Thursday, April 19, 2012

A Body's Journey Through its 20's - A Weight Loss Story

Here it is. The picture that started it all:



TwoPretzels posted this on my Facebook page as she was reminiscing about her wedding. When I saw it, my mouth hit the keyboard. That was me? Where did she go? I must investigate.

In this photo I'm 22 and in a totally rad wedding. I adored the dress but was devastated that my bottom got into a 4, but the up top was a 6. Such fatness. (rolls eyes) I had a gym membership that I didn't use, I ate a grande plate of nachos right before the wedding, and I never considered a single calorie. Yep. At 22 life is pretty good, and it stays good for a while.

Let's venture down the road a bit to 26. Pushing 30 but not really thinking about it. Beer doesn't have calories, right? I couldn't possibly be putting on weight RIGHT?!? If your husband is getting chubby too, well then that just cancels everything out!



Then this happened:

That right there is 210lbs of pregnant girl. Much to my dismay, a 40lb baby didn't come out.

I breastfed for 2.5 years and got down to this:


Not too bad. I can live with that. I had a baby, after all. Lay off!

However at the age of 28, I became a 210lb pregnant girl again.

Dammit! How does this keep happening? And guess what? A 40lb baby didn't come out that time either! And when you've got 2 kids to take care of, post partum depression like a mofo, OCD, anxiety, and a pinch of denial you get:

WTF?! My clothes don't fit, I haven't been able to get my wedding ring on for 2 years, and I would NEVER let my husband see me in my underwear.

Sweet double chin.

What in Hades happened? Comparing these last two pictures to the first one jump-started my weight loss desire. I rode an elliptical 5 days a week for 20 minutes, monitored a diet of 1,300 calories on MyFitnessPal, totally eliminated beer, and changed EVERYTHING about how I cooked. No more Paula Dean and everything cooked in butter and cream soups.

I went from 162lbs and an overweight BMI to 138lbs and a normal BMI.

I still track my calories, but I'm back up to a normal amount. I don't kill myself with exercise anymore, but I'm much more active. This is better. This is healthier. This I can maintain.


19 comments:

Ky • twopretzels.com said...

You.
Look.
Amazing.

More importantly, I CAN HEAR how happy you are with these changes.

I am so happy for you.

the corbett kid. said...

hotness. i want an elliptical now.

the corbett kid. said...

and some pizza.

Sassytimes said...

You look amazing! Go you!

Ky • twopretzels.com said...

P.S. Ferg is so happy to be on your blog. :)

Unknown said...

I bought a cheap one off Amazon. Totally did its job.

Unknown said...

I smiled putting her on there :)

Unknown said...

Thank you. I feel soooooo much better!

Biz said...

DAMN WOMAN! You look amazing!! For real.

So happy for you! And proud to know you. <3

Unknown said...

Seriously. Thank you.

Unknown said...

I'm so so grateful that you showed me MyFitnessPal. Seriously. Huge for me.

Anne said...

Damn, girl, youz a hottie. Seriously, awesome. And I'm so impressed by your dedication. It's inspiring!!!

Wendy said...

You look AMAZING! And as a gal who is currently on the fitness/calorie counting kick too, I know how HARD it is! You put in a LOT OF HARD WORK and look how fantastic you look! You look great!!!

Missa said...

HOLY you look amazing! What an emotional roller coaster, I can imagine.

Wrestling Kitties said...

DANG! Way to go you!! You look AMAZING :) It sounds like you FEEL better too, which is the most important thing!!

AWESOME

Amber @ Backwards Life said...

You look amazing! I have a wedding party picture that brings up those same feelings. I also just threw out a crap-ton of processed junk food. Congrats to you, and fingers crossed for me! We have the same ups and downs...I hope to get down like you asap. How long did it take you this time?

Sarah said...

I jumped back after reading your 'skinny' margarita recipe. You look awesome. And are totally inspiring me. I'm exercising 5 times a week and am using my Fitness Pal as well. THanks for the kick in the pants I needed. XO

Sarah said...

I jumped back after reading your 'skinny' margarita recipe. You look awesome. And are totally inspiring me. I'm exercising 5 times a week and am using my Fitness Pal as well. THanks for the kick in the pants I needed. XO

Unknown said...

It was such a no nonsense approach. I budgeted in snacks, drinks, and candy and just adjusted amounts or ways of prepping food. Totally easy to maintain. No crash.