Well it’s me, Ashley Wagner. I’m 24 and play the role of a wife (4 years now), daughter, sister (older brother, younger sister, and in-laws), aunt (1 niece, 2 nephews), and friend… all of the typical roles. I’m also a recent graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.

So, why the Figure Friendly Club? Well for starters, I’ve struggled with weight on an off for years. During high school, I worked to drop a few pounds but never really knew how. Shortly after high school, all of the weight started piling back on. I was in the mode to eat for all occasions. What do I do when I am depressed? Eat. When I’m Sad? Eat. Happy or bored? Eat. You get the point.

Some of my most treasured memories involve food, just as much as my distressing memories do. Whenever we’d get together for family dinners, they were HUGE dinners where I piled up the food and went back for seconds not realizing the types of habits I was forming. Whenever there has been an occasion to be celebrated, it has always involved big dinners – which was great, but I never took into consideration portion sizes.

Back in the Winter of 2005, I decided that enough was enough. It was time for the weight to come off. I didn’t feel healthy and I knew if I didn’t stop it now, it would just get worse. I spent about a month or two just mentally preparing myself for what I actually wanted to do. Previously, I would say that I was going to lose weight, and when it didn’t come off instantly, I gave up. This time I was prepared for the long haul because I wanted results. Part of preparing myself included scouring the Internet for everything I could find on healthy dieting and dropping pounds successfully.

Somewhere around the end of January and the beginning of February 2006 I started my journey, and it was truly a journey. I painfully got on the scale and wrote down my weight. There it was in writing, and now it was time to change it. With a free membership to the gym right across the street from my apartment, and armed with my healthy dieting plan, I had no excuse to fail. I learned that the motivation followed after the pounds started to drop. I was losing a healthy 2-3 pounds per week and keeping it off, and I met my goal in September of 2006.

Throughout my journey I became obsessed with healthy eating, dieting and nutrition. When the pounds started coming off, and people asked the typical “how did you do that?” I’d respond with an honest, “diet and exercise.” A healthy diet I might add. I can’t tell you how many people asked if I was being serious. Yes, diet and exercise. No pills, no liposuction, no Atkins.

I’ve learned so much throughout my journey, from new ways to exercise, to healthy recipes. Most importantly, I’ve learned to change my lifestyle. Through the Figure Friendly Club, I am hoping to share what I’ve learned, but more importantly, learn from people like you. I’d love to form a community where everybody can share their own thoughts, experiences, and struggles so that we can all learn from each other.

For me, and I’m sure many others, keeping the weight off will always be a constant struggle. When you know better, you do better, and I firmly believe that. I now know how to live a better lifestyle, and through the Figure Friendly Club, I’m hoping to share that knowledge with others so that we can all do better.

Feel free to leave comments and start a conversation, or join in on a conversation. If you have any suggestions, let me know!