me so far 52lbs gone pics inside

I said I would do this when I lost 50lbs so here it is my story so far

I have always been fat
I was the chubby kid cute but not skinny
I was the chubby friend as a teen again cute but more a side character
I was a fat adult (still am)
plus sized clothes, limited movement and crappy diet and 5 kids(yes 5 kids) lead to well a not so attractive body
I know some would call it ugly but I'm cute so I can get away with it

What I can't get away with is poor health
Last fall (mid November) I found a lump
scared me too
I made an appointment with the doc
since it had been so long I also needed a check up
I was NOT looking forward to it
On December 2nd I went in did the blood work
got on the scale
241lbs (I'm 5ft 2in tall BTW)
not the heaviest I have ever been but still morbidly obese I joked with the nurse about it (heaviest I have ever been not PG is 275lbs)

Then she took my BP
200/99
you have my attention
the doctor came in and looked like someone kicked her puppy
she gave me my numbers
cholesterol was very high
A1C of 9.7
this is bad very very bad
she then started talking about medications

while most people would be all for it
I started to cry
I have a very good reason to NOT be on meds


if this works right you will see my main reason
my youngest is 6 yrs old severely autistic non verbal
there is not a lock he cannot undo not a bottle he cannot open
those meds would kill him

I begged for some time give me a chance to get it under control give me 3 months
I got 2 before a new appointment and a new set of tests

so I began
the next day I came onto MFP started my account again
my goal
move 30 minutes a day minimum
eat low salt low sugar low carb
I put my research skills to use
I knew I had read somewhere about a study that was done about "curing" type 2 diabetes
my goal was not curing but control
severe obsessive control

eating low sugar low salt low carb BTW is not an easy task
the first month I lost 16lbs
yes I "dieted" over the holidays
my splurge was Christmas day I had 3 Christmas cookies
and a ton of Turkey

I have used my cooking skills to find and make low salt low sugar versions of foods I like
I have found vegetables that are not horrific (my inner fat kid throws a tantrum at the idea of carrot sticks but tolerates spinach and tomatoes)
I used my Christmas gift card from my MIL to get myself a fitbit flex
within a couple weeks I was able to get my BP under control (I monitor it at home)
I felt better
I no longer needed a nap in the afternoon to survive the day
headaches are not there
I felt better
I was using Leslie Sansone walking videos as well a walking around my small town
I lost another 16lbs in January
My doctors appointment in February
my A1c was down to 7.1
doc said since that counts November she wants a solid 3 months of me eating my new way before considering meds again I go back in May
Cholesterols normal
BP normal
that lump still there we are keeping an eye on it
(yes I had a mammogram and an ultrasound)

NOW for pics of me
none of them are very flattering but here goes
In January I was wearing a size 20 it was tight I started in December wearing a tight size 24W jeans
Here is a picture from January when I did a diet bet with some friends of mine


and here is picture from April 6th when I was able to put on my "goal" pants a size 14 capris I bought a couple years ago at a good will



I have a long way to go according to the charts I should weight on the heavy side 135lbs
I have not been that small since sophomore year in high school
I'm now the "thinnest" I have been since I was in high school

the weight loss has been a side effect of working toward getting my diet and exercise under control
I have to say I love it
Im thrilled at how I feel
I love people in town stopping me asking what I have done
I would not trade feeling this good for anything
not even chocolate and a big broasted chicken (my favorite foods ever)

I have even lost weight in my feet I can wear a pair of heels that have not fit in 15 years
the biggest thing I did for myself was to cut the crap

so there it is
I'll post here again when I hit 75lbs lost
sure hope I got those pics to work

there fixed them