Before & After: 25 years and 30 lbs later (w/pics)

Kind of freaked out by sharing the fat pic, but if it keeps anyone from giving up... it is worth it! I've shared a few After photos, but not a Before photo (out of sheer embarrassment). The photo labeled "December 2009: 157 lbs" was the final straw. My youngest child was 2 1/2 years old at the time and I couldn't keep using the baby weight as an excuse anymore. One look at this pic and I knew it was time to do something about my weight. I was uncomfortable in my own skin and I missed the confidence I had when I was younger.



In January 2010, I started working on changing my lifestyle. Having been a former athlete, I knew what kind of commitment it would take to get back in shape. I stuck with it through all of the frustrations, plateaus and weigh fluctuations. Within 7 months, I was down 24 pounds. It took another 9 months to lose the other 6 pounds, bringing the total weight lost to 30 pounds! I have 3 pounds to go to reach my personal goal of 124.0. I believe this is a comfortable weight for me which is well within a healthy BMI range. It is also not so low that it would be impossible to maintain. More importantly, I feel great and have the energy to keep up with my kids again!

I'm a 5'2", 43 year old wife and mother of two. I run a business from home and am working on two new business ventures. I found the time to take care of myself. If I can do it... so can you!!! It may have taken a year and a half... but that seems like a short amount of time looking back at it now. My baby just turned 4 today and I can proudly say that I'm no longer sporting the baby weight.