The First

Hi, Hello, Hola! My name is Jazmin and guess what? - This is my blog!

I’ve wanted to start this blog for a while to share with you the struggles the average person faces when trying to stay healthy or be a better version of themselves. Oddly enough, the start of the pandemic allowed me to hone in on what is important to me and to my family and begin my journey to improve my health. Most importantly, this journey is a means for me to be comfortable in my own body and the person I am.

But first let's get to know one another, or I guess me since I'm the one writing this blog. I'm 43, I'm a Hispanic Latina Chicana woman and I’ve lived in the great state of Washington since 2005. I grew up and spent the majority of my life in a very small town in Oregon called Independence. I was born into a very tight knit Mexican family. Growing up, I had relatives within each block and a cousin in every grade in school if that gives you any perspective. I had your normal upbringing - well normal to me filled with rice, cheese, salsa, beans, tortillas, huge family gatherings, a grandma who only spoke Spanish, summers filled with picking berries or some sort of fruit and a dad who did farm labor. 

I've struggled with weight my entire life. No, let me correct that….I've had personal issues with my weight my entire life and still do to this day. I don't remember a time when I ever was truly happy with my body or the way I looked. This has led to approximately 30+ years of trying to be normal or average.

I am the eldest of three kids in my family and my younger sister was always cuter, thinner and had what I wanted (which was to have a normal body size or what I envisioned as normal). To make things more complicated, I was the tallest in my family, had the largest feet and was heavier. To give you an idea, my mom wore a size six in shoes and I was blessed with size ELEVEN in shoes. I think I was only ever able to wear my mom’s shoes in elementary school.

Growing up in a Hispanic family, meals were what we could afford but always consisted of rich delicious traditional meals. I'm not blaming my upbringing for my issues with weight, I'm just thinking that maybe they didn't help.

I've yo-yo'd with diets and tried things here and there but nothing ever really worked for the long term. It was just that, a yo-yo, up down and left with a frown.

After all the yo-yo-ing and unsuccessful diets, I realized what truly needed work was my relationship with food. Oddly enough, I viewed food as both something to celebrate with and something to overindulge in when I was sad or upset. When I look back at my high school years, even though I was larger than the average teenager, I still wasn't that big or at my heaviest. That came later in life, results of life choices, stressors, and a very manipulative relationship.

I'm happy to say that after years of being unhappy with myself, I've found that I can be more accepting of myself. I am beautiful at whatever size. But for me, what would make me most happy is not ever having to shop in the plus size section again or when I go shopping with girlfriends being able to shop on the same side of the store as them. I’ve always found it interesting that so many friends don't understand the differences in sizes. For instance, they tell you an extra-large should fit all the while I’m dying inside because I know it won't. It's embarrassing! And for me, it adds to my desire to self-indulge to try to take that pain away but ends up doing the exact opposite - increases pain and adds that weight. It’s a dangerous cycle!

This blog is a part of my journey and I hope it helps those like me along the way. Over the past few months, I've found a diet - or I should say lifestyle - that works for me and I see progress on a consistent basis. I'm here to share the recipes, exercises and products I've found beneficial to my health journey. I’m here to share my experiences, successful and unsuccessful in order to help you steer clear of the latter. We will dive into what I’ve been doing to be successful in my posts moving forward and I am here to answer any questions you might have.

I am here for you always...