I do that too!" You make everyone realize that if you want change then YOU can make it happen, but that it takes time....most people set goals that are not realistic...and by recording the changes over time makes it more believable for everyone! You state you are not medical and/or educated...however, your advice is very safe and positive...I'm a nurse and can say that you are right on with your plan to get healthy. I'm so proud of your accomplishments and thank you for all the support you give us "Mama's" everyday! Your selflessness is contagious! :)
Pamela ~ I'm new to the website, but wow are your posts motivating! I've been a fan on Facebook for a few months now, but after having taken the time to read your posts on here.... Amazing! I've got a similar goal for thinning down and toning up. 40 pounds is my goal. I've just started working out so I'm still fighting off my Sissy Girl! It's been difficult since we've been in the process of moving.
Thank you for your words of encouragement and for being so candid! I love it!
Today, I am 34 years old and weigh 200 pounds. Today, I actually feel worthy of the changes I have started making in my life. I haven't felt this way about myself in such a long time. Today, I am moving forward to be the best I can be. Thanks so much for the inspiration. I can totally relate to how that much weight feels on your body. Your words have been what I needed to hear today. Thank you.
Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your journey. The pictures, daily tips, and knowing it all came from a REAL person who had a REAL experience is amazing. I too, have a "Sissy Girl" and large portions....and a desire to become my very best. TODAY, I am not where I want to be, but I am in a better place than I was. 10/10/10 I may not JOG the entire half-marathon, but I know I am stronger than I was before meeting you and because of that I KNOW I will finish that race!!! With that, I already have two new goals for 2011 - building on my accomplishments of 2010. Thank YOU so much for being in my life, encouraging me, inspriting me, and for sharing your REAL life story! I WILL SEE YOU in just a few days, REALly (wow, that thought brings me to tears)!
I am so proud of you for doing this. And I am inspired by you. Keep up the great work. And don't stop now...keep going for all of us still running behind you. lol. Great pics too. You look great even in the beginning. You go girl...
Oh man... that was so great to read. I have been wanting to run so badly lately, but I guess my 'sissy girl' was winning as I would opt for well... anything, over exercise!!!
I'm getting to a point where it's like 'Ok, what are you going to do? Do you really want to keep gaining weight at the rate you are?! Those gorgeous size 10 pants are not going to let you squeeze into them much longer, and you know how depressed you are going to feel when you finally cannot get the zipper up.' ...
Please please help me ladies!! I need you all to kick me in the butt. Seriously.