1 Year Blog Anniversary

365 days ago I started this blog.

I never intended on sharing my story with the world. I never intended on ever having a blog (in fact I didn’t even know what a blog was until last year).

I stumbled upon the fitblog world accidentally last January when I did a Google search for running. I was starting to get serious about my Hood to Coast training and wasn’t sure how to even start a training program. A search brought me to Monica‘s website. I lurked around her site for a few weeks in January and then she started a series called “Weight Loss Wednesdays.” She asked for weight loss success stories to share on her blog. I thought, “Hmm I have a story to share I guess.” So I emailed her and she emailed me some interview questions.

The interview made me really stop and think about how far I had come from 250 pounds. I honestly hadn’t thought much about it for awhile because I was comfortably maintaining and my new life felt like the “norm.” It wasn’t until I read her interview questions that I realized I DID have a good story to share.

Thus began 110 Pounds and Counting.

Shortly after that she published my story on her website. Suddenly I had readers! People interested in what I had to say!

I wasn’t planning on continuing the blog. I figured I didn’t have that much to say beyond my background and how I lost the weight.

Post #1 – My First Blog Post

Post #2 – The Old Me

Post #3 – How I Ate to Lose

Once the floodgates were open though, I found that I did have more to say. The creative juices were flowing and I remembered lots of old stories, remembered tips I wanted to share with people, and of course the encouragement of readers inspired me to continue. The number one reason I continued writing here was the positive feedback I received from readers, friends and family. I loved getting emails from people who shared personal stories and struggles with me. They told me that I inspired them to keep trying to lose weight. That made me happy.

It’s a riot going back and reading old posts. Clearly I’ve come a long way. I found my voice in this past year of blogging. I found a strength I knew I had but was probably too shy to utilize. Seeing how short my original posts are makes me laugh. I really didn’t know what I was doing yet. And I think I still had that voice in the back of my head saying, “Is anyone actually reading this? Probably not, so be short and to the point!”

I started out at Blogger. I quickly grew out of that and realized it wasn’t the right space for me. I moved over to WordPress. Over the summer of 2010 I realized that I wanted to have my own website. With the help of my lovely boyfriend Michael and his super smart computer friend Jeremy I found my new home here.

The meaning behind the name of my blog: 110 pounds is how much weight I lost on my own. No crazy diets, no surgery, no nutritionist, no medication, no starvation–just freakin’ hard work. The “And Counting” part came to me for two reasons: 1) I lost my weight by counting calories and I still count my calories and 2) I wasn’t finished yet – I was still counting.

The Evolution

When my site started it was simply a place I could tell my story, then it evolved into other things (some of them short-lived). While I was training for Reach the Beach and Hood to Coast my blog became all about training. How I was training, the food I was eating, the progress I was making, the set-backs and injuries.

Then it became more of a place for me to share some of the fun activities I do. Hiking, camping, bike rides, swimming, vacations, snowshoeing…I am clearly a very active person and I’m glad I’ve found a soul-mate who enjoys those things too.

A lot of good things have come out of having a blog. The best is by far the friends I’ve made. Some I’ve met in real life, others I haven’t met yet but would love to. To name a few: Beth, AJ (so we can have a healthy debate about Veganism) , Emmie, I want to workout with Lori, run with Monica, and Kate (maybe do some yoga)!

Having a blog also gave me the opportunity to be featured in a magazine! I was even on the cover!

The photo shoot was so much fun and definitely an interesting experience. My weight loss story also got picked up by Woman’s Day and Yahoo Health!

It’s been a great year for me. Where do I go from here? I still love blogging and hope that I can continue to inspire people to lose weight and maintain a healthy balance in life. I’d also like to write a book about my story of weight loss.

Thank you all my loyal readers who have read my tales for the last year!