Seeing Is Believing....

Well, like I said in my last weight loss journey post (if you missed it you can go here to read it) that I did not take an official before picture and had to use one where I was actually one and one half pounds lighter taken the beginning of January.

It clicked, that I could take my picture in front of the mirror if hubby was not here to take it for me.

So, that is what I started doing each time I took a picture.

Not every day...

Not even every week....

But I started taking pictures to record the journey and for me to see the difference.

So here are the pictures.....

38 1/2 pounds gone......I started this weight loss journey with my trainer on April 30, 2012.

Again, here is the "Before Picture"..........

Here are the pictures up through November 16th.

And here is a "Before" picture and the latest picture (11/16/12).

So do you have weight loss goals between now and Christmas?  I do, I have a goal for myself to get to by Christmas and hopefully that will help me not eat the wrong things as I go to Christmas parties this year!!

October Picture Dump From My Phone

Oh my, it has been such a busy week!  My inlaws came in for Thanksgiving.  So, this past week I was busy cooking and cleaning and cleaning and cooking:).  I love to cook so I really enjoyed getting to cook all kinds of different food.  Foods that I normally do not cook anymore because they are not the healthiest foods in the world.  This week I am going to have to work extra hard in my workouts to make up for all the eating I did.....I have to wonder was all the dessert really worth it....desserts are my weakness.

My sister in law and her family were in town also and came over Friday to watch the game. The Princess had so much fun playing with her cousins.  She missed her nap and was asleep before 8:00 Friday night.  I was so glad to see LSU beat Arkansas!! GEAUX Tigers!!

As I type this I am watching the Saints game.  Oh, how I wish they could pull this off and win this game but I am beginning to think that is not going to happen tonight.  But there is a little over 4 minutes left in the game so I guess you never know.  I am just excited that we are actually getting a Saints game on my birthday! 

I have not forgotten about my before pictures up to now pictures for my weight loss. I just got so busy I have not had time to finish putting together all the comparisons but will hopefully get to finish that tonight!

Here are a few (believe me, not all) pictures from my phone from October.

I was trying on a pair of boots and the princess found these on display...she calls them Cinderella slippers...ummm, no......but I do think I have a shoe girl on my hands:).   I did make her take them off scared she was going to fall and hurt herself.

My friend turned 40 this year and we went to dinner at a restaurant that has a slide inside.  Hubby went down the slide with the Princess.

Here is the Princess trying on her Strawberry Shortcake costume.

Here she is all ready for church one Sunday morning.

This year she talked alot about wanting scarecrows and pumpkins.  She was so excited when we finally went to get them.  Here she is posing with her scarecrows.

Since I hardly ever have pictures with the Princess here is one of the two of us one Sunday morning before church.

Well  San Francisco won the game.....but I still have to say....GEAUX SAINTS!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Before.....

**Since this would be such a long post if I posted all about my weight loss journey in one post I am breaking it up into more...stay tune for more about the journey I have been on so far and the journey to get to my goal weight.**
 
When I started with my trainer back on April 30th I was ready to see a difference.

I was not ready to tell the world I had a trainer because what if...

What if it stressed me out so much because now people were watching me to see if I was losing weight....

What if I did not lose any weight, what if.....

Well, the weight started coming off....

Did people notice?

I don't think many people did at first.

It seemed like forever before I really needed to buy new clothes.  If you ask some of my friends they would say I waited way too long to buy new clothes....

That is a whole other post, believe me.....

So, I did not take a picture when I started my journey on April 30th.  Hubby was out of town and I did not think to stand in front of the mirror and take a picture.

I do have this picture from the beginning of January where I actually was 1 and 1/2 pounds lighter than I was on April 30th.

So, since this is the only picture I have to use as a comparison...and since I was dressed in workout clothes for this picture it is the one I am using for my before picture.

Remember the weight loss challenge I said I won in 2011....well, this picture was for the second one that started in January of 2012....and I did not win the second one....I did not even come close.

Hey, but at least I have a picture to use for my before picture now:).

After pictures are coming!!!!

Have any of you been on a weight loss journey?  Have you had success?  What works best for you to lose weight?

So It Begins......

**Since this would be such a long post if I posted all about my weight loss journey in one post I am breaking it up into more...stay tune for more about the journey I have been on so far and the journey to get to my goal weight.**

If you have read my blog for any length of time you have seen post where I am always trying to lose weight it seems.

I have been looking back trying to find pictures from different seasons of my life.

I obviously must be the one behind the camera alot because I have had a hard time trying to find many pictures of myself and some of the ones I found I really did not like.  You will see what I mean as you scroll down.

I really can't believe I am posting some of these pictures.

So this is me about 8 months after I got married.

I gained alot of weight with Kate....close to 45 pounds or so.  Kate was born September 15, 2005.

After Kate passed away I never lost all the weight I gained.

This was taken in July 2008.  Looking at this picture I can see how far I have come!  And what kind of face am I making??  See, I told you it was hard for me to find pictures.  And this is one of the ones I can't believe I am posting.

I think I blogged about a challenge one of my friends did back last year that ended last November and I won it!  I was not anywhere near my goal but at least I had finally seen some pounds come off.  This picture was taken toward the end of the challenge or either right after.

The only thing...I gained it back during the Christmas holidays.  If there is one thing I have figured out it is that I can't just diet or just exercise if I want to lose weight, I have to do both.  During the holidays my exercise I am thinking became less and less.  I will  have to make sure that is not true for this year though.

Stay tune for more about my weight loss journey!!

I have to add....after looking at these pictures it has really given me a little motivation I think.

Motivation that I needed.....

This journey has not always been easy.....but looking back it is worth it.....and I will press on....I will make it to my goal....one day at a time.

Stay tune for more about my weight loss journey and more pictures....thankfully I figured out how to use my iPhone to take pictures of myself in front of a mirror once I had started my journey.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!!

It's Hardwork....It's A Journey....It Doesn't Happen Overnight

**Since this would be such a long post if I posted all about my weight loss journey in one post I am breaking it up into more...stay tune for more about the journey I have been on so far and the journey to get to my goal weight.**

It's like a game that I have started so many times in the past 7 years.....

But April 30th my mind was really in the game.....

And the weight loss journey REALLY began.....

And I have finally brought myself to blog about it....

It is not easy and it is not over......

There are days I do great and there are days I really mess up with what I eat.....

But every day is a new day......

I have come so far in the the past 6 months.....

And I will get to my goal......

One day at a time........

Check back tomorrow for more of the journey.....and a few pictures!!

Trick or Treat!!

 

This year the Princess really loved trick or treating!  She dressed up as Strawberry Shortcake and had so much fun.  One time that I called her by her real name she corrected me and told me she was Strawberry!

Saturday night friends of ours that live in a small town near us invited us over for dinner and taking the kids on their town square for trick or treating.  So we dressed "Strawberry" up in her costume and off we went.  

They had a photo op set up at their church.  Here is Strawberry, aka the Princess with our friends kiddos, Jack Sparrow and Rocky.

So she is not smiling in this picture, but she really was having a great time!!!  Love this little girl!!

Tuesday at school was dress up day and the fall party!  We did not want the Princess to wear her Strawberry Shortcake costume since there would be a good chance she would mess it up and we wanted her to be able to wear it on Halloween.  So she just wore a tutu that she loves to wear and a crown...this made her a Princess Ballerina I guess:).

I was one of the moms that got to help plan the party!  I was so excited!  Do you know how long I have waited to plan my babies school parties!  Here is the Princess eating her cupcake.  The cupcakes were made like one big Pirate Pumpkin and then each child got one of the cupcakes.

The girls made Princess Pumpkins and the boys made Pirate Pumpkins.  Here is a picture of the Princess with me and her pumpkin.  She saw that the cupcakes were being served while we were getting this picture made and she wanted her cupcake!!

Wednesday we went down on the square in our little town and then came home and the Princess went to three neighbors to trick or treat and then she got to give out candy.  She had so much fun giving out candy and calling some of the costumes by names...such as Rapunzel, Tinkerbell and Belle.  Let me tell you, I noticed when someone came dressed as Rapunzel she was staring at them and saying Rapunzel and reaching in the basket for candy and giving them LOTS of candy!!

We met friends of ours down on the square and the Princess (Strawberry Shortcake) got to walk around with one of her little friends.  I just love her little smile in this picture!

The Princess had a fun week.  Her grandparents were also in town for Halloween so she had lots of sugar and lots of fun!!  She has even been asking me to go trick or treating again....I told her not until next year.....a three year old just does not quite understand what next year is.

Pumpkin Patch

 Last Friday (yes, I am behind) we went to the Pumpkin Patch with my MOPS group.  We had a great time.  It was the first time I had been to this particular pumpkin patch and it was great because it was not too big and had several places to take pictures, a maze for the kids to play in and a hay ride.  The Princess had fun even though it was a little chilly that day!

The Princess with one of her friends.

 

The Princess with a couple of friends sitting in the hay.

 The Princess checking out the maze!

 I thought this little area was so cute!  Looks like they are just having a little conversation!

The Home Project - Week 3

So this may not really sound like deep cleaning but this next week I want to try and hit every room and get the junk out of each room.  You know the things that are in there that really have another spot they are suppose to be in or even things that have been in rooms for a while but now seem like clutter.  So here is to week 3 and getting my house ready for the holidays!