About Rose

Hi everyone! I'm Rose!

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to check out my page and learn a little bit about me. I think, probably the most fun way to learn about me, would be some fun facts (10) - and a few things even my friends may not YET know about me.

1. I am a mom of two little ones.

They totally rock and are some of the coolest people I know. My daughter ("C") is 3 and my son ("R") is 18 months old. For many years, I was told that I would never be able to have kids, so they are amazing gifts that I did not think I would be lucky enough to receive! If you follow me long enough, you are sure to see some of their antics and shenanigans.

2. I married my college sweetheart!  

My husband and I met through Campus Ministry at Saint Peter's University (formerly Saint Peter's College) in Jersey City, New Jersey - GO, PEACOCKS!! As students we were both very active in leadership, service, and highly involved in our tight knit community at the school. Within a few months of meeting each other, my husband and I started dating, by basically just hanging out with each other every single minute.... Many many years later, we got married in the chapel at Saint Peter's and had a peacock themed bash to celebrate the occasion. Can you tell that we love our alma mater just a little?

3. I love languages!

In this area, I am more of a jack of all trades/master of none. I absolutely love learning new languages and dabble in many. I know a good amount of Spanish. I also know bits and pieces of Tagalog, Arabic, America Sign Language, French and Italian.

4. I am a sucker for animals.

Animals rock! I am an animal love for sure! I have two cats currently - Dolce and Gabbana - and they are my little fur buddies. They are VERY big Maine Coon Cats and while Gabbana is big boned, he too needs to be on a fitness and nutrition plan for his health.

5. I am a professional photographer (in addition to being a health and fitness coach).

I've had a lot of different careers already in life! I have a background in Criminal Justice and Education. I started out my professional career in higher education. Before I had my kids, I started up my own photography business and got my training from the New York Institute of Photography. I am a member of the Professional Photographers of America, but I honestly shoot more for fun now, than anything else!

6. I have 8 siblings!

I come from a blended family and while I was raised with two half sisters and a half brother, they have always been just sisters and brother to me. Later in life, I learned that I had not 1 more but 5 more sisters through my father. I always thought I had a huge family - turns out it was even bigger than I thought! I now have active relationships with 3 of 5 "new" sisters and I could not be happier. As the oldest of this huge crew, I am so lucky to have so many AWESOME siblings to have my back.

7. I am a Harry Potter fan.

While I don't bleed the pages of the Sorcerer's Stone, I have always been a lover of the Harry Potter book and film series. I was introduced to the first book, briefly after the death of my grandmother, when I was really seeking out meaning and comfort in life, and the series really became a part of me. I can honestly say my fandom is FAR exceeded by my sister, Virginia, but HP holds a special place in my heart and my life. AAAAAANNNNNDDDD for those of you who will ask, I am a Ravenclaw and my favorite character is Snape.

8. I have a hard time being serious for any period of time.

I love to joke and have fun. I am always laughing. In fact, when I am put in serious situations, I am usually the first person to say something ridiculous and catch a few giggles. If you follow me on social media, you'll see my panda posts, memes, jokes, and every day humor. I love life and I never take it or myself too seriously.

9. I am a thyroid warrior!

My thyroid story is a LONG one (as I am sure the same is true for many of you)! For many many years, I struggled with a myriad of symptoms from low thyroid production until I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism while at the doctor for another issue. My diagnosis and treatment changed during my first pregnancy, when I finally demanded to see an endocrinologist. At that point, my medication brand and dosage changed and I was then diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with Vitamin D deficiency. Having this disease has never been easy, but with my nutrition changes and leading a healthier lifestyle, I've made huge improvements on my day to day life and have come to manage nearly all of my symptoms.

10. My health and fitness journey hasn't been an easy one!

I have tried a lot of gimmicky things. I have yo-yo'ed. I have succeeded and fallen back into old habits only to gain everything back again. It has been a long run.

For most of my life, I was active and ate whatever food was available. Basically I was a healthy weight as a child and enjoyed sports. In college, I was not nearly as active as I had been in my past. and that multiplied by poor eating habits and alcohol in my diet, I slowly let the scale creep up to 196 lbs. by the time that I finished graduate school. At a short 5 foot 1, I was chubby to say the least.

Shortly after graduate school ended, I started planning for my wedding and joined Weight Watchers. I lost 40 pounds in about a year and stalled out. I was tired of restricting my food. I was exhausted of counting points and my binge eating behaviors that I had long been hiding, came back with a vengeance when I figured out that I could save up all of my points for a certain day and eat them all in one shot. While I didn't gain any weight after that year, I didn't lose any either. I added in weight loss pills. No change. I continued to restrict my diet to under 1,000 calories a day with little to no exercise and in November of 2009, I learned that I had thyroid disease. The next year passed, taking us to 2010 and my wedding day and still down to 156. On my honeymoon, I gained 12 pounds. In fact, my thyroid was going crazy, my self control was gone, and I was wallowing in self pity, eating my way back up to 196.

In 2011, my husband and I decided we were going to try to start a family. I followed my doctor's orders and got an hour of exercise every day. I was counting calories and restricting to about 1,200 calories a day. I knew that both my thyroid condition and my weight were factors in having difficulty conceiving a child. It took us well over a year and a 7 lb loss for me, before we learned that C was on the way. During my pregnancy, I gained 30 lbs. After C was born, I lost it all within 8 months, with restricted calories, nursing, and high intensity interval training at home but as most moms know, my body didn't look or feel how it did before the baby.

In 2013, just a year after C was born, I was shocked to find out I was pregnant again with a baby boy. He joined us in in 2014, and during that pregnancy, I gained 54 llbs. My fatigue was out of control and all I did was eat and sleep. After he was born, I actually came home from the hospital heavier than when I went in to have him and the weight was not coming off. In July of 2014, I was 235 lbs.

That's when my journey with Beachbody began. My cousin, Jess, who is also a coach, reached out to me and asked me what my plan was for after the baby. She knew I had been working hard to lose weight between pregnancies and we discussed how I really needed help with food. She suggested 21 Day Fix for me and helped me figure out how to safely do it and lose weight while breastfeeding. Thanks to 21 Day Fix and my own coach, the first 40 pounds came off in 2014. In 2015, I lost another 16 pounds with shakeology, and all kinds of programs! I did Les Mills Pump, Les Mills Combat, Body Beast, Insanity Max 30, and tried out a bunch of other styles including Cize, P90, Brazil Butt Lift and Turbo Fire. I have since fallen in love with the Beachbody culture. I love that I can follow a set of directions and know I will get great results. I know that if you follow my nutrition plan, do my workouts, and drink my shakeology, I will see the changes I am looking for.

To date, my triglycerides have dropped 314 points. I have lost 56 pounds. My hair, that used to fall out in clumps from my thyroid condition is long and healthy and costs me a fortune in root touch ups! HAHA. I don't have to spend hours at the gym, alone, away from my family. I just push play and make progress. I am still working hard to make progress and the focus of my journey has changed from a number on a scale (yes, I do still want to lose 44 lbs), to just living a healthy lifestyle. I eat right and workout because it is healing my body. I do what I do, because it is giving me my life back.