My Weight Loss Journey To Qualify For The Air Force

Before I get into this week's article let me share this quote with you all that I found when I started writing this article. "A huge part of losing weight is believing you can do it and realizing it's not going to happen over night." Many people's new year's resolutions is to lose weight, which most go to the gym and than stop by February. You're not going to look how you want in a month, it's going to take more than just a month. Yes you will see progress in a month, but you wont lose all the weight you want to in a single month. Now that you have your inspirational weight loss quote for the week, lets get into my weight loss journey up until today because this week I reached my max weight limit to qualify to join the Air Force.

Just about five months ago, I had decided I wanted to join the Air Force. It wasn't an easy decision and I knew from the start it wasn't going to be easy, but it was something I knew I wanted to do so I was going to do it. In the process of still thinking if I wanted to enlist in the Air Force or not I thought it would be a good idea to ask my boyfriend what he had thought since this will be a big change in not only my life, but his also. I know I didn't need my boyfriends approval or opinion, but I'm honestly glad I did ask him. His exact words from one of the first conversations we had about me joining the Air Force was, "What I say on this subject shouldn't matter, I don't want to stop you from doing what you want. No matter what you choose you will have a very proud boyfriend". For that moment on my decision to join the Air Force became final and I was going to do it no matter what it took and him being by my side so far has only made it easier.

About four and half months ago, is when I decided I was going to go talk with the Air Force recruiter for the first time. Well things had changed, I was waiting around for him for about three to four hours and I was tired of waiting, so I decided to talk to the Navy recruiter. That was the day I found out how much I actually weighed and he tried to sell me to the Navy. I went home that day and looked up the Air Force max weight limit for my height and when I saw I was 25 pounds over the weight limit I knew I had work to do. Being over the weight limit by a decent number meant two things to me, I had to start running or join a gym and put down the chicken nuggets( I still have them like once a week) and pick up the protein bars and salads more often. The one thing that my boyfriend knew to be true is that I wouldn't have been able to do this by myself and four and half months later, he was right. We have not only have been doing this together, but he has made it into a competition which has motivated us even more.

On the left was me, August 2016 and on the right is January 2017.

At the beginning, September I weighed in at 200 pounds and today( January 21st) I weigh in 174.0 pounds. In the past four and half months I've lost 26 pounds and I couldn't be any prouder of the progress I've made and continue to make. The month of September I started with just running and would run miles in an hour and half to two hours, but I saw nothing was changing. So October, I got a gym membership at the gym by my house name Blink. Ever since I joined the gym I've seen progress. It took a decent amount of time to come up with a workout for me at the gym, but now that I have it, I have it down. I start with 33 minutes including cool down time of the elliptical, 10-20 minutes on the bike, 10-15 minutes of the stairmaster and end with about a half hour of cool down time with the different leg presses.

My boyfriend weighed in October at 222 pounds and today (January 21st) he weighed in 199.6 pounds. In the past three and half months he has lost 22.4 pounds. October he started with running and doing exercises. At first he wasn't making any progress, he actually gained weight so November he changed his diet and than he started losing weight. Now that he has been back at school for ten days an average workout for him is running approximately two miles, 36 minutes on the elliptical and he bikes from his apartment to classes, so a lot of biking throughout the day. Together, we collective have lost 48.4 pounds and weigh in at 373.6 We've both have made such big progress and it's such not only cool but rewarding to track it.

When I first told my boyfriend that I was thinking about joining the Air Force and when I finally decided I knew he wasn't to fond of the idea, but he was going to support me no matter what I wanted to do. I know at first, knowing that I will be at BMT for eight in half weeks with very little contact besides a phone call or two and letters was scary but I'm more than confident that we can do, and do it easily. After I graduate my tech school for my job who knows where I'll be going, state sided or overseas through the years I stay in the Air Force, but the long distance won't be anything new or different to us. The only thing that will change is the hours I work and when I'll actually answer a text and sleep. Ever since I reached my max weight limit for my height this week and am actually below it, me joining the Air Force has never become so real, but I know no matter what happens along the way you will always be proud of me for making this decision. I don't think you've ever been so proud to call me your girlfriend. I promise when I graduate BMT, I won't just be your girlfriend, I'll be your Airman and I won't come back and see you again unless I am one.

I still won't ever forget the conversation I had with my friend, Katie at work one night. We were talking about how I'll be joining the Air Force and will be eventually leaving and her exact words in this conversation was, "Bitch you better not forget about me or drop me out of your life." and I'm pretty sure my answer back was "You daily annoy me, even when we aren't even working I could never. My life wouldn't be complete without you. But I do expect letters from you when I'm at BMT." A few weeks later I had Wendy's on my break, because I was really hungry and Katie says to me, "Can I feed you Wendy's everyday for the next six months so you will be over your max weight and can't leave me yet?" Clearly because I'm under it, I told her no. But Katie, I can honestly say you will be the person I miss the most when I leave KK. Getting annoyed by someone day in and day out, is just something you can't forget. But don't worry Katie, you still have many days and months until I'll be leaving and remember, I still expect that oreo cake on the last night I work.

As hard as this has been, I honestly don't know if I would have been able to do this without my amazing boyfriend, Sean by my side. Now that I have reached my max weight limit for my height, all I have to do next is keep my weight under my max weight and relearn and study for the ASVAB so I can pass the test. I'm more than ready to start paperwork and be sent up to medical and take my actual ASVAB. But, as I study and relearn math my weight will just be getting lower and lower or better and better. This will only be the beginning for what the Air Force has for me. I'm happy to be able to take my boyfriend along with me! Thanks for being my awesome motivator from over 1,000 miles away Sean!