I was going to wait and write this post when I finally reached my weight loss goal, but I'll just post it now since I'm so close! I know some people have a whole blog dedicated to weight loss, but I'm just going to post a little about it on my family blog since I don't want to make a whole blog just about losing weight.
I'll start with a little background. When I was younger and growing up I always felt big and awkward. I grew faster then everybody else my age when I was in elementary school. Kids would tease me and say that I got held back, or I would get called names, like Stork legs. By the time I slowed down and people caught up to me I reached a height of 5ft 7in. I like being a taller female, in fact I wish was even a couple inches taller! I have fought with my weight for most of my life too. I was overweight for a few years as a teenager. One day I weighed myself and was really unhappy with what I saw. From that moment on I was determined to get physically active and stay that way for the rest of my life, and I have to this day. Once I started exercising the weight just came off and I was to a normal weight in just a couple months. Despite being a normal weight I still felt bad. A lot of my friends were just skinny and I was jealous. I stayed at a healthy weight until I got married. I blame myself, but I also blame my weight gain post wedding on the birth control pills I was taking. I put on weight and I could not get it off no matter how much I exercised. Before getting pregnant I was at my highest weight and just thought that was where I would be stuck. I had two kids in 3 years and I did lose the pregnancy weight within the first few months for both my kids.
About a month after having Wesley I discovered an app on my new smart phone that would let me keep track of everything I was eating. It was through a program called Spark People. I started using the food journal for a couple months but never got totally serious about that or the program. I was also nursing my baby and I know you don't want to cut out too much food if you want to make that work. Finally when 2011 rolled around I was getting more frustrated about my weight. I decided to read The Spark. It is a book from the SparkPeople.com program. I reached my aha moment while reading the book. I had to realize a couple things. The most important one, and my main motivator is to tell myself that I am worth it and I deserve to be at the best health I can possibly be. The second realization was that diets really don't work, eating better works! I do not believe in diets. I honestly never tried a diet in my life because I knew I wouldn't be able to stick with it. Now I have found a program I can stick with. I finally believe I can do this and I can get to a healthy weight and stay there as long as I stay diligent. I learned that exercise alone is not going to help lose weight. If I exercise a lot, then go home and eat bad, I'm going to keep the weight on. I might have muscle, but it will be hiding under fat!
I am doing a few things to help me lose weight. I set new goals for myself all the time and make them simple enough to follow through. I make small changes to my diet that I can follow to eat healthier. My biggest challenge in the beginning was getting my full servings of fruits and veggies everyday, and right now I do get at least 5 or more on most days. I don't deny myself anything. If I want my chocolate, my cookies or my ice cream I have them. I just only have one portion size though and I make sure it fits in my daily calorie range. I workout just about every single day and I love it. I have always loved working out. My motivating goal is to get at least 10 minutes everyday and I do! 10 minutes is a piece of cake for anyone to follow. I am challenging myself in many ways with exercise. I try to run at least 5 miles or more every single week. I strength train 2-3 times a week. I do aerobics classes that I enjoy and I always look forward to them. I am not punishing or depriving myself in any way. I am rarely ever hungry because when I do eat, I make sure the calories are meaningful instead of empty. If you get enough protein and fiber you will not be hungry until your next meal or snack. The most important thing is that I am doing something for myself that I can live with my whole life. I really enjoy what I am doing.
I am so close to my goal..As of this morning I am 2lbs away from being in the healthy weight category! I am 7lbs from my goal, which was to weigh what I did in high school. After I hit my goal I"m going to keep going, but I will only lose enough weight that it is healthy for me. After all is said and done, I will focus on maintenance and I know I can always make goals to get fitter and healthier. There is never an end to getting fitter, you can always do more! The beginning of June was when I finally figured things out and really started the Spark People program. Since June I have dropped about 28lbs! If I can lose weight with this program anyone can! It is free and all they do is give you the tools, knowledge and support you need to get healthier. If anyone needs a workout buddy I would be more than happy to help.
