64 lbs lost pics

Matthew 19:26 – Jesus said to them; “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I started my weight loss journey in September. I was inspired by my Mom who completed Ultimate Weight Loss Revolution at the YMCA. She was successful in her journey as well. My mother’s success and my own disappointment with how I looked and how clothes fit led me to finally take that step to do something about it and change my life, forever. I had gradually gained weight through the years after giving birth to my 4 children. I was aware that I had let myself go and that I just wasn’t happy with how I looked. I had gained enough weight that I no longer had anything to wear. I tried to buy some new clothes that would look good on me, but nothing looked good on me. It was actually some photos that were taken that really opened my eyes to how unfit and unhealthy I had really become. It was emotional for me to see how overweight I was and imagine how I looked to other people. When I started the ultimate weight loss revolution I was at my highest weight of 206 lbs. I was so overwhelmed with what I had become it brought me to tears. My husband was very supportive and told me from the very beginning that I could do it and to not get discouraged with myself and to not quit. That first night after class I was physically exhausted, but excited that I was on my way to a healthy new life. Throughout this journey there were many times where I “stumbled” and maybe didn’t eat the way I should have or exercise as hard as I could have but those choices didn’t erase the progress I had already made. Through the support of other participants and family I picked myself up and continued to push forward.
I had decided when I started that I wasn’t going to use some crazy diet to do this. If I was going to get healthy and lose all this weight I wanted to do it right. I wanted to train myself to exercise daily and choose to eat meals and snacks that were delicious yet healthy. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay on a plan for the rest of my life. Popular diet plans can get you where you need to go if you follow them but how long will you be able to eat specialized meals, limit your carbohydrate intake or eat cabbage soup? This had to be a change that I could follow forever.
Ultimate Weight Loss at the YMCA required that I log my meals and snacks daily so I would be aware of what I was eating. If I could stress one thing, logging what you eat is a fantastic way to make you more aware of how much and what you are actually eating. Log your daily meals and snacks with quantities and the caloric/fat value if you know it will reveal the bad choices you are making very quickly. Support from the other participants and my husband was very important. Without these cheerleaders to keep me motivated during times when my results were not visible was very important. Reducing but not eliminating my cravings for certain foods. Many times I craved pizza and rather than avoiding it I trained myself to not overindulge and to eat a salad or fruit to help fill myself up before eating something that wasn’t healthy. If I went out to eat I would order carefully and be aware of my portion and how much I could eat. It was always a victory to go out to eat and make good conscious decisions and still see a weight loss at the next weigh in. It cemented the fact that I could still give in to my cravings on occasion and maintain my healthy choices and lifestyle.
The impact that this has made in my life is immeasurable. On Thanksgiving morning I ran the Turkey Run at the YMCA. I’ve never done anything like that. Even when I was younger and in better shape I would never have done something like that. I finished it! I accomplished something! It was a huge milestone in my journey. It set me free! Losing so much weight required me to go out and buy new clothes. This was so much fun to wear something and feel comfortable and know that I looked good. I tried on so many things. It was so fun to have so many choices. I feel so good about myself now. I’m so much more confident now then I have ever been at any point in my life. Doing this has empowered me. In addition to how I feel and how proud I am of myself my success has inspired so many around me. Several people have told me that my success has prompted them to start living healthier and eating right. It feels good to know that I can be an inspiration to others and it also holds me accountable to know that others are looking to me as an example.
After finishing the Ultimate Weight Loss Revolution on 12/15/09 my final weigh in and measurements revealed a new me. I had lost 37.4lbs an 18% loss of body weight and 18.25 total inches.
Since my last weigh in I have continued to push ahead toward my final goal and have lost a total of 53.2 lbs since I started my journey. I only have a short way to go till I reach my final goal but my journey won’t stop there. This has changed my life and my family’s life. We are eating healthy as a family and doing this together. I have inspired my husband and daughter to get in shape too. We are all participating in the Ultimate Weight Loss Revolution this time and we have committed to each other to never turn back.

Before 9/2009


After I completed the ultimate weight loss revolution 12/15/09


Present 2/2011