How It All Began....And A Weekly Update.....

So I realized I had a post I had never posted that told a little more about what I am doing in my weight loss journey.  I went back and tried to take out some of the things I know I have mentioned in previous post.  22 Days until Christmas!  22 Days to work really hard to try and meet my Christmas goal!!

In January of 2012 I tried losing weight AGAIN after the holidays(remember the "before" picture I have been using in my comparison pictures) but would lose a pound or two and then gain a pound or two.

I have learned (well, I think I already knew it) your mind has got to be ready and in the game  to really lose weight.

You can't think oh I can have this it will be ok....because if you like food as much as me, well you eat that one little bite and then another and then another and then you think I will just start all over tomorrow.

So what did I do??

One of my friends is a personal trainer.

I ask hubby back in April if I could hire her to help me lose weight.

He told me I could!

I remember having a MOPS Steering meeting at my house on April 29th (the day before starting this weight loss journey) and drinking my last Coke or Dr. Pepper for quite some time and most likely eating a few pieces of chocolate because I knew that was all about to change!

What I love about my training is that my friend has done most of the training here at my house.

Do you realize how much time that saves me to not have to go to a gym?

I think about it sometimes...by the time I could get the Princess loaded in the car, drive to the gym, get the Princess in childcare and then finally get to workout I would have already spent at least 30 minutes and just be getting to start working out...where in 30 minutes I am most likely half way through a workout.

Now that the Princess is in school I just drop by her house on training day and train at her house. 

My trainer also sends me my menu every other week.

It details out exactly what I am to eat for each meal.

It has been a no guessing game for me.
 
It makes grocery shopping so easy because I just get my menu, see what items I need and see what extras we need.

It is getting a little harder though because the closer I am getting to goal weight I now am getting to choose some of my meals...

Hubby and the Princess eat most of the same things and I will sometimes add something to the meal for them or if it is something they do not want we will grill them a different type of meat or something.

The cooking does take me about an hour each evening...but that is ok because we are eating HEALTHY and CLEAN!  We are not putting JUNK into our bodies!

Yesterday was the day for my splurge meal and and splurge snack.
I am  trying to have a semi controlled splurge this week because I am still up a little bit from Thanksgiving.  I say semi because last night was also my MOPS Christmas party.  Hopefully I did not do too bad...it is amazing how fast those calories add up!

I was back within a half of a pound of my pre Thanksgiving weight and then had a meal this week that had a little too much sodium I think....so hopefully that sodium will come off quickly.  Remember me saying how I can choose some meals now and instead of making my own taco seasoning like I normally do I quickly took the quick way out for me because there just happened to be a package of taco seasoning in my pantry.....but it was not low sodium but for some reason I chose to use it....another lesson learned....I should have taken the 2 minutes to make my own. 

Stay tune for more about my weight loss journey.

24 Days Till Christmas!

Can you believe Christmas will be here in 24 days!

I really can't figure out where this year has went.

How much of your Christmas shopping have you done?

We ordered something online Monday only to receive an email during the day that the order had been cancelled...ugh...they had run out I guess.

Is your house decorated yet?

Ours is getting there....slowly but surely.  I hope to have it mostly done by the end of the weekend.

We did get our village up over Thanksgiving.

This is known as "Kate's Village" to everyone around here.

We started our village the year Kate was born and try to add to it each year.

So with my phone I could not get the whole village in one picture. 

So here is two pictures.

In the picture it looks like so much more snow that when I look at it.  I am thinking next year more streets and less snow storm:).

I am still working toward my Christmas weight loss goal...I am so hoping I can make it!! I put on a few pounds during Thanksgiving but I am 1/2 pound away from being back to where I was!

I noticed that I have a weight loss post that I never posted....and it was the one that gave a little more info about what how I have been losing weight and then some of the things I have already shared...so I will do another post next week about that.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Still can't believe it is December 1st!

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!!

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!!