Overweight to fit in 9 months…52 pounds down!

The posts on this message board have served as motivation for me over the last 9 months and I wanted to give back by sharing my own story. Here it goes!

I am a 38 year old mother of 2. I'm tall…5'11" and up until I had my first child I was always fairly healthy, hovering between 160-170 pounds. You mothers out there know how the story goes…you have kids, you get busy with life, no time for yourself. One day you wake up and realize you need to start taking care of YOU again.

Some people say they have a "moment" when they see a picture of themselves and realize they need to change. Mine was more gradual than that. I was slowly becoming more and more unhappy with myself and dreaded getting dressed every morning because what I was seeing in the mirror was not who I wanted to be. I was hovering around 200 pounds (sometimes a little more sometimes a little less).

Here are some shots of me "before" around 200 pounds. I avoided the scale so I don't know my exact weight.

This was at a 1970's party I attended (not how I normally dress!). Look at that belly!


This is our annual summer trip. I'm next to my incredibly fit husband!


And one more just for fun. I was in a size 16 jean.


In March 2013 something in my head changed. I remember sitting down to eat a hamburger with my family and deciding, I don't need that bun! I need to make healthier choices. This is when I found My Fitness Pal. I downloaded the app on my phone and began tracking my food. As I started tracking I began to realize the importance of making GOOD food choices as well as counting calories. Instead of chips and salsa, I would eat apples and jicama. Instead of that big heaping scoop of rice with dinner I would have an avocado.

I also knew I needed to start moving. I woke up at 4:45 every morning and would start my day off with a 3 mile walk before starting work at 7am. The pounds started melting off at about the rate of 2 pounds a week!

Here are a few progression shots:

This was in April at 189 pounds. I was down about 10 pounds at this point and feeling AWESOME. I went into Victoria Secret to try on a bathing suit. I still had quite a ways to go, but even trying on a bikini was a big deal for me at this point!


By the end of May I had reached 178 pounds. This was the lightest I remember being since about 2002 between the birth of my daughter and son. I purchased a new swimsuit with a goal to eventually rock it!


Another one from May, but in clothes this time. I squeezed into some size 12 jeans and was THRILLED!


By June I was down to 170 pounds. This was the original goal I had set for myself. Once I got there, I saw that I could easily lose more weight. I figured that I would keep on walking and eating healthy and my body would bottom out at the weight it was happy at.

Here's me at 170 in yet another new swimsuit. Looking better!


And at 167 in July with some new jeans from Buckle. A size 10!!!


At this point I decided I didn't want to just be thin, I wanted to be FIT. I joined the gym and asked my husband if he would be my trainer. I have watched him eat well and lift weights for the last 5 years and knew he could show me the way! My goal was to be able to eventually work out in the free weight area with the guys and feel at ease.

This is in August at 159 pounds and after maybe a month or so of the gym.


Between that last photo from August and today, I have lost another 11 pounds and have been hovering between 148-149 (size 6-8 jean!) for the last few months. My body seems to be really happy at this weight. I have continued to eat right, making it a LIFE STYLE choice, not just a "diet" that I am on. I stopped tracking my food a few months ago and it was so freeing! I am confident that I know how to make the right choices from this point on.

I hit the gym about 4 times a week, rotating muscle groups (chest one day, back and shoulders another, legs, then biceps/triceps). I am up to benching 85 pounds, doing skull crushers at 35 pounds and squatting 90 pounds on the Smith machine. I do VERY LITTLE cardio...15 minutes on the treadmill prior to weight training to warm up, some days running, some walking. I still do my 3 mile walk when the weather is nice. Sometimes if I am so inclined I will run a mile at the gym which for me is a HUGE accomplishment as I've never been a runner. I LOVE the free weight area! There is nothing more empowering than being a woman in the midst of a bunch of guys and feeling like…."I've got this!".

Here are my "success" pictures at 148 pounds. I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished!! I know that my kids will be able to look to me as a role model when it comes to health and fitness and that makes me happier than anything.

Good luck to all of you on your journey! Hopefully my story will help to inspire some of you.

This is me from a few days ago, pre-workout flexing my new biceps at 148 pounds! I used to avoid tank tops at all costs and now I live in them!


And my 2 new "congrats you did it!" bikini's from Victoria Secret! I'm not perfect…I have stretch marks…but I am loving my new body! I look forward to what 2014 will bring!