Featured Fitale Shannon Dew

FFFC: Please introduce yourself to our readers (i.e. your name, occupation, hobbies, etc.).

SD: Hi! I’m Shannon, author of the semi-popular, but not at all, blog, Life After I “Dew” where I talk about being a working mom turned stay-at-home mom, celebrity gossip, fashion, staying fit, finding my faith and wine, lots of wine. I enjoy long walks on the beach…err…what? I mean, I do, but come on. I like girly things like shopping, hanging out with my girlfriends, snuggling up on the couch with my main squeeze, reading, cooking, trying to be crafty, and drinking wine.

FFFC: What sparked your weight-loss transformation journey?

SD: After I had our first {and only, for now} daughter I was fat. Yes, I was. I was a good 60 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight and for a while {about 5 months} I was OK with it. OK, not really but I just had this mindset that this was my new, mom body and that was just what I was going to be stuck with forever. THEN we went on our first family vacation and I felt disgusting. I didn’t bring a bathing suit because I knew there was NO WAY I was getting into anything that form-fitting. I hated that I didn’t get to swim with my daughter on her first pool experience. I mean, how sad? So after that I was on a mission. I got an iPhone and downloaded the My Fitness Pal app and never looked back.

FFFC: What was your beginning and current weight or measurements?

SD: When I started on my journey I was somewhere around 180 lbs and my goal was 135 and I reached 133 in September of 2011.

FFFC: How long did it take for your weight-loss transformation from beginning to end?

SD: It seemed like it took forever, it really did, but it really only took me 7 months. Not shabby! It probably would have gone even quicker but in the beginning I only tracked my calories through the week and let the weekends be free-for-alls. Once I realized how much better I would be without those cheat days I felt like the pounds just melted off.

FFFC: What physical activities did you participate in during your journey?

SD: I know this isn’t the correct or appropriate answer but in the beginning I did nothing physical. If I was within my 1200 calorie a day limit I did nothing. If I went over my calories I would get on the treadmill and walk until I burned off the extra calories. Not necessarily the “right” way to do it but hey, it worked!

FFFC: How did your eating habits change?

SD: I was quickly shocked by my problem with portion control. I wasn’t necessarily eating “bad” things but I was eating WAY more than a serving size worth. That was my biggest realization throughout my journey. I mean did you know that a serving of mac & cheese is ONLY 1 cup, not the whole box? Shocking, I know. So once I started measuring things out and eating ONLY a serving size worth I realized that I could, basically, eat whatever I wanted as long as I ate the correct portion.

FFFC: What is your favorite fitness activity?

SD: I love yoga. I know it’s not a big calorie burner but it’s so good for the mind, for my mind. I used to attend a weekly yoga class, pre-baby, and I always felt so rejuvenated and, just, good when I left. Now that I don’t belong to a gym anymore I have a couple of DVDs that I alternate. I went through a period of time where I ran and trained for my first 5K but I quickly realized running is not for me. Sometimes, when I’m really motivated, I’ll pull out a 30 Day Shred DVD or 6 Week 6 Pack, but mostly I just hop on the treadmill and do some incline walks.

FFFC: What do you do now to maintain your physique?

SD: Well…it’s the age-old truth, watch what you eat. I wish there was a secret or trick but the truth is if you don’t overeat you can maintain. It’s that easy.

FFFC: What advice do you have for someone starting out on their weight-loss journey but unsure of how to begin?

SD: Just do it! No Nike didn’t pay me to say that but it’s true. Once you get there mentally you can achieve anything. I had never tried calorie counting before this and so maybe trying something new, that you’ve never done, is a good kick-start. It’s new, it’s exciting, it’s challenging {who doesn’t love a good challenge?} so it works!

FFFC: What do you think is the biggest misconception about this journey?

SD: That there’s an easy way out. There is nothing easy about losing weight. It’s hard work, dedication, constantly making the right decision, it’s working out when you’d rather lay on the couch and watch Real Housewives and it’s having a salad instead of a box of mac & cheese. There is no easy way out. Sure there’s the fad diets and they work for a certain amount of time but as soon as you go back to real life those things bite you in the butt. So the only thing that works is watch what you eat and exercise, plain and simple.

FFFC: How can readers learn more about your transformation and journey online (i.e. facebook, tumblr, twitter, etc.)?

Check out the blog here.