3 months in and 23.5 pounds down!! Happy birthday to me!!

I’ve been on MFP for a while now, but this is my very first post. I’ve spent hours reading the forums, and have enjoyed so many wonderful stories, so I thought I’d share mine today—on my 34th birthday.

I first joined in 2013 when I was pregnant with my son. I’m 5’2” and weighted about 190 pounds at the beginning of my pregnancy. Early in my second trimester, I developed gestational diabetes, and my nutritionist recommended MFP to track my carbs. I was told not to worry about calories or fat, just to focus on carbs and my blood sugar readings. Well the diagnosis scared the crap out of me, and I became diligent about logging everything. I kept under my carb limits, and believe it or not I actually LOST weight during the early part of my pregnancy, but my numbers were still too high. I eventually had to go on insulin, which to me was devastating. I was convinced that my being overweight was what was causing the bad numbers and putting my son at risk. Well the insulin did its job, and my numbers stabilized. After my healthy baby boy was born, I weighed about 175 pounds and my diabetes was gone. I was a happy new mom, and I had made it through pregnancy without gaining (actually down about 15 pounds).

I thought I didn’t need MFP anymore; that I had “learned my lesson” about watching what I eat and could go on losing weight just by paying more attention. I was wrong! By the time my son was a year old, I weighed 200 pounds. I didn’t really notice the slow gain until I went to put on my old bathing suit for my son’s pool party, and it barely fit. I didn’t want to be in any photos, and while my MIL filmed my adorable little boy eating his smash cake and splashing in the pool, I did my best to hide. It dawned on me that my own mother did the same thing when we were young. She was too embarrassed to be in photos because of her weight, and that’s why we don’t have many photos of her from that time. It’s like she wasn’t there.

I didn’t want my son to feel like I was missing from his childhood, so I got back on MFP. Then I got off. Then I got back on, etc. I just wouldn’t commit to sticking with it. It wasn’t until my son’s second birthday, when I weighed 206 pounds and again couldn’t comfortably fit into my bathing suit, that I made the REAL commitment. I decided that I was going to take the time and energy that I give to everything else (my family, my career, my education) and invest it in my health.

I started back again on June 22, three months ago, and my weight is now 182.5! That’s over 10% of my body weight—gone! I feel better, I look better, and most of all I’m excited for the future. I still have a ways to go before my goal weight of 150, and who knows if I’ll stop there or keep going, but I just wanted to share my happiness today, on my birthday. Here’s hoping that my 35th birthday will be just as wonderful!

I wish every one of you much success on your own weight loss journeys!