60 lbs gone...15 more to go. Progress pics.

I just signed up after being pushed by my sister and I have to say this pic I just saw is pictures of 2 different people; I am sorry but I do not believe the person on the right was ever the person on the left. I am willing to bet the person on the left was a very nice person but I am just as sure that the person on the right is much happier! Congratulations, I hope I do half as well as you!
Alex

You're right - in a sense, they are two different people.

When I was on the left I was miserable. I hated getting up in the morning because that meant having to get dressed. That meant having to figure out what would best hide the fact that I was obese. The girl on the left felt inadequate as a wife, a friend, a mother....I hated how I looked and felt. I became very angry. I was jealous of my thin and pretty friends. And I had a hard time keeping up with my daughter. I probably didn't do as many things with her as I should have because I was too embarassed to be the "fat mom" (apologies to those who are offended by that "f" word). The girl on the left didn't know how to deal with life. She hid behind food. That just made things worse. When that pic was taken, we were at my in-laws. It's the last time I saw my father-in-law "living". A few months later we made the same trip to visit only then he was on his death bed and passed five days after we arrived. The girl on the left had no idea how to live or deal with the harsh realities of life. She didn't know how to deal with the small things in life, either.

The girl on the right is completely different. She's happy, healthier, and feels SO much better about life. Shortly after my FIL's passing, we decided to have another baby. I wasn't thrilled about being obese and pregnant but I felt that if I were to wait until I'd lost weight to get pregnant it would never happen. I didn't want my daughter to be an only child simply because I was too lazy. But I did vow to live as healthily as possible during my pregnancy and once I was given the all-clear after my c-section, I resumed workouts....hard workouts. I hit a few snags along the way early on - a regression of my c-section incision (both internally and externally). Some knee issues. And lately some muscle imbalance in my legs (first day of physio was today, actually!). So I have had to "roll with the punches" many times. MANY times.

I do feel like a completely different person...moreso on the inside. I have different priorities now. I don't let food run my life. I don't let my image dictate whether or not I will be involved in my childrens' lives.

For once in my life I feel........free.

Omgg!! How did you get those legs??You look amazing!

I had posted this earlier in the thread but will pop it in here incase anyone missed my little tidbits of experience.

"Well, from all the research I did and shows I watched, etc I learned that there's not really anything you can do to lose in specific areas (spot reduction) but you can tone and tighten (weight training) the muscles underneath to help reshape. The fat comes off where it wants to come off.

I'm not striving for perfection (because, really....what IS perfect?) I'm just aiming to be the best me that I can be while still living a comfortable, attainable/maintainable lifestyle. I have saddlebags, flabby inner thighs and thick calves that I wish would go away. I also have a lot of abdominal fat to shed still. So I'm hoping/assuming that as the pounds drop from now on I will notice it come off of those spots moreso than the thinner spots on me (ie. my face, chest, ribcage, etc.).

If you're close to your goal/ideal/healthy weight and size but the legs are still too "big" then maybe it's not something that can be changed. Some of us are prone to thicker thighs/legs/buttocks because that's just how we're built - I say embrace that deliciousness and work it like Beyonce and J.Lo."

I did a lot of running last August, September and October. Throughout the winter I aimed for at least one trip every 7-10 days to the indoor track to do my 5K. In the meantime over the winter I used our elliptical for my cardio workouts.