Inspiration

I absolutely looove taking pictures (at times not necessarily being in them though)!! ever since I was in middle school my friends and I would always have one of those disposable KODAK cameras in our hands, snapping shots of different poses of ourselves and different events that we would go to.(Thank God they came out with digital cameras a couple years later) I love how a picture takes you back to the moment it was taken and lets you remember what you were doing, who you were with and what was going on at the time.

In these pictures I remember feeling so happy for my sweet sister-in-law Meagan who just sealed the deal with her husband! But also very uncomfortable with the fact that I was wearing a size 14 dress. I know it's not a huge size to some people but you also have to look at that dress and see that the only place it is form fitting is underneath the bust. As weird as it may sound, these pictures above inspire me. These pictures were taken in spring 2009 and are probably evidence of the heaviest I have ever weighed. (guessing between 220-230lbs) When I first saw these pictures I could not believe what I was seeing. I knew I was gaining weight I just did not realize how much I had gained until I saw these shots.

(190 lbs)

One year later (spring 2010) I had lost some weight trying various diets some worked some did not! May 2010 I decided sacrifice time and money and try out the program at Dr. Slott's office.

(160 lbs)

This picture was taken about two weeks ago. As you see I have lost about 30 more pounds and am continuing to get down to a healthy weight range. :) I feel good now but I know I'm not ready to start maintaining. I feel like I have lost a lot of weight and shame about what I look like and happily I have gained a lot more self confidence and endurance health wise. I now am at the gym on average 4 times a week doing various cardio/strength training activities. I haven't set a goal for myself as far as a date on when I want to loose my last 25 pounds by because to me what is important is my choices for the day. If it takes another 10 months to loose the rest I am perfectly fine with that. (although I am praying it starts to come off sooner than later so I can spend less money and start on the maintenance plan) In my logical mind I think my body should loose two pounds a week cutting my calories back and working out hard. But these last 3 weeks seem to show that maybe God is wanting me to also gain some patience along with my confidence ;)

The Struggle

So continuing on from my last post.. I have been on this healthy weight loss journey for quite a while now. I go to an awesome weight management doctor's office located in North Charleston called Dr. Slott Weight Management. Every day I try my hardest to get my two protein supplements in as well as 6 cups of vegetables and 7oz of lean protein (with the help of an appetite suppressant or two). The team at Dr. Slott's office is AMAZING and ENCOURAGING!

I weighed in today for my two week follow up and the results could have been very discouraging (-1lb) but their support is so great there I know it's just my body adjusting to my new workout schedule as well as some other complications ;) I feel good and I really feel like i have lost inches these past two weeks. My clothes are fitting more comfortably now too! So I just shook it off (literally) and went on to Zumba :)

Promises

This is it!!

I'm restarting my blog :) for me!

This blog is mainly about my journey in weight loss and reaching personal goals!

(but of course ill probably be venting about something else here and there)

In May 2010 I officially promised my husband to start and stick with seeking out a weight loss doctor to get help for what seems like my never ending yo-yo weight loss/gain game live that I have been living since I was around 12 years old.

My lows as an adult have been in the 130's (18yrs old) and my highs have been in the 220's (23 years old). As I sit here watching the Biggest Loser's contestants loose 10-20 lbs in a week, of course I want to loose my last 30 lbs fast so I can hit the beach lookin' good this summer, but I know that that image in my head is not as important as taking my time and learning how to eat to survive and not live to eat.