YEA! 50 Pounds Lighter!

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I’ve never been a small person. Heck – I entered Kindergarten weighing 80 pounds. But my weight has never really held me back, until recently. Ever since college I’ve gone up and down a horrible weight roller coaster of 49 pounds. So to recently hit 50 pounds lost was a HUGE accomplishment for me.

Here’s a picture so you can see the difference –

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Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ve got plenty left to lose – but I feel great!

Hitting 50 pounds lost was the perfect motivation to keep me going. Yes, I’ve yo-yo’d before, but this time I truly want to keep it off. Several people have told me that I’ll put it all back on once the wedding is over. I certainly hope (and plan) not! I mean – come on – I actually started this “get healthy” journey before I was even engaged. It’s not like I just went bride crazy to lose weight. And others have said, “Once you stop ‘dieting’ it’ll all come right back.” That gets so irritating. My first thought is always, “I’m not dieting!” I guess in a way I am, but I never feel deprived. If I want a cookie, I eat it. If I want ice cream, I have it. However, I know that I have to choose wisely otherwise those less-than-healthy snacks will kick me in the butt. And portion control is SUCH a big deal for me! So I can endulge from time to time, but I have to be smart about it!

So – how have I done it, you ask? I reached my heaviest point in March of 2012. (Not planning on sharing that weight just yet. Once I hit a certain number I’ll clue you all in.) I knew something had to change, but with work and life stress I just wasn’t up for trying anything. But as soon as school got out, I got to it. I dropped ten pounds pretty easily. The next ten came off alright too, but then school and coaching hit. I kept going up and down about those last five pounds.

On January 1, 2013, I signed up for Weight Watchers online. My mom had done it several times in the past with great success, it’s the way my personal physician has stayed at a healthy weight, and I’d done it informally using my mom’s old books back shortly after college. However, since I’d never actually paid to use the program, I would often get away from it. Now that I’m shelling out nearly $20 a month, I feel like I HAVE to stick it out. Why throw that perfectly good money down the drain? That – and I finally have the motivation!

You’re right, I don’t want to be the fat bride on my wedding day, but I also don’t want to be an unhealthy wife or mother. My fiance used to be a lineman on a college football team, so he’s a bigger guy as well. But when I learned his dad had a massive heart attack and passed away in his forties, I knew we both needed a change. I don’t want to lose him to something that is totally preventable. After watching me find success with Weight Watchers, he signed up as well. Now we can track points together. We also try to work out 3-5 times a week. It’s been going great. Actually – the soon-to-be hubs has lost 90 pounds in the past year. (Some of that was before WW, but I’m still extremely proud of him!!)

Don’t get me wrong – we both have setbacks. There are days where I can eat anything I find in the cupboards. And we both LOVE chocolate. So we always make sure to have some healthier chocolate options around. We also still enjoy going out for supper from time to time, and when we get the chance we spend a lot of time on the road visiting friends and family. The way I look at it, even if we can basically maintain weight during the bad and busy times, we are doing alright. (Or putting on three pounds after a week in Vegas isn’t all bad, right?)

Finally, as I mentioned above, we work out a fair amount. We had belonged to a gym, but that just wasn’t the intense workout we both needed. So, finally, I broke down and bought the Insanity program. It’s been great! Granted, even after doing this program for six months, I can’t do all the moves in the first level – but I’m seeing progress. My legs are more toned than they’ve been in AGES! I can actually feel some abs starting to form. (Hopefully one of these days I’ll actually be able to see them!) We just recently started the second level, and it is kicking my butt.

So I guess what I’m saying is that if you’re someone who enjoys intense workouts (and a fair amount of jumping), try this program out. You’ll have to have the motivation to do it yourself, but if I can do stick to it – anyone can! We don’t do the program six days a week like it recommends, but we get to it 3-5 days. The longest days last about 45 minutes, and that’s from warm-up to final cool down. It can be done in any 5×8 foot space. (The soon-to-be hubs and I both do this in his tiny living room, but it works!)