6.06.2013

Weight Loss: My Journey So Far

It all started with 2 pictures.


When these pictures from a baby shower posted on Facebook just before I started my second semester of school, I cried. My mom, John, EVERYONE claimed it was just a bad angle. But bad angle or good angle - I never knew I was capable of looking like THIS. 

I cried for hours - I cried all night. I just didn't understand how it had gotten this bad.

For over a year I had looked in the mirror and thought, I don't look that bad. When I wore a one-piece all summer long for the first time in my life, I blamed it on being a mom. When my clothes (a whole size bigger than normal) got snug, I told myself it was no big deal. Until it was. 

See, I gained about 15 pounds throughout college. Over the course of 4 years it didn't seem so bad. I had a lot of fun while I gained that weight! Then, in this past year, I gained 15 more. In ONE year I gained as much as I did in 4! So NOT okay. 

So I made a change. Baby-steps. I wanted this to be a real change, not a flash diet where I lost weight quick and gained it back even quicker. 

My short-term goal: be in a bikini by May for our family vacation to the Virgin Islands. My long-term goal: be my best weight ever before getting pregnant again.

First came the food. I changed what we were eating. No fast food, less eating out, sticking to meal plans, less snacking... In one month I lost 5 pounds. 


So I started working out. Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Muscular Structure work 3-5 times a week &  a 5k training program 3 times a week. 

In two more months I had lost 5 more pounds, could run a 5k, and was feeling good. Even if running was still hard & most days I dreaded going, it made me feel great to be active!


The final month, I just kicked it into high gear. I started using My Fitness Pal to track my calories. I started learning more about what was in the foods I was eating, portion control, and calorie intake vs. calories burned. 

I lost 5 more pounds. I felt great at my cousins wedding. And best of all? I wore a bikini on vacation. 


Goal = MET.



So here we are. Post vacation (3 weeks past vacation actually...) and I have met a firm plateau of 15 pounds and 14 inches lost. 

With summer here, weekends are spent at the lake, eating and drinking. Weeks are spent undoing what was done on the weekend. 

I'm ready to shed these last 15 pounds. I have started amping up my exercise and hope to be running a 10k by the end of the summer! We are diving head first into clean eating over here and I hope to find some self-control on the weekends! 

The biggest change for me in the past 5 months has been learning discipline, letting myself cheat, and making sure that this is a lifestyle change that will last. There have been bad days and bad weeks. There have been times when I have surrendered to crap food and not worked out for two weeks straight.

The most important thing to me, at this point, as that I keep coming back. Back to healthy eating, regular exercising, and good choices. I feel better than I have in years. I sleep better, have fewer headaches, and have more energy. 

I know this post was long, but I wanted to share my story in hopes of inspiring other people to make a change, motivate those who are in the process of changing, and mostly just because I am proud of myself and ready to take on the second half of my goals! 

7 comments:

Unknown said...

You Rock!! Great reminder to always go back to a healthy lifestyle!

Tara said...

So proud to watch you stick to your goals! Your definitely inspiring me!! Lets run that 10k together! :)

Kristin said...

Way to keep it uncomplicated! So many women have these master plans, diets, exercise programs, etc. This was refreshing :) Nice work!

Kristin :)

Natalie said...

You look amazing! I was in a similar place and then I got pregnant again. Hopefully I will be able to lose the weight for good after my next one!

Christi said...

You look fab! I had the same epiphany this week when I saw pictures of myself on vacation. Sadly, I am just starting my journey but you gave me hope!

Great job girl!!

Postcards from Rachel said...

You look beautiful! Thank you for sharing your story.

Andie said...

Congrats! What a fantastic accomplishment! :)

You look great!