Today is our One-Year Anniversary! We have been through so much this year. Faces have come and gone, but there are some very special women who have been with us since the very beginning! A few weeks ago, I asked them all to share their stories with us. I have to admit, I teared up reading each and every one of these.
ANN’S STORY:
I first came over to visit the Sisterhood after hanging out over at Beth’s at “I Should Be Folding Laundry”. She has been one of my regular reads for quite some time….don’t even remember how I found her, but whatever!! Anyway, she mentioned this cool new blog that was designed as a support system for women trying to lose weight or just get into shape. I had been “trying” to lose weight since my then almost 5 year old was born, and just never could get enough motivation, or gumption, or desire, or you fill in the blank to get it done. I was beginning to realize I needed a serious kick in the butt and someone out there to be a motivator and support for me. My husband was not really doing it for me, since his way of motivating me was to tell me I was fat and I needed to lose weight!
So I clicked over to the Sisterhood and I FELL IN LOVE with everyone. Everyone was in a different place in the journey to their optimum weight and every time I came over I felt loved and supported. That was last November or December…don’t remember which, but I have been checking in every week (usually several times a day) since then. The support that I have found through this site has “made it happen” for me. I love that there is a new challenge to participate in every month or 6 weeks or so. I love that everyone gives me “bloggy love” by commenting and encouraging me.
In late March when I went to the doctor, he gave me an ultimatum and told me to lose the weight or be diagnosed as diabetic….I didn’t want to go there so that’s when I went home and “got serious”! I have been consistently losing weight through lots of hard exercise, eating better and the support of the Sisterhood! I truly don’t think I would be down the 29 ½ (update: 30+) pounds if I had not had the support of this site! I still have a good 50 pounds more to go, so PLEASE DON’T DISAPPEAR ON ME!! Love ya!
Read more about Ann here!
BECCA’S STORY:
A year ago I joined Weight Watchers and the Sisterhood because I found myself overweight.I immediately lost about 4-5 pounds and loved it. The best thing about the Sisterhood has been the encouragement. They have had my back and encouraged me throughout the past year. Most of all, they have encouraged me to work out. When I trained for my 5k, they were with me every step of the way. It was so encouraging knowing so many women (and men) were behind me! The day of the race, all I could think about was that my Sisterhood would be waiting to congratulate me, and they did!
Get a glimpse into Becca’s life here!
MELISSA’S STORY:
I can’t even begin to explain how much the Sisterhood has done for me in this past year. When SSJ launched I was still very new to the blogging scene. I was not-so-secretly-blog-stalking my husband’s ex, SSJ’s very own Melissa, and posting randomly without much direction. I was unemployed, overweight and fast approaching what I thought was a huge, sad birthday. (Dirty Thirty, baby!!!) When these amazing ladies launched the Sisterhood I was all over it. Finally, people like me who were struggling with their weight but very conscious in trying to do something about it! It’s also given me a level of accountability that I didn’t expect. My original thought was that it was all over the computer so no one would know if I said I lost a couple of pounds when I really gained… but what I found when it came for weigh-in was that I didn’t feel like I needed to fudge the numbers. Everyone has always been so honest about both their triumphs and their struggles and it makes me want to be honest AND helps me to not be so hard on myself when I slip up or have a rough week. Thanks to Twitter I can Tweet that I am struggling to avoid chocolate cake and no less than 5 responses come right back to me with support. I couldn’t have lost 19.6 lbs and be well on my way to living a healthier, happier life. I love each and every one of my Sisters! *mwah*
Find more of Melissa here!
KIRSTEN’S STORY:
Wow. Where do I start? I have always been a runner. I started at an early age; 5 to be exact. I loved running because it was time I got to spend with my dad. Then we moved. I moved every two years from birth until I was 11. Throughout the rest of elementary school I didn’t run much, but when I hit junior high I signed up for cross country. I have never been a fast runner. I had friends who routinely ran 6-7 minute miles. I was always in the 10 minute range, but I didn’t care. I loved how running made me feel. Unfortunately if I wasn’t participating in cross country or track, I didn’t run. So I have never consistently run for more than about 3-4 months at a time. Enter the Sisterhood last fall. I had already gotten back on the proverbial horse and started walking on the treadmill, but I wasn’t really motivated to strive for better things. The Sisterhood held me accountable to what I said I was going to do. Knowing that every week I was going to come back and admit whether or not I had done the things I said I was going to do kept me in line. I didn’t want to let this group down. Fast forward to this fall. I wasn’t feeling the
love of running. I was burnt out, but I had signed up for a half-marathon, and I was going to complete it – whether or not I had to walk. So I kept on truckin’. When it came to the 300 ft elevation increase between mile 6 and mile 7, do you know what kept me going? Making my “sisters” proud of me. To be able to go home and say “I did it!” And you know what? At the top of that hill and at the end of the race, I had tears in my eyes because it was through their (Lissa and Christy) support that I accomplished what I did. I believe that The Sisterhood gave me the inspiration to do what I didn’t think I could do. So, thanks ladies! You are my hero!
Get more of Kirsten here!
STEPH’S STORY:
I joined this site a year ago at the request of a very dear friend of mine, Lissa. I had just barely started blogging & knew very little about the whole “blog world” that exists. She explained that she & a few other bloggers were putting a group together where men & women alike would be able to encourage one another along our paths to overall physical & mental fitness.
So, I ventured on over to the site & immediately fell in Love! I knew that I just had to be a part of such a fabulous idea! I joined & the rest is history. I’ve participated in quite a few of the challenges (when my health would allow) & have also had the pleasure of being a Sponsor by making jewelry for various winners.
It has been simply amazing watching this group grow & grow! It seems as though there are new people joining all of the time & I sure hope to share the positive energies with each & every one.
Here’s to many more fabulous years for the Shrinking Jeans!!!
Read more from Steph here.
Thank you so much ladies! You all are such inspirations and truly WONDERFUL women. We couldn’t have come this far without you! *Smooches*
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